Maroons’ last stand and the Pinoy booster
Credit to Author: Michael Angelo B. Asis| Date: Wed, 13 Nov 2019 16:14:18 +0000
The Fighting Maroons of the University of the Philippines will be facing the tough challenge of needing to beat one of two teams that got their number. They went 9-1 against teams below them, losing only to FEU in the second round. NU, UE, DLSU and Adamson all went winless against them.
However, they are 0-5 against UST and Ateneo. It is a sign of their consistent inconsistency. They have always been inconsistent within games, and they have to rely on talent, luck or a combination of both.
It’s championship time, and the Maroons need tricks..not even new tricks, just any other play aside from a Bright Akhuetie post-up and a Kobe Paras isolation.
The UST Growling Tigers smell blood, and in this chess game, it’s the Maroons turn to make an adjustment. Fans are asking for Coach Bo Perasol’s head, even as he was hailed as the savior of the program just last season. That’s how fast the tide turns.
The UP BO-nundrum
Fans became critics of Bo because he did not seem to have any set plays. When contrasted with Coach Tab Baldwin of Ateneo, the bastion of discipline and control, or the animated Coach Aldin Ayo who is never afraid to tinker and run his wards to the ground, Bo seemed like a clueless observer.
His statements after the loss were vague — “we need to play better.” Of course, you wouldn’t expect him to blurt out his strategy in an interview, but the question was whether he actually had a strategy up his sleeve.
It’s easy to criticize Bo for the repeated plays of the Maroons. Insanity, after all, is persisting on methods that have proven ineffective and expecting a different result (people quote Einstein on that). But before the Maroon Collective picks up their pitchforks, we should take note that Bo’s free-wheeling strategy is what drew Kobe Paras and Ricci Rivero here.
Sure, there are other factors, but Paras and Rivero were already stars before they returned to the UAAP this season. Rivero could have chosen UST and reunited with Coach Ayo, Paras could have chosen La Salle — but they a saw a system which could highlight their talents without being constrained by a tough coach.
Paras and Rivero were likely to stay only a couple of years, tops. UP proved they were good enough to win — they were at the Finals without them. The Maroons’ games sold out, trended on social media and their fan base was littered by influential people in every field. Why not?
Who are the real options for the UP Fighting Maroons? Win or lose, they face a lot of questions. If Bo somehow reaches the Finals, and — if he even beats Ateneo — would all the critique be out to rest? If he doesn’t make the Finals, a Maroon populace expecting no less would go all out to replace him. That sounds ungrateful, but you are only as good as your last game.
Boosters: Penny vs Billionaires
In the US, the NCAA is strict on boosters. Memphis Head Coach Penny Hardaway (yes, Shaq’s sidekick in the only team to beat Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in a playoff series since 1991) has been declared a “booster” because he helped top recruit James Wiseman when his family moved house.
Wiseman has been declared ineligible, but his lawyers will dispute. But what we should notice here is how strict the US NCAA is. It is not perfect, and there will be worst-kept secrets (Coach John Calipari, anyone?) But it is worlds apart from our own college landscape.
Boosters here are magnates of top corporations, and they are as brazen as the sun. A team without a booster has almost no chance to win, and history supports this. Boosters can actually dictate a players’ entire career, since they are also connected to the pros.
What Penny Hardaway extended to Wiseman may be just a “penny” compared to what our billionaire boosters give to our basketball programs. Pinoys could just appreciate the finished product: College basketball can even be more competitive and intriguing than the PBA.
Maybe Blackwater needs a Booster, not a buyer.