FOR all of the championship talk University of Santo Tomas got in the earlygoing of UAAP Season 88, it knows that it has to first shun a tag that has been unwantedly attached to it from the preseason.
Chokers.
Back then, no less than coach Pido Jarencio questioned the Growling Tigers on what 'C-word' they choose to be associated with: Are you champions or chokers?
It’s a reality check that then allowed UST to put the league on notice via a 5-1 start, just weeks after losing two preseason titles both to Adamson in the Asiabasket International Invitational and in Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur.
However, after their third straight loss – the latest being a 97-96 overtime stunner against who else but the Soaring Falcons last Wednesday - now in the second round of the tournament, this choice is once again on the table for the Growling Tigers.
READ: Adamson three-headed monster at guard scares UST out of Top 4
“Kailangan naming harapin yung challenges na kinakaharap namin at ma-overcome namin yun,” said Forthsky Padrigao, after their precipitous drop from No. 2 all the way to fifth in the standings.
The thing with early success like the one the black-and-gold had when they came hot off the gates is that it sets up heightened expectations.
But as Padrigao predicted from the start of the season, the league giveth and the league taketh away.
“UAAP is really unpredictable. A couple of losses here and there, you fall out of the picture,” he said.
Prove it, Padrigao
Padrigao, however, knows that adversities only bring out the true colors of players. And for teams like UST, being in this crossroad puts them in a sink-or-swim situation in an already-championship-or-bust campaign.
Luckily, the 6-foot guard stressed that he still has his full faith in his squad.
“Iba ang tiwala ko sa team na ito,” said the defiant co-captain. “Unique yung chemistry ng team namin and hindi lang dahil sa we live under one roof.”
“Compared to last year, na-observe ko na iba talaga yung closeness ng team, yung bond namin. It’s the same core group, pero mas close yung team.”
Disappointment from the Growling Tigers’ recent slump is understandable, especially with how hopes were high for their believers, with Espana having waited nearly two decades now to celebrate a men's basketball title.
But also recall that as good of a start as UST had, Padrigao, sounding like a broken record, had always been clear: “We have not proven anything yet.”
With four games remaining in the eliminations, the challenge couldn't be more straightforward for the Thomasians: Are you champions or chokers?
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