Gerry Abadiano’s steady leadership shines brightly for State U.
Holding on to a slim 56-50 advantage, the Ateneo Blue Eagles could only watch as UP Fighting Maroons’ captain Gerry Abadiano took his patented mid-range jumper over the outstretched arms of Shawn Tuano.
That shot would set the tone for Abadiano’s fourth-quarter show, with the captain scoring 16 of his 18 points in the final period to help State U secure a 79-75 victory over Ateneo on Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Joining hands with Francis Nnoruka, Abadiano was a man on a mission as the Fighting Maroons also snagged a coveted twice-to-beat advantage in the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament.
“Naging patient lang ako, and nung game, hindi ko talaga hinahanap [‘yung shot ko], na kailangan ganito ‘yung gawin ko; sumabay lang ako sa flow, nag-stick sa ginagawa namin and thankful lang ako. Siguro, swerte lang ako na pumapasok ‘yung mga shots ko,” Abadiano recalled to The GAME in an exclusive interview.
Throughout his time in UP, Abadiano has never been one to put up the eye-popping numbers, often deferring the spotlight to past and present teammates such as Harold Alarcon, JD Cagulangan, Francis Lopez, and Carl Tamayo, to name a few.
More often than not, the captain has thrived as a silent operator, doing the dirty work such as guarding the opponent’s best player. But against Ateneo, Abadiano reminded that along with his natural scrappiness, he could still be that much-needed stabilizer in crunch time.
“Siguro lagi lang sinasabi sa akin or lagi ko lang iniisip sa mga times na kailangan ako ng team. And ‘yun, lagi lang sinasabi ng teammates ko na kung ano man ‘yung mako-contribute ko sa loob ng court, gagawin ko,” Abadiano said.
“‘Yun ‘yung laging fino-focus ko and hindi ‘yung mag-score. Kung ano man ‘yung dumating, gina-grab ko lang talaga, focus lang ako sa team talaga and kung ano ‘yung magpapaganda ng ginagawa namin sa loob ng court.”
Nowhere to go but UP
Now on his second year as the UP captain, Gerry Abadiano has also been the voice that helped the Fighting Maroons rediscover their championship form, especially after a 0-2 start to Season 88.
“Alam naman natin na first two games namin hindi ganun kaganda ‘yung nangyari, and bilang leader ng team, kailangan ko i-push o kailangan ko sabihan ‘yung mga teammates or yung team ko na hindi pa tapos yung season that time,” Abadiano reflected on his captaincy.
State U did turn things around after that 0-2 start, going on a four-game winning streak before being upset by a shorthanded DLSU Green Archers squad, 69-72, to end Round 1 of eliminations.
Round 2 has been a different story for the Fighting Maroons, as they are now one game away from sweeping the final round of eliminations.
“Kahit papaano ngayon, nakuha namin yung momentum namin papasok ng Final Four. Pero, para sa akin, hindi pa namin nakuha yung standard talaga ng laro namin, peak ng laro namin,