IN the dead heat of a years-long losing skid, University of the East head coach Jumbo Dimaculangan continues to remind his young wards of one simple truth: they are already living the dream.
Following another tough defeat to La Salle on Saturday, the mentor chose to shift the focus away from the numbers and instead emphasize the bigger picture for his largely inexperienced roster.
“It’s a dream of every athlete to play in the UAAP,” Dimaculangan told SPIN.ph.
“So I was always telling them the reason why you’re here is because this started as a dream for you. A personal goal, this is what you love, this is what you want,” he added.
READ: Perfect La Salle sends UE to 20th loss in a row
Despite the Lady Warriors now enduring a 20-game losing skid dating back to Season 86, Dimaculangan insists the team’s journey is still about growth, especially with several rookies learning the ropes at the collegiate level.
“To be honest, I have a lot of rookies. I have a rookie setter, I have a rookie middle,” he admitted.
“Although naga-guide naman sila ng mga matatanda, pero nandoon pa rin sila sa parts na na-overwhelm because the players that I have, yung mga bago, parang first time to play at this level of competition.”
Rather than pressuring his players to finally put a stop to all the losses, the tactitian said he prefers to challenge them in improving with each match.
“Sabi ko kasi sa kanila, don’t think too much of winning because it will just come,” he explained.
“But the challenge in every game and even during training is to perform at their best.”
UE's future
For the UE mentor, steady improvement - no matter how small - is the real victory for now.
“If they perform well today, next better, better, better. So pataas,” he uttered.
Even through the defeats, Dimaculangan believes there are already signs of progress within the team.
As he put it, “I think we improved our passing, our serve. Attack naman, naging aggressive na rin kami.”
All of Recto, he added, continues to serve as motivation for the Lady Warriors to push through the difficult stretch.
“The entire community is supporting us. We know that,” he stated.
“They may not go to the venue to watch, pero we can feel that they still trust and they’re still hoping and praying na finally ma-end na yung losing streak.”
In the end, the comebacking coach reminded his players that their journey in the UAAP is bigger than wins and losses.
“And now that you’re here, you just don’t stop. Regardless of the setbacks, of the losses, you just learn from it and use it to motivate and challenge yourself to be better,” he said.
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