Perasol appeals to Ateneo faithful: Don't be unrealistic
His team undermanned and all, Ateneo coach Bo Perasol refuses to blame the injury woes that continue to hound Blue Eagles as an excuse after starting off on the wrong foot in their drive for a sixth straight crown in UAAP Season 76.
Instead, the soft-spoken mentor urged the Ateneo faithful to temper their expectations and take “a realistic approach” following a 54-64 defeat inflicted by formidable National University last Sunday at the MOA Arena.
“Hindi porke't natalo kami, ‘yun (injury woes) na ang dahilan. Pero huwag naman sana na maging unrealistic ‘yung expectations nila sa team. I am pretty sure that all my players gave their best effort (against NU),” said Perasol.
Already dealing with a difficult transition after losing five key players, including center Greg Slaughter and finals MVP Nico Salva, to graduation plus the departure of coach Norman Black, the Blue Eagles suffered yet another major blow, with prized guard Kiefer Ravena spraining his right ankle last week.
Insisting to Perasol and the rest of the coaching staff that he can play, the 6-foot Ravena tried hard but visibly lacked his explosive form, scoring just two points in six attempts while missing his five tries from beyond the arc in eight forgettable minutes.
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With Ravena grounded for the entire second half, the Bulldogs pounced on the Blue Eagles, taking full control behind two-time league MVP Ray Parks and Cameroon reinforcement Sean Mbe while leading by as many as 24 points midway in the fourth canto.
Skipper Juami Tiongson, guard Nico Elorde and forward Ryan Buenafe kept Ateneo’s slim hopes alive as they pulled within 51-61 with barely two minutes left, only to come up short in the face of NU’s steady plays.
But Perasol said that late-game fightback, typifying the team’s collective competitive nature, can serve as a spark for future battles, starting against dangerous Far Eastern University on Wednesday.
“No matter what it takes, we continue to keep playing and pushing each other. The players are starting to gain confidence because we are exposing ourselves to thrive in every adversity,” he stressed.
RELATED: Blue Eagles brace for 'killer stretch' in first week of Season 76
However, Perasol admitted that shooting an awful 27.8 percent (20-of-72) shooting from the field coupled with a 39-52 rebounding disadvantage clearly hurt Ateneo’s chances.
“Nangyari na nga talaga ‘yung kinatatakutan ko. Nahirapan talaga kami sa pagkuha ng mga rebounds at ‘yung opensa, hindi namin ma-execute ng maayos. Kung may open looks man, hindi naman maipasok ‘yung tira,” he said.
The 5-foot-10 Tiongson, who scattered nine of his team-high 13 points in the payoff period, went an anemic 4-of-17 overall from the field while the athletic 6-foot-2 rookie Chris Newsome emerged as the lone force in the lane for the Blue Eagles with a team-best 10 rebounds.
With Ateneo in the midst of an early killer stretch capped by an anticipated clash with archrival La Salle on Sunday, Perasol stressed:
“Hindi kami puwedeng mag-focus masyado sa kalaban. We need to focus on what we need to do as a team.”
