One of the first people to rush on the court when University of the Philippines ace Isa Molde went down was Ateneo head coach Oliver Almadro.
With his team ahead 5-0 in the second set after Molde crumpled to the floor, Almadro quickly entered the court to check on his opponent.
Almadro has been vocal on Twitter about his dismay with the recent string of injuries in the UAAP. He tweeted his thoughts last Sunday when Far Eastern University rookie Lycha Ebon suffered a knee injury against the Adamson University.
“We’re happy we won, but first of all, as I always tweet about it na safety all the way this season. No injuries, but I think Isa is okay,” said Almadro to start his post-game address.
“We really prepared for this. I know my players prepared for this, they sacrificed a lot and, iyon lang talaga. Mate-test ‘yung character when you can adjust right away in situations like that. And of course, we’re also bothered, the players are also bothered with what happened to Isa,” he continued.
“So siguro it eats up our mind, our heart, our body rin to move or play with precaution.
“But sabi ko naman sa kanila na we have a mission, we have a purpose, and that purpose is to give and to show everybody what we prepared for. So we’re happy that we won and we thank the Lord for everything and we always pray for safety for everybody, safety of our team, the recovery of Isa, and the safety of all UAAP players,” he asserted.
In a sense, Almadro’s fatherly instincts came out when he saw Molde hurting.
“I really… Iniingatan ko rin talaga sila kasi parang tatay. I act as a father to them. Whatever happens to them, ako ‘yung unang masasaktan and ‘yung mga batang iyan, kilala natin na mga bata pa lang iyan. So I always pray for safety of all volleyball players in the UAAP. So kung may itutulong pa tayo; why not?” said Almadro.
“Even for a short prayer during that time, give them our prayers, something like that. It will ease up ‘yung negative vibes coming, so iyon ‘yung makitulong ko at that time. And I’m happy I guess; I hope na hindi naman daw knee something of a sprain,” he expressed.
“I don’t know, but we really hope na mild lang talaga, and we really want to finish this UAAP season with everybody safe.”
