PLAYING without head coach Louie Alas on the sidelines proved to be a challenge for Ateneo, but Jared Bahay knows the Blue Eagles cannot afford to let that become an excuse.
Ateneo suffered its second straight loss in UAAP Season 89 in a 70-93 beating at the hands of Far Eastern University last Saturday, when its shot-caller had to serve a one-game suspension.
READ: FEU remains red-hot after pouncing on Alas-less Ateneo
And without a doubt, according to Bahay, Alas' absence made it more difficult for the blue-and-white to keep itself on track, even with deputy RJ Jazul stepping up to the plate.
“Siyempre, if walang coach Louie, mahirap din kami na ma-remind yung self namin sa game plan namin,” the skipper admitted to SPIN.ph.
Still, the Cebuano guard stressed Ateneo had to take responsibility for its failure to execute the system, regardless of who was on the sidelines.
“It’s a big blow na wala si coach Louie, but then it’s not a reason why 'di namin sundin yung system. Kasi siyempre, meron naman yung system coaches,” he said.
No repeat of Season 88
Now going through back-to-back losses after opening the season at 3-1, the Blue Eagles face the challenge of preventing their recent slide from turning into a repeat of last season’s struggles.
They opened Season 88 with a promising 4-0 record behind the one-and-done duo of Kymani Ladi and Dom Escobar, only to suffer a five-game losing streak that eventually cost them a place in the Final Four.
With that, Bahay vowed to keep his teammates accountable and remind them to trust one another, as they try to get back on track starting with a against University of Santo Tomas on Saturday.
“We already learned last year na. As a leader, hindi ako papayag na maulit yan,” he said. “I’ll just keep reminding them to trust each other. Sundin lang kung ano yung pinapagawa ni coach Louie sa akin.”
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