ATENEO head coach Louie Alas had been here before, just not quite like this.
The former Adamson player from the 1980s took on his alma mater for the first time as a UAAP head coach, this time leading the Blue Eagles against the school where his own collegiate career began.
READ: Balanced Ateneo gets back on track by jumping on Adamson
And most definitely, the reunion was bittersweet for Alas, who spent his playing days with the Soaring Falcons before eventually taking over another blue-and-white side all these decades later.
But once the ball went up, so did the line he had to draw between his past and present.
“Kind of hard because that’s the first thing my wife told me. Just one of those things kasi, yung loyalty mo, nag-e-end kung saan ka nagtatrabaho eh,” he said.
“I love Adamson, but at this point in time, more love to Ateneo.”
Alas, always
The difference between then and now was just as striking.
Alas played for Adamson in the 1980s, when the UAAP had yet to introduce the Final Four and finishing in the top two was enough to secure a championship shot.
“UAAP is bigger compared to our era. Grabe ang pressure dito, grabe ang lahat. Sabi ko nga, premier league in the country, UAAP,” he said.
For one day, though, the past had to stay in the past.
Alas took on the school that gave him his UAAP playing start, while leading the program that now carries his coaching future.
And when the two sides met, his loyalty remained squarely in Katipunan.
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