Isaac Go could have had his own Doug Kramer moment
With 8.9 seconds left and an open lane, a beautifully drawn play by Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin gave Go the golden chance to steal the win from the De La Salle University Green Archers while they were down by just one point, 77-76.
However, he hesitated, and allowed Ben Mbala to catch up. By the time he put up his trademark hook shot, the reigning Most Valuable Player was in his face, and Go missed the basket.
Ricci Rivero grabbed the board, and Go had no choice but to foul him to stop the play. He grimaced in disappointment, hung his head low, and ran to assistant Coach Sandy Arescopachaga.
Clearly, Go was frustrated.
Rivero sunk the ensuing free throws, 79-76, and snapped Ateneo’s winning streak to hand the Blue Eagles their first loss of the season.
But the initially disheartened Go emerged from the dugout calm and level headed.
“[Coach Tab] trusted my judgment there that I would make the best possible basketball play and right now I’m not really regretting the shot,” the 6-foot-7 center said. “It would have been nice if I made it but that’s the best basketball play I could have done at that moment.
“And sometimes it’s a judgment call, you have a split second to think, what can I do, do I have to take this shot, sometimes maybe I fail to see who is open, a lot of recognition but at that certain moment you have to think of a play and I think that’s what happened,” added last season’s Most Improved Player.
Go — who finished the rivalry match with 13 points, six rebounds, and five assists — also confessed that his decision-making could have been better, but at the end of the day, as a young player, he is still very willing to learn.
“I think that’s where my immaturity still comes in, I’m a young player,” the 21-year-old expressed, “But that can’t be the excuse. [Sometimes] you let emotion overcome you, you don’t think, you just act. Coach Tab has always been preaching to try to play without the emotion but I think I still have to learn how to take out the emotion.
“I still have to grow as a player.”
Even though it wasn’t the result they wanted, Baldwin still declared that Go had made a good decision in that moment.
“I think [Isaac] George made the right play. I think instead of going straight up with it where Ben has been blocking shots when guys did that, he shot faked. So then he had a contested shot, but I think he made the right shot and he just missed it,” the Ateneo tactician said.
“So what? We’ve missed a lot of shots. They executed the play, that’s all I can ask.”
Due to today’s heartbreaking loss, Ateneo’s opportunity to be the first Blue Eagle squad to make a 14-0 record and go straight to the Finals slipped right from their hands. Despite missing out on carving history, Go kept his head high, confident that he and the Blue Eagles will bounce back.
“We’re just looking at it as the next game, it’s nice of course to have the 14-0 sweep but we’re just looking at the next game. The most important game is the next game,” the BS Management major said.
“It’s quite challenging now. It’s looming because first loss of the season, but I think the day off tomorrow will help us let go, and help us refocus and re-adjust for FEU because they are a tough team.”
