Adamson woes ‘purely mental,’ says Fermin

Adamson’s Papi Sarr and UE’s Cheick Kone jockeying for position. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Adamson University looked at a surging University of the Philippines erect a 15-point, 76-61, lead early in the fourth quarter, which seemed almost insurmountable barrier considering the time remaining and the Falcons’ sloppy play.

A few minutes later, the Falcons trimmed it to 78-74 and the had momentum in their hands.

READ: UP holds off Adamson in testy UAAP match, ends 5-game skid

But a series of incidents including Harold Ng pinching Jett Manuel and Adamson import Papi Sarr turning the ball over with 13.9 seconds with the Falcons down 88-83 with 13.9 seconds left keyed in the Falcons’ doom.

UP took home the win, 89-84, and avenged its first round loss.

Falcons head coach Mike Fermin said their woes in the 1-7 record are “purely mental.”

READ: Adamson posts first win, adds woes to UP

“I want them to instill in their minds they’re not a one-game team,” Fermin said Saturday at Mall of Asia Arena.

Fermin gave his players the permission to speak up and admit whether the problem is with him and not on them.

“I told them ‘if the problem is with me, please say so. Talk to the admin if it’s my fault,'” Fermin said. “I urged them to speak up.”

A player who spoke to break the silence was the mild-mannered big man Papi Sarr.

READ: Sarr remains confident despite Adamson’s 0-6 start

“Coach it’s not you it’s us,” Fermin quoted Sarr. “We don’t know what’s the problem but it’s us.”

Despite the mental lapses, Fermin knows that the effort is within the team and the Falcons just need a little more push to get results.

“I can see the effort, probably team just needs a little push,” Fermin said. “Whatever the problem, we have to find the solution.”