BEING a win away from writing another chapter on UAAP basketball history doesn’t give the UST Growling Tigers any pressure.
They have been through three do-or-die games, first against dethroned “five-peat” champion Ateneo de Manila University and the last two against top-seeded National University before taking Game 1 of the Finals vs. familiar foe De La Salle University, 73-72, last Oct. 2.
So what could be going through the minds of the streaking Tigers? “Nothing,” said coach Pido Jarencio.
“It’s a relaxed atmosphere on our side. There’s no pressure, nothing,” he said. “We’ll be more ready come Game 2.”
The animated mentor added that the turn of events has “vindicated” him and that the championship would serve as an additional “blessing” if they indeed make it tomorrow, 3 p.m., at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum for Game 2 of the best-of-three series.
The title, though, could come only upon a few adjustments.
“We have to fix our second group. They need to match or even surpass the performance of the first group,” said Jarencio of his second stringers.
The Tigers could also use team captain Jeric Teng’s “leadership” and Kevin Ferrer’s “consistency” on their way to bagging the 19th school title.
“Jeric really holds the team [together]. He constantly talks to his teammates about our goals, where we are going, what we want to achieve,” Jarencio said. “There should be a spokesperson aside from me, and inside the court, it’s Jeric. [Kevin is] peaking. If he struggled before – his shooting and performance – now he’s really focused. I just remind him to continue what he’s doing, to stay focused and be consistent – his natural, not the forced way.”
If Ferrer remains consistent, he could again be lethal, just like how La Salle coach Juno Sauler described him in Game 1.
“We’re okay with Jeric, I think it’s Ferrer who killed us. Jeric shot just 36 percent from two-point area so that’s something I can live with. But the 62 percent from the threes of Ferrer is the one that killed us,” he said.
UST is keen on improving its second unit, and for the Green Archers, it’s perimeter defense they will be working on.
“We just have to get up a little bit on them and make sure we get to challenge every shot they take on the perimeter,” Sauler said.
The series may end tomorrow or extend to a winner-take-all Game 3. It may again go down the wire, but Teng and the Tigers will do whatever it takes to repeat 2006, the last time they won the title under rookie coach Jarencio, in Season 76.
“There is no substitute for experience. And just like what coach has been telling us, kapag dikitan ‘yung laban, dapat sa amin,” Teng said. Carla Patricia S. Perez
