University of the East head coach Derrick Pumaren gives instructions during the Red Warriors’ win over his younger brother Franz Pumaren’s Adamson Falcons in the UAAP Season 79 men’s basketball tournament, Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016, at Mall of Asia Arena. Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Advantage Derrick.
The older Pumaren got the better of his younger brother Franz after University of the East trumped Adamson, 64-57, on Sunday.
READ: UE posts 1st win, beats Adamson
Dueling for the first time in the UAAP, the two had to set aside their brotherhood as Derrick got the Red Warriors their first win of the UAAP Season 79 at the expense of Franz’ Soaring Falcons.
Derrick, though, made it clear that the game was nothing personal.
“I feel bad about Franz. We really have to get our first win sa kanya, but it’s nothing personal,” he said. “We need the win. We were in a deep hole. We had to crawl out of it. It doesn’t matter if it’s Franz or other teams, we still have to win games.”
Though victorious, Derrick said that the storyline between the Pumarens is the least of his concern as he gunned to break the Red Warriors’ six-game losing slump.
“We just have to take the game one game at a time. We’re right there, we just have to crawl slowly out of that hole. We’re six-feet deep, but we just have to get out of it,” he said.
Derrick also shared that this was the first time the Pumaren brothers coached against each other since their days in the defunct Philippine Amateur Basketball League in the early 90s.
Adamson head coach Franz Pumaren calls a play during the Falcons’ loss to the University of the East Red Warriors in the UAAP Season 79 men’s basketball tournament Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016, at Mall of Asia Arena. Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Franz, meanwhile, only had nice words to say about Derrick’s UE squad.
“I think they’re a very disciplined team, a very aggressive team,” he said. “I think they’ll do better in the second round after this win.”
Franz may have lost the game, but he still isn’t surrendering the idea that he has to treat his older brother for dinner.
“That, we have to discuss,” the Adamson mentor said./rga