Manifestation and effort pays off for FEU Tamaraws veteran Jorick Bautista in another OT escape, this time against the Adamson Soaring Falcons in UAAP Season 87.
It’s all about physical and mental preparedness for Jorick Bautista as he once again became the go-to guy for the FEU Tamaraws in their second win of UAAP Season 87, beating the Adamson Soaring Falcons, 76-72, on Saturday.
Reminiscent of his heroics in their breakthrough win over Ateneo, Bautista came through for head coach Sean Chambers and the Tamaraws as he drilled the game-tying triple late in regulation to send the game to overtime.
Just as he also took over for FEU in the extra period against Ateneo, he also had nine points in overtime against the Soaring Falcons. Asked about what made him so effective when it mattered the most, it was all about practicing his shot and believing in himself.
[RELATED: UAAP: Sean Chambers thanks Jorick Bautista for bailing him out in FEU’s OT win vs Adamson]
Understanding his role in a young FEU team, Bautista said that he was prepared to step up to the plate.
“Sa akin, 'yung ginagawa ko lang itong trabaho talaga as a leader. Syempre 'yung leader, kailangan mo i-lead talaga 'yung team mo. Which is, naano talaga sa akin, napupunta talaga [sa akin 'yung bola],” Bautista told One Sports.
“Nasabi ko na sa sarili ko na sa amin 'to, sa amin 'to. [Sinasabi ko] sa sarili ko na kaya ko rin gawin to.”
After a tumultuous Round 1, where they only managed one win, Bautista said that there is more to discover for the Tamaraws, especially as the players are finally getting their experience in the UAAP.
“Hindi kasi kami [kumpleto] talaga eh. Si Cholo [Añonuevo] wala rin sa amin. Sobrang laking bagay [noon nung first round],” he said.
“[Ngayon,] 'yung mga bench namin, paunti-unti ng madami nakakuha na lang 'yung minutes nila. Feel ko sobrang dami pang potential talaga. Ngayong second round, feel ko malalabas namin,” he added.
He also added that the team is slowly but surely getting used to head coach Sean Chambers’ system.
“Alam na namin 'yung takbo. Kasi every time namin ginagawa sa training eh. 'Yung past weeks, 'yung preparation namin pagpunta dito, puro offense lang talaga. Offense, offense,” he said.
FEU thus test their mettle next against the NU Bulldogs on Wednesday, October 16, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.