Dribble Report Exclusive: A Chat with UE head coach Jack Santiago
In a remarkable upset, University of the East stunned the defending champions, De La Salle University Green Archers, by narrowly defeating them, 75-71, in the UAAP Season 87 men's basketball tournament at the SM Mall of Asia Arena Sunday evening, September 22.
The Red Warriors gave La Salle their first loss of the season as they delivered a scorching hot shooting of 12-of-30 from downtown witnessed by 6,946 spectators inside the arena.
In an exclusive interview with Dribble Report, UE head coach Jack Santiago shared the contributing factors that led to their team's victory.
"I think our teamwork played a very important role in our win against La Salle. Our players played unselfish basketball, and everybody showed heart, and to me that’s what led us to winning the game," Santiago said.
He also shared the adjustments and preparations they made before facing the defending champions that propelled them to their success.
"We changed match ups and as a team we agreed that we needed to have a strong start. Playing against the defending champions, we made sure that we spent extra time learning their game and made sure that we are ready come game day," shared by the winning coach.
The plan came into fruition when UE stepped on the gas early and built a 28-11 lead in the first quarter of the play.
Although the Red Warriors had a strong start, they still felt the challenge thrown by the Green Archers, led by reigning UAAP Season 86 MVP Kevin Quiambao, backed-up by his partner, Michael Philipps. However, the wards of coach Jack never wavered and found ways to overcome the obstacle, including the suffocating defense of their opponent.
Asked about the challenges, the UE mentor said: "Of course, their full court press will always be a challenge playing against La Salle. As a team, it is something that we really spent time working on at practice. We made sure to learn how to break their defense and that we do well on ours too."
The win might be a big one for the Red Warriors, and it's something that they can be proud of, but coach Santiago remained grounded, and that's what he appreciated about his team.
"What I love about this team is that they are very humble kids. I always tell them that in times of victory, they should always keep themselves grounded," Santiago complimented the attitude of his players.
Their victory also delighted the basketball enthusiasts and thought that they might go a long way this season with the stellar play they showcased on Sunday paced by the career-game of John Abante who scored 20 points while firing a perfect 3-of-3 behind the arc, grabbing four rebounds, and sinking two-crucial free throws with 3.4 seconds left to complete the upset.
But again, Coach Jack wanted to stay on the ground as it is still early to tell and there are a lot of things to work on before they can finally reach their goal of entering the final four, or even grabbing the championship ring.
"It’s too early to say but, of course, every team is looking to be in the final four. Obviously, it’s not going to be a piece of cake. We still have to work very hard to make sure that we are on the right path and are following our system to ensure that we reach our goals this season," he told Dribble Report.
Coach Jack and the UE Red Warriors might be wary of a lot of things but their huge win last weekend, which also marked their second straight victory of the season, can become the stepping stone in reaching the top of their goals and surely earned the respect of all other teams.
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Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry combined for 75 points to lead the Warriors to victory.
Butler had a game-high 38 points along with seven rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Curry followed with 37 markers, knocking down 6-of-13 from beyond the arc—including two crucial treys in the closing minutes, one near the corner and another after a triple pump fake that thrilled the home crowd. He added eight rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
Gary Payton II and Quentin Post added 12 and 11 points, respectively. Draymond Green dished out a game-high 10 assists while also contributing four points, six rebounds, three steals, and a block before fouling out with 58.6 seconds left in the game.
The Orlando Magic opened the 2024–25 NBA Play-In Tournament with a bang, dismantling the Atlanta Hawks, 120–95, on Wednesday morning, April 16, (Philippine time) at the Kia Center in Orlando.
From the get-go, the Magic set the tone, dominating the first quarter, 32–17. They dropped the second by just a point but still carried a 61–47 lead into halftime.
The Hawks responded in the third canto with a 26–18 run to trim the deficit to just six, 79–73.
Come the fourth and final period, the Magic turned up the heat again, outscoring Atlanta 41–22 to secure the 25-point victory.
Cole Anthony led the charge off the bench with 26 points on 4-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. He also added three rebounds and five assists.
Wendell Carter Jr. anchored the starting unit with 19 markers, seven boards, and two dimes, while Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner filled up the stat sheets despite their struggles from long range, going a combined 0-of-8 from downtown.
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On April 20 (Philippine time), the NBA postseason officially tips off, with 16 teams vying for the coveted 2024–25 NBA Championship.
But before the Playoffs begin, four remaining spots are still up for grabs through the Play-In Tournament.
In the Western Conference, the No. 9 seed Sacramento Kings will take on the No. 10 seed Dallas Mavericks, while the No. 7 seed Golden State Warriors will battle the No. 8 seed Memphis Grizzlies.
The winner of the 9-vs-10 matchup will then face the loser of the 7-vs-8 game for the right to claim the No. 8 seed in the Playoffs, earning a showdown with the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder.
Meanwhile, the loser of the 9-vs-10 game will be eliminated from contention, while the winner of the 7-vs-8 clash will secure the No. 7 seed and go on to face the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets.
Other first-round matchups in the Western Conference include:
(4) Denver Nuggets vs. (5) LA Clippers
(3) LA Lakers vs. (6) Minnesota Timberwolves
In the Eastern Conference, the Play-In pairings are:
(9) Chicago Bulls vs. (10) Miami Heat
(7) Orlando Magic vs. (8) Atlanta Hawks
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