JUST asking, but should Adamson University hold its own bonfire if it scores its first win in the current UAAP basketball season?
The UP community bonfire held after the Fighting Maroons’ win against the Falcons—their first triumph in two years—literally lit up more fires around town. Students and alumni savored the 77-64 victory, the score of which I reported wrongly in this space last Monday. But if you’re from UP, who would care about the score as long as your team won?
Again, the community act was more symbolic than anything else. So who’s to stop Adamson from doing something similar to exorcise their horrors over a struggling season so far?
This is not to say that every school should engage in such acts. Campus layouts and security concerns may prevent the piling up of some useless lumber and striking a match. Not all campuses have open spaces. A cheer rally or other alternatives could do it just as well. There’s warmth and camaraderie that emanates from a bonfire but that can be achieved in other ways as well.
Lost in the hoopla of UP’s win and celebration was of course the outright possibility that the rest of the UAAP field now has two teams that could be the worst possible opponents. As the race for Final Four slots tightens up, the most horrible dilemma for the frontrunners is to slip against either UP or Adamson who now have nothing to lose as they go all out for wins.
Of course, the talent edge and momentum still favor Ateneo, La Salle, Far Eastern University and National University while University of the East and University of Santo Tomas are lurking to threaten for the final spot.
So an off-day similar to San Beda’s recent loss to Letran in the NCAA could prove to be fatal to a UAAP frontrunner’s cause. The Red Lions of course are dictating the pace in the NCAA while Letran is groping for consistency, mired in the tail end of the standings.
The most difficult opponent to face in any sport is the one that is so hungry and with almost no care in the world because losing has become grudgingly frustrating. The coaches of the frontrunners will preach the gospel of not being complacent and will keep their key players in the game until a win is absolutely clear.
No leading coach would want any more fire perking up the trailing teams. But if Adamson should grab a first win, who’s to stop them from doing any thing to make this season a little more bearable?