MANILA, Philippines — The UP Maroons have put themselves back in a good position to return to the UAAP finals, and they’re determined not to bungle it especially with their twice-to-beat advantage over the UST Tigers in the second phase of the UAAP stepladder semifinals.
Their spirits soaring high on their strong second-place finish in the elims, the Maroons take their first crack at a title rematch with the Ateneo Eagles as they take on the Tigers at 4 p.m. Sunday.
“This is the product of the program that we built three years ago and we’re now reaping the fruits of it,” said coach Bo Perasol. “A big reason why we’re so happy to make it to the stepladder was the fact that we were able to do it despite the struggles we’ve had early in the season. It’s not easy.”
The entry of young, talented players like Kobe Paras and Ricci Rivero has made UP stacked in talent, yet the team still went through acid tests and challenges.
“Alam mo naman sa basketball, hindi pwedeng maraming bida. So the challenge for me is how to manage yung mga bida to play as one. Andyan si Kobe, andyan si Ricci, andyan pa si Bright (Akhuetie) at andyan rin si Juan (Gomez de Liano),” said coach Bo Perasol of his own challenge.
“It was really a struggle for us, yet we were able to reach this far kaya I can understand the emotions,” Perasol also said.
There’s the outpouring of joy from the UP community, including staunch supporters JJ Atencio and Edrin Panganiban of STATS.
“I think the plan of putting up a solid team and equipping them in preparation for the UAAP season summed it up. The training that we had outside of the country had certainly made them ready for the big battles ahead in the UAAP,” said Atencio, chairman of STATS and Januarius Holdings.
“UP and our brand, STATS, have grown together and we’ve become a winning combination – UP as an up and coming team and STATS as a go-to apparel,” Atencio added.