UP UPSETS ADMU
UP UPSETS ADMU… and PROVES ITSELF
I have always supported UP at the UAAP basketball and have watched their games as long as I can; but bum mode somehow made me to just be content in staying home and watch the game on TV than to watch it live. Yesterday had so much regret for me because UP won over ADMU after how many years and seasons-- I could not count.
Since the start of the game, my brother and I (who are both graduates of UP and are die-hard fans from the day we entered college) already noticed a difference in the way the team was playing. The players were already playing hard defense and the way they focused on the ball somehow gave me the feeling that they will play like that the whole game—that motivated and that good.
I was wrong. They played their BEST game ever. Usually, if the opponent team had an advantage of a few points, UP already starts to lose their concentration and their heart to win the game—the reason for their losses. Because for me, not one of the team members lack the skills. For me, they just lack concentration and focus and heart, which somehow put the skills they have to the useless box. But yesterday was different, ADMU had an advantage of nine points and UP came back, slowly but surely. They were never careless. All of their minds were focused on the game. Coach Aboy Castro and the rest of the coaching staff must have been doing a different kind of training for the team because they have been acting differently in the past games (except for the first one---lots of turnovers and careless passes).
Padilla—a little hotheaded perhaps, but is posing a lot of promise for the future of the team.
Carlo Gomez—reminds me of Woody Co and Martin Reyes-- when they first joined the UP team in 2006. Shows a lot of promise and he is playing very humbly. I hope he’ll keep it up.
And I haven’t taken note of the other fresh faces that played yesterday, but they had also contributed to the team’s win.
And of course there were the contributions of our veteran-go-to guys like Migs de Asis, Miggy Maniego, Mark Lopez, Mike Gamboa…
And Magi Sison’s rebounds.
And of course, Woody Co’s all-around commendable performance. By the way, is Woody Co the captain? If he is, he is doing a good and mature job of it.
To think Martin Reyes’s hot hands have not found their momentum yesterday. What if the hot hands were working? Wow. It could have made history.
And the fast breaks. Wow. UP, you were really good yesterday!
And I was so admiring the way you passed the ball to each other to confuse the already-confused faces of the Ateneo MBT. It’s like TEAMWORK were emblazoned in your jerseys instead of just STATE U.
And that only means one thing: UP’s TEAMWORK AT ITS BEST WAS SHOWN YESTERDAY. EVERYBODY CONTRIBUTED. No one kept the ball to himself.
And I hardly call it luck. It can never be called luck. Most objective watchers would have seen the UP team’s effort. It was a very good performance that even Al Husseini’s inside attacks couldn’t do anything. He was struggling from the inside. It was a great defense. Very few can stop Al Husseini. And the UP players were among those few.
So Ateneo had resorted to outside attacks. But UP’s defense there was also that hard that Emman Monfort and Jai Reyes did have a hard time. How many three-point and two-point shots have they missed? I wasn’t able to take note. And then there were the easy lay-ups that some of their players also missed.
Of course my respect for Ateneo never wavered one bit. Though I would like to have seen the faces of those people who were belittling UP before the game—if they can still laugh and show those snickering faces of theirs.
I just hope the outcome of that game somehow brought back the confidence of the UP community to the UP MBT. I know how hard it is to be surrounded by a crowd where in the ¾ belong to the opponents’ supporters. I know because I am one of those UP fans who never cared whether there were only me and my brother on the UP side. We still cheer for the team with our full confidence and support for them. How many times have we seen skeptical faces when we arrive at the venue? Faces not daring to ask but showing us these words better left unsaid: “You are still supporting UP?”
Anyway, I hope this game indeed made a difference in the kind of support the team needs. It would be best if the team not only knows, but can FEEL that the UP Community still believes in them. I believe in them (Ask my parents and block mates—they know how a die hard I am). My brother believes in them. I hope it will be shown in the next few games.
Kudos, UP MBT. I hope the HEART and the CONFIDENCE will stay with you. Because my support will surely do and the support of those who believe in you—that you are one strong team that other teams should not underestimate. ADMU did and you proved them wrong.
