In the inaugural UAAP Junior High School Basketball Tournament during Season 86, University of the East fell short of reaching the championship round, suffering an overtime loss to Far Eastern University-Diliman in the semifinals.
Using the pain and motivation from that inaugural season, the Junior Warriors have embarked on a strong campaign for glory in the tournament, which is now officially recognized as a sport. They concluded the first round with an impressive 7-0 record.
UE’s first-round sweep was highlighted by a dominant 22-point victory over cellar-dwelling Adamson University, winning 85-63 on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
While the Junior Warriors enjoyed an average winning margin of 21.71 points per game during their seven-game streak, with six of those victories coming by double digits, head coach Andrew Estrella acknowledged that there is significant room for improvement as they head into the second round.
“Marami pa kailangan trabahuin ‘no. All throughout nung patapos yung first round, marami akong nakitang things to work on, especially this game, this is a bad game for us,” Estrella said.
“For my boys, hindi pwedeng 30 minutes, 20 minutes, 10 minutes ka lang naglalaro; supposedly buong 40 minutes. There are a lot of lessons learned.”
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Despite the eagerness of his players to make a statement and claim the first-ever regular championship in tournament history, Estrella continuously reminds UE to remain grounded, especially with a target now on their backs after completing a first-round sweep.
Alongside the Junior Warriors in the standings, competing for the final four spots are the Baby Tamaraws (6-1), the DLSZ Junior Archers, the UST Tiger Cubs (4-3), the NUNS Bullpups, and the Ateneo Blue Eagles (3-4).
“I’ve been reminding them about that target. Habang tumatagal, sa second round, mas lalong lumalaki yung target. Everyone wants to beat you, so I just remind them all the time to stay composed and not look at the long-term picture first. Kung ano yung what’s on the table, doon muna tayo,” explained Estrella, a former coach at La Salle Green Hills.
At the end of the first round, UE leads the league in seven key statistical categories: points allowed (59.14 points), two-point field goals (54.99 percent), points in the paint (47.43 points), assists (21.0), blocks (5.14), second-chance points (15.71), and bench points (36.29).
Despite their perfect record and success in individual and statistical categories, Estrella is determined to keep his Junior Warriors on their toes, especially with the intense competition that the second round will bring.
“We just work ‘eh, one game at a time kasi yun ang iniisip namin. Yes, thankful kami that we swept, but the second round is different. All the teams have adjusted already, scouted, and even us, yung mga makakalaban namin, we’ve scouted them, we’ve played them, so lahat mag-aadjust.”
