UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas (UST) has been winning in Season 78 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament because of one major reason—cohesion.
“Right now, we’re not a team, we’re a family,” Head Coach Bong de la Cruz said. “That’s our mentality ever since we had our team building. ‘Yun ang ginagawa namin at pinapairal ngayon.”
So it’s not surprising for UST to dominate this season and trash memories of their forgettable run last year.
And at the forefront of the turnaround is the newest King Tiger—Kevin Ferrer—who has been the driving force that kept the Tigers atop the heap this season.
“With Kevin, maganda ang ipinapakita niyang example sa mga teammates niya,” de la Cruz said.
Ferrer, who bagged the Accel Quantum/3XVI-UAAP Press Corps Player of the Week, has taken the leadership role by heart this year. And, so far, everything is going his way.
After the Tigers fell behind by 14 early against De La Salle last Wednesday, the 22-year-old huddled his teammates and shook off their slow start. The Tigers choked the Green Archers with their killer defense and bombarded them with booming baskets.
That searing run drew huge contributions from Ferrer’s “brothers” Kyle Suarez, Louie Vigil, Ed Daquioa, and Karim Abdul.
Saddled by foul all game long, Ferrer completed the job in the fourth, firing 10 straight points to start the frame and helping UST maul De La Salle, 77-61, on Wednesday.
He wound up with 17 points, highlighted by a three-of-four shooting from beyond the arc, in just 16 minutes of action.
That was enough for Ferrer to earn his second consecutive Player of the Week citation given by sports scribes from national dailies and online portals, besting De La Salle’s Jeron Teng and Adamson University’s Jerome Garcia.
The 6-foot-4 wingman is just elated to share the spotlight with his teammates.
“Sobrang saya ko kasi nag-step up na ‘yung mga kapatid ko,” Ferrer said. “Unang una pa lang, sabi ko sa kanila na kailangang lahat tayo mag-step up, lalo na sa defense, kasi ‘yun talaga ang magpapanalo sa amin. Nangyari na nga ‘yung situation kaya masayang masaya kami.”
And de la Cruz is hoping that the searing run would be sustained as the second round nears.
“We’re enjoying the game. We’re a family. Our character is being tested and our family is being tested, but we have to defend and find a way to keep our family strong,” he said.