The University of the East Red Warriors brought to life anew that old college try as it tried to make a one last push for the last seat in the Final Four of the UAAP basketball tournament.
In a season marked by adjustment to Coach Derrick Pumaren’s full court press system, lost games in the first round and disciplinary moves to rein in even the most gifted or celebrated players, the Warriors went down last Saturday 51-49 in a playoff to National University, living up to their name till the very end.
The low scoring game was played with passion and survival in mind and thus the turnovers committed were mostly mental lapses.
Free throws were being missed simply because fatigue was setting in more than pressure. UE missed several charities during its resurgence in the fourth quarter, lost points that could have altered the run and the mood of the payoff period.
But the NU Bulldogs played with their usual composure and controlled the temperature of the heated battle. Though not entirely a defensive game, the low scoring affair was to the Bulldogs liking.
They just know how to deal with the fiery games of great guards like UE’s Roi Sumang or even Ateneo’s Kieffer Ravena. There’s no need to rush, they seem to say: Let’s just play our game.
The great lesson, however, is UE’s final drive to stay alive. In a season that was seemingly destined to be forgettable, the Warriors strung together five wins to turn the tide in the second round and give their community a lot to cheer about.
Even when all seemed lost after NU’s Alfred Aroga canned two pressure-loaded charities to give the Bulldogs a two point lead with only 12.4 seconds remaining, Pumaren designed a crafty play to draw the attention to Sumang but leave Bong Galanza open.
Galanza missed a three-point attempt despite the open look and NU escaped with a win and the fourth spot in the playoffs.
It reminded basketball fans of similar what ifs from the past like when Beau Belga missed a trey attempt when he still played for Philippine Christian University and lost against San Beda in the NCAA final, or when Duke escaped with a one-point win and the 2010 US NCAA title after a desperation heave by Butler from midcourt missed by inches.
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Recently, I talked with former pro Ed Cordero, who now helps Atoy Co coach the Mapua Cardinals in the NCAA.
It hasn’t been a hearty season for the Cardinals as there have been more losses than wins. But Mapua has had its own mild string of wins toward the end of the eliminations.
I told Cordero that this was a great positive to build on for the future. The former Toyota and Shell player who also had a sterling college career as a sweet shooter for the University of Santo Tomas said that he and Co were instilling the lesson that “there’s no giving up in college ball” and anywhere else for that matter.
This lesson was so clear in UE’s final stand. It teaches all of us as well that it’s never really lost or over until the schedule runs out.