UNIVERSITY of the Philippines made the loudest noise in the offseason when it signed a quartet of ex-University of the East standouts led by ace winger Casiey Dongallo.
Also part of the sudden shuffle of Lady Warriors were Kizzie Madriaga, Jelai Gajero, and Jenalyn Umayam, as well as former interim head coach Obet Vital.
Having to serve their residency years this UAAP Season 87 gave fans the impression that the Fighting Maroons will have to wait another year to make a proper Final Four push.
The current crop of State U players, however, didn't listen to any of that noise.
They may have fallen short by the skin of their teeth this year — one spot shy of the Final Four, as a matter of fact — but this tournament was more than enough proof that the maroon-and-green already has the tools on hand to become a legitimate contender.
In particular, UP claimed the scalps of three Final Four-bound teams in defending champion National U and perennial contenders La Salle and Far Eastern University during the elimination round.
READ: UST boots out UP; brings along La Salle, FEU into Final Four
Failing to complete the quadruple against University of Santo Tomas on Wednesday marked the end of their playoff push with a 6-7 card and one match left.
There's a future in Fighting (Maroons)
Without a doubt, that’s not to say that this season is a failure altogether.
It was a campaign that went beyond expectations and one they’d certainly take pride in.
READ: Why wait for Dongallo when Maroons can contend now?
And SPIN.ph did tell you all about it in the preseason, didn't we?
“Hindi mo naman mapipigilan ‘yung mga tao na sabihin yun and naririnig naman namin yun before the start of the season," senior Irah Jaboneta said.
“Hindi pa naman yun nangyayari, sa susunod pa. Yung mindset po talaga namin is to focus sa kung ano yung ngayon. Yun yung importante na may ilalaban kami and may kailangan kaming ilaban.
Veteran winger Joan Monares added: “Next season is next season. This season is this season. We can start here before going to the next.”
“I hope na yung mga bata, ma-continue nila yung na-start namin. Teamwork, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who’s playing or who’s inside or outside the court, basta tulong-tulong lang.”
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