UAAP: Bal Davis takes blame for UST’s frustrating slide, urges other Tigers to step up
MANILA, Philippines – University of Santo Tomas coach Bal David has urged other Growling Tigers teams to step up as they have relied heavily on Nic Cabanero amid a disappointing six-match defeat in the first round of UAAP Season 85 men’s basketball tournament.
Cabanero struggled from the pitch with a 6/17 shot to finish with 14 points ahead of UP. Although he did get some help from Adama Faye, who scored a brace with 15 points and 13 rebounds, the rest of the UST roster barely contributed to the offensive as they also dropped out. through 29 turns.
“Pag na-check si Nic, medyo ang dami named hindi nag-se-step up sa point. Nag-aadjust par rin kami doon. Adjust after tuning, pero ayaw eh. Wala kaming mapiga,” David said after UST lost a 76-51 defeat to the defending champion University of the Philippines on Saturday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo
(When Nic is tested, some of his teammates won’t contribute points. We’re tweaking when it comes to that. Tuning after tweaking but we can’t make things work.)
Cabanero, a second year keeper, throws in 33 points to start UST season with a 69-60 win over Adamson. But the Tigers have since lost out by finishing the first round with a 1-6 record.
FULL RESPONSIBILITIES
David admits their first game had a bit of luck as Cabanero surprised, but he is taking responsibility for their string of defeats.
“We had a bit of luck against Adamson. We still haven’t been scouted and everything. When Nic was scouted, we were confused. After our game against La Salle, the morale of these kids started to go down. For that part, we’re trying to regroup, but we’ve failed. Means our fault when we couldn’t help them regroup. I take full responsibility. I failed to push them forward,” the Tigers rookie coach said in Filipino
Amid a disappointing losing streak, David vowed to tackle their defeat in the second round starting next week.
“Hopefully this second round we will be able to adjust. I will just use this experience. The negative side, leave it to the coach. I want my players to start fresh again in the second round, fresh again. The negatives and everything, we’ll deal with it,” said the former UST star coach.
“I know we’re just getting started, but at least they’re doing their best with a month, two months of preparation when I take the job. But we have to work together. Coach, we will accept any mistakes. The kids, spare them,” he added.
As a former Tiger, David understands their supporters’ frustration with their current position but he hopes to give them better results in the final qualifying round.
“We can’t blame them because I’m also an alumnus. I’ve seen the game before. Any loss breaks our hearts, so I understand. So sad. But we still have believers. We will take those who still trust us. Maybe we can get some wins in the next round,” David said.
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