RICCI Rivero knows what it feels to be a youngster raring to prove yourself in the UAAP stage.
The 6-foot-1 guard with the wicked Euro step understands exactly how his younger University of the Philippines teammates feel whenever they tend to stray from the system and do things on their own during games.
But with age comes wisdom, and Rivero's biggest learning from that chapter of his career is that no player is bigger than the team.
"Mistake ko rin naman lalo nung bata ako na minsan kapag humihirap, pumupunta ako sa comfort zone ko. But syempre, iba na rin ngayon," he said after the UP Maroons' 80-70 win over National University on Thursday.
As the veteran holdover in a youth-laden University of the Philippines, Rivero is leading by example.
"We've seen many lapses still and we're struggling pa. Pero ang tumulong sa amin is we stuck to the system," said the flamboyant guard.
Rivero, who tallied 19 points, four assists, three rebounds, two steals, and one block in the victory, has so much trust in coach Goldwin Monteverde's system that he believes the Maroons can go places if everyone sticks to the system.
"I have so much hope and trust in coach Gold's system and I've been just very vocal na isigaw sa kanila na let's stick to the system," Rivero said. "Kung mas humihirap sa atin, mas lalong dapat magtiwala tayo sa system."
The trust is mutual.
"Nagtutulungan talaga kami especially kay Coach Gold, lagi kaming nag-uusap. We get to talk a lot kaya nakatulong din yung bubble setup sa akin na mag-lead kasi at least from time-to-time, nakakapag-usap talaga kami ni coach," he said.
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