The Final Score: Mike Tolomia makes the right decision for FEU

IT'S THE OPENING DAY OF THE UAAP. FEU leads La Salle, 79-77, with 38 seconds left in the game. The Tamaraws have 18 seconds on the shot clock. FEU’s Mike Tolomia has the ball. He’s face to face with Almond Vosotros. Hmmm. Decisions. Decisions. What to do? Where to go? When to go? How to go about it? 

 

Decision-making — that was the theme of many conversations between FEU coach Nash Racela and Tolomia during the summer. 

 

Racela, even in the heat of a tied game in overtime, speaks with the reverent tone of an archbishop. Tolomia, despite already entering his fourth playing year, still talks like he’s inside a cage with sleeping lions. I imagine when Racela and Tolomia converse, para silang nasa confessional. 

 

In their numerous informal meetings before opening day, Racela’s objective was to turn Tolomia into a decisive quarterback. Tolomia’s task, in turn, was to make spot-on choices whenever he had the ball. 

 

“The only request na we have kay Mike is to just make the right decisions,” said Racela in a pre-season conversation. “Sabi namin sa kanya, ‘Mike kung may tira ka, wala naman kaming problema. Eh 'di tira mo.’ Pero ngayon na wala na (sina Terrence Romeo and RR Garcia), Mike is now the primary option unlike before na third option siya. So ngayon, sa kanya nakatutok lahat ng depensa.” 

 

Last season, FEU supposedly had RUN MRT. That was an homage to Golden State’s old school NBA trio RUN TMC composed of lethal scorers Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin. The FEU version had M for Mike, R for RR and T for Terrence. MRT! But often, it was more T and R than M. At times, it was just T, and T, and T. 

 

Now, with time winding down, M transfers the ball from his right dribbling hand to his left dribbling hand. He goes to his left side. The crowd wonders. Will he pass? Will he shoot? Will he dribble until dribbling gets him into trouble? Will he make the perfect move? He waits for the right time to strike keeping Vosotros alert with a hesitation move. There are 36 seconds left in the game. According to the shot clock, the Tamaraws have 16 seconds to shoot.

 

I wonder if it all feels so new for Tolomia: to have the ball exclusively in his hands with less than 40 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, to know that everyone — coaches, teammates, and even opponents — expect him to have that ball in such a critical moment, to not have to defer to anyone anymore. This is truly a brand new season. He has the ball, and nobody questions why. 

 

 

IT IS THE MIDDLE OF MAY, roughly two months before the UAAP season begins. The Tamaraws are working hard inside their practice facility in Quezon City. Garcia and Romeo, now playing in the PBA, are no longer around. It is impossible to ignore their absence. Their reputation, style of play, and complex dynamic as backcourt partners cast such huge shadows. For the Tamaraws, losing Garcia and Romeo must have been what it would feel like if Barangay Ginebra San Miguel suddenly lost Jayjay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa. 

 

“Iba po kasi ang feeling kapag nawawalan ng superstar,” explained Eryl Justine Bacnis, sports editor for the official student paper, the FEU Advocate. “Terrence is a superstar. We all know that. RR is a superstar. We all know that. Pero sa mga estudyante na nakakausap ko, they like this year’s team better. Ball movement is way better than last year. Kasi last year puro Terrence, Terrence, RR, RR. Ngayon hindi na po ganoon. The students like the team now.” 

 

Tolomia, therefore, is an odd heir to the throne. Even during practice, with the season just around the corner, he doesn’t stand out the way his two former teammates stand out. Simple lang si Mike. No arm sleeves. No wristbands. No headbands. No bright colored socks. No hazelnut-colored hairstyles. Under the golden lights of their gym, he just seems to blend with everyone else. 

 

“Ang turing ko sa sarili ko normal na tao lang,” said Tolomia, who swears he won’t have his hair colored light brown like many prominent FEU players in the past. “Kahit sa school, kung kailangan pumila, pipila din ako. Hindi ako sisingit or gagamitin ko yung lakas na varsity players kami.”

 

Watch Tolomia when he scores a tough basket or makes a big play. He flashes a distinct smile. It’s a smile that means, “Sorry. Chamba lang.” It’s as if he’s saying, “Guys relax. It’s only basketball.” He’s not a tortured perfectionist. For him, the sport isn’t brain surgery. 

 

Even his crossover dribble doesn’t have too many wrinkles. Basta crossover move lang. Wala nang mga addendum moves. 

 

Even his scoop shot, the scoop shot he can make all day, has the flair of a 1960’s instructional film reel. Medyo old-school pa nga eh. 

 

Even when he’s dashing at full speed, evading defenders along the way with sly moves, his objectives remain the same: Keep it simple and win as a team.

 

“Nung simula pa lang ng off-season nasanay na kami na wala (si RR and Terrence) so hindi nakakapanibago sa amin sa practice,” said Tolomia, who looks at the situation as both a big loss and a big opportunity. “Kasi dati sa shot clock ‘pag down to 10 seconds, ang hinahanap namin, RR or Terrence. Ngayon, ‘pag down to 10 seconds, napapansin ko na lang na sa akin din babagsak yung bola. Yun yung difference.”

 

TOLOMIA STILL HAS THE BALL, right outside the three point arc and near the left sideline. He tries to throw off Vosotros with another hesitation two-step move. There are 34 seconds left in the game. The Tamaraws still have 14 seconds to shoot. He sees that if he can slither past Vosotros, he could, theoretically, drive straight into an open shaded lane or attract defenders and find two possible targets. 

 

Ron Marvis Dennison is already parked outside the three-point line near the left corner. Dennison appears ready to receive a kick-out pass. 

 

Carl Bryan Cruz is hovering near the basket. If Tolomia sucks in multiple defenders, Cruz will be five feet from the basket, possibly ready to catch a difficult but doable drop pass.

 

In a preseason game against St. Clare College, Tolomia was in a comparable scenario. He had the ball in a first half sequence. The shot clock was down to 10. It was Tolomia Time. Teammates knew it. Opponents knew it. He knew it. That was the most important thing: Tolomia knew it. From the top of the key, he went right and forced his defender to backpedal. With eight seconds to shoot, he drove hard. 

 

Racela saw that St. Clare’s assigned help defender was pinned under the basket. Tolomia could go for the lay-up if he wished. With 6 seconds to shoot, he chose to pass to a teammate instead. That teammate was ably covered by the defense. The Tamaraws didn’t score.  Racela, knowing that Tolomia should’ve attempted a shot, made a shadow-lay-up gesture from the bench as his flustered star turned around to play defense,

 

“Ang pagkakilala ko sa kanya, si Mike is a willing passer,” Racela said. “I think there was one game sa FilOil na he had nine assists and masayang-masaya siya nung nakuha niya yung nine assists. So it’s not really a question of willingness kasi nakita ko na kaya niya bitawan yung bola. It’s not a question of skill. Again, we go back to his decision-making. There are times na pupunta siya sa isang situation na alam niya kaagad na titira siya or pupunta siya sa isang play na papasa lang niya. Yun ang pinag-aaralan niya. Nandoon siya sa process na yun. It’s taking what the defense is giving him.”

 

With 32 seconds left against La Salle, Mike takes his chances and moves forward. The Tamaraws have 12 seconds to shoot. He knows what could or couldn’t happen. It’s a calculated risk. Anyway, Vosotros refuses to leave his side. He goes in hard. La Salle’s Arnold Van Opstal takes his eyes off Cruz to try and block Tolomia’s potential lay-up. Tolomia makes Vosotros and Van Opstal believe that he is going for a lay-up. Vosotros and Van Opstal both gravitate towards Tolomia. His plan works.