UNIVERSITY of the East’s 15-year wait for its men’s basketball team to return to the UAAP Final Four could come to an end in a matter of weeks.
The Red Warriors have been the season’s surprise package and are still on a tear as of late with six victories in their last seven games.
READ: Santia-go? UE sure glad coach Jack Santia-stayed
With five more outings to go in prelims play, they find themselves in solo third place at 6-3 behind Final Four-bound title protagonists La Salle and University of the Philippines.
It’ll now take just a few more wins, and also a bit of luck, for UE’s Cinderella run to write its next chapter in the semifinals.
UE’s one wish
In a season that had a mix of tight game schedules and lengthy weather-induced breaks, there lies the challenge of staying in top shape and optimal form.
UE head coach Jack Santiago, who admitted how his team had to shrug off some rust after a week-long layoff, bared his biggest wish as they enter the homestretch of their playoffs push — be spared from injuries.
And it’ll take some shuffling of his deck of aces to make sure his star wards won’t get worn out if they were to reach the Final Four.
“I pray na my players will be 100 percent healthy because you see ‘yung aming schedule, we will play this coming Wednesday and then sa weekend ulit,” said Santiago.
“Sinabi ko du’n sa mga boys na we need to break away, just to give time for the first two groups so that the first group to have their pahinga and to give the guys coming off the bench the time to play.
“We cannot afford the same personalities, same players ‘yung naglalaro ng heavy minutes come next game. We want fresh legs, we want new players to rise.”
Earned, not given
There’s no incentive for being almost there or just a few wins away from the Final Four.
Even if they have the third seed for themselves ahead of what might just be a photo finish in the mid-table race, they haven’t earned anything just yet.
Santiago made sure to instill a ‘back to zero’ mentality to the Red Warriors ahead of every remaining game they’ll play.
“The target of the team is to be in the Final Four. With our standing right now, ‘di pa kasi namin iniisip kung nasaan na kami ngayon. Anything can happen kasi.
The UE shot-caller added, “If you see the standing, halos magkakadikit lang din naman, so we never think na sure na kami sa Final Four.
“Paghahandaan pa rin namin lahat ‘yung mga makakalaban namin, kumbaga 0-0 pa rin kami pagdating ng next games namin.”
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