Ateneo de Manila University is facing a three-game losing streak in the UAAP Season 86 Men’s Basketball Tournament, placing the school at risk of missing this year’s Final Four.
This marks the first time the Blue Eagles have lost three consecutive games since Season 76.
This recent string of poor results has raised several questions, one of which revolves around the consistent benching of point guard Gab Gomez.
Gomez, a 24-year-old masters student-athlete in his third year of eligibility, played a pivotal role in Ateneo’s championship run towards the end of Season 85.
However, he has been sidelined for most of the Blue Eagles’ games in favor of some of his newer teammates.
Gomez, though playing in nine games, has only been averaging 2.78 points per game on 41.67 percent shooting from deep.
Sandy Arespacochaga, the long-time assistant coach who took over for the ailing Tab Baldwin against National University last Saturday, explained that there are multiple factors behind this decision.
He mentioned, “It’s a little bit hard and it’s not an easy question to answer. There are a lot of factors. Some also timing with some injuries and also missing practice. Ian Espinosa also emerged as a good defensive player for us and a very good quarterback for us in the point position. Jared Brown also has hit shots for us. It’s a bit hard, parang who’s playing well between the three of them.
“It’s not that we don’t want Gab to play. We want him to play well for us but we’ve got to make sure that we put in the guys who also have been performing for us.”
This is uncharted territory for the Blue Eagles as Ateneo has been the most successful program in the UAAP for the past decade.
Nonetheless, Ateneo still has a chance to secure a spot in the Final Four, with four remaining elimination round assignments on their calendar, starting with the UST Growling Tigers.
For now, everyone must be fully committed to the cause.
“That’s why we have to be more laser-focused in our concentration and our mindset. It has to be collective yung team thinking namin. That is why we cannot be distracted or even bothered by those thoughts because that certainly won’t help us,” said Arespacochaga.
“It is there, of course, like you mentioned but we’re focusing on the team. That’s a big emphasis for us. We have to think team. We have to think about what’s inside our circle. That’s the most important thing for us.”
