Walking in with the right mentality made a world of difference for the sixth-seeded team.
It was a tough loss for Twisted Minds’ Hadji and crew as they almost managed to pull an upset against the reigning world champions, ONIC Philippines. Season 15 was a rough one for Twisted Minds as they were constantly fighting to keep their heads above water. The team needed to really shape up for the playoffs, but Salic “Hadji” Imam focused on himself first.
“Bago dumating yung playoffs andami kong ginawa na nagpapa-condition sa sarili ko,” said Twisted Minds’ Hadji. “Gumigising ako ng maaga, tapos magwo-work out ako. Para pagdating ng practice, all-in ako tapos maganda yung takbo ng utak ko.”
Mentality has been a big focus for Hadji as he believes it’s key to making sure that he and his team plays at their best. “Para sa akin, kung hindi mabilis ma-down yung mentality mo, magagawa mo yung magandang laro kahit anong mangyari,” he continued. “Mahirap talaga pag mabilis masira yung mentality mo.”
That focus on mentality seemed to have served Twisted Minds well as they almost got the reverse sweep over ONIC. Beyond that, that strong mentality has helped Hadji stay focused in the regular season. The team has struggled with finding synergy since the start, a struggle that Hadji is all too familiar with.
“Naiintindi ko naman bakit lagi itong nangyayari,” said Twisted Minds’ Hadji. “Nagpapalit-palit kami ng players. Swertihan lang talaga pag-sync kayo lahat. Pero kadalasan talaga, pagpalit ng player mahirap sa synergy.”
But despite their early exit from the playoffs, Twisted Minds showed that they can go toe-to-toe with the world champions. Now that they’ve had time together, Hadji feels that they can really show their stuff next season.
“Pag na-retain lahat kami, tingin ko hindi na kami magiging ‘bonus round’ sa MPL. Feeling ko na makakapalag na kami.”
Banner photo from MPL Philippines.