Jong Uichico confident NLEX will learn from Philippine Cup quarterfinal exit

The NLEX Road Warriors enjoyed an impressive run in the ongoing Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup elimination stage, finishing fifth in the table with an 8–5 win-loss record.

The Road Warriors entered the Philippine Cup quarterfinals with a twice-to-beat advantage, but they failed to make the most of it, eventually getting knocked out of the tournament by the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters after a 103–92 loss in their do-or-die game on Saturday, June 21, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

The Elasto Painters were simply the better team in the quarterfinals, as their youthful squad gave NLEX a run for their money. Head coach Jong Uichico spoke about their quarterfinal exit during the post-match press conference, stating that the experience will only help strengthen his team as they plan for the future.

All shine for the Elastopainters!#PBAAngatAngLaban pic.twitter.com/rs9MhqQmPt

— PBA (@pbaconnect) June 21, 2025

“How do you say it? I guess we are not used to it all yet. There were moments when we looked like we belonged, but generally, we are still not used to it all. Rain or Shine—that’s a tried and tested team. They’ve been in the semifinals in the past two conferences already, so they knew what to do in situations like this,” Uichico said.

“I give credit to Coach Yeng for taking advantage of our weaknesses. We were in the game in both instances, but whenever Rain or Shine gained momentum, we just couldn’t recover. This was no longer like the elimination phase, where there was less pressure. The first two conferences were terrible. I think this was a better gauge of what we can do. I still think we can build on this, and I think that’s what we should do. There is always a first time, and it’s sort of good that this happened—because it’s through adversity where you truly learn. Hopefully, we’ll be able to use this as a tool,” he added.

Uichico, a veteran who has won nine PBA championships, has yet to lead NLEX past the quarterfinal stage during his stint with the team. He’s now looking to the upcoming Rookie Draft to strengthen the squad and give it a more youthful look.

“We’ll have a first-round pick, so we’re going to improve with that. Then a second-round pick—so we’re going to improve again. Then we’ll try to make moves on free agents. Hopefully, that will fill the holes we have in the team,” Uichico concluded.

It will be intriguing to see whether the Road Warriors can truly learn from this experience and make a deeper run in the next conference.

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