FILE–UP Fighting Maroons’ CJ Cansino . –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Losing only a few members from its core, University of the Philippines (UP) still looks like the formidable crew that fought in the last three championship series of the UAAP men’s basketball tournament.
But the Fighting Maroons had only reached the throne once in those Finals appearances after folding to Ateneo two years ago and against La Salle in Season 86.
“Coming short the last two seasons—that’s where we are coming from. We’re not gonna lie about that,” assistant coach Christian Luanzon said on Sunday after UP ousted Far Eastern University with an 89-77 victory in the Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup knockout semifinals.
The Maroons, also the defending champions of this preseason tilt, have been dominating the competition made up of squads from both UAAP and NCAA and are currently in an eight-game winning streak.
‘Everyday grind’
Guard CJ Cansino and former Most Valuable Player big man Malick Diouf exhausted their playing years while Luis Pablo and Cyril Gonzales transferred, but UP still has the services of mainstays such as JD Cagulangan, Harold Alarcon, Gerry Abadiano and reigning Rookie of the Year Francis Lopez as well as a bunch of recruits.
But from its experience in those last two seasons, UP is not getting complacent with how it is playing so far especially with last season’s tormentor La Salle meeting them once again in the Finals.
Despite squandering a 24-point lead, the Green Archers survived the late-game efforts of Letran, 91-87, in the other semifinal pairing to advance to the championship with sophomore forward Jonnel Policarpio’s 19 points.
“We know that it’s not going to be easy to [reach the top] but there’s a process to that and it starts with our everyday grind during practices and building our habits and chemistry,” Luanzon said.
“[We are honing] the culture that we want and the standard that not only coach [Goldwin Monteverde] wants but the standard that the players put on themselves as a team,” he added.
That standard can be seen through powerful forward Lopez, who delivered a 22-point performance from eight-of-12 field goals apart from seven rebounds. Graduating guard Cagulangan led his crew with 13 points, nine assists, five rebounds and four steals.
“This is our team so the standard that we uphold in practice and games should fully be translated inside the court, that’s the most important thing,” Luanzon said. INQ