When University of Santo Tomas took on the floor against University of the Philippines in their do-or-die Final Four clash in the UAAP Season 86 Women’s Basketball Tournament, the Tigresses did so with a special addition to its jerseys.
The initials ‘HMO’ were added on the Growling Tigresses’ jerseys — done to show support for head coach Haydee Ong, who had led the UST program to its second finals appearance in her tenure.
What better way for Kent Pastrana, Brigette Santos, and the rest of the Tigresses to show support for Ong than to punch a ticket to this year’s big dance?
“For me, inumpisahan ko siya last week.
“Dine-dedicate ko yung every game for Coach Haydee kasi gusto namin bumawi sa kanya sa paghihirap pa rin sa amin para gumaling, pano kami mag-improve. This time, para naman sa kanya yung ilalaban namin,” said Pastrana, who finished the game with 18 points and five rebounds.
“Ito din. Dine-dicate namin every game namin kay Coach Haydee. Nasabi na rin ni ate Kent na super thankful kami sa lahat ng binibigay niya sa amin at sa pagmamahal niya,” said Santos, who contributed 14 points, five steals, and four rebounds for the Growling Tigresses.
For her part, Ong had a hilarious response when she was asked about the gesture of her players.
“Sipsip lang sila,” joked the former national team mentor.
Turning serious, Ong became honest about the most fulfilling part of her job. As a coach for so many years now, she has handled many players and played a key role in their development on and off the court.
At the end of the day, while results are important and winning the gold medal is the goal, there is more to life than just those things.
“I think sa tagal na nating nag-co-coach, I think relationship is the most important thing. A championship will fade but at the end of the day, yung mga players mo na ang tagal-tagal na sa yo at babalikan ka, yun yung trophy ko. That’s the most important thing for me – yung relationship.”
