One-and-done big man Quentin Millora-Brown speaks about the UP team’s mentality as the final stretch of elimination begins in UAAP Season 87.
It is often said that too many cooks will ruin the pot — but for the stacked lineup of the UP Fighting Maroons in UAAP Season 87, there hasn’t been any problems.
With the single goal of wanting to win the championship, the superstars across the Fighting Maroons roster are more than willing to step aside to any of their teammates, especially if it means they are in line to get the win.
One-and-done big man Quentin Millora-Brown is no different. A 6-foot-11 recruit from the US, the Fil-Am powerhouse isn’t sweating having to do a lot of heavy lifting for the Diliman-based team.
Rather, after playing 10 games together, Millora-Brown said that the team has been able to work together better and remain focused on what’s important.
“I think that just as a team, everyone feels a lot more connected. At the beginning of the season I think that just the ball maybe didn’t move quite quickly as it was today,” Millora-Brown said, after the Fighting Maroons handed Ateneo their worst loss under Tab Baldwin last October 30, a 28-point beatdown.
“So I think the rhythm that we found as a team throughout the first round and the beginning of the second round as well as just the joy that each of us have when we do well, I think that’s really just where we’re at as a team,” he added.
Heading into the season, the blue-chip recruit was touted as one of the key pieces in getting over the hump for the Fighting Maroons, who finished back-to-back seasons as runner-up against Ateneo and La Salle.
But as far as he’s concerned, there’s nothing that matters more than getting the chip.
When you’re dealing with players like Millora-Brown, and superstar teammates like Francis Lopez, JD Cagulangan, and Harold Alarcon, it does a team well to have them work as a unit.
“We don’t care who gets the ball, we just want to win,” said Millora-Brown.
Against Ateneo earlier this week, 10 different players scored as every healthy player on UP’s roster was able to play.
[RELATED: UAAP: UP Fighting Maroons whip Blue Eagles by 28, deal Baldwin worst loss in Ateneo career]
With four games still left on their schedule — including an anticipated rematch against La Salle on November 10, Sunday, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum — consistent contributions from across the board will definitely aid the Fighting Maroons in their quest for the crown.
But first, they face off against a free-falling NU Bulldogs side on Sunday, November 3, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila.