Mason Amos finally faced his friend Francis Lopez in the 2023 FilOil EcoOil Preseason Cup on Wednesday. However, Amos’ Ateneo de Manila University suffered a lopsided 70-95 loss against rival University of the Philippines.
Despite being rivals on the court, Amos emphasized their good relationship, stating that their competitiveness is limited to the court. Off the court, they remain friends.
“He’s a good friend of mine off-the-court. On the court, of course, we’re competitive, but at the end of the day, it’s just basketball,” said Amos, who scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds against the Fighting Maroons.
After the game, Amos and Lopez had a brief conversation, commending each other. There is no bad blood between them, and they continue to support each other.
Given their level of play, they were expected to be the power tandem of the Blue Eagles in UAAP Season 86. Unfortunately, Lopez had a change of heart as he transferred to UP back on January 21.
Still, the 2023 SEA Games gold medalist praised Lopez for the excellent game he played. Lopez tallied 11 points, seven rebounds and two assists in the contest.
“He plays well, his athletic of course, so he plays defense and the offense then, he’s energetic. So me matching up with him, I knew what he’s bringing on the table.”
Unfortunately, this was also Amos’ first game with Ateneo, and the outcome was not what he expected, as the Blue Eagles suffered their first loss in the preseason league.
During the game, Ateneo struggled in the first quarter, being held scoreless while UP went on an 8-0 run. The Fighting Maroons maintained their lead and eventually secured a 29-point advantage at 73-42.
Amos sees this loss as a learning opportunity and looks forward to their next game against National University on Thursday. He recognizes that UP had played more games and was better prepared.
Ateneo has several student-athletes who came from abroad in its lineup, and Amos acknowledges the need to adapt to the physicality of the other UAAP teams to avoid similar outcomes in the future.
“We got a lot of Fil-Foreigners in our team, so adjusting to the physicality of the other UAAP teams, we got a taste of what UAAP basketball is about,” Amos explained.
He emphasized the importance of matching that physicality against NU to avoid repeating the same result.
