Fueled by coach Jack Santiago's trust, Ethan Galang put on a clutch performance to deliver the UE Red Warriors' first victory in UAAP Season 87.
Shooters shoot, and that’s exactly what Ethan Galang did to deliver the UE Red Warriors’ first victory in UAAP Season 87.
In the final 1:13 of the game, the Fil-Am hotshot connected on back-to-back triples to give the Red Warriors a three-point lead before sealing the win against the FEU Tamaraws with two free throws for a 56-51 victory.
“I know I was off pretty much the whole game, but in that last minute [I just said to myself to] keep shooting, keep my head up, whatever happened in the past can stay in the past. Just keep shooting,” Galang said during the post-game press conference.
Prior to his three-point makes, Galang was 1-for-8 in the field and 0-of-4 from beyond the arc. But none of that mattered after hitting his first triple to tie the game.
“As soon as I see the ball go in I just feel like I’m in my groove. My confidence is high at that point and I feel like I can shoot anything I want, but I’m not gonna do that because coach is gonna get mad,” Galang laughingly said.
“My first make will always get me going. I think as a shooter, not only speaking for myself but as soon as you see the ball go in, it’s just gonna boost your confidence really high,” he added.
But Galang’s confidence does not only come from himself. Coach Jack Santiago continues to give him the green light despite his struggles from the field.
"We're down by three points and I told him, he's struggled the whole game, and I told him, nilapitan ko siya and binulungan ko, sabi ko 'if it's wide open, take the shot' and he said yes,” Santiago explained.
Even with coach Jack’s trust, Galang himself wants to ensure his teammates are involved throughout their games.
“I just wanna share the love sometimes. If I can get an open shot, cool, but if I see a better shot for my teammates, I’m gonna give it to them,” said Galang.
UE will look to shoot for its second-straight victory as they go up against the defending champions De La Salle University, on Sunday, September 22, at the Mall of Asia Arena.