UAAP Finals: Gerry Abadiano comes up clutch to give UP’s ‘Maroon 5’ one last hurrah

When his team needed him the most, Gerry Abadiano came up huge yet again.

One of the players the University of the Philippines has relied on all season in crucial moments, the senior guard converted two tough mid-range jumpers to lift UP over De La Salle University in Game 2 of the UAAP Season 88 Finals last Sunday.

Aside from preventing Sunday’s game from being his final appearance for the Fighting Maroons, the five-foot-eleven guard showed poise while trusting the work he and his teammates have put in all season for pressure situations.

“Gusto ko lang talaga manalo. Siguro ‘yung factor na sa utak ko na lahat ng titira namin, hindi lang ako—lahat ng shots namin pumapasok. Siyempre, thankful lang din ako na nagkataon na ‘yung shots ko pumapasok talaga, lalo na sa mga crucial na oras,” Abadiano shared.

The Iloilo-born cager is no stranger to the hustle and bustle of finals basketball.

In all his years with the UP program, Abadiano has been part of five Finals appearances.

With all five Finals series going the distance, Abadiano knows what lies ahead.

“Dikdikan na talaga ‘yan, patayan na talaga sa Game 3 kasi wala nang game eh. Kumbaga, kakalabasan na lang talaga ‘yan kung sino mas gusto talaga manalo.”

“Kokontrolin ko lang ‘yung emosyon ko. Hindi pwede na sobrang ma-excite ako…Mag-fo-focus lang talaga ako sa present and sa kung ano ‘yung maiaambag ko sa team,” Abadiano added.

Amid the heated battle, however, the fifth-year guard still took time to appreciate everything that has been—and, after his final UAAP game, the legacy he hopes to leave behind.

“Sobrang grateful land na-experience ko kasi lahat ng players ganito ‘yung pangarap and isa ako sa naka-experience ‘to,” Abadiano confessed.

“Madadala ko ‘yan habang buhay sa pagtanda ko, ‘yung mga ganitong experiences.”

—JKC, GMA Integrated News