Kevin Ferrer. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO
What has been the key to University of Santo Tomas’ rise this season? Truth be told, it all boils down to the simplest of explanations: the Growling Tigers are as cohesive as they’ve ever been.
“Right now, we’re not a team, but we’re a family,” said coach Bong dela Cruz. “That’s our mentality ever since we had our team building. Yun ang ginagawa namin at pinapairal ngayon.”
So it should be no surprise that UST is seeing better days this time out compared to last year’s forgettable run.
And at the forefront of this turnaround is the newest King Tiger—Kevin Ferrer, who has been the driving force in leading UST back to the top of the UAAP standings this season.
“With Kevin, maganda yung pinapakita nyang example sa mga teammates nya,” Dela Cruz said.
Ferrer, who bagged the ACCEL Quantum/3XVI-UAAP Press Corps Player of the Week, has taken the leadership role by heart this year. And so far, everything is going his way.
After the Tigers fell behind by 14 early against La Salle last Wednesday, the 22-year-old huddled his teammates and shook off their slow start. The Tigers choked the Green Archers with their killer defense and bombarded them with booming long bombs.
That searing run saw huge contributions from Ferrer’s “brothers” like Kyle Suarez, Louie Vigil, Ed Daquioag, and Karim Abdul.
Saddled by foul trouble all game long, Ferrer eventually finished the job in the fourth, firing 10 straight points to start the frame, helping UST maul La Salle, 77-61, on Wednesday.
He wound up with 17 points, highlighted by a 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc, in just 16 minutes of action.
That was enough for Ferrer to earn his second consecutive weekly citation given by sports scribes from national dailies and online portals, besting La Salle’s Jeron Teng and Adamson’s Jerome Garcia.
The 6-foot-4 wingman is just elated to share the spotlight with his teammates.
“Sobrang saya ko kasi nagse-step up na yung mga kapatid ko,” he said. “Unang una pa lang, sabi ko sa kanila na kailangang lahat tayo mag-step up, lalo na sa defense kasi yun talaga ang magpapanalo sa amin. Nangyari na nga yung situation kaya masayang masaya kami.”
And coach Dela Cruz is hoping that the good run of his “family” would be sustained as the second round nears.
“We’re enjoying the game. We’re a family. Our character is being tested and our family is being tested, but we have to defend and find a way to keep our family strong,” he said.