Skip to content
Oct 21

Mind games

by Christian Soler
4,757 Views | 141 Comments

BEFORE tip-off of San Sebastian College-Recoletos’ do-or-die, Final Four matchup with Jose Rizal University, Stags coach Ato Agustin said, “Mananalo tayo ngayon [We will win today].”

Forty minutes worth of game time later, the humble yet confident rookie mentor, with a wide grin accompanied by an otherwise fatigued expression said, “I told you so.”

For the first time since winning it all in 2002, the gold side of Recto will be making an NCAA Finals appearance. By disposing of the early-season favorites after losing three straight games in a span of a week, San Sebastian put on show the one thing that many pundits thought had eluded its players when push came to shove, both literally and figuratively: toughness, the mental way.

If there’s a chief storyline to the Stags’ NCAA Season 85 championship series with three-time, defending titlists San Beda College, it’s mental and emotional fortitude. For one, the Stags’ thunderous 15-game win streak to kick off the season was put to a halt by Colegio de San Juan de Letran in large part because they lost their cool against a more physical side. And just last week, Agustin’s troops lost back-to-back games, both down the stretch, to their finals opponents. The question now is whether or not the less experienced Stags can overcome their own demons to dethrone the all-conquering five from Mendiola.

In the past two to three weeks, Agustin can be seen scolding his players more for their extra-curricular activities on-court than mapping out strategies. That’s not to say that one of the greatest players in Philippine hoops history is more of a preacher than a tactician. In fact, Agustin says that his wards have known his playbook by heart even before the NCAA wars erupted. But rather, there’s a need to keep his lads in check. In the Stags’ second-to-the-last elimination round game, also against JRU, Agustin was seen scolding big man Gilbert Bulawan for storming into the court after an altercation had ensued. Bulawan was thrown out of the game, and suspended for the Stags’ tiff with San Beda, which they lost.

Erstwhile leading Most Valuable Player candidate Jimbo Aquino also lost his cool in the playoff with the Red Lions for the number one spot in the semifinals. By hitting Jake Pascual, the ace swingman lost the chance to play JRU in Game 1 of the Final Four, a game his unit lost. Unsurprisingly, Agustin was on Aquino’s case, as he was with Calvin Abueva in Game 2 after the latter struck Heavy Bomber Marvin Hayes with his forearm, an episode that nearly merited his ejection.

All of a sudden, keeping cool becomes as important as scoring more points than the opponent. And there isn’t a tougher challenge than San Beda, which has won three consecutive NCAA plums after a 28-year drought not only through the support of a wealthy backer and some guy named Sam Ekwe, but by way of mental toughness. Coach Frankie Lim, San Beda’s coach the past two seasons, is a master of mind games. This posture has been imparted to his players, who rarely cave in under pressure and have a killer’s instinct against opponents who start out slow. The proof: San Beda has won 13 out of its total 20 games by double-figures, and is 4-1 in games decided by eight points or less.

While Agustin has yet to put on his Nostradamus cap heading into the finals, one thing’s for sure. His players have to vow to keep their heads in the game, lest lose not only their cool, but the series itself.


Rate this article
1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (13 votes, average: 4.23 out of 5)
Loading ... Loading ...

Posted in Columns, Postgame

Comments

Pages: « 1 2 [3] Show All

  • TRM  Add karma Subtract karma  --1
    Thursday, 22 October 2009 at 8:57 pm

    ^ Korni mo ulol

  • Hellboy  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Thursday, 22 October 2009 at 9:03 pm

    Ahahahahahahahahaha!

    Too bad we lost. Oh well, nice game!

    More! More games!!!

    Ahahahahahahaha!

  • ariel"sauna boy" V.  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Thursday, 22 October 2009 at 9:07 pm

    libre ko kayo lahat sa happy pag nag champion baste!!!!

  • bulon1122  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Thursday, 22 October 2009 at 9:40 pm

    TO “SA’N BEDA? and Asa sa Import… hope you could have a class act…hindi yung puro batikos kayo sa San Beda. Its a good game for San Sebastian, they played good defense and abueva is invisible with 11 points and 23 rebounds … and for 2 OT, parang hindi siya napapagod. Kahit Bedista ako, I like the way he played, he played his heart out. Bilib ku keka cabalen, gang masakit kekami na masambut kami kekayu. Coach Ato, apabilib muku keng gewa mu!

    See you on saturday Baste!!!
    Animo San Beda!

