First-year head coach Jed Colonia is bringing over lessons from his own experience as a player to hopefully lead the Adamson Lady Falcons back to the UAAP Final Four.
Jed Colonia is speaking from experience whenever he takes the sidelines as head coach of the Adamson Lady Falcons in the UAAP Season 88 women’s basketball tournament.
Colonia, who was thrust into the position following the exit of Ryan Monteclaro, last suited up for Adamson just back in UAAP Season 86. Now just 10 games into his coaching career, his Lady Falcons find themselves right in the thick of things in the Final Four race.
While it's an uphill climb with their 4-6 record, Colonia has more than enough knowledge and first-hand experience on how to deal with the pressure of UAAP basketball.
“[My advice is] rise to the occasion. When you’re given a situation like this, mahirap talaga. But it’s about how we rise to the occasion, how we cherish, how we step up and fight over the obstacle na binigay,” Colonia said after his team gained a decisive 67-39 win over FEU over the weekend.
“No one wants this kind of situation. No one wants to be below the bottom four teams. But it is what it is. So you have to accept, you have to adjust, and you have to learn. Continuous improvement. Kung ano yung dapat na aayusin, aayusin.”
[RELATED: Adamson stifles FEU, forces three-way tie for fourth in UAAP women’s]
Inheriting a team that was on the podium last season is no easy task, especially as such a good result naturally merits heightened expectations.
But for Colonia, by keeping their heads down and staying focused on what’s in front of them, the Lady Falcons can do anything they put their mind to.
“Sabi ko lang sa kanila, in every interview, one game at a time, one possession at a time, and everything will follow. Results will follow,” he said.
Giving their all
Still, the coach-player relationship is a two-way street, and as one of the leaders of the team, Cheska Apag knows that they’ll need to fill their role, even as they adjust with the new system.
Having grown as a player in the offseason with her personal experience with the Gilas U23 3x3 team, Apag is optimistic that they will be able to maximize Colonia’s system in time — and hopefully get themselves into the Final Four.
But even as the future remains uncertain for the San Marcelino-based squad, Apag believes that they’ll continue to stay true to their identity as “gatecrashers” in the UAAP women’s basketball scene.
“Siguro big factor din na yun nga nagiba ng coach. Pero nilalook forward pa rin namin kung ano yung kaya namin ibigay kay coach and sa team. Kahit na bago yung system ni coach, kung ano yung ituturo niya sa amin, kukunin namin yun para makatulong sa amin sa mga upcoming games,” she said.
“Kung di man namin ma-aim or di man namin ma-reach yung gino-goal namin ngayon, at least by next season, makuha na namin yung inaasam namin na gatecrash pa rin,” she continued.
Adamson hopes to continue its push for a Final Four spot when the Lady Falcons face defending champions and semis-bound National university on Saturday, November 8, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.