At the eve of The Battle of the East, people asked, will Andy Barroca suit up for the Tamaraws? It was like asking if Achilles will join the Greeks for the Trojan War. September 19 was supposed to be fun and full of excitement because as we all know, it’s the most awaited Final 4 of the UAAP. As I enter the South gate of the Araneta Coliseum and hurried to the dugouts, everyone looked pretty much blank. From the Press to the staff and to the players of the Green & Gold who were then shooting some hoops before game time. It seems that everyone there wanted to talk about something but just couldn’t. Before, people from the same team would crack jokes and greet each other but that day, you can see that everyone’s playing it safe. You can only hear the sound of the heavy rains outside. Feels like the Dementors have sucked all the happiness in the building.

Upon entering the coliseum proper, you can see and hear bunch of people murmuring and wondering, not on who’s gonna win the game but if that one guy on the papers for a week is going to suit up for the already bothered Tamaraws. But as expected, the ones hoping were disappointed. The Andy Mark Barroca show will not be there anymore to entertain. The students, alumni, teachers and other supporters looked frustrated and defeated already even before the tip-off. It was sad that the one player you thought would be a major factor to bring home the 20th title to Morayta is gone for good. Considering that it’s really hard to adjust and accept for the team to have learned about the departure of their co-captain, what more would the die-hard supporters feel about it when there was no concrete explanation from team officials on why they came up of such verdict. Everyone has the right to know what’s the real score. It has been three years of controversy and yet, no straight answer that would at least ease our curiosity.

On to the game. The beat of the drums and the yells of the crowd brought the energy back, the excitement and the drama. The other drama was set aside for awhile. The Tamaraws of FEU and the Red Hot Warriors of UE are set to engage in what could be another classic encounter. Though I must say, the Warriors looked fiercer than the Tams even during the warm-ups. Looks like our team was ready…ready to give up the game already, but I was wrong. The first three and a half quarters was pretty much intense. Lead changes and deadlocks. Just like the game we’d all wish for. No Andy Barroca, no problem in the beginning as the Tamaraws fought tooth and nail and even lead at halftime 38-37. RR Garcia and Jens Knuttel helped each other in bringing down the ball until Knuttel suffered a sprained knee after gambling for a steal somewhere in the 2nd period. It was devastating to see Jens limping and to think that the team was already short of a veteran point guard. Christian Manalo, a transferee from Metro Manila College was called for duty, the 19 year old rookie played sparingly the whole season as a 4th back-up guard but stepped up and boy can he bring down the ball. The crowd was awed with his dribbling skills and even dished out some important assists to Aldrech Ramos to keep the Tams within reach. It became a Paul Sanga show for once but at the crucial moments of the game, Paul Lee kicked him out of the stage and shoot the lights out. As if saying that he deserved that spot in the Mythical team.

The fastbreak play by Manalo that drew the defense of Lee before dropping the ball to Garcia and missing the point blank range proved to be the turning point of the game. The Tams were leading by 1 halfway in the 4th that could have made it a three point lead but to no avail. Then Lee took over the game for good. I lost count on how many straight threes he made on whoever they practically put on him. Paul Lee was so hot that he had all reasons to playe with the crowd that eventually had an impromptu chant of his name during timeouts.

When Lee was hitting threes like lay-ups, the Tamaraws were missing badly on short range shots. That was the time they were missing the likes of a Barroca. A veteran who’s not afraid to penetrate and destroy the defense on whoever is guarding him. RR’s poor shooting day didn’t help as well as Pipo not having a 100% game because of an injury. The balanced scoring of the team is acceptable and it was actually the defensive set of FEU that proved too fatal for them since Paul Lee shot 2 feet behind the arc for a couple of times. I would man him even if he’s still in the backcourt if he’s shooting that well. It was too late for them to realize and that cost them the game. Luckily, FEU is enjoying a Twice to Beat advantage. It was a fatal blow not only because it’s a double digit loss but losing to the same team who gave you your worst defeat in the eliminations with your complete line-up, I think it would be a nightmare for the Tamaraws to face the same intense and focused Warriors come Thursday. I hope I’m wrong but from the looks of it, the team’s morale is at an all time low right now.

The Tamaraws have been battered and bruised for a week as they have to deal with this Barroca saga while UE honed their stuff in Cebu in preparation for the Final 4. The FEU squad should be more focused on the goal. Besides, the FEU Tamaraws is not only about one man. In order to contain UE in game 2, one should learn that there’s no off night in defense. You may not shoot the ball the way you did in the past games but you cannot make excuse of your “D”. Another thing is that you must love your crowd. I like what Paul Sanga did during that game, urging the crowd to get into it. It makes you more relaxed and get your rhythm easily. The crowd helps you boost your confidence so give some love back to them. Unfortunately, the Warriors, especially Lee was better in persuading the spectators. Lastly, will the Real JR Cawaling please stand up? I won’t elaborate on this but man, we still believe.

So who’s promise is gonna be kept, and who’s is gonna be broken? Which team will go to the Promised land? Will the Warriors end their Final 4 drought or will the Tamaraws be ready in their quest for 20? Will FEU give in and reverse their decision? I don’t think that’s beside the point. One thing’s for sure, the Sun will Rise in the East…

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September 21st, 2009 by iamtom Can't Stop! Won't Stop!