DESPITE bagging the No. 1 seed in the semis for the first time, University of the Philippines coach Goldwin refused to feel giddy on the Fighting Maroons’ quest for redemption.
“Actually, it’s just a result ng hard work namin. Lahat naman ito, I mean, hindi naman ito naka-plano,” Monteverde said after UP smothered National University 79-57 last Sunday in the 86th UAAP basketball tournament.
“Like I said, isa-isang game lang. Sa isang season, whatever comes your way, you just have to prepare just to fight over every challenge, and kung saan man kami nakarating ngayon, we’re thankful. Again, it’s not yet done,” he added.
The Katipunan-based five wound up with a 12-2 mark after the eliminations for the top spot in the Final Four, armed with a twice-to-beat advantage.
The Maroons will take on either defending champion Ateneo or Adamson University in the semifinals.
The Blue Eagles and Soaring Falcons dispute the fourth and last Final Four berth in a knockout duel tomorrow at 2 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
“I think heading into the season, lahat ng teams ay very competitive. Getting here, getting this spot is a part of it,” Monteverde said.
“Alam namin na hindi pa tapos. Whatever we have to do, we have to follow through on it.
So, we just have to wait sino ang makakalaban namin so we can prepare for it.”
The Maroons also have no preference for their opponent in the semis, according to Monteverde.
“Siguro, looking forward to that, sorry, it’s the same. Wala kaming pinipili, we don’t compare. Basta, ibinibigay namin ang lahat and kung sino man ang makakaharap namin,” Monteverde said.
“We’ll just prepare for that and one thing, siyempre, ang maganda dito, everybody’s healthy sa playoffs so iyon ang isang importante dito.”
Monteverde said preparation should be among the keys in UP’s drive to regain the crown it won last year that ended a 36-year title dry spell.
“Ganoon lang kami lagi. We will always concentrate doon sa things that we can improve on, winning or losing games,” he said.
“We always have to learn so importante na makita namin through this game kung ano ang dapat gawin so we just have to concentrate on ourselves before dealing with kung sino kalaban naming.”
