File – UST gunner Renzo Subido. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Every game, Renzo Subido always believed that University of Santo Tomas will be coming out with a win.
Then in the final 30 seconds of one of the biggest games in UAAP Season 82 Wednesday night, Subido made sure that came true.
With 6-foot-7 Bright Akhuetie in front of him, Subido pulled up from nearly 25 feet away and drilled the game’s final basket with 23.6 seconds left, lifting the Growling Tigers to a 68-65 win over University of the Philippines and into the UAAP Finals.
“Of course I always expect that we’re going to win, we’re always preparing to win,” said Subido in Filipino. “We also got the breaks in our favor just as coach Aldin [Ayo] said. Bright didn’t get near me so I took the shot.”
Subido, who is in his final year with UST, will lead UST to its first title series since 2015, when the sharpshooting forward was just a rookie coming off a high school career with De La Salle-Zobel.
Tallying 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting from deep, Subido said that his cold-blooded three over Akhuetie wasn’t made on a whim but a product of constant sessions with Ayo and assistant coach McJour Luib.
“It’s not just mental preparation, I always practice it on the court,” said Subido. “They tell me every time I practice, I have to simulate and do different scenarios.”
Now in the biggest stage of the tournament, Subido is confident that they have what it takes to overcome the pressure that comes with facing an undefeated team in Ateneo.
In fact, they have shown just that after overcoming three knockout matches after winding up in the last place in the stepladder, needing to beat Far Easter U then the Fighting Maroons twice just to get to the finals.
UST humiliated the Fighting Maroons, 89-69, in the first game of their duel.
“There’s pressure but we’ve experienced so much,” said Subido, who was with UST when it tallied with a 1-13 record in Season 80. “I’ve experienced the lowest of the low when we were always losing but the community was always there to support us.”