FOR coach Jeff Napa, National U's Final Four loss on Wednesday was the dose of reality that his team needed, especially as it seeks to be considered as a legitimate championship threat.
READ: La Salle lives to fight another day after lighting up National U
Unfortunately, that first acid test turned out to be a failure.
"We have to control our emotions," said the shot-caller after his team's 87-77 loss to La Salle. "Doon medyo nagkulang yung players namin. So hopefully, matuto sila sa game na ito ngayon."
Jake Figueroa did bounce back from his sorry showing to end eliminations with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists, as he put the team on his back. However, he also had eight of their 15 turnovers.
Nonetheless, Napa will always have utmost trust on his leader, stating: "Jake is Jake."
What he's demanding, though, is for the rest of the team to pick up the rest of the slack, with this collective play being one of the main reasons for their success early in the season.
"Hindi naman doon kami nagre-rely kay Jake lang. Ang importante sa amin kasi we will play as a group, as a team," he said. "May mga bagay na kailangan naming ayusin especially doon sa mga ibang players."
Indeed, the Jhocson side just couldn't overcome the pressures of the situation, as they found themselves in an early hole and saw their repeated attempts for a fightback turned back time and again.
NU on the next level
As impressive as the Bulldogs' performance was in the elims of the UAAP Season 88 men's basketball tournament, Napa reminded his wards that the postseason is a different beast.
"Playoff basketball is different sa elimination. So we will look at the videos tomorrow and we will come up kung anong kailangan namin," he said.
Luckily, that's where the twice-to-beat incentive comes in handy for the Bulldogs, who get one more go-round against the Green Archers on Saturday.
READ: This is why twice-to-beat matters most of all to National U
"May challenge na kailangang tapusin. May positive pa naman kasi may game pa ako ng Sabado. We'll try to correct our mistakes," he said.
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