For the first time in their collegiate coaching careers, brothers Nash and Olsen Racela will be on opposing ends on Thursday.
At 7:00PM, Adamson University faces Far Eastern University — the school Nash steered to the UAAP Season 78 championship.
For Nash though, he is not letting the hype of the game get into him as he is still in the midst of rebuilding the Soaring Falcons program.
“Well, it’s just another game for us.
“Of course and approach namin — even myself — ang approach ko is just to prepare just like how we did in our previous games,” he said after Adamson’s 73-71 loss to University of the Philippines last Tuesday.
“Nothing really special for me and I want to be consistent with my players because I always tell them to focus on the task at hand not to think about anything else,” he continued.
Adamson is down to a 1-4 slate so far in UAAP Season 84 and is hoping to snap the three-game funk it is in.
Meanwhile, Olsen is just excited to finally face Nash on the UAAP stage.
The two have done so numerous times in the PBA as Olsen is an assistant coach in Ginebra while Nash was previously the head coach of TNT and Blackwater.
This time though will be different as it is in the biggest stage of college basketball.
“Well, very excited before the season minarkahan ko na yung Adamson schedule namin eh,” quipped Olsen after FEU’s 88-74 win that snapped their three-game slide.
“But I’m sure my mom (Mary Rose) is extremely excited more than kaming dalawa ni Nash.”
Speaking of the Racela matriarch, she was in attendance last Tuesday, watching both Adamson and FEU games.
This was the first time she was able to see her kids on the court again since 2020.
Photo from John O. Baltazar
But will she be in attendance for Thursday’s game? Don’t count on it as Mommy Mary Rose has refused to watch games that pit her sons against each other.
“Walang pinapaboran naman si Mama. Either way panalo siya di ba? Either way talo siya,” quipped Olsen.
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