Ferrer delivers on vow to coach who recruited her five years ago
When Tantoy Ferrer decided to take her talents to University of Santo Tomas (UST), she promised coach Haydee Ong a championship.
After all, it was Ong who actively recruited Ferrer to backstop the Tigresses back in 2018.
Five years later, that promise bore fruit, albeit bittersweet, as Ferrer played her last game for the España-based squad in the UAAP.
“I am happy because we finally got the championship. Sad because I would be leaving my sisters next year,” the 24-year-old standout said after the din of celebration died down at Smart Araneta Coliseum, where UST toppled National University’s seven-year dynasty with a 71-69 triumph in Game 3 of the women’s basketball Finals.
“I will miss playing with them on the court, our chemistry and the way we end games together.”
The Tigresses clinched the Season 86 title by way of victories in Games 1 and 3, the with Ferrer back in form after bouncing back from flu. She finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds and was named Finals MVP.
Ferrer was just around seven years old the last time that UST won a championship back in 2006. She was living in Zambales province, where Ong discovered the forward and invited her to fly to Manila.
Tantoy, who was the Season 81 Rookie of the Year, admitted that she was doubtful of joining the Tigresses at first, but that those doubte melted when she joined the team for the first time.
“Coach Haydee made me feel something else, it was different with the UST family where I felt secure and know that I will reach a higher level in terms of basketball,” Ferrer said after the Tigresses ended a 17-year title drought.
“I knew that if I followed coach Haydee, after the basketball, you will be a better person.”
Confident
It was not all good memories though for Ferrer. She endured a torn anterior cruciate ligament last season and her final year with the squad was also a comeback year for her.
But as Ferrer leaves the four walls of the Pontifical and Royal university, along with graduating hotshot guard Nikki Villasin, she is confident that she will be leaving the responsibility to defend the crown in very capable hands in the likes of Agatha Bron, Apple Maglupay, Rocel Dionisio, Chille Serrano, Awa Ly and the batch of new recruits headed to the Tigers’ den.
“There’s a lot who can step up, it’s just that I am still here playing so they aren’t given as much playing time by coach. But I know for myself that there’s a lot of players who can fill my shoes when I leave,” Ferrer said. INQ
