Wow! I am SPEECHLESS! What a game! Let me catch my breath, check my heart, and empty my bladder. If that game did not affect you emotionally and medically, then you’re clinically dead and an emotional deadwood. My heart skipped a beat or two, frankly.
What the heck happened?
Take the game first. It was going sooooo well. Justin Baltazar unvailed such an all around game, he was outplaying a foreign player. A big foreign player. An experienced one at that.
Issa Gaye has been around the UAAP for a while now, and Justin was taking him to school. And he wasn’t alone.
Almost everybody was clicking. Aljun Melecio had a recovery game. Andrei Caracut was aggressive and succesful. Jaime Malonzo was, well, Jaime Malonzo. Two games, two highlight dunks.
Wait for it…. Wait for it…. pic.twitter.com/M0wi11EGlk
— Go Archers (@GoArchers) September 11, 2019
We no longer had problems in all positions, including the 4 and 5, something we were concerned about during the preseason. And in this game we were a-cruisin’.
Until the desperation press came. And a double digit lead was wiped out…and overcome. We were down by one. WHAT?
Well you all know what happened. Aljun Melecio set up a Kurt Lojera side jumper. Swish. Adrenaline rush. Euphoria. Joy. Hahahaha. RELIEF.
Kurt Lojera . Clutch ? pic.twitter.com/p9xlaX8YoT
— Go Archers (@GoArchers) September 11, 2019
Whew!
This game just showed that indeed, we are still a new team. A rebuilding team. A work in process. And it’s not just the players.
Not a few online posts by supporters mentioned “coaching lapses” in the endgame. Knowing which players to use situationally.
People were looking for unused players in this game, particularly tough ball carrier Jordan Bartlett, and high flier Tyrus Hill.
They were online comments about the press break, the substitutions, the coaching decisions.
Then came the forward thinkers. “We cannot win against teams like Adamson and UST if we play like this.”
Then came the finger pointers. “The problem with the coaching staff is….Bartlett is better than Cagulangan on ball handling…..”
Followed by the contra rebels….”what do you suggest, coaching change again? Heads will roll? Bago na naman?”
Then the finger pointers reverse. “We are not asking for heads…..well not just yet.”
Next, the appeasers will have their say. “We have a young team. Be patient. You don’t build a team overnight “.
The clowns (myself included) provide the funny moments “Lojera for President. Sambahin si San Malonzo”.
Finally, we come to the conclusion: “We are One La Salle”.
Hahahaha. Aren’t we tired, all of us? Isn’t this just a vicious cycle, game in and game out? Season in and season out? Search historical write ups guys. This is dejavu! And the result? Four coaches in four seasons! Ask Andrei Caracut.
What’s the pressure here? Again, the Ateneo three peat? The pressure to win a championship while the one and dones are still here? What? I asked this question before, haven’t I? Frankly, I’m bored. Writing about the same things the community expresses.
But I acknowledge that this is our reality. This is our fun. This is our frustration. This is our exhilaration. This is our community. And I am part of it.
I cannot wash my hands from this, despite the negatives, the know it alls, the analysts, the clowns, and the pillars. I am one of you. All of you.
Ok, let’s ask ourselves. With all these comments, are they listened to, taken in, taken seriously, brushed aside, or laughed at? Anybody? Does it really matter?
Well guys, IT DOES MATTER. We matter. Keep them coming. All of us read. All of us listen, all of us observe.
But please. There are ways to say things. There are ways to express things. Ways that don’t offend. Ways that come across in a feel good way. Words like “the problem with, they should have, what are they thinking, this player is better than, we will lose if”, are the words that actually DON’T MATTER.
We know our basketball, we know our sport. So if you feel that you should comment, please do so. The team needs all the feedback they can get. But chose the words that will make them listen. Make them appreciative. And make the words that you want to come across….. matter. Well, I matter! (told you I’m a clown). Hahahaha.
One La Salle tayo. Animo!