Brazilian coach fires warning shot

Jorge Souza de Brito has a strong warning to teams competing in the AVC Challenge Cup: Be careful.

The seasoned Alas Pilipinas mentor was oozing with confidence when he fired a warning shot ahead of the prestigious continental meet that starts tomorrow at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

De Brito said other teams should face them with extreme caution as they have a lot of weapons that they can utilize in their quest for the elusive Challenge Cup title.

Alas Pilipinas will be facing an uphill climb when they battle Australia, Chinese Taipei, India and Iran in Group A of the preliminaries. Should they survive, they will tackle anybody from Group B in Southeast Asian powerhouse squads Indonesia and Vietnam as well as Singapore, Hong Kong and Kazakhstan.

Japan B. League veteran Jia de Guzman spearheads Alas Pilipinas together with seasoned campaigners Dawn Catindig, Sisi Rondina and Eya Laure.

Also in the team are Fifi Sharma, Vannie Gandler, Cherry Nunag, Dell Palomata, Jen Nierva and Faith Nisperos together with college standouts Angel Canino, Thea Gagate, Julia Coronel and Arah Panique.

The odds are stacked against Alas Pilipinas as it had very little time to prepare after being assembled only last week following the staging of the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference and the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 86.

Still, de Brito is confident.

“Our opponents have to be really careful because there are many weapons here that we can fire,” said De Brito, who is looking to come up with a strong finish in his final tournament with the national women’s team following the expiration of his

two-year contract.

The Filipinas will open their campaign against the taller, heftier Australians on Thursday before tackling India, Iran and Chinese Taipei, respectively.

De Brito, who failed to lead the country to a semifinal finish during his stint with the national squad, admitted that he has yet to scout the Australians.

“I have to check (Australia’s) lineup. It looks different from their lineup in the past,” De Brito said, hinting at the possibility of pulling off some surprise combinations in Alas Pilipinas roster.

“Our lineup, it’s really important but right now, I won’t tell you who, but the coaches already have seven or eight (players) that you can start, without counting the two liberos. They are really ready to start. I think you guys will like it.”

De Brito admitted that there’s a pressure for them to deliver, especially since they started their training only last Thursday, exactly a week before their opening encounter.

“There’s some kind of pressure. But you know, pressure is a privilege. Since you’re invited to represent your country it’s already pressure,” De Brito said during the press launch graced by top officials of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation, Philippine Olympic Committee and Philippine Sports Commission yesterday.

“If they do their best if they find chemistry... you can practice a lot, but when they go to the field, that’s the time you will show up. So, what I think is just let them play.”

Rondina, however, agrees with De Brito, saying that they can handle the tough challenge that is expected to be thrown by the Australians.

“I saw Australia earlier, we matched up with them during the VTV (Cup), so for me, individually, we’ll get through it. And we believe in each other, especially to the kids,” Rondina, the Choco Mucho star who already faced the Australians in an international tournament, said.