Expectations were high coming into the new season. And it's understandable. We came from a finals appearance last year. Although our star and clutch player Paul Desiderio graduated, we had highly touted newcomers in Ricci Rivero and Kobe Paras. Our big man Bright Akhuetie was still with the team along with the mostly reliable Jun Manzo and the ever reliable GDL brothers. We really had a lot of things to look forward to.
First game was against FEU. Kobe did not play. We won but I personally found it quite sloppy. Then we lost to UST by a huge margin. It was quite disappointing but Kobe was not there yet and UST was really expected to do well this season with their very promising rookies like Chabi Yo, Abando, and Nonoy. We went on to win the next 4 games. Again, these were super sloppy wins by very small margins (like 1 hehe). We lost to Ateneo at the end of the first round, as expected. People were angry at Bo Perasol for not having any system in place, etc. Juan's game regressed from last season. Ricci did not seem to fit into the team offensively although he did contribute a lot defensively. Kobe was delivering as expected. Bright was okay. Javi was efficient but I felt he was not making enough shots (a coaching problem says the husband). But, hey, we were second on the standings with a 5-2 record. Our best first round finish in probably 2 decades so I was not really complaining. Sure, I wanted to see more convincing wins but I was happy.
The second round went by so fast (the entire season was shortened due to the SEA Games). Most of the games were not as cardiac as the first round games but the wins were still not that convincing. We lost to Ateneo, UST, and FEU, but still managed to end up second after the eliminations, giving us the twice-to-beat advantage. It was our first time to get that advantage in the final 4 era.
Since Ateneo swept the elims, all the other teams in the final 4 had to go through the step ladder format. FEU versus UST first. I really wanted FEU to win because I felt that they were "more beatable." I was scared of facing UST, which we never beat the entire season. They say the law of averages could help us, UST had to win 3 games in a row and had to beat us 4 times. But I guess fate and destiny were on the side of UST. They beat us during game 1, badly. We almost beat them during game 2. But it was UST's time. And so we wasted our advantage. Sabi nga ng iba, na-Adamson kami, hehe.
The loss was heartbreaking of course. I woke up with nightmares about it even a few days after the game, hehe. People surmised that probably chemistry was a problem or Bo's lack of system. But I'm still grateful to Bo for taking on the job when nobody wanted it and he brought us to back-to-back final 4 appearances and to a finals appearance. He said he'd leave the team if he fails to take us all the way. If he's really leaving, I'm concerned about who's going to replace him. Can we find someone better than him within our budget? :D
But what made this heartbreaking season even more heartbreaking were the rumors that some players were leaving. At least Bright's staying. But the GDLs are unsure. Javi's joining MPBL. He can still go back to UP for his final year but nothing's certain. They say Juan's going to try his luck in Europe. Kobe and Ricci have not committed yet. So instead of having a stronger season to look forward to next year, we could potentially end up with a lot of rookies. Funny how I thought we were losing Bright because I thought this was his last season. Ang ending baka pala siya lang ang matira.
My husband says we can't blame the players for wanting better things. And he's right. But the ever loyal Maroon in me can't help but feel entitled to/demand the same loyalty from the players. Buti pa dati na di kagalingan ang team, the players stayed on to finish their 5 playing years. I'm still heartbroken everytime I see Javi and Juan. I shall heal, sooner I hope.
The great thing about this season is that the little boy started watching with us again. He surprisingly turned into a more rabid fan than his parents. May pa face paint and banners pang nalalaman. Pati Ynares Antipolo games gustong panoorin. Looking forward to watching more seasons with him.
And despite how this season turned out, UP Fight pa rin. Hinding-hindi magbabago ang damdamin. :)
First game was against FEU. Kobe did not play. We won but I personally found it quite sloppy. Then we lost to UST by a huge margin. It was quite disappointing but Kobe was not there yet and UST was really expected to do well this season with their very promising rookies like Chabi Yo, Abando, and Nonoy. We went on to win the next 4 games. Again, these were super sloppy wins by very small margins (like 1 hehe). We lost to Ateneo at the end of the first round, as expected. People were angry at Bo Perasol for not having any system in place, etc. Juan's game regressed from last season. Ricci did not seem to fit into the team offensively although he did contribute a lot defensively. Kobe was delivering as expected. Bright was okay. Javi was efficient but I felt he was not making enough shots (a coaching problem says the husband). But, hey, we were second on the standings with a 5-2 record. Our best first round finish in probably 2 decades so I was not really complaining. Sure, I wanted to see more convincing wins but I was happy.
The second round went by so fast (the entire season was shortened due to the SEA Games). Most of the games were not as cardiac as the first round games but the wins were still not that convincing. We lost to Ateneo, UST, and FEU, but still managed to end up second after the eliminations, giving us the twice-to-beat advantage. It was our first time to get that advantage in the final 4 era.
Since Ateneo swept the elims, all the other teams in the final 4 had to go through the step ladder format. FEU versus UST first. I really wanted FEU to win because I felt that they were "more beatable." I was scared of facing UST, which we never beat the entire season. They say the law of averages could help us, UST had to win 3 games in a row and had to beat us 4 times. But I guess fate and destiny were on the side of UST. They beat us during game 1, badly. We almost beat them during game 2. But it was UST's time. And so we wasted our advantage. Sabi nga ng iba, na-Adamson kami, hehe.
The loss was heartbreaking of course. I woke up with nightmares about it even a few days after the game, hehe. People surmised that probably chemistry was a problem or Bo's lack of system. But I'm still grateful to Bo for taking on the job when nobody wanted it and he brought us to back-to-back final 4 appearances and to a finals appearance. He said he'd leave the team if he fails to take us all the way. If he's really leaving, I'm concerned about who's going to replace him. Can we find someone better than him within our budget? :D
But what made this heartbreaking season even more heartbreaking were the rumors that some players were leaving. At least Bright's staying. But the GDLs are unsure. Javi's joining MPBL. He can still go back to UP for his final year but nothing's certain. They say Juan's going to try his luck in Europe. Kobe and Ricci have not committed yet. So instead of having a stronger season to look forward to next year, we could potentially end up with a lot of rookies. Funny how I thought we were losing Bright because I thought this was his last season. Ang ending baka pala siya lang ang matira.
My husband says we can't blame the players for wanting better things. And he's right. But the ever loyal Maroon in me can't help but feel entitled to/demand the same loyalty from the players. Buti pa dati na di kagalingan ang team, the players stayed on to finish their 5 playing years. I'm still heartbroken everytime I see Javi and Juan. I shall heal, sooner I hope.
The great thing about this season is that the little boy started watching with us again. He surprisingly turned into a more rabid fan than his parents. May pa face paint and banners pang nalalaman. Pati Ynares Antipolo games gustong panoorin. Looking forward to watching more seasons with him.
And despite how this season turned out, UP Fight pa rin. Hinding-hindi magbabago ang damdamin. :)
P.S. This was written in early December. Happy to report that Ricci and Kobe have committed to play next season. We also got some "succession planning," since we're getting a new foreign player who'll be eligible to play after Bright graduates. :)
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