Farm Fresh coach Alessandro Lodi had to use a timeout in the second set just to put a stop to Capital1 star rookie Bella Belen’s offensive onslaught.
During the huddle, Lodi gave his players an earful after allowing Belen to single-handedly outplay them.
‘This is what we get because Belen is killing you. Do we agree on that? She’s killing you, right? So we either go back into competitors’ mode or we’re gonna go home! Rightfully so. Make no mistake about it, she’s kicking your ass. So be a team that competes,’ Lodi said during the timeout.
Lodi’s fiery remarks served as the wake-up call his team needed as the Foxies regrouped and overcame Belen and Capital1, 25-22, 22-25, 25-21, 25-22, to stay perfect in the PVL Reinforced Conference on Tuesday.
Eli Rousseaux’s 36-point explosion and Alohi Robins-Hardy’s stellar playmaking led Farm Fresh, which extended its best start to 3-0.
Despite the win, the Italian mentor couldn’t help but marvel at Belen, who had 20 points and 19 digs against them.
‘I don’t know what I can add about Belen that has not been said yet. But from my perspective, and maybe I have a little more insight or I understand the game a little better than many, she is kind of one of a kind,’ said Lodi.
‘She doesn’t look overwhelming. It seems she’s doing nothing because she’s not over the block. She’s not extremely physical, but she damn knows what she’s doing with the ball. She has ball control that is exceptional, she has a thousand shots, and she frustrates people because when you have somebody hitting over the block, there is little to be frustrated about.’
‘If she’s 6’4 and she hits over me and there’s nothing I can do about it, but with Belen you have the feeling, I can do that too because she’s not really superior to me in terms of physical skills,’ he added.
Lodi added that even after Belen was a cut above everyone else in the UAAP, she was able to translate her game to the pro ranks.
‘She’s really, really good and I hope she stays humble and she keeps working because she for sure has the tools to be really good for many, many years,’ he said.