Coming into the NCAA Season 99 Seniors Basketball Tournament, University of Perpetual Help Systems DALTA was viewed as a dark horse contender for the championship.
After impressive performances in the preseason tournaments, with versatile forwards Marcus Nitura and Art Roque leading the way, and with strong shooting throughout the squad, it was easy to understand why other NCAA schools silently feared facing the Altas.
However, the beginning of Perpetual’s season was far from what they and the rest of the NCAA expected, as they lost both of their first two matches, placing them at the bottom of the standings.
The Altas were humbled by Emilio Aguinaldo College, losing 67-75 in their season opener, and they faced an early deficit against Lyceum of the Philippines University, failing to complete their comeback and losing 73-76.
The talent that the Altas had shown seemed to have disappeared, as they combined for a dismal 4/50 shooting from the three-point line in their first two matches.
“Sa mga unang dalawang laro namin, ang mga layup na kaya pa ng mga bata na apat na taon gulang, hindi nila na-shoot,” quipped Altas coach Myk Saguiguit.
With the Altas in disarray, Antonio Tamayo, founder and CEO of UPHSD, made a rare visit to Saguiguit’s squad during practice to deliver a brief motivational talk.
“Binigyan niya kami ng pep talk na nag-motivate sa mga players, kasi bihira lang namin siyang makita. Hindi namin siya nakikita, tapos biglang sumulpot sa amin. Kaya magandang motivation ‘yun sa amin,” explained Saguiguit.
In the midst of Perpetual’s 0-2 start, Tamayo emphasized the importance of learning how to bounce back from defeats, and the Altas took his words to heart. They came out on fire in their next matchup, hitting 10 triples and moving the ball well for 29 assists, ultimately defeating Arellano University 85-66.
In the end, Saguiguit credited their first victory of the season to Tamayo for inspiring his squad in the midst of their slump.
Perpetual will aim to maintain their winning streak in their next matchup against Jose Rizal University on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at the Filoil Ecooil Centre.
