UNIVERSITY of the Philippines coach Goldwin Monteverde is keeping his ploy simple–brace for an expected La Salle fightback and find aspects of their game that need improvement–coming off their emphatic 30-point rout in the opener of the Big Dance.
“Wala akong masabi sa ginawa ng team in terms of working for each stop na gagawin namin, and we’re really aware kung ano ang capability ng La Salle,” Monteverde said. “So, we really dug deep and you know going into this game talagang ibibigay namin lahat. Aware naman kami, you know, hindi naman porke’t patapos na iyong season wala kaming matututunan.
“Even from a win… I’m sure that, you know, may mga lapses kami na dapat namin tuunan ng pansin at both ends, obviously so sana doon namin ilalagay iyong focus namin,” he added.
Monteverde spoke after the Fighting Maroons bludgeoned the Green Archers 97-67 in Game 1 last Wednesday night of their best-of-3 finals battle for the UAAP 86th UAAP basketball tournament crown.
With a second title in the last three seasons in its crosshairs, UP goes for the clincher when it takes on La Salle in the second game of the race-to-2 series this Sunday, Dec. 3, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
A knockout tiff for all the marbles, if necessary, will be played Wednesday next week, Dec. 6, also at the Big Dome.
The Taft-based cagers are bloodied but unbowed, according to strategist Topex Robinson.
“There is no time for us to really cry over spilled milk. If this is, I guess, one of the records of the worst losses in the finals, we could also do something about it,” Robinson said. “We know what championship basketball is all about. We know what it takes. We just have to really be prepared for that and prepare for it.
