Now what, UE Red Warriors?

 

Now what, UE Red Warriors?

By Rick Olivares

 

For such a proud team… it beggars one’s imagination to see how far the University of the East Red Warriors have fallen.

 

Halfway through the first round of UAAP Season 84, the Red Warriors are at the bottom of the standings with a 0-5 slate.

 

They did give a very good account of themselves when they rallied in their season opener against La Salle. Were it not for some late game errors, they could have snatched a win from the perennial title favorites, losing 71-66.

 

Since that game, they have been blown out by Adamson (82-66), UST (74-62), UP (81-66), and FEU (88-74); losing by an average of 14.7 points a game.

 

Worse, their next assignment is against 5-0 Ateneo. 

 

Currently, they are seventh in scoring with 66.8 points per game. Yet, they surrender 79.2 points an outing; worst in the league.

 

They are also at the bottom or near it in terms of total field goals (34.9% shooting), points in the paint (24.4; seventh), rebounds (a poor 37.8 per game), second chance points (6.0), and starter points (33.0 per outing). 

 

Defensively, they are almost at the bottom of every category. 

 

Granted they lost gunner Rey Suerte, center Alex Diakhte and John Apacible, point guards Philip Manalang and Chris Conner, forwards Neil Tolentino and Nick Abanto, hence, their struggles.

 

They still have combo guard Jojo Antiporda, Allan Beltran, Jem Cruz, Harvey Pagsanjan, and Abdul Sawat. They were able to bring in Mapua star Clint Escamis and Nico Paranada but overall, the former has struggled in his UAAP debut. 

 

Pagsanjan, Escamis, and Paranada can put the ball in the hoop. So they have three stars who they can build a team around. And they need a lot of help post-haste. 

 

The Red Warriors have the second longest title drought in the UAAP right after Adamson (the Falcons last won in 1978). UE last won a title in 1985 when they were bannered by Allan Caidic, Jerry Codinera, and Boycie Zamar. They made the finals in 2007 and 2009 but were denied by La Salle and Ateneo respectively.

 

Since then, the last time they had a memorable charge was in 2013 under Zamar and in 2014 under current La Salle head coach Derek Pumaren when they lost the battle for the fourth and last Final Four seat to eventual winners, NU. 

 

Since that year, they have put up a 17-58 record this season included. 

 

Even worse outside their record are the off-court troubles that have hounded them.

 

At one point during the 2014 season, three of the team’s stars traded blows with one another during a pre-season tournament. A few of their stars from this era did not even come back for their final playing year. 

 

Two seasons ago, Joe Silva was their head coach but was undermined by their late team manager Lawrence Chongson who became the head coach but not in title as that was accorded to late team sponsor, Bong Tan.

 

Then this season, first year head coach Jack Santiago was suspended for two matches owing to alleged instructions to hurt UP’s Ricci Rivero in an encounter UE lost, 81-66. 

 

Is there any hope on the horizon for long-suffering UE fans?

 

Maybe not this season, but right now, with their backs against the wall, all they can do is try to improve with every game and play the spoiler’s role. 

 

According to a team insider, the problem goes deeper. The malaise of constant losing is hard to shake off. 

 

Culture building is something the proponents of change advise. But that has fallen on deaf ears. 

 

For a team that was the pride of the UAAP for the longest time, building a culture takes time. time isn’t something they have or at least they think they don’t. Hopefully, no one is impatient and team management and school ownership take the right steps instead of taking shortcuts. 

 

Because when you’re down, it isn’t always a case of going up.