So I guess the other teams need to watch out. Till the next game!
I have always supported UP at the UAAP basketball and have watched their games as long as I can; but bum mode somehow made me to just be content in staying home and watch the game on TV than to watch it live. Yesterday had so much regret for me because UP won over ADMU after how many years and seasons-- I could not count.
Since the start of the game, my brother and I (who are both graduates of UP and are die-hard fans from the day we entered college) already noticed a difference in the way the team was playing. The players were already playing hard defense and the way they focused on the ball somehow gave me the feeling that they will play like that the whole game—that motivated and that good.
I was wrong. They played their BEST game ever. Usually, if the opponent team had an advantage of a few points, UP already starts to lose their concentration and their heart to win the game—the reason for their losses. Because for me, not one of the team members lack the skills. For me, they just lack concentration and focus and heart, which somehow put the skills they have to the useless box. But yesterday was different, ADMU had an advantage of nine points and UP came back, slowly but surely. They were never careless. All of their minds were focused on the game. Coach Aboy Castro and the rest of the coaching staff must have been doing a different kind of training for the team because they have been acting differently in the past games (except for the first one---lots of turnovers and careless passes).
Padilla—a little hotheaded perhaps, but is posing a lot of promise for the future of the team.
Carlo Gomez—reminds me of Woody Co and Martin Reyes-- when they first joined the UP team in 2006. Shows a lot of promise and he is playing very humbly. I hope he’ll keep it up.
And I haven’t taken note of the other fresh faces that played yesterday, but they had also contributed to the team’s win.
And of course there were the contributions of our veteran-go-to guys like Migs de Asis, Miggy Maniego, Mark Lopez, Mike Gamboa…
And Magi Sison’s rebounds.
And of course, Woody Co’s all-around commendable performance. By the way, is Woody Co the captain? If he is, he is doing a good and mature job of it.
To think Martin Reyes’s hot hands have not found their momentum yesterday. What if the hot hands were working? Wow. It could have made history.
And the fast breaks. Wow. UP, you were really good yesterday!
And I was so admiring the way you passed the ball to each other to confuse the already-confused faces of the Ateneo MBT. It’s like TEAMWORK were emblazoned in your jerseys instead of just STATE U.
And that only means one thing: UP’s TEAMWORK AT ITS BEST WAS SHOWN YESTERDAY. EVERYBODY CONTRIBUTED. No one kept the ball to himself.
And I hardly call it luck. It can never be called luck. Most objective watchers would have seen the UP team’s effort. It was a very good performance that even Al Husseini’s inside attacks couldn’t do anything. He was struggling from the inside. It was a great defense. Very few can stop Al Husseini. And the UP players were among those few.
So Ateneo had resorted to outside attacks. But UP’s defense there was also that hard that Emman Monfort and Jai Reyes did have a hard time. How many three-point and two-point shots have they missed? I wasn’t able to take note. And then there were the easy lay-ups that some of their players also missed.
Of course my respect for Ateneo never wavered one bit. Though I would like to have seen the faces of those people who were belittling UP before the game—if they can still laugh and show those snickering faces of theirs.
I just hope the outcome of that game somehow brought back the confidence of the UP community to the UP MBT. I know how hard it is to be surrounded by a crowd where in the ¾ belong to the opponents’ supporters. I know because I am one of those UP fans who never cared whether there were only me and my brother on the UP side. We still cheer for the team with our full confidence and support for them. How many times have we seen skeptical faces when we arrive at the venue? Faces not daring to ask but showing us these words better left unsaid: “You are still supporting UP?”
Anyway, I hope this game indeed made a difference in the kind of support the team needs. It would be best if the team not only knows, but can FEEL that the UP Community still believes in them. I believe in them (Ask my parents and block mates—they know how a die hard I am). My brother believes in them. I hope it will be shown in the next few games.
Kudos, UP MBT. I hope the HEART and the CONFIDENCE will stay with you. Because my support will surely do and the support of those who believe in you—that you are one strong team that other teams should not underestimate. ADMU did and you proved them wrong.
So I guess the other teams need to watch out. Till the next game!
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