UNIVERSITY of the Philippines guard Terrence Fortea said on Saturday that his 17-point performance was a product of the team's "next-man-up mentality."
Terrence Fortea sustains fine play
Fortea has continued to shine in the absence of injured JD Cagulangan, taking up the scoring cudgels by firing a team-high 17 points.
"Ako naman kasi, since noong sitwasyon namin about kay [Cagulangan], mindset ko na agad na kailangan ko mag-step up para sa team namin. So ayun, siguro 'yung 17 points, hindi ko naman siya pinilit," said Fortea after the Fighting Maroons' 73-67 win against Far Eastern University.
"Siguro, napunta lang sa sitwasyon na 'yun. So ayun. Masaya ako sa pinakita ng team namin. 'Di man consistent, pero siguro mapupunta kami doon."
His solid 5-of-5 night from deep also gave a glimpse of the old Fortea which the public has come to know, torching nets back in his high school days in NU-Nazareth School.
This, to the 6-foot-1 gunner, is also a testament of his dedication to finetune his shooting touch.
"Binibigyan ko rin kasi ng time yung shooting ko ulit eh. Siguro sinwerte lang din kanina," he said.
Assistant coach Christian Luanzon also mentioned that the team needed to mature quickly following the departure of Ricci Rivero, Noah Webb, and continued recovery of injured CJ Cansino.
Luanzon also mentioned that the mindset of his wards was a work in progress as the team calibrates its concentration the rest of the way.
"So, 'yung preparation, and that's why it's important, 'yung mindset ng mga bata na even in-season, sa mga practices namin, even though there are walkthroughs especially the day before, 'yung concentration, 'yung level of concentration nila is a high level of focus pa rin, especially as we go down the line, papasok ng mga remaining games," explained Luanzon.
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