Tenorio wants PBA title

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Professional basketball players all have personal goals they want to chase after. Alaska Aces point guard LA Tenorio wants nothing less than the championship in the coming Philippine Basketball Association All-Filipino conference.

My number one personal goal is to win the coming All-Filipino title with the Alaska Aces, says Tenorio. Sa lahat ng level meron akong championship. High school, college, sa Philippine Basketball League. Sa PBA na lang ako walang championship. Sana makuha ko rin ito.

This is a lofty target considering that the Alaska Aces were eliminated in the Wildcard Phase of the ongoing 2008 PBA Fiesta Cup. But it is not unheard of. After all the Aces were also eliminated in the Wildcard phase of the previous conference just before they won the 2007 PBA Fiesta Cup crown.

Sana sa susunod na All-Filipino sa next conference makuha namin ang championship, said Tenorio. Maganda ang All Filipino conference. Mas prestigious ang All Filipino sa lahat ng conference. So ang goal ko talaga manalo ng PBA championship bago man lang mag expire ang contract ko next year.

Tenorio was traded by Magnolia for Mike Cortez last conference. He is in the second year of a three-year pact he inked with the San Miguel franchise. Like the other Alaska Aces players Tenorio is disappointed with the early vacation.

Sobrang napaaga ang bakasyon namin talaga, said Tenorio. Kasi sa tingin ko nasa learning process kami. Maraming nadagdag sa team. Si Larry (Fonacier), ang import (Randy Holcomb) at ako. Tatlo ang nadagdag sa rotation ni coach Tim (Cone). Masyado maikli ang time para mag gel lahat.

Tenorio says he would have wanted more time to learn the Alaska triangle offense. But now with one whole conference under his belt, he is more confident about orchestrating the Alaska offense.

Hindi basic triangle lang ang laro ng Alaska, said Tenorio. Kung basic triangle lang alam ko na iyan. Nagdaan na ako sa basic triangle kay coach Joel Banal sa Ateneo. Alam ko na iyan. Kay coach Tim kasi, medyo mas malalim. Medyo nahirapan ako last conference. Hopefully mas ma improve ko ang laro ko kapag naging malalim na ang knowledge ko sa system ni coach Tim.

Tenorio has taken advantage of the long vacation to do a little traveling during the off season.

Kagagaling ko sa Pangasinan, said Tenorio. Nagpunta kami sa Manaoag. Next I will be in Cebu hanggang sa July 26. Sa July 29 aalis ako papunta sa US. Sa August 16 na ako babalik sa Pilipinas to start practice.

Tenorio has a contract with the Aces that runs until July, 2009. He says that he has plenty of time to show what he can do in hopes of getting better terms in his next pact.

The Alaska point guard turned 24 last July 9. Sadly, that day the Aces were eliminated in the WildCard Phase after they suffered a heartbreaking loss against the Sta. Lucia Realtors.

After the game namin sa Sta. Lucia, noong birthday ko, hindi ako nakapag pakain kasi natalo kami at masama ang loob ng lahat. Naghanda na lang ako sa meeting namin after the game, said Tenorio.

Friends wished him well and commiserated a bit for Alaska’s disappointing early exit last conference.

May card na ibinigay sa akin ang mga kaibigan ko, said Tenorio. Sabi nila bata pa raw ako. Malayo pa raw ang mararating ko at alagaan ko raw ang career ko. Itong offseason. Magbabakasyon muna ako.

Unlike other players who plan to watch their diet to keep the weight off Tenorio says he has the opposite problem.

Actually gusto ko nga mag gain ng kaunting weight para merong susunugin sa ensayo pag balik, said Tenorio. Pero pag walang workout, iyong appetite mo hindi masyado. Kaya hindi ako tumataba. Mas okay yong mag gain ng weight during sa offseason para merong susunugin sa practice.

Tenorio says he is thankful for the support of fans of the Alaska Aces and promises a better showing by the team come the next conference.