A LOT was on the line ahead of the University of the Philippines' Playtime Cares Filoil EcoOil 18th Preseason Cup three-peat bid against National U last Sunday.
Apart from their title defense, the Fighting Maroons also aimed to claim the first-ever ECJ Perpetual Trophy, an award for three consecutive championships, which had yet to be achieved in the premiere preseason tournament.
The keyword being, yet.
Putting forth collective action, State U stamped its class on the Bulldogs for a 79-65 win that etched its name in another chapter of collegiate history books.
READ: UP puts down NU to wrap up Filoil Preseason three-peat
And at the center of it all was Gerry Abadiano, who delivered a 13-point performance to earn them the momentous trophy - and himself Tournament MVP.
“Hindi naman lahat nabibigyan ng opportunity na ganito yung mangyari,” he said, as grounded as ever afterward. “Nabigyan kami, and ginrab namin.”
In yesteryears, the 5-foot-11 guard was the two-way silent operator in the maroon-and-green arsenal that also featured the likes of Malick Diouf, Carl Tamayo, Zavier Lucero, Quentin Millora-Brown, Francis Lopez, and JD Cagulangan.
But with all of them gone, somebody else had to make more noise - and who better than UP's longtime floor leader.
Make noise, Abadiano did, in Filoil Preseason where he posted per game counts of 12 points on top of 2.4 rebounds and one steal.
Still, the leader by example insisted his main goal is to just contribute to the game plan to the best of his abilities.
As he explained, “Wala naman nagbago. Nag-stick lang ako sa flow ng ginagawa namin, 'di ko naman siya intention na kailangan ganito yung nilalaro ko. Stick lang ako sa ginagawa ng team, kung ano yung dumating, pasalamat nalang ako.“
Monteverde’s golden words
Apart from holding his own amidst the Fighting Maroons' changed, yet still-dynamic backcourt options, the 24 year old also honed in on his leadership, steering the Diliman squad past some tough losses during the eliminations.
“Kasi sa game, either manalo or matalo lang, eh. 'Pag natalo ka, marami ka makukuhang mga learnings. Ang sinasabi ko lang sa sarili ko every time na may ganitong mga problema or challenges, part siya ng process,” he said, as they suffered a two-game losing slide midway through the elimination round.
Hearing those words, one may be confused as to attribute them to head coach Goldwin Monteverde.
But without a doubt, that's all Abadiano - taking into heart the belief that has been instilled in him ever since Monteverde recruited him from Iloilo and first brought him to Manila via Adamson High School back in 2015.
“Kumbaga, growth mindset talaga yung tinuturo sa amin ni coach Gold. Nandito kami sa Filoil or sa mga ibang preseason leagues namin para makita namin kung ano pa mga kailangan i-improve ng team. Yun ang kaya kami sumasali,” he added.
“May mga times talaga na mababa laro namin. Ang importante lang sa sarili ko and sa team namin na kung ano man yung outcome na yun, gina-grab na namin lahat ng mga learnings na nakukuha namin.”
More than a decade into his apprenticeship with Monteverde, from Adamson to NU-Nazareth School all the way to UP, Abadiano is, without a doubt, his mentor's extension on the court.
And with those two still at the forefront, it wasn't a surprise at all the Fighting Maroons extended their reign in Filoil Preseason.
And perhaps, even come the looming UAAP Season 88.
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