UNIVERSITY of the East head coach Joe Silva knew that he needed to make drastic adjustments if they’re to get their first win in the UAAP Season 81.
That adjustment came against Far Eastern University as he opted to put his best player Alvin Pasaol in the second unit – and it certainly worked wonders for him.
Pasaol led the second quarter charge for the Red Warriors as they finally snagged their first win of the tournament following a 90-65 drubbing of the Tamaraws on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The bench might be an unfamiliar position for Pasaol who’s started every game this season, but he totally understands the position of Silva.
“Strategy ni coach Joe yun. Maganda rin yung strategy na off the bench ako, sabi nga niya, na ‘para pag pasok ni Alvin, gutom na gutom na siya, ready na siya maglaro,’”said Pasaol who still got his numbers with 25 points, 13 rebounds and five steals in nearly 29 minutes of action.
For Silva, there are a myriad of reasons for putting Pasaol off the bench, and everything certainly worked towards their favor in this game.
From preserving his energy, to getting that lift off the bench – that adjustment set the tone early for the Red Warriors.
“We needed to preserve him ‘til the endgame e. Number two, I just wanted to have a defensive mindset coming into the game, so we put a defensive five in, not that Alvin doesn’t play defense but of course mas kailangan siya sa offense,” explained Silva.
“I also wanted the second unit to produce. With Alvin there, mas stable kami, I could easily put him after two minutes, three minutes or after a minute but the first group held the fort, credit to them so it was easy for Alvin to come off the bench,” he added.
With Pasaol leading the attack, the bench of the Red Warriors got 43 points from their relievers while allowing the other players to get a feel of the game with him watching from the sides.
Aside from that added bench boost, it also allowed Pasaol to see the game from an entirely different perspective, and it certainly worked to their favor as Pasaol was able to limit his turnovers and shot more efficiently this time around.
“I want Alvin to really read the game, para pag dating niya, alam niya kung saan siya aatake, alam niya kung anong gagawin niya, what he has to do, does he have to facilitate? Create? Or score? Yun ang sinabi ko sa kanya.”
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