The Magnolia Hotshots under Chito Victolero weren’t generally mentioned as a true title contender. They were usually branded as a dark horse—a team that could hang with the PBA’s elite and maybe even win a championship if everything lined up perfectly. This current Magnolia team, however, now under the care of LA Tenorio, has a staunch believer in Zavier Lucero, who believes the sky’s the limit for the Hotshots.
Zavier Lucero’s belief in Magnolia is so strong, in fact, that he thinks the team can not only compete for the championship but also win it all.
“I think ever since I’ve been here, and before I’ve been here, the talent’s here. But we can go all the way. We might not have the talent of an SMB or Ginebra, but we have enough. It’s about putting it together,” Lucero told the PBA when it was Magnolia’s turn to take part in the league’s annual media day.
From the looks of it, Lucero might be right. Aside from the high-flying forward, Magnolia also has the veteran but talented duo of Paul Lee and Mark Barocca, along with big man Ian Sangalang, 3-D wing Rome Dela Rosa, and newly acquired Javi Gomez de Liaño. That’s a solid core six right there, and it’s a great foundation for a team with championship aspirations.
Zavier Lucero Believing in Magnolia Is Huge
LA Tenorio, who has been tasked to bring Magnolia back to the promised land, should be galvanized by Zavier Lucero’s firm belief in this current group of Hotshots. After all, the former UP Fighting Maroon will likely play a huge role in making Magnolia great again. In fact, he showed last Philippine Cup that he’s all but ready for a leading role, putting up a career-best 18.2 points per game on top of 7.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 steal, and 1.5 blocks on 41.3% shooting from downtown.
Just don’t expect Lucero to be playing hero ball for Magnolia. According to the do-it-all wing, it will take the team coming together and playing well as one unit for the Hotshots to finally break through and win a championship—something the franchise last did back in 2018.
“We have to make sure that we are the most-together team, and that beats talent, usually. And hopefully that would be the case for us this year,” said Lucero.
Indeed, there’s a lot of hope in the Magnolia camp, and Zavier Lucero is embodying it the most ahead of PBA Season 50.
That should be great news for Magnolia fans.
