There was an air of resignation around Jerrick Ahanmisi after the game.
He and the rest of the Adamson Soaring Falcons experienced their fifth loss in the UAAP Season 82 Men’s Basketball Tournament. They suffered a 74-80 collapse at the hands of the UE Red Warriors — and an alarming setback in their quest to enter the Final Four.
Is it time for the Filipino-Nigerian guard and his team to hit the panic button? Not yet, at least according to him.
“I don’t think so. It’s just a mental thing most of the time.
“I think our rookies still need to step up a little bit. But if not the rookies, the vets need to step up a bit more,” said the 6-foot-1 swingman.
Ahanmisi — who averaged 18 points in 31 minutes of game time at the end of last season’s elimination round — has now contributed an average of 14.6 markers after eight games so far this year. While the number of games may be different, it is safe to say that something is off about his game.
“For me, it doesn’t really bother me that I’m shooting bad.
“Being how I am, I’ll always keep on shooting even if I shoot horribly or I don’t make any shots. I’m still gonna keep shooting the ball,” said the Season 81 Mythical Team member.
“But for me and Val (Chauca), we just got to get that out of our minds that we’re shooting bad. We don’t really look at the stats, but we’re just gonna keep on shooting and eventually, they’re gonna have to go in the basket,” said the 21-year-old.
With a reputation that precedes him, it is no surprise that Ahanmisi is a guy whom opposition coaches mark out in their scouting reports. While all that attention may have stifled his game, he doesn’t want to make an excuse out of it.
“That shouldn’t really matter. Even if we’re marked men already, we still got to find a way to make our shots. Even if all of them aren’t falling, we got to make something happen,” said the fourth-year gunner.
Come what may, Ahanmisi and the rest of the Soaring Falcons need to arrest their poor form if they want to make it to the post-season. Anything less will be a disappointment, and must be averted at all costs.
“That’s always the mindset and the future goal for us. It’s all up to us and to the team to make sure we get to where we want to be.”
