Former La Salle deputy Benson Bocboc said that there was something in the air at the dugout before UP’s match against the Lady Spikers in UAAP Season 87, which the Fighting Maroons won in a close one.
UP head coach Benson Bocboc said that he felt something was coming even before the match started between the Fighting Maroons and the DLSU Lady Spikers Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
It turns out, what was coming was a stunning five-set upset for UP against La Salle, a win that kept the Diliman-based team alive in the UAAP Season 87 Final Four race.
A former assistant coach for La Salle, Bocboc revealed that he had a “feeling” while he was inside the UP dugout, which he also shared to his team.
Faced with a must-win situation, Bocboc said that it somehow felt like destiny that his Fighting Maroons were able to keep their Final Four hopes alive against an equally-desperate La Salle team that had their sights on a twice-to-beat advantage.
[READ: UP keeps UAAP Season 87 Final Four hopes alive with stunner vs La Salle]
“Kanina sa dugout sabi ko sa kanila, may nararamdaman ako. Baka ito na yung araw na makakuha tayo ng panalo… Sabi ko, magaan yung pakiramdam namin ngayon,” said Bocboc.
Of course, owing to his history with the Lady Spikers, Bocboc was understandably familiar with the system, having been there as recently as just last season.
Though not wanting to take the credit for himself, he did acknowledge that he was able to give his players better pointers against La Salle than if it were a different opponent.
“Syempre, kilala natin yung mga players sa kabila, so sabi ko makinig lang kayo kung ano gagawin niyo. Ganito lang gagawin,” said Bocboc.
“Nung una, ang dami pang ginagawa… [pero] yung bandang dulo, nakukuha na nila, nat-touch na nila yung mga block,” he added.
The Fighting Maroons are on an upward trend, having won three of their last five games — with two coming against title contenders in NU and La Salle. Though their Final Four destiny is out of their hands, with UP needing other teams to lose to assure themselves a spot, Bocboc knows they’ll continue pushing.
“Of course, we’re not going to stop dun sa preparation. Kahit mahaba [yung break]. We’ll discuss lang sa mga other coaches kung ano yung specific na gagawin, saka kung ano yung mga options,” said Bocboc, as the Fighting Maroons return to play on April 23, Wednesday.
“We can take this advantage to get the time to rest our bodies tska yung minds at saka yung mga puso, at yung spirit. Hopefully pagbalik namin, mas matibay na after the break,” he added.
The Fighting Maroons will be going up against a determined UST Golden Tigresses squad in their return from the Holy Week break at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.