Fighting Maroons will get better, says team manager Palami
The University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons absorbed a shellacking at the hands of host University of the East in their very first game in the UAAP Season 77 men’s basketball tournament, but first-time team manager Dan Palami expects the Fighting Maroons to come out better and put the bitter lesson to good use moving forward.
“I love my alma mater and if taking the bitter pill of a huge loss is one thing I have to do, then I have to take it,” Palami told Yahoo! Philippines Saturday afternoon when the Red Warriors were putting the finishing touches on a masterful 87-59 victory over the Maroons at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
“It’s just the first game. We didn’t get the result that we wanted. I’m sure we will learn and get back from this. We have to get up and do something better next time,” added the amiable team manager of the Philippine Azkals.
The Fighting Maroons were still in the thick of the fight in the early goings, even forging a 16-all count, before the Red Warriors’ second unit, led by guard Dan Alberto, tightened up their defensive screws and unloaded a jarring 29-10 surge that saw them pull away for good.
From there, the Fighting Maroons failed to recover, even falling behind by as many as 30 points, as the Red Warriors showed no mercy on both ends.
Palami, who was seating at the end of the team’s bench for majority of the one-sided match, clearly saw how his charges succumbed to the pressure from this season’s hosts.
“In the first quarter, we were able to go toe-to-toe. But in the second, the team wasn’t able to adjust and we’re taking lesser percentage shots. That’s when UE was able to pull away,” he said.
“As host, they (Red Warriors) prepared very well. You can see there the size disparity,” noted Palami, referring to the taller UE lineup beefed up by a pair of African recruits Charles Mammie and first-year Moustapha Arafat plus several locals like Chris Javier and Ronnie de Leon.
“But that’s not an excuse. This is something the coaches and the players can learn from. You can’t just play for one quarter. There are four quarters to be played. You have to be consistent and go out there fighting.”
Palami added plans are already in place to recruit taller and bigger players, including foreign reinforcements, in boosting the guard-loaded Fighting Maroons.
But he wants head coach Rey Madrid and the rest of the coaching staff to squeeze the best that they could get from the present UP crew, led by sophomore guard Kyles Lao who led all scorers with 18 points.
“We’re looking at how we can improve the current team. I think the coaches and the players have to go back to the drawing board. I still believe we can get some wins this season,” concluded Palami.
