Pumaren on UE’s 0-4 start: ‘We need everyone to contribute’

UE Red Warriors coach Derrick Pumaren. Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

University of the East has yet to win a single game in the UAAP Season 80 men’s basketball tournament, and with three games left in the first round head coach Derrick Pumaren knows time is not on the Red Warriors side.

“We’re not in a state of panic but if we want to have a better performance this season we have to make our move,” said Pumaren Sunday after losing to Ateneo 83-65 at Mall of Asia Arena.

The Red Warriors are tied with University of Santo Tomas at the bottom of the standings at 0-4 and Pumaren said they have to “get their acts together” to win.

“So far, it’s one guy coming up, but we need everyone to contribute. We need a total team effort and that’s what we don’t have now.”

The Red Warriors have been gravely inconsistent in their four-game skid with two of its top players failing to establish rhythm this late in the first round.

Alvin Pasaol, in the four-game span, averaged 15.2 points while Clark Derige is at 13.8 points a game but the two haven’t put up solid numbers consistently.

After scoring at least 20 points against University of the Philippines and Far Eastern University, Derige scored just six against Ateneo.

Pasaol, meanwhile, scored his first 20-point game of the season against the Blue Eagles but was moderate at best in his first three matches.

“We can’t afford to just have one player scoring for us, it should be all of them,” said Pumaren in Filipino.

“We need contributions from all the players. What happened was, we give one guy a break then all of a sudden we lose control of the game.”