Maroons not giving up fight

MANILA, Philippines - It will be the end of a winless season for UP if the Maroons lose to UE in their final UAAP men’s senior basketball game at the Araneta Coliseum this afternoon but for the varsity team’s three managers, the battle is far from over.

Three distinguished UP alumni – Chitong Rivera, Bert Mendoza and J Castro – took over the Maroons’ management after the team slumped to a 0-14 record under Joe Lipa in 2007. Aboy Castro was brought in to pilot the varsity in 2008. He led the Maroons to three wins in his rookie year then to another three victories – over Ateneo, La Salle and NU – the next season. But this campaign, Castro went on a midstream leave after Boyet Fernandez was appointed a coaching consultant.

Castro has a live contract with UP until December but recently signed to become Talk ‘N’ Text team manager in the PBA. Fernandez will relinquish his coaching job
after today’s game. Both issued separate statements yesterday to thank UP’s Three Musketeers.

“It was a great 2 1/2 year experience,” said Castro. “I inherited a team that was 0-14 the previous year. With the support of the UP Alumni Association, we were able to win three games in 2008. In our second season, we beat Ateneo and La Salle. Our preparation for the 2010 season included our PBL stint with Pharex (finalist), the Filoil summer league (quarterfinals) and a two-week trip to Joe Abunassar’s camp in Las Vegas. With the core of young rookies and sophomores
we recruited the last two years, combined with players from our Team B, UP should make a run for the Final Four next year. I will forever be grateful for this opportunity to serve my Alma Mater.”

Fernandez said: “I want to thank the UP team management and UP administration for their trust and support during my short stint. Even though it’s been a disappointing season, I am proud to say I gave my very best. I regret I was not able to prepare the team sooner. I will always cherish the memories. It’s an honor to serve with our country’s scholars. To give management a free hand in reorganizing the team, I am relinquishing my post as acting coach effective after the UE game.”

There were at least five games which could’ve gone UP’s way except for bad breaks this season. Against UST, the Maroons were up by two with six ticks left but Woody Co missed two free throws, the Tigers hit two foul shots off and went on to win in overtime. Against NU, UP led by 20 at the half and still lost. Injuries and health issues haunted Co, Mark Lopez, Magi Sison, Alvin Padilla, Mike Silungan, Miggy Maniego and Carlo Gomez during the eliminations. In a game against FEU, five players were in sick bay.

“Whether we end up 0-14 or 1-13, we’ll bounce back,” said Rivera, former UP Alumni Association president who earned an economics degree in 1967. “No excuses. We had high hopes for a strong showing. For the first time ever, we raised funds to bring 16 players and four coaches to train for two weeks in Las Vegas . The interest of our biggest sponsors – Filoil, Meralco, Kenny Rogers, Handyman and the UP Alumni Association – never waned. We hope they’ll be back with us next season. Despite our record, our team played hard. We showed effort and spirit. Our goal is to unite our school through sports and our first step is to do it through basketball. We formed our management team after the successful celebration of UP’s centennial in 2007. We earned about P500,000 from the event and decided to get involved with our basketball team as a starting point in uniting the school to bring in more support for not only sports but also our academic programs.”

Mendoza, an industrial engineering graduate in 1980, said the management team’s immediate goal was to augment the school’s budget of less than P20,000 a month for the basketball team.

“As a state university, the school can only do so much,” said Mendoza. “So we went out to raise P8 million this year. Our school is worth fighting for and since we love the game, we thought of managing the team. It’s our calling. Now more than ever, we want to support the team.”

Castro, a lawyer, said he joined the management group because it was his chance to help the team, driven by his passion for basketball and love for the school. “All we ask is for the players to be dedicated and committed, to play 100 percent all the time, to keep in shape,” he added. “I noticed in several games, we played well until the third period then we lost our legs. Conditioning is vital and that means a proper diet and a healthy lifestyle.”

Rivera, 69, Mendoza, 53, and Castro, 52, accompanied the Maroons to Las Vegas during the offseason but paid their own way.

Joaquin Henson, Philippine Star