There is no perfect path to glory.
Even champions deal with setbacks early in their journey, and the University of the Philippines Men’s Basketball Team (UP MBT) is no stranger to this.
The Fighting Maroons endured a heartbreaking 67-87 defeat against the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers in their opening game on Sunday, Sept. 21, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
The last time State U lost in an opener was in Season 84, against then-defending champions Ateneo Blue Eagles.
For UP MBT head coach Goldwin Monteverde, the way to bounce back is for the squad to work collectively.
“This is not naman the way na gusto naming i-start ‘yong season. But then I guess, playing as a team, we need to improve on that,” the tactician said during the post-game press conference.
“Sometimes, ‘yong mga ganitong tough losses, it really [pushes] us to work together, to work [harder], and try to improve pa more as a team,” he added.
Monteverde also said they had anticipated the challenge from UST Foreign-Student Athlete (FSA) Collins Akowe, who recorded a double-double of 29 points and 17 rebounds in his debut game.
“Alam naman namin ‘yong capability ni Collins, we really prepared for him. But then, … for me, it should not be one versus one, it has to be one versus five,” he said. “We did not react well or respond well to the situation, or try to defensively help each other. ‘Yon ang I think something that we need to learn.”
On the other hand, UP’s top scorer Mark Belmonte notched 12 points, followed by Harold Alarcon and Jacob Bayla with 11 markers apiece.
Must step up
With the departure of JD Cagulangan, Quentin Millora-Brown and Francis Lopez, UP MBT welcomed six newcomers for their title defense this season, including former University of the East standout Rey Remogat and foreign student athlete Francis Nnoruka.
READ: UP Maroons retool for UAAP S88 title defense
In their first showing, however, Remogat was limited to 5 points and an assist, while Nnoruka contributed 6 markers and 11 boards.
“No matter how tough it is, kung kailangan nila daanan ‘yon, dadaanan nila ‘yon,” Monteverde said when asked about the pair’s rough outing.
The two-time champion coach also emphasized the need to work on the recruits’ rhythm with the team.
The Diliman-based squad struggled to catch up with UST right from the first quarter, trailing behind at 19-37. Despite Alarcon’s valiant effort in the second frame to cut the deficit to 11, UST’s Kyle Panarada and Akowe produced back-to-back baskets to keep UP at bay, 43-57.
Consecutive buckets from Nnoruka allowed the Fighting Maroons to trim the lead in the penultimate frame, 51-58, but the Growling Tigers proved to be impenetrable, widening the gap to as much as 25 points in the final period.
UP MBT largely lagged behind the stat sheets, committing 26 fouls compared to the yellow shirts’ 15, and conceding 25 points from 37 free throws — twice the charity stripes the Maroons were granted.
Looking forward
Set to face the Adamson Soaring Falcons at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 24, at the same venue, Monteverde said there is no time to dwell on the loss.
“Kailangan namin, as a team, panoorin [‘yong laro] and try to find anong dapat baguhin,” he shared. “After this loss, may darating na bagong game … Two days lang pinag-uusapan, hindi na namin pag-iisipan ‘yong sama ng loob dito.”
The time left, however, should not only allow the Fighting Maroons to regroup and review their shortcomings, but it must be enough to build the chemistry expected from them, especially in facing a team that played a close match against contender De La Salle University.
