A baptismal of being a “super sub” only shows the coaches and the community how good a player is in sustaining the hustle and effort provided by the starters.
But in the case of Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws’ do-it-all firestarter Roger Ray Pogoy, such term is becoming an understatement, as his stellar play for FEU redefines the way “super sub” is meant to be translated.
In FEU’s come-from-behind finish against the De La Salle University Green Archers that sent the latter out of the Final Four contention, it was the Tams’ 26-point outburst in the final frame alone that highlighted the inspiring win. The Sinag Pilipinas pool player contributed 11 points, through three triples and a mid-range jumper, in that span that shook the heads of the La Salle faithful.
“Siguro pumapasok lang talaga,” replied the Cebuano guard, when asked about his thoughts after the fiery 11 point fourth quarter burst he made that pushed FEU ahead, 63-61, with 2:40 left in the fourth quarter.
“May isa ngang three points na sobrang layo; hindi ko nga alam kung papasok pa ‘yon o hindi. Basta tinira ko na nga lang,” added Pogoy, pertaining to the long trifecta he swished that led to the aforementioned score.
The 6’2’ guard, however, passed all the credit to the Tams’ Head Coach Nash Racela for the feat he and the team pulled off.
“Sinabi kasi ni Coach Nash na laro lang dapat, walang pressure,” said he. “Sinabi rin nila na basta nandu’n ka sa floor, ibigay na lahat.”
But even before the second round of the season, it was his assertiveness as the team’s leader that made everyone in the stands notice.
Leading huddles during breaks. Being vocal on and off the court. Giving out high fives to everyone. These are what Pogoy was doing when FEU was trailing against the Green Archers and the Blue Eagles. He did such just to keep his team’s morale up and firing.
Moreover, Coach Nash Racela has given his senior the confidence to lead certain units during pivotal stretches as seen three days later in their semifinals match-up against Ateneo.
The FEU senior had 16 points, going 33% from downtown and 75% from the charity stripe. In addition, with the wave of momentum moving to the Ateneo-side, Pogoy made the second most pivotal shot for the Tamaraws in knocking down a huge corner triple that tied the game at 74-all with 1:07 remaining in the game.
“Yun yung role ko,” Pogoy said. “Lagi nila tinatrap si Mike kaya nalilibre.”
He then emphasized that it was their defense that led to excellent offensive execution during the season. “Kailangan involved lahat ng players namin mas lalo na sa depensa. Nasa loob ka man o nasa labas (ng court).”
The former CESAFI Juniors MVP did not take the limelight just to himself, but instead gave it out to his teammates, particularly the young bench players that stepped up for the Tamaraws for the entire duration of the season.
“Malaking tulong ‘yun sa amin, kasi kung kakailanganin nina Coach ng huhugutin, alam na nila kung sino ang pwede maglaro,” he added.
The former University of Cebu Webmasters standout, who averaged 10.8 points after the eliminations, thanked his co-veterans for the positive result his assertiveness was able to provide. “Tinutulungan din naman ako ng mga seniors, kaya maganda naman,” he said.
A season ago, Pogoy was the missing piece as his production dipped during the UAAP Season 77 Men’s Basketball Finals. Gaining the confidence and the maturity this season, Pogoy, together with the other FEU seniors, look to bring the UAAP Men’s Basketball Championship back to Morayta after ten years.
