FOR LOVE OF SCHOOL
Coach Pido Jarencio has tried to refrain from talking, letting his coaching staff do that for him and having his University of Santo Tomas crew growl loud in the first week of Season 88 of the UAAP men’s basketball tournament.
And coming into a match with another big title favorite in La Salle, the jolly mentor had one line that stands out to be the battle cry of his charges.
“We are all working hard to make our UST proud,” Jarencio told the Inquirer over the phone on Friday, after prepping his Growling Tigers for the final time for their mammoth clash with the Green Archers, the champions two seasons ago. “Everyone in the team—from top to bottom—is making sure that we lay it all down on the floor come game time every game.”
Santo Tomas made a lot of heads turn in its season debut by mangling defending champion University of the Philippines by 20 points. But Jarencio didn’t talk about that game too much and only had one other thing to say in their 4:30 p.m. clash with the Archers when the league finally plays at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“Forthsky (Padrigao) is just dying to play,” Jarencio said as his crack point guard makes his season debut—the start of his collegiate farewell—against a La Salle backcourt that is loaded to the brim. “He wants to prove himself to the UST community all over again. That’s been the mindset of everyone on this team since the start.”
La Salle will come into the game protecting a winning streak that dates back to Season 79. The last time the Archers were beaten by Santo Tomas was on Oct. 11, 2015, when the Tigers pulled out a come-from-behind 81-79 win.
Collins Akowe proved too much to handle for the Maroons, but if there is one team that has the tools to match up with the Santo Tomas rookie, it’s La Salle. Akowe delivered a 29-point, 17-rebound masterpiece in a smashing collegiate debut.
And coming off an escape act over darkhorse Adamson, La Salle coach Topex Robinson knows that everyone’s gunning for his Archers, who are in a learning process of living life after Kevin Quiambao.
“I guess, always being the hunted now is going to be hard,” Robinson said. “We’re always gonna bring out their best every time they’re gonna play us and trying to size us up, but I really like what I saw with our guys.
“The more games we play, the more times that we really spend together is really gonna be crucial for us in this long season,” Robinson, who won the title as a rookie coach in Season 86, added. “Part of that is, I guess, these times, these learnings that we get. We always treat these games as a learning opportunity for us.”
Meanwhile, National U also seeks a 2-0 start when the Bulldogs, who have a modest goal of returning to the Final Four this season, battle Far Eastern in the 2 p.m. contest.
“We’re looking forward to our game against FEU,” National coach Jeff Napa said after a 72-57 walloping of the University of the East last week.” We’ll give our best again and perform even better.”
The Tamaraws of second-year coach Sean Chambers will be coming off an 86-83 overtime loss to Ateneo.
“We’ll get better from it,” Chambers had said. “We’ll work harder. But also, I feel like I have to do a much better job and make sure we clean up our offense a little bit more.”
