BY John Miles Arcenal
NEW head coach Chris Gavina sees a lot of himself in University of the East's team captain for UAAP Season 88.
Gavina recalled he was the lone senior for his collegiate team - the same situation John Abate now finds himself in, as he heads into his second and last go-round as a Red Warrior.
And so, the first-year shot-caller is making it a point to get the most out of his leader, who put up a solid stat line of 7.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 23 minutes a year ago.
Good thing then that Abate is facing all this with eyes and arms wide open.
“There have been times when I’ve been cursing him out in front of the team, and afterwards I’m hugging him and taking him out to lunch,” Gavina said.
The mentor added that the greatest coaches are often the toughest ones who hold players to the highest standards, and that’s exactly how he is handling his team captain.
“I’ll squeeze every single juice out of him for his senior year. I hope he’s enjoying it so far, and we can get him to finish his legacy here at UE the way he wants to,” he added.
At the same time, Gavina sees shades of Rey Nambatac and Andrei Caracut - his onetime wards when he sat on the Rain or Shine coaching chair- in Abate.
As he put it, “They just had that ‘it’ factor and were relentless in their work. John is the same, he doesn’t shy away from big moments.”
Aba, aba, Abate!
Despite the tough love, Abate has embraced his new role with gratitude, while also acknowledging it has to come from within himself to work on his leadership and decision-making to make sure UE can break through once more.
After all, last season, they were one win away from ending the UAAP's longest playoff drought.
This time, the 6-foot-2 guard said there can be no letdowns for the Red Warriors, especially after finishing the first round at 5-2 only to drop seven of their last eight, including the playoff for the fourth seed, a year ago.
“We had a great first round, so we needed to learn from our previous mistakes and capitalize on the second round. So coming into Season 88, we just have to remember to not be satisfied,” said Abate.
“Really just making the most of every game. Focus on the present moment, take it one step at a time, and make it happen,” he added.
And with Gavina's full faith, Abate expressed confidence about leading UE in what was supposed to be a rebuild that nonetheless has the potential to turn into a return to the Final Four.
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