Season Exit Interviews: Leo Austria (Adamson)

Rick: How would you assess the Falcons’ performance this season?
Coach Leo: Alam mo para sa akin frustrated ako. Sa pre-season, mataas yung level ng laro ng team. Kung titignan yung lineup namin pareho naman pero malayo yung laro noon at ngayon. Obviously it is not enough to beat the top teams. But I am happy kasi sina (Jan) Colina and (Jerick) Canada transformed from role players to dependable ones. We will adjust in future and the next season.

Rick: If there’s anything you would have done differently what would it be?
Coach Leo: Siguro babawiin ko yung sobrang tiwala sa mga players. There is no equal opportunity in basketball. Most rookies and sophomores want to show what they can do and they forget that there is such a thing as a team. Nawawala yung team concept.

Rick: What’s next for the Falcons?
Coach Leo: Hindi pa namin alam kung alin tournament ang sasalihan. Siguro yung Home and Away and the Fr. Martin pero baka Team B ang ilalaro namin. We’ll take a break for two weeks para makahabol sa pagaaral at makapanhinga then we resume practice. Siguro pwede mo rin idagdag sa dapat ko nagawa ay yung balikan yung fundamentals ng mga bata. Yung iba hindi alam kung ano tama o mali. Kailangan meron muscle memory repetition but we didn’t enough time. In the pre-season, the other teams were still experimenting so maybe that’s why we didn’t see the real teams like Ateneo. We won 17 of 24 games but pagdating ng UAAP nakita na iba na yung mental approach ng ibang teams. We’re a young team and we hope to get better.

Rick: So who do you think will win the UAAP championship?
Coach Leo: Pare-parehong mga malakas at may chance manalo but you have to think na either Ateneo or La Salle. Pero iba yung inilalaro ng Ateneo.