It was just last year that Justine Baltazar and Angelo Kouame were teammates in Gilas Pilipinas, leading the national team to a sweep of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers and a gallant stand in the 2020 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament-Belgrade.
Though Baltazar and the Gilas players in Ateneo have become close due to the shared experiences they have, the rivalry between La Salle and their Katipunan counterparts still run deep.
And on Saturday, the two rivals face off again.
For Baltazar, he is willing to set aside the friendships he made when the game tips off on Saturday at 7:00PM.
Photo from FIBA.basketball
“Ganun pa rin. Focus pa rin kami sa mga gameplan ni coach, kung ano ‘yung papagawa nila samin, mag-reready pa rin kami. So kung ano pa rin ‘yung pinapakita namin, ganun pa rin. Mas dodoblehin pa namin,” said the 25-year-old Baltazar, who had 20 points, 11 rebounds, two steals, a block, and an assist during La Salle’s 75-65 win over Far Eastern University on Wednesday.
“Gagawin lang namin ‘yung best namin kasi school to school na’to eh, hindi na ‘to ‘yung teammates ko sa Gilas, iba na ‘yung usapan dito sa larong UAAP na ‘to eh.”
Earlier in the day, Angelo Kouame played down the match-up against Baltazar saying it’s a team sport.
Photo from FIBA.basketball
“We approach every game the same way, respect the opponent, and play the right way, especially as a team,” said the 24-year-old naturalized Filipino who got 13 points and 10 rebounds in Ateneo’s 78-47 whipping of Adamson.
“I think coming to the next game, it’s going to be the same mentality and we try to cover our mistakes, learn from it, and keep moving forward.”
It’s not only pride though that is at stake on Saturday.
Though Tab Baldwin will not admit it, it’s about racking up win no. 30.
“We want to approach the La Salle game as 0-0. It’s the only game that matters now and we want to make sure that we play well in that game.
“I’ve just seen a little bit on TV and they looked fast, they’re a big team,” the former Gilas tactician admitted. “It’s a very good La Salle team, they like the pressure game so it should be an interesting matchup.”
For La Salle, it’s about beating the standard in collegiate basketball and, well, taking solo leadership in the standings.
“Hopefully, we can use this as a springboard when we play Ateneo. We know for a fact that Ateneo is the team to beat here and the barometer. We are happy that we came out winners today but hopefully, that doesn’t stop us there,” Derrick Pumaren stressed.
“We just have to concentrate more on Ateneo, we know that there are bigger games ahead and it will start with Ateneo on Saturday. We just have to get back on the drawing board and know what to do against Ateneo. We know that they’re very well-coached and we know that they’re giving teams problems. Hopefully, we will be able to solve that when we meet Ateneo.”
And on Saturday, the two fabled rivals meet again after exactly 900 days.
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