MOVING ON

Bury that heartaches created by Bryan Gahol's three-pointer in the deciding Game 3 of the Alaska-Red Bull quarterfinal series.

It's time for the Aces to face the future and continue the rebuilding process they have taken to go back to the promise land.

Despite a title-less campaign in the 2004-2005 season there's no doubt that Alaska has obtained the experience that will make its young stalwarts better players in the coming season.

"We learned a lot this year. Even if we did not win any title, the players matured so quickly," coach Tim Cone was quoted during a victory in the classification round of the PBA Fiesta Conference.

"I like the way the players responded to the challenge. And what makes it interesting are most of them still young. They have a great future ahead in this team," he added.

Rookie Sonny Thoss is only 23 and yet his performance in the season was very commendable especially when he was matched up against the likes of Marlou Aquino, Asi Taulava, Eric Menk, Dennis Espino, Rommel Adducul, Andy Seigle and the likes.

Mike Cortez is turning 25 this year but the second-year pro out of La Salle has proven his worth as one of the upcoming playmakers in the league.

Reynel Hugnatan, a mid-season acquisition by the Uytengsu franchise, is one of the biggest surprises in the league, thanks to his work ethics underneath the shaded area. And what it make scary is he just 26.

Alaska's backups, Eugene Tajada and Willy Wilson, are just 24 and 25 years old respectively and Cone is expected to give these hard-working cagers more exposure in the coming season.

If not for injuries, Alaska could be in the semis right now if the Aces had a healthy Brandon Cablay in the season-ending conference.

But Cablay, about to reach his peak at 27, injured his left arm and somehow affected Alaska's chances to get into the top two. But a healthy Cablay will definitely comeback next season.

The 28-year old Don Allado is also expected to return with more firepower and enthusiasm while Jeffrey Cariaso, who will be 33 next season, will remain the team's heart and soul.

Armed with a possible No. 6 pick in the coming PBA Draft on August 15, Alaska could only get better next season.

And Cone's only hope is that his Aces have learned from their mistakes to make them better players in the coming season.