Fallen Warriors keep pride intact

It wasn’t the ending head coach Jack Santiago wanted University of the East (UE) to have after making a promising run to end a 15-year Final Four drought.

Some things are not meant to be.

The Red Warriors failed to advance into the next round, falling victim to Adamson University, 55-68, in a playoff for the last semifinals ticket of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 men’s basketball tournament Wednesday night at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Still, Santiago considers UE’s season a success as it finished fifth with a 6-8 win-loss record after landing sixth with a 4-10 card last year.

“Yeah, that’s what I told the boys inside the dugout. Even though we fell short, this season is a big achievement for us already,” the mentor said.

“Looking back on this season before the season started, no one, nobody, maybe even you guys (media), didn’t expect us to be here. Maybe some of you guys were counting us at No. 8, maybe some of you guys were counting us at No. 7. But you never expected us, no one expected us to be here.”

Indeed, the Red Warriors were out of the radar during the offseason with fancied teams defending champion De La Salle University and University of the Philippines tagged as favorites while National University, Adamson, University of Santo Tomas and Ateneo de Manila University were considered top contenders to enter the top four.

UE surprised everyone after stringing five straight wins behind inspired games by Nigerian center Precious Momowei, shooter Jack Cruz-Dumont, Wello Lingolingo, John Abate and Ethan Galang to end the first round.

“To have that first round, that 5-2, no one, nobody (expected that),” Santiago said.

But the Red Warriors unraveled in the second round. Walking in unfamiliar territory after getting its sixth win, two games into the second round to come within a win from entering the semis for the first time since 2009, the inexperienced UE crumbled under pressure.

The squad lost its last five games in the second round before closing its campaign with a more stinging defeat against a squad that has figured in three straight playoff games for a Final Four seat.

The Red Warriors did get an early lead in the opening stretch against the Falcons. But a telling 18-0 run by Adamson bridging the latter part of the first quarter to the early second sparked the beginning of the end for UE.

The Red Warriors lost Momowei to a back injury late in the fourth period after a scary fall following a block attempt on Matt Montebon. He was stretchered out of the arena and was rushed to UERM hospital.

“But again (I told them), it’s going to be a different second round. Other teams will prepare for us and they will play physically. We’ll face that challenge. (But) maybe it’s not for us,” Santiago said.

“I will not mention the name, but you can see some of our starters, my players who played well in the first round, struggled in the second. They were scouted well, defended well. Again, it’s a learning experience for us. But we achieved a lot this Season 87.”

However, Santiago’s future with UE is uncertain as his contract expires in January next year.

“I’ll just wait for the management’s decision,” he said.

Whether he gets a fresh mandate or not, one thing is certain, Santiago has turned UE into a legitimate contender.