ALLAN THE MAN

The locker room of the UE Red Warriors was like a morgue. Minutes after being eliminated from Final Four contention by Ateneo, the men in red and white forlornly filed inside where they could let out their emotions. 

( WATCH ATENEO vs UE FULL GAME REPLAY VIDEO)

Ralf Olivares, unable to suit up as he served out the last game of his suspension, was beside himself. He sobbed uncontrollably at being both unable to help his team while regretting his actions that led to his suspension.

Veterans Jai Flores, Adrian Santos and JM Noble sat with their eyes wide open. Shock does that. This was their final UAAP campaign. The season that began with so much promise ended with a sickening thud.

Charles Mammie shook his head and buried his face in a huge towel.

A couple of other players sobbed. Roi Sumang, in a wheelchair and his knee wrapped in a protective brace rested his head on his hand. He took an awkward shot and fell awkwardly. He felt a pop and the first thing he thought of, “Huwag naman sana. Kailangan pa ako ng team.”

During the singing of the school hymn, UE head coach Boycie Zamar bit his lip. His eyes watered a bit but he knew he had to be strong. He knows the bittersweet taste of defeat. He began his UE career with two championships before UP and Ateneo closed out those four consecutive finals appearances with a pair of stinging losses.

“Guys,” he said in a tone that had not changed all season (it was one of encouragement). “Let’s gather around.”

“We gave it our best but it wasn’t enough,” he summed up. “Lumaban tayo at pinakita natin na hindi na tayo basta basta talunan. Hold your head high. Pag labas niyo dito, hold your head up high.”

That was one of the three oft repeated quotes of UE’s season.

When Zamar came in as a mid-season replacement for former teammate Jerry Codinera, he wanted his players to have fun, play with pride and to have a change in attitudes. The Red Warriors had tuned out Codinera. The losing wasn’t fun. Basketball wasn’t fun. Some had begun to wonder if they should have gone elsewhere.

Zamar, who ran the one-spot as a player, was essentially the extension of his coaches back then. So it prepared him for life after his playing career was over.

Under Zamar, he has presided on arguably two of the most exciting Red Warriors teams in college basketball history. He first coached that team of Paul Artadi, Ronald Tubid and James Yap, but that team fell apart in the Final Four.

Now, he has this team as led by Sumang, Mammie and Olivares that helped win six pre- and post-UAAP tournaments heading into this Season 76. They all know that this is the one that matters. Zamar embraced the tag of contender after having won the Filoil pre-season tourney. Their coach and his team long to break that long championship drought that has spanned close to three decades. In that span of time, every school save for Adamson and NU have surpassed the Red Warriors in terms of achievements.

“We are losers,” he constantly reminded his team in order not to get cocky. “We only had three wins last year. Remember where we came from and be humble.”

And that was part of the problem. Under their previous coaches, few of the current players got playing time. Perhaps save for Lord Casajeros, most players sat on the bench for much of their current career. Under Zamar, they blossomed but the lack of game experience hurt.

In what was a won game against UST, Adrian Santos foolishly threw away an inbound pass that led to a three-pointer and a quick swing by the Growling Tigers who took the game in two extension periods.

Under the glare of television, increased media exposure and the massive crowds, UE faltered.

“Sawang-sawa na ako matalo,” Sumang oft repeated during the Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup and also during the early part of the UAAP season. At one point, he choked back the tears even after a win. After winning the Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup, the Red Warriors liked their chances.

But even then I wondered if there was trouble ahead. If they had ambushed teams during the summer, the rest of the league was prepared for them come UAAP time.

For all their newfound confidence there were some potential landmines.

One of the problems with having Africans for centers is it displaces some players. In cases like UST or even San Beda or Perpetual Help, the locals have adjusted well. For Adamson and UE, key local components like Rodney Brondial and Chris Javier have at first been invisible.

Brondial adjusted after a while as it has allowed him to shoot jumpers of which he has. Javier has seen his confidence dip massively.

The ascension of Olivares as a second scoring threat for UE has seen Jay-R Sumido fail to summon his old form. He has been mostly an invisible player this campaign.

UE stayed head above water with a 4-3 record in the first round. The second round was another matter as suspensions to Mammie, Casajeros and Olivares hurt. Missed free throws and an inability to close out a game against FEU further hurt the Red Warriors. Since the mid-season break, UE has gone 1-4 with all their losses clearly winnable.

As Sumang sat in silence in that post-Ateneo match meeting inside their dugout, he couldn’t believe it was all over. Like Paul Lee before him, he had become a crowd favorite for his propensity for long bombs and incredible shots. The UAAP crowd appreciated him because he played much bigger than his height. After the loss to the Blue Eagles, every single Atenean and their coaching staff made their way to Sumang who typified UE’s struggle and carried the team on his small shoulders, to offer a sympathetic word and a handshake.

Inside the UE dugout, Zamar reminded his players once more, “Hindi pa tapos ‘to. We have two games to play. We have to still play hard. Wala na si Roi so we need everyone to step up. Let’s win this for ourselves and our community.”

“Taas ulo at noo pag labas natin.”

The team, save for Sumang who sat in the wheelchair, gathered for their traditional huddle cheer, “Sino ka?” asked Santos whose voice betrayed the collective disappointment.”

“Warriors ako.” the team answered.

Then the room fell silent.

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