  • rick...  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Thursday, 22 October 2009 at 10:00 pm

    i dont like the way Coach Frankie Lim reacts to referee’s calls. Parang akala niya siya marunong mag basketbol ah…puro reklamo. He gets in the face of the referees, pero kahit warning man lang, hindi binibigyan…on the other hand, coach Ato was so composed..so relax..

    SAN BEDA will win GAME 2..the referees will make sure Abueva goes into foul trouble or worse, will fouled out. No doubt, Abueva fuels the intensity of the whole team, provides toughness and energy. But I know, this Saturday the referees will make sure he stays more on the bench than on the court. Huwag na tayong maglokohan…tsk..tsk..tsk..

  • SBC  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Thursday, 22 October 2009 at 10:02 pm

    Caluguran da ka SAN BEDA!

  • rick...reyes cutters  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Thursday, 22 October 2009 at 10:13 pm

    Palitan mo kaya kung mas marunong ka pa!

    tanga ka pala, kung ganun eh why wait for game 2, why not at the start? BOBO!

    and call the trey of Rome as counted game over agad! No effort! another tupid remark.

    kweng kweng ka mag isip, rick da prick!

  • rick...  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Thursday, 22 October 2009 at 10:14 pm

    coach Frankie…tips para sa’yo sa GAME 2

    –play 3 bigs( put Gamalinda on the 3 position whenever Abueva’s not on the floor); Rotate Marcelo, Sudan or Pascual on the 4/5 spot.

    –whenever Abueva is on the court, he plays the weakside; He’s the helper on Baste’s defense. In this case, play 2 bigs w/ Gamalinda playing the 4 spot. Bambam should take him to the outside to clear things down for Marcelo/Sudan/Pascual.

    –your GUARDS( Dela Rosa,Lanete,Hermida,Tecson) must be aggressive on the boards. The Bigmen should boxed out Baste’s bigs and allow the guards to control the boards. Your GUARDS must not be soft againsts the GUARDS of Baste (Pascual, Semira, Jimbo, Del rio).

    –Attack Abueva’s defense. He’s not as efficient as a stopper when he’s guarding the man with the ball as compared to when he’s coming from the weakside.Take out Abueva, and you take out SAN SEBASTIAN…Jimbo provides the options, ABUEVA maximizes these options.

  • @ rick  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Thursday, 22 October 2009 at 10:17 pm

    HOY RICKY SABIHIN MO KAY COACH FRANKIE MAG LARO NA SYA, PATI IKAW SUMAMA KA NA DIN, GUSTO MO IKAW NA LANG MAG COACH!!!!! GAWIN MO YUNG PLAY MO RICKY BOY.

  • rick...  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Thursday, 22 October 2009 at 10:19 pm

    TIPS for SAn sebastian GAME 2

    –Just hope and pray the referees will be FAIR in GAME 2.Baka two minutes into every quarter pa lang, PENALTY na kayo..hahaha

  • rick...reyes cutters  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Thursday, 22 October 2009 at 10:25 pm

    @rick…

    Kung ganyan ba sinasabi mo eh di palitan mo. huwag yun ref ng ref ang tinitira mo.

    O kailan ka papalit next year?

  • rick...  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Thursday, 22 October 2009 at 10:26 pm

    hahaha…

    @Rick..reyes cutters

    tama ka pare, dapat sa start pa lang ng game ginawa na nila yun. Salamat pala sa pagtawag mo sakin ng BOBO, I appreciate it.

  • Baste Batch 2004  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Thursday, 22 October 2009 at 10:30 pm

    It was a good game for both teams. And the real champions, from Recto, emerged victorious. Bravo SSC. Bravo Baste.

    I wonder what would be the adjustment of the Red Lions come Saturday. One day preparation after a heart breaking lost is a tall order to face. I’m sure emotional stress and trauma would be a factor. The so called “4-peat” will be FORFEITED.

    Peace Bedans!!!

    Good luck to the Golden Stags on Saturday. Your alumni will support you all the way, win or loss! Bravo Baste! Bravo SSC!

  • rick...  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Thursday, 22 October 2009 at 10:34 pm

    The game earlier was one of the best games i’ve ever seen in a long while. i just don’t want it to be tainted with one sided and questionnable officiating.

    Honestly, i root for San Sebastian.. jimbo was denied the MVP award because of that suspension though i feel he deserves to be the MVP since from what i believe the basis for the MVP award covers only thru the eliminations. That game where he was ejected, was a play-off game and was not part of the eliminations. That’s why i badly wanted him to win the championship on his final year.

    I root for San Sebastian…though i’m from DLSU.

  • rick...reyes cutters  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Thursday, 22 October 2009 at 10:44 pm

    @rick…reyes cutters

    glad you accept it. your welcome.

    kasi uncle ko ref kaya palagi na lang sila fall guy niyo. if everything fails blame the refs.

    pero akin hanga ako ah, ikaw galing analysis la.

  • rick...reyes cutters  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Thursday, 22 October 2009 at 10:47 pm

    @ rick…

    OOOPS, akin antok la.

    pero akyin kita akin mali ah.

  • Fernando Jose Altamirano  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Thursday, 22 October 2009 at 10:52 pm

    Great game earlier, San Sebastian was only oh-so-slightly better and got the narrow win. Calvin Abueva, is a beast! In the past few weeks he has become my favorite NCAA player. Though somewhat undersized, he has elite athleticism and strength and a motor that never stops- he just competes harder than any player on the court. His nose for the ball is phenomenal, especially on the offensive end. And in his past few games he has showed great shot-blocking ability. His play today was a complete game-changer for the Golden Stags.

    The way Abueva seems to get his hands on every loose ball is strikingly similar to Rudy Hatfield in the PBA a few years back. If Abueva develops a reliable jump shot and improves his free-throw shooting I think he can become a special player at the next level. What a find by San Sebastian!

  • rick...  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Thursday, 22 October 2009 at 11:12 pm

    @ rick…reyes cutters

    pare, agree din ako sa’yo. sometimes in any sports pag talo referee na lang nakikita pero pag panalo, hindi pinag-uusapan ang referee. Kinda weird.hehehe

  • rick...  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Thursday, 22 October 2009 at 11:18 pm

    @ Fernando Jose Altamirano

    yeah! Abueva was a beast! it was hard to deny him coz hindi siya yung focal point ng offense. Tama ka, parang Rudy Hatfield. If he was playing in the UAAP, he can surely compete with the likes of Alrech Ramos,Espiritu, Baclao, Al-Hussaini. If given a break, sana makuha siya sa Smart Gilas. Attitude and Work Ethic pa lang pasado na. If he develops his ball handling skills ang shooting from the outside, no doubt, he’ll be better than Dylan Ababou.

  • Messie  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 23 October 2009 at 9:02 am

    Woooooooot! Bedans! mag-ingay tayo! It was a great game, walang dapat ikahiya. It is true when sports opinionists said that NCAA finals was able to provide what UAAP finals didn’t, and that is TRUE SPORTS ENTERTAINMENT. (20 pt lead in the UAAP finals? duh.) So stand tall and proud Bedan pride! We’ll fight til the fight is won!

  • Dugong BastE '83  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 23 October 2009 at 9:46 am

    gratz BASTE! For sure, come Saturday the SAN BEDA Red Lions would be more ferocious in game 2 and hopefully BASTE’s Golden Stag can neutralize them for us to win the CHAMPIONSHIP!

    Kudos to everyone for a nice game! Hope you can duplicate, if not surpass game 1.

    again, good luck to both teams!

    I BELIEVE!

    Dugong BastE Batch ‘83

  • universidad  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 23 October 2009 at 11:09 am

    c abueva ang totoong import! -23 rebs! haha! talo pa nya c egoy daniel

  • Huh?  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 23 October 2009 at 1:02 pm

    daniels had 20 rebounds himself plus 11 points and he played less minutes than abueva.

  • vagabond  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 23 October 2009 at 1:05 pm

    Nice article, Mr. Soler. Off-topic question lang. What happened to coaches Koy Banal of SBC and Joel Banal of Ateneo? Did they have a falling out with MVP and why?

  • 20 rebounds daw c daniel...  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 23 October 2009 at 1:27 pm

    @huh?

    20 rebounds daw c daniel?? hahahaha pagkaalala ko eeh 12 rebs lang hahahaha… whatever hahaha

  • 20 rebounds daw c daniel...  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 23 October 2009 at 1:34 pm

    @huh?

    sorry i stand corrected… 19 rebounds daw nkasulat dun sa isang article hahaha

  • pahiya ka  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 23 October 2009 at 1:55 pm

    @20 rebounds daw c daniel

    pahiya ka ano?

  • Viajeron  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 23 October 2009 at 3:40 pm

    Just curious and wondering if Abueva has been subjected to doping test before or after a game. Am just highly suspicious about his stamina, i certainly do not want to cast aspersions but…

    Okay, do not get offended but this is a valid question.

  • BASTE  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Saturday, 24 October 2009 at 7:45 am

    Abueva is the new pinoy superman. It is likely embedded in his genes to play with superb athleticism and stamina.

    I think it’s a bit cruel and large paranoid to inscribed him to be tested on doping test just because of his greatness. I think that’s rubbish.

  • Hellboy  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Saturday, 24 October 2009 at 10:04 am

    Ahahahahahahahahaha!

    Last Thursday game was hell!

    I felt the heat! Yeah!

    Can’t believe how the RED audience outnumbered the others.

    How much more later…

    I’d like to see more fire! More blood! and More wave!

    I wonder if ROME DELA ROSAs shot was declared as a three (3) point? Well, too bad it was only a two (2) point…

    Hehehehehehehehe…

    More actions! More!!!

    ANIMO!

    WE ARE STILL SAN BEDA!

    WHO ARE YOU!

    Ahahahahahahahahahaha!

  • Jessar  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Sunday, 25 October 2009 at 8:51 am

    @ universidad,

    bro, galingan kasi ng mga teams sa NCAA para sila din magchampion sa PCCL..

    eh lagi kayong talo eh.. ano magagawa nyo?..

  • MARK  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Sunday, 25 October 2009 at 12:39 pm

    ANIMO SAN BEDA :]

    INAMO SAN SEBASTIAN

  • Baste boy from Cali  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Sunday, 25 October 2009 at 12:59 pm

    @ MARK

    Anino na lang ang San Beda !

    Gwapo Baste !

  • More Money... Pacquaio  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Monday, 26 October 2009 at 9:04 pm

    Mr. Soler, Article naman diyan.

    Alma mater mo nanalo, wala bang “Blue side of Rivalry dyan”?

    The Red Dynasty Ends, Gold naman ba this time?

  • Hammed Turkoglu  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Tuesday, 27 October 2009 at 3:18 pm

    Hindi kasi nanalo ang San beda Ni Mr. Chris Soler kaya hindi muna siya gagawa ng article, haha! joke…

  • Marco  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Tuesday, 27 October 2009 at 10:14 pm

    Better Luck next time to the Bedans.Your dream of breaking Letran’s number of crowns (16 championships) and breaking the Recoleto’s 5peat may not come true anymore. Bedan’s…don’t waste your money, time and effort on foreign players, love your own PINOY BLOOD. And besides, it doesn’t make your “social status” any greater as suppose to other schools…like what you are made to believe. :) – ARRIBA LETRAN! EST. 1620

  • vic  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Wednesday, 28 October 2009 at 7:35 am

    mr. soler, are you not the editor-in-chief of inboundpass? ano sanction ni josef ramos for his unethical post in bravo baste?

  • robin  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Thursday, 29 October 2009 at 2:40 pm

    baste did a great job!

  • abagilasya  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Thursday, 29 October 2009 at 2:45 pm

    i think ekwe should be honored in san beda, his appearance brought a great opportunity to san beda=and his departure was like ichabod! to all bedans, need i say more? animo! sam! animo san! beda!

  • ninja cool  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 30 October 2009 at 8:20 am

    Problem with the whole site is after the NCAA and UAAP season, the content dips tremendously. What’s there to write about now? Good idea though. Local college sports needed a site like this. Too bad it will be dead until next season. Peace!

  • More Money... Pacquiao  Add karma Subtract karma  +0
    Friday, 30 October 2009 at 10:15 pm

    Oh My God!!!
    The Green Mind was right!!!
    One of my favorite shows Hardball, will be shown just once a week, not Mondays to Fridays but just Wednesdays, at 9:30 PM!
    That Fag Atayde must have something to do with this.

Pages: « 1 2 [3] Show All

Leave a Comment

(Required)

(Required) hidden

Trackback this post  |  Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed

Christian
Christian Soler

When you meet Chris, chances are you'll assume he wants to be a rock star. He's currently completing his Master's Degree in Population Studies, and is a game analyst for ABS-CBN's coverage of NCAA Season 85. Before getting his feet wet in the world of college hoops, he served as opinion editor for a nationally-circulated newspaper.

inboundpass on Facebook