The University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers bounced back from the worst UAAP loss ever recorded since 2003 with an 83-77 win against the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons, three days later.
So how did UST head coach Boy Sablan remedy the pain of a 38-point blowout?
For first year coach Sablan, he felt no need to scold his already-down players, as it would only delay the healing his team needed. Instead, he made it a point to talk to each member of the Growling Tiger squad.
“Wala nag-usap lang talaga kami. Pinagkakakausap ko silang lahat,” Sablan recounted. “Almost everybody kinausap ko sila. Kailangan e after ng nangyari sa amin sa La Salle. Kailangan lumabas yung character namin ngayon para maka-bounce back kami. We needed to win this game.”
“I tried to talk to each one of them. Isa’t isa kinausap ko sila pati itong si Louie [Vigil]. Nag-respond naman sila.”
UST team captain Louie Vigil heeded his coach’s call, stuffing the stat sheets with 18 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and seven assists.
But it was not just Vigil who stepped up. Rookie Oliver de Guzman and junior Regie Basibas chipped in 11 markers each, with the two combining for 10 points in the clutch.
“Kinausap ko rin sila e. Sabi ko nga sa inyo, hindi lang ito involved sa iilang player, sa lahat ng player ito,” UST’s mentor furthered.
After citing fatigue as the reason for the nightmare game UST had last Wednesday, the talks he had with his players also served a second purpose, as they helped re-strengthen the tired legs of the Tigers.
“Hindi kami tumakbo sa practice. Puro play lang kami at game-planning. Hindi ko muna pinagod,” he shared.
And it paid dividends for UST. After commiting 71 turnovers in their last two games, the Growling Tigers were only forced to 17 errors while pushing UP to 18. Moreover, they were able to out-rebound UP, 46-41.
“So ngayon, yung ginawa nila na man-to-man all the way, hindi sila napagod. Sabi ko nga sa inyo, baka pagod na sila,” he reflected. “Last two days, hindi ko sila pinatakbo. More on mental and gameplan ginawa namin.”
The 52-year-old mentor then gave a forecast of what every one should expect from the Tigers in their next games.
“Marami pa yan. Meron pang puputok diyan na darating. Contribution ito ng buong team,” he concluded, as student-athletes like Basibas, De Guzman, Renzo Subido, and Kent Lao have been flourishing in his system.
“Meron pa diyan, marami pa.”
