On Saturday afternoon, the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers all heaved huge sighs of relief after grabbing a tightly-contested 79-72 win over Adamson University.
However, none were more relieved than Joshua Fontanilla, who has been aching to step up and steer his team to consecutive victories.
He did just that against the Falcons, and was a major factor in their win after making crucial plays in crunch time. Fontanilla contributed a total of 10 points, four rebounds, and three assists in 19 minutes and 57 seconds of action.
The one-and-done point guard also expressed his gratitude to UST’s coaching staff, who have been guiding them along the way as they figure in an up-and-down season.
“Gusto ko na rin makatulong sa team kasi nararamdaman ko parang wala ‘yung presensya ko.
“Pero nandudun ang mga coaches namin para i-lift kami. Kasi pagka ganun na, na-dodown kami, andudun sila para i-guide kami kung ano ‘yung dapat naming gawin at kung ano ‘yung next move namin… Na kailangan sa ganun pagkakamali — mag-move on agad and mag-focus sa next play,” said Fontanilla.
Head coach Jinino Manansala has been with Fontanilla dating back to their days in St. Clare. And he knows exactly what his player is capable of doing. Despite finding themselves in a nip-and-tuck affair against Adamson earlier, his confidence in the abilities of the 22-year-old playmaker never wavered.
“Lalo na si Josh, matagal na kaming magkakasama niyan. Sabi ko lang sa kanila, sundin niyo ‘yung game plan talagang hanggang dulo, dun tayo maglalaro eh,” Manansala said.
“Kaya, ‘yun nga, lumabas na si Josh naka-five straight points. Hindi na bata ‘to. Bente dos na ‘yan eh, beterano na ‘yan. Marami ng laro ‘yan.”
After getting their second consecutive victory, the Growling Tigers will now have an acid test. They will face De La Salle University on Tuesday, which now features former UST lead guard Mark Nonoy.
Still, Fontanilla believes that playing with their best effort and trusting in the coaches’ game plan will aid them in their upcoming match-up against one of the top teams in the league.
“Kung ano din ilalatag sa amin ng coach namin, mag-dodouble effort kami, lalo na isa rin sa pinaka-talented na point guard ngayon yung makakalaban namin. And mag-fofocus lang kami kung ano ‘yung ilalatag sa’min na game plan, and execute lang namin ng maigi,” he claimed.
“Walang ibang mangyayari kundi susunod lang kami sa mga coach namin.”
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