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Adamson leans into slow-starting style, rides strong second round to Final Four return

MANILA, Philippines – The Adamson Soaring Falcons were all but out the door midway through the UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament.

Sporting a dismal 3-7 record, the proud program’s Final Four bid looked dead in the water after careening to a five-game losing streak with four games left in the elimination round.

Ever the gutsy underdog, however, Adamson gutted out an astounding turnaround that practically no one saw coming, winning four of its next five games — highlighted by a rousing 68-55 fourth-seed playoff ouster of the UE Red Warriors — to march back into the semifinals after a one-season absence.

After seeing his team win its second out of three straight fourth-seed playoff games, Falcons head coach Nash Racela realized that slow starts are simply part and parcel of his gutsy squad, and that he was not exactly worried of their fortunes despite the forgettable start.

“I think it’s because of the design of our program, which I think needs to change,” he said. “What do I mean? This is something I realized lately when I look at my team. Even the first three seasons, we always play better in the second round. I think that’s because we always have new guys coming in.”

“I don’t think we prepare them well during the preseason because we don’t have a program like the others where they go abroad, play strong teams, compete in major tournaments. We just do tuneups in small leagues, play in the province. When we play actual games in the UAAP, we’re not used to them.”

Sure enough, despite only facing lower-ranked teams in the back end of their schedule like Ateneo and NU, the Falcons still did their job and did it well, posting double-digit routs in three of their last four wins, including their Final Four clincher against UE.

It was a stark contrast to their first 10 games, which featured an inconsistent mix of blowout losses and close shaves.

Midway through the season, no one believed in the Falcons, possibly not even themselves, but they persevered, literally took it one game at a time, and prevailed.

Who knows? Maybe history will repeat itself in short order this weekend in the Final Four. – Rappler.com


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