ONE would think winning three games, counting a stunning victory over contender La Salle, would please University of the East coach Jack Santiago.
Think again: Not for the Red Warriors who reached nadir last season.
“Ang bottom line niyan, ang lagi kong sinasabi sa mga bata is that to be humble pa rin,” Santiago said.
“Two games or three games right now, wala pa ito. It’s only the first-round. It’s a long way for us. It’s a long way for other teams,” he added.
Santiago spoke after the Warriors trounced University of Santo Tomas 78-68 last Sunday for their second straight win in the 85th UAAP basketball tournament.
With the triumph that served as a big follow-up to UE’s 81-74 upset of the Green Archers last Wednesday, the Recto-based cagers moved to 3-2 in a tie with Ateneo and La Salle for third.
The Growling Tigers, coming off a 52-79 shellacking at the hands of the Blue Eagles six days ago, slipped to 1-4.
Proof that Santiago is not one to put his feet off the pedal was when he took his charges to task after the third quarter.
“Sometimes, kailangan magpakita ng galit, emosyon para magising ang mga players. Siguro, ang pangyayari kina Harvey (Pagsanjan), nagising siya,” Santiago said, referring to Pagsanjan, who only scored five points but boomed in a clutch three-pointer that gave the Warriors a 66-59 lead with 3:27 left in the final stanza.
“He (Pagsanjan) had a big basket in the corner noong bumabalik na ang UST. But he took the shot in the corner and big basket for us. So, maybe, maganda iyong nangyari sa kanya, nagising siya.”
Pagsanjan drew an elbow hit from UST center Adama Faye at the 2:01 mark of the third period.
Faye was ejected after being called for a disqualifying foul and will likely be suspended in the Tigers’ tiff against Far Eastern University tomorrow.
