THERE was no sign of frustration in Adamson greenhorn Jerrick Ahanmisi's face when he emerged from the dugout, shortly after La Salle ousted the Falcons from the UAAP Final Four on Wednesday.
The Falcons, after all, weren't supposed to giving a powerhouse side like La Salle all that it could handle in the playoffs. Heck, they weren't supposed to be in the Final Four at all.
"I think it was a pretty good game for us to show that everyone in the whole tournament that we're a different Adamson team, that we can actually compete with other teams especially with big name team like La Salle," said Ahanmisi moments after the 64-69 loss to the Green Archers.
[See Aldin Ayo: 'Bakit may mga players na ayaw mamasa kapag may TV na?']
The younger brother of PBA player Maverick Ahanmisi, however, couldn't help but feel sad to see the Falcons - so close to a big upset - miss their final nine attempts from the field, seven from three-point land with a chance to tie the score.
Still, the Falcons rookie said the playoff experience, as disappointing as it was, will only make the team better next season.
"They were wide-open shots, we weren't just able to knock them down. We're gonna come back next season, work on our game, and hopefully we won't miss those open shots next time."
Ahanmisi believes the playoff failure will only make the Falcons 'hungrier' for success next season.
"Yes for sure, because I think next season we're gonna be even hungrier," said Ahanmisi, who finished with nine points and missed a potential game-tying triple in the dying seconds.
"Now that we know the feeling of (playing in) playoffs, knowing that we were so close to get to the finals, we're gonna be hungrier next season."
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