Tag: July 15, 2005

IT COULD not get any closer than this.

The Growling Tigers forced the UST Champions to work in a pulsating exhibition match that ended at 97-97 in regulation last July 5.

Down by as much as 13 points in the second quarter, the alumni team battled to regain the lead, 82-81, midway into the fourth quarter behind a close-range bucket from Red Bull Barako guard Cyrus Baguio.

UST assistant coach Lester del Rosario, a former Growling Tiger, exchanged three-pointers with Growling Tigers rookie Dylan Ababou, forcing a see-saw end-game battle.

THE JVC Badminton Championships crown has remained elusive to the UST Shuttlecockers as they bowed out of the tournament last July 9 at the Glorietta Activity Center.

SOMETIMES, the raw desire to win is enough to catapult a young and inexperienced team to an almost impossible victory. Most of the time, however, the sure-fire ammunitions—talent and experience—are key to bring a team to nothing less than a championship.

The Tiger Spikers learned this the hard way.

“Although we played tough, our inexperience caused our downfall,” head coach Emiliano Lontoc admitted.

THE UST Growling Tigers opened UAAP Season 68 the same way they closed the previous one: with a loss.

The Tigers fell to the more experienced University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, 66-69, collapsing in the closing minutes of their debut game last July 9 at the Araneta Coliseum.

“We lost against a team that played in the PBL. They are all veterans in their own right,” head coach Reonel Parado said. My players played their hearts out and I am happy with that.”

WHEN asked what it took to win a championship last season, Tiger Sharks head coach Cyrus Alcantara had a simple answer.

“We just worked harder than other teams did,” he said.

Since the start of the school year, the Tiger Sharks have been starting and end their day at the all-familiar swimming pool. They swim from five to eight in the morning and then plunge into pool action once more from five to seven in the evening.

EVERY year, universities recruit student-athletes to replenish their depleted lineups before the next UAAP season. One would think that UST, one of the top collegiate sports institutions in the country, does not have extreme concerns in this area.

Recruitment is always a chore. Why wouldn’t it be? Schools need to find the finest athletes to represent their school. The prestigious UAAP crown has always been in tough contention. (If you haven’t heard yet, De La Salle University was right on our tails last season. We somehow escaped with a slim six-point cushion.)

UST coaches usually search high and low for undiscovered, potential athletes. They exert all means—provincial visits, referrals, and walk-in applications—just to find the missing pieces in their teams.