AS good of a start as it was for University of the East, its early success in the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament might have also led to its undoing to end the elimination phase.
Even Wello Lingolingo admitted that complacency has gotten to the heads of the Red Warriors - and it has shown in their demeanor from practices to games.
“Feel ko, sobrang relaxed namin na napunta kami sa ganoong sitwasyon,” he said after UE slumped to its fifth straight defeat after a 77-67 setback to the University of the Philippines on Wednesday.
READ: Alarcon, UP shoot down UE's bid for outright entry to Final Four
It’s not that the Red Warriors haven't been fighting, but the same grit which adored them to UAAP fans in the first round - where it jumped to a 5-2 card - has been evidently absent for majority of the second round where they've only won once through seven games.
“Napapansin din namin na ganoon yung nangyari. Sad to say, ganoon talaga. Na-realize namin na ganoon yung nangyayari, pero late na,” said Lingolingo.
As one of the leaders for this Recto squad, the 20-year-old gunner shared that he has already communicated his observations to his teammates, and that even through this skid, they remain to have open communication with one another.
But of course, pressure still gets to the young squad that sometimes, it has led to bad practices that trickled down to games themselves.
“Minsan, nagkaka-bad practices kami, tapos nagsisisihan. Yung mga ganoong pangyayari, 'di mo rin ma-avoid,” said the Lanao del Norte native, with the team naturally expressing their exasperation for the funk they find themselves in.
“Maganda naman is nasasabi ko yun sa teammates ko. We’re good naman, open pa rin kami sa isa’t-isa. 'Di lang namin talaga ma-convert into wins.”
Go, UE Warriors, go, One Big Fight, fight!
Nonetheless, all hope isn’t lost for UE, which is assured of at least a playoff for the fourth spot.
Now, the Red Warriors will have to root hard for Ateneo in its final game against Adamson on Saturday to avoid complications, or else figure in a fourth place playoff.
Lingolingo, for his part, is willing to trade bleeding red to blue, at least for the week.
“Job’s not finished naman. 'Di pa tapos,” he lamented before joking, “Magiging fan muna ako ng Ateneo ng isang linggo. OBF (One Big Fight) muna.”
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