Perasol hopes blowout loss to Ateneo fires up Maroons

MANILA, Philippines — For UP Fighting Maroons head coach Bo Perasol, his team's recent loss to the Ateneo Blue Eagles should serve as a wake-up call.

"We have to take the last game as a wake up call, something that should spring us back to life and to the reality that much work needs to be done," Perasol said in a letter to the UP community released Monday.

UP lost by 26 points to Ateneo, 89-63, in Sunday's "Battle of Katipunan" in the 82nd UAAP men's basketball tournament.

Perasol was ejected in the game during the third quarter following his outburst against a referee, which he had apologized for.

The Maroons coach admitted that he was also expecting so much from this season's roster, similar as the UP community.

"I am, as coach, in charge of what the players will ever become at the end of the season, as champions or mere contenders with nothing to show for despite the huge build up we made," he said.

With all humility, Perasol said he is accepting all the harsh words that go with every defeat.

'We are not yet done'

"The season is not lost just because we lost our last game. Definitely, we are not yet done with Season 82 due to my ejection over what I view as both poor and biased officiating," Perasol said.

Admitting that he had to do better when confronted in a similar situation, Perasol said he had paid the price for his reaction by being thrown out of the court.

Perasol appealed to the UP community to "pick up the pieces" and "not beat each other up" when the team loses a game.

"We have to be behind each other, come what may, through thick or thin, rather than be at each other's throat when we lose by one point or by 26 points," the coach said.

Perasol stressed that he is not only coaching for himself or for the players but also for the entire UP community who were watching the game live or at their homes.

"I know that if I do not deliver now and go all the way in Season 82, then I have no business being at the bench of the UP Maroons any minute longer," he said.

With this, Perasol said he intends to lead the UP men's basketball team to victory in the UAAP Season 82.

UP ranks second among eight teams with a 5-2 win-loss record at the end of the first round of eliminations for this year's men's basketball tournament.

"It is my sacred duty, not only as a coach, but a proud Iskolar ng Bayan, to keep on fighting up to the very end of the season till the prize is won and the championship trophy is lifted for all Iskos and Iskas to bask on for the greater glory of the one and only 'Unibersidad ng Pilipinas,'" Perasol said.

UAAP commissioner Jensen Ilagan said the body will review the incident that led to the ejection of Perasol during the game between UP and Ateneo. Under UAAP house rules, an ejection merits an automatic one-game suspension.

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