By Josiah Israel Albelda | College Hoops
Photo by NPPA
The University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons were down by 15 points in the first quarter. (For the past three seasons, UP has won only four of 42 games). This was the picture just barely a week before action in Season '74 of the UAAP men's basketball tournament.
The UP Maroons were getting a beating from their home court by a team from the Trinity University of Asia Broncos.
Ricky Dandan, UP coach of seven months and the architect of the ultra-successful Ateneo basketball program, was fuming mad. This was not the team he has signed up and he would not accept pathetic and sloppy play.
But then the Diliman-based squad showed why they would not end up as pushovers come Season 74.
With their rock-solid defense that forced Broncos to 15 second-half points, the Fighting Maroons fought back and turned the game around to post a 78-61 victory.
"We played an extremely bad first quarter. They were outworked and out hustled," Dandan told Yahoo! Southeast Asia in an interview. "But they settled down and I am pleased with the effort they showed."
Comebacks like this were rare for a team that has had so much heartaches and disappointments.
Now, the UP Maroons are aiming to make a turnaround this year.
From a dream season that became a nightmare--it had no win to show for 14 games--the Diliman-based cagers seemed lost when they played their last game in September 2010.
With Dandan on board, he wanted to erase this scene and focus on developing the team's positive mindset.
"It's difficult but we continue to reinforce that mindset," Dandan added. "I feel that with that mindset, we can compete with anyone."
The former UP star also admitted that the squad is being rebooted.
"With each rebuild, we undergo a process," he said. "We are focused more on the process rather than the result. If the result of the process [would] brings us there (the Final Four), then well and good."
While the Maroons had lost some vital cogs, Dandan is confident that team chemistry won't be a problem.
"I think that what stands out is their togetherness," he said. "These guys genuinely like each other, they like playing with each other."
The team will bring in rookies like Alinko Mbah, Jelo Montecastro, Paolo Romero and Rob Weirzba. Mike Gamboa, Julius Wong and Don Fortu are also making a comeback this season.
Mikee Reyes and Mark Lopez, starting guards for UP last year, are out for the season due to injuries.
"It's our hope to bring back the pride," Dandan said, adding that the main reason he left a comfortable job at Katipunan is the "call of his Alma Mater."
After the heartbreak that was Season '73, UP fans and supporters are hoping to see a better squad this year.
