THE road to the championship still runs through the University of the Philippines.
Shaky at times, the Fighting Maroons proved once again that they still run the jungle, reaching the championship game of the PlayTime Cares Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup presented by ABC Tile Adhesive.
It didn’t matter if UP lost back-to-back games in the eliminations – a rarity in the last three years in the preseason league – or came in as the third-seed in the quarterfinals. What weighed the most was that the Diliman side won the games they needed to win.
READ: Monteverde's golden touch brings UP to doorstep of Filoil history
And the Fighting Maroons did it the way they only know how: by staying together.
“I think yung collective effort lang talaga ng lahat. We played as a team at malaking bagay sa team yun na marunong sila mag-adjust whatever the circumstances are,” said coach Goldwin Monteverde, relying on his dependable veterans like Gerry Abadiano, Terrence Fortea, and Harold Alarcon all throughout this journey.
UP escaped elimination in the final eight, staving off St. Benilde, 82-80, before slipping past La Salle, 83-78, thanks to Rey Remogat’s heroics last July 11.
Now, the Iskos are just one win away from an unprecedented third straight preseason crown which would enable them to take home the coveted ECJ Perpetual Trophy.
But as much as that would add to the already gaudy trophy collection they have in UP, what Monteverde focuses on is the team’s desire to continue being great.
“Sa amin, making it to the finals again is a big accomplishment. But ang mahalaga is we go through the same experiences again and having the chance to win the preseason for the third straight time will only make the players better,” he said, turning attention to UP’s nemesis National University while maintaining that insatiable hunger for development.
“Happy kami na we won but we know each day, kung ano lang yung ma-take namin from each game, yun ang kailangan naming ayusin.”
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