University of Santo Tomas (UST) head coach Aldin blamed himself and the coaching staff in the Growling Tigers’ horrific 77-91 defeat in Game 1 of Season 82 University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) last Saturday men’s basketball finals.
After shocking the No. 2 seed University of the Philippines (UP) in the step-ladder semis, UST’s vaunted ‘mayhem’ was nowhere to be found in the series opener as Ateneo de Manila University showed no rust to breeze through to the victory.
And Ayo admitted that the coaching staff failed to put the team in a better position to compete against the three-peat seeking Blue Eagles.
“I think that the problem is the coaching staff. I thought that we were not able to prepare them well,” Ayo said.
“There were parts (of the game plan) that we weren’t able to pass by on during our practices,” he added.
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Known for their tough defense as it is holding its opponents to just 74.4 points per game, UST appeared to be a step lower against the sharp Ateneo five, which scored its biggest output this season.
The Growling Tigers’ offense also suffered in Game 1 as they shot just 38 percent (28-of-74) and were dominated by the Blue Eagles on the boards, 45-39.
But Ayo, who won a UAAP title with La Salle in 2016, was quick to admit that Ateneo was just a better team that day and his rookie-laden team was not just used to the the championship atmosphere.
“Finals is a different atmosphere. But as I told you, we have to be patient. Whatever it is, you can’t blame the players. Our primary job is to stimulate things on and off the court,” Ayo said.
“We will do everything in our power but the players, they did everything they could and it’s just that their true game did not show in the game,” he added.
Game 2 is on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena and Ayo said the adjustments will be minimal as he will stick with the game plan that brought UST back to the finals.
And that is keep on shooting the treys without sacrificing their defense against defending champions.
“Well, that’s our game. We are not going to change that. If you will look at the Ateneo team, if you want to beat them, you have to make those threes,” Ayo said.
