Sumang speaks up
Even before the start of the UAAP Season, one name from the Red Warriors' den was often mentioned as the take-charge guy for the University of the East.
Point guard Roi Sumang was expected to carry most of the scoring load for the Warriors this year after his impressive stint in the pre-season tournament Fil-Oil Cup, where he averaged 14.6 points per game.
The Red Warriors surprised many when they scored huge back-to-back wins against the UP Maroons and defending champions Ateneo Blue Eagles recently before bowing to the FEU Tamaraws over the weekend. UE now holds a 3-9 card and has overtaken Adamson and UP in the team standings.
"Focus lang kami. Lagi kaming nakatingin ngayon sa defense. Kasi magaling ang Ateneo, mahirap na kalaban kaya sa defense talaga kami tumutok," said the former Letran high school stand out.
Sumang collected a team-high 28 points versus the Tams.
"Syempre may pressure sa amin kasi marami sa amin, rookie at sophomore, ilan lang yung seniors sa amin. Sa ibang teams din naman ganoon kaya patas lang, hindi naman ganoon kabigat, pero mahirap," added Sumang.
In the Warriors' first-round conquest of the Falcons, Sumang also emerged as the hero. But the young spitfire remains modest and admits that he still needs to polish a lot in his game. Roi expects to hone his skills further under interim coach Boyzie Zamar.
"Every game dapat focus lagi. At kung hindi maganda yung game, dapat matuto kami at dapat tandaan yung play ng team," said the sophomore player.
The entire team is hopeful of more upset victories in the coming games. Inspired by the Warriors' remarkable play in the last three games, Sumang believes better things await the Recto-based squad. With the emergence of new reliable players like Chris Javier and Gene Belleza, Sumang promises that the Warriors will come out even stronger in their remaining games.
"Overwhelmed kami sa suporta ng mga students pati na din yung iba. Kapag nakikita namin yung crowd, na-iinspire kami na galingan lalo para sa kanila."
Editor's note: The blogger's views do not represent Yahoo! Southeast Asia's position on the topic or issue being discussed in this post.
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