Gjerard Wilson finally demonstrated why University of the East Coach Jack Santiago had persistently recruited him during the off-season.
After two games in which he averaged just three points, Wilson delivered 15 points to lead UE to a 65-58 victory over Far Eastern University on Saturday in the UAAP Season 86 Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
And it came at a timely manner as Noy Remogat was struggling.
“I think it was just part of the system. The first two games personally, they were not my best. Everyone knows that. Coach knows that. It’s hard adjusting from America to here. I’ve only been here for four months. I felt good today,” said Wilson, who was averaging 3.0 points in the first two games of the season.
“Like I said, I always keep my faith in God, so I know He got me through hard times. It felt good. It wasn’t just me. It was the team too. The team set me up with good screens, good passes. Big credit to them too and big credit to coach for the play calling knowing I had a hot hand.”
Wilson was clutch for the Red Warriors, who were down by as much as 14 points against the Tamaraws. He scored 12 points in UE’s 20-0 run that turned the tide for the Red Warriors.
It was a welcome development considering how much Santiago pushed him during the team’s training sessions. There is so much talent within him that it is a case of bringing it out. Despite his heroics, he was eager to deflect praise toward his teammates.
“It wasn’t just me. It was the whole team. We didn’t give up. We practice really hard every day. Coach Jack (Santiago) and the whole staff, we work hard every day in practice. We’re built for times like this,” said the 6-foot-1 guard who played three years for NCAA DIII school LeMoyne-Owen College.
“We stayed as a unit. Like Coach Jack said, we stuck to the system and the system worked, and that’s how we got it done today.”
The Red Warriors were in must-win mode after they suffered a 15-point defeat at the hands of the University of the Philippines in their last game. FEU then was the perfect trap game for them, especially since the Tamaraws sought their first victory.
Wilson’s performance meant that UE took care of business. Now it’s about how he and his teammates will carry on, especially since they will face Ateneo de Manila University this Wednesday.
“Today, I think we showed a lot of people who we really are. We’re a very tight-knit team. Like I said, we worked really hard. When you work, it’s gonna show. At some point, it’s gonna show,” said Wilson.
“Big shout-out to the team, everyone back in the locker room. It was all of us as a unit. We stuck together. We stuck as a unit, and I’m proud of us. Pretty much we have a lot of character. We showed a lot of character today.”
