Adamson head coach Ryan Monteclaro is seeing the Lady Falcons players develop into legitimate title hopefuls in UAAP Season 87.
The Adamson Lady Falcons are the real deal.
They are one of the biggest surprises so far in the UAAP Season 87 – holding a 4-2 slate six games deep into the year. And after winning their Saturday game against the UP Fighting Maroons, 60-56, at the Mall of Asia Arena, the San Marcelino squad is now an even 2-2 against Final Four teams.
Despite coming off a quiet offseason, Ryan Monteclaro and the Lady Falcons have soared to new heights and are currently solo second in the standings.
Their only losses came from last year’s finalists, UST and NU.
Though still a long way to go, their head coach is delighted to see the Lady Falcons realize their winning ways.
“When I came in kasi, I knew na we have the pieces eh. It’s just a matter of time. Coming into the season, I told them na we have to build on what we have. Like what I said in previous interviews, we didn’t have recruits. We have recruits but we don't have big name recruits,” said Monteclaro.
“As you can see, only one player is gone — si [Rose Ann] Dampios lang. So it’s more on familiarization, skill building, and individually working on their maturity. It’s something that we really look[ed] forward to.”
In the win over UP, the mental development was in full display. Even as they squandered a double-digit lead late in the fourth quarter, the Lady Falcons stayed composed to hang on for the victory.
Key holdovers were the ones who impacted the win. Adamson mainstay Kemi Adeshina had 18 points, seven rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Meanwhile, Elaine Etang chipped in 11 markers, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
With nothing to lose and no outside expectations to adhere to, the Lady Falcons are playing to the best of their potential.
“Sabi ko nga, whoever we face, it’s [just] another game for us. Kasi if we want to achieve what we are really trying to get in, we need to challenge ourselves to break those barriers na we cannot just be challengers,” said Monteclaro.
“Now, I think they’re realizing that the gatecrasher term is now turning into a contender,” he added.
So far, the Lady Falcons have stood their ground, with only the blowout loss against the NU Lady Bulldogs last Wednesday the true downside to their campaign.
But seeing how his team composed themselves for the bounce back, Monteclaro is hopeful that they can continue to push their case for a Final Four spot.
“Hopefully, in the coming games, talagang maprove namin that we can contend and from what I’m seeing from how they responded this game, after that loss against NU, I think they’re putting themselves in the position where we can really contend,” he said.
The Lady Falcons look to close out their first round with a continued high when they go against the UE Lady Warriors on Sunday, October 6.