UE coach hopes ousted Red Warriors continue to grow from resurgent UAAP season
MANILA, Philippines — It's the baby steps that matter for UE head coach Jack Santiago after the Red Warriors' resurgence ended in a botched bid for a Final Four slot in UAAP Season 85.
Missing the playoff bus officially after their overtime loss to Ateneo on Wednesday, Santiago looks forward to how much the program can learn.
"I think, maganda naman yung improvement ng mga bata. Right now, I would say nakukuha na nila yung system namin eh," Santiago said of the Red Warriors, who enter their final game of the season with a 4-9 slate.
Coming off a winless campaign in UAAP Season 84, UE was the surprise of the tournament as they proved themselves to be a contender.
Apart from playing competitively against the teams in the top half of the standings, UE nabbed big fish with victories over squads like DLSU and FEU.
But Santiago knows it will be an uphill battle from here, with key players like Nikko and Kyle Paranada, CJ Payawal and Luis Villegas all taking their curtain call for UE soon.
"Let's face it, mawawalan kami ng key players like [Kyle] Paranada, [CJ] Payawal, and Luis [Villegas]. [But] we're looking at mga recruits na we're starting to talk to," said Santiago.
"Hopefully, makuha namin yung mga ilang players na yun na makakapalit sa mawawalang space or slots. Plus, yung import namin," he added.
Now a couple of years in his rebuild of the UE program, Santiago holds on to optimism that they will be able to sustain this form.
"Sana, sana, maging ganito ulit yung season namin, at hopefully, maka-achieve pa kami ng something na ma-improve pa namin," said Santiago.
But first on UE's to-do list will be the La Salle Green Archers as they attempt to finish the season strong.
"Sa amin, even though wala na kami sa race, we assure the UE community that we'll still try to end on a winning note this Season 85," he said.
UE and La Salle will clash on Saturday, November 26, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
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