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UAAP: Adamson Falcons coach Leo Austria says it's time for him to step down


Leo Austria will no longer coach the Adamson Falcons past his current contract, the veteran mentor revealed. KC Cruz

Adamson University Falcons head coach Leo Austria walked into the Smart-Araneta Coliseum press room with a smile on his face.
 
“Long time no see, coach,” said one of the media members present. Austria laughed and replied, saying, “Oo nga e. Na-miss ko nga kayo.”

The Falcons carried a proud 3-2 record after the first five games in the first round. They surprised everyone with wins over much stronger UE and NU teams. However, that short stretch tragically was the highlight of their season. The Falcons lost their next six games, which eliminated them from Final Four contention.
 
“The past few weeks have been really hard for us,” he admitted, his smile turning crooked. “This win gave us a sigh of relief because everyone was starting to doubt us. We want to finish the season with pride.”
 
During his reign as Adamson’s head coach, pride was something the Falcons always had. They were never the strongest team, never the most star-studded, but they competed hard every game because of pride.
 
“Even though we’re out of the tournament, pinaglalaban naming dito yung pride,” Austria added. “I’m happy to see we fought back.”
 
The media members were ready to end the post-game press conference, to head back to their laptops to finish their stories, when Austria dropped a pipe bomb.
 
“I think this is going to be my last season in the UAAP, not because I’m going to the PBA, but because I want them [Adamson] to make changes,” he said. The announcement was met with stunned silence. “Naiinip na silang manalo ng championship and I’m trying my best to develop the players, but we really cannot compete with the other teams because they have good lineups and I cannot compete with them if their Team B is better than our team.”
 
Austria started to pour his heart out. For six games, he carried it inside; soldiering on even though it was tough for him to continue. After the win against UP, Austria let it all out.
 
“The community was doubting my ability as a head coach,” Austria rued. “I don’t want to insist myself if they doubt my ability. Dati ang bango bango ko, maya't maya there's an invitation. Pero now, no."
 
Austria is regarded as one of the best collegiate coaches in the country. He’s fresh off a championship in the ASEAN Basketball League, and his credentials cannot be questioned. But after his losses, a fraction of the community Austria fought for and represented with pride lost their trust in him
 
“To tell you honestly, I was offered to coach in the PBA but I told them I still had a contract with Adamson, so I declined,” Austria admitted, finally confirming the rumor that he had been offered the head coach position of the Petron Blaze Boosters. The basketball world would have understood if he accepted that gig as coaching the flagship of San Miguel Corporation’s teams is a dream for all Filipino coaches. Yet, because of his loyalty, his love for Adamson, he declined the offer not knowing if he’ll ever get that opportunity again.
 
“I was verbally offered an extension but in the past five years I’ve been coaching with no breaks. Maybe I need a vacation so I can refresh my mind,” Austria said.
 
On October 31, 2013, Austria’s reign as Adamson’s head coach will end. The coach who brought the Falcons to relevance again, the coach who carried his team to three Final Four appearances, the coach who finally broke their losing streak to Ateneo and developed players to levels no one thought possible will say goodbye so the school he considered his home all these years. - AMD, GMA News
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