READIER THIS TIME
A different La Salle will be defending its throne in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball Finals.
This is no longer the same Archers crew that got shellshocked in Game 1 of last season’s championship series, where the University of the Philippines Maroons handed them a brutal 30-point beatdown.
“This season, I’ll just make them remember what we went through in Game 1 last year,” Kevin Quiambao told the Inquirer late Saturday evening.
“[UP] just made us feel what it’s like in the Finals [in Game 1 last year]. [It was a] good [thing] that we were able to come back in Game 2,” Quiambao added.
La Salle went on to win that series with a victory in the deciding Game 3, but Quiambao knows a repeat of last season’s Game 1 may have more serious repercussions this time.
“Hopefully it doesn’t happen again,” he said. “We’ll all prepare for that.”
“We were able to adjust to the [Maroons’] physicality and then in the Game 3, it all boiled down to who wanted the championship more so we were fortunate to get that,” Quiambao said.
The national team pool member had 14 points as La Salle cruised past Adamson, 70-55, to book a championship berth opposite a UP side eager to reclaim its throne.
The Maroons clinched the first spot in the title series after holding off University of Santo Tomas, 78-69, in an earlier game.
It’s one thing to win a championship but it’s a different story when it comes to defending that throne. And the La Salle coaching staff made sure that the team is fully aware of that by pointing out to history.
Aware of history
Prior to the championship last year, La Salle won it all in 2016 after striking down bitter rival Ateneo in the Finals. But the Archers blew a chance tof a repeat before being dethroned by Far Eastern University a year after.
The team is very well aware of that loss, but the players want to put it all behind them.
“We are offering this Finals to all the legends, to everyone who played for La Salle so I think we need to be more aware of what we are going into because you can’t just be easygoing—this is the Finals so you need to give it your all,” Quiambao said.
“We’ll focus on what our strengths are and be much more prepared. History is in the past, it already happened so what we can control now is how ready we are come [Game 1]. We’ll focus on the details [because] it will all boil down to whoever is much more prepared,” he added.
La Salle has won its last four games against UP, including an elimination round sweep.
‘No hate’
Their rivalry heated up in their first-round clash one with the infamous alleged spitting incident between coach Topex Robinson and Maroon guard Reyland Torres that nearly emptied both benches.
But for Quiambao, it’s still all love for UP which consists of some of his teammates in National University Nazareth School such as Harold Alarcon, Gerry Abadiano, Terrence Fortea, Torres and Janjan Felicilda as well as his former mentor Goldwin Monteverde.
“No hate toward UP … There’s a special feeling knowing that we only dreamt of this before in high school. It’s happening now but we’re on opposite sides of the court. I am happy that we’ve reached this stage so I am excited to play them,” Quiambao said.
The do-it-all forward won the MVP award this season when he edged out teammate Mike Phillips and the two will spearhead the Archers’ drive for a second straight crown.
“I think it’s a big thing for us because it’s an added motivation that No. 1 and 2 in the MVP race comes from La Salle. So you can see what system coach [Topex Robinson] is implementing,” Quiambao said. “He allows us to play [our game] so we’re focused on the bigger picture to become the champions [again].”
