“Sino Duwag?”
This was what the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Blazers wrote on their dugout whiteboard last Friday after beating defending champion Mapua University in their do-or-die quarterfinals match.
The message was aimed at head coach Charles Tiu, who previously called out his players following their loss in the first game of their quarterfinal series against the Cardinals.
“I'm disappointed. Larong takot. Parang duwag ‘yung players namin today,” Tiu said last Wednesday when the twice-to-beat Blazers fell to Mapua.
But come Friday, the Taft-based squad entered the floor more prepared — and more courageous — ultimately punching their ticket to the semifinals.
“We're not blaming the players. We wanted to motivate them. I told them, you know what? Prove me wrong and you can make fun of me all you want after the game,” Tiu said on Friday.
“Show me that we're tougher than what we showed. I guess it worked today. They responded; we came out firing. But from the get-go, when I entered the dugout to the warm-ups, the body language was different. They were a bit more locked in, and that was a good sign for me. I felt good entering this game, and I'm just happy we got the win.”
True enough, the players eventually made light of the situation, especially after surviving a gritty Mapua squad.
However, Tiu knows the path only gets tougher from here as the Blazers face San Beda University in a best-of-three semifinals series.
“It's our fourth straight Final Four, so I think that's something we can be proud of. But again, the job's not done because our goal is to win a championship, and anything short would still be a disappointment for me and for our team,” he said.
Benilde will now take on the elimination-round leader of their bracket, a Red Lions squad bannered by standouts such as Janti Miller and veteran Yukien Andrada.
“I think this year, it seemed from the start that they were the best team in the NCAA anyway, so it's just fitting that we'd have to go through them, to make it to the finals or to win the championship,” Tiu added.
“We have to bring our A-game because San Beda's a good team. But I’m still confident in our team. And hopefully, with the right preparation, we can compete and maybe upset San Beda.”
The semifinals series opens on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
—GMA Integrated News
