Rakocevic inspired by Victolero sacrifice as Magnolia stays perfect

MANILA, Philippines – The sight of coach Chito Victolero calling the shots for Magnolia just days after going under the knife has lit a fire under Hotshots import Nick Rakocevic.

Rakocevic drew inspiration from Victolero as he delivered 36 points, 15 rebounds, and 2 steals in a 111-97 romp of NLEX on Wednesday, October 12, that kept Magnolia the only unbeaten team in the Commissioner’s Cup.

Victolero guided the Hotshots in the wire-to-wire win despite being stuck on a mobility scooter after undergoing surgery for the torn achilles tendon on his left foot.

“He just sacrificed. Him coming out here and coaching shows his passion for the team and for the game. You want to go out there and just play for him when you see him do that,” said Rakocevic.

“Everybody makes sacrifices, everybody sees that so you want to play harder and you want play for the guy next to you, you want to play for the coach.”

Unlike Victolero, Rakocevic escaped a major injury after hurting his knee midway through the fourth quarter of their 94-92 win over TNT exactly a week ago.

Figuring in an accidental collision with teammate Jackson Corpuz, Rakocevic sat out the rest of the match against the Tropang Giga and feared that he would have to miss time.

But luck is on the side of the Serbian big man.

“I got to count my blessings. I was super relieved because obviously I wanted to continue to play for Magnolia and play for the team and keep this winning streak that we have going right now,” Rakocevic said.

As Magnolia stretched its undefeated start to four straight games, Rakocevic said the Hotshots’ fiery start is a byproduct of their strong rapport with each other.

“I’m really fortunate to come in and to get along with them on the court and off the court and how quickly we created that bond. It is just super special and that chemistry off the court shows on the court as well,” he said.

“Obviously we’re very close, we’re a family-oriented team. It has a lot do with how we play out there.” – Rappler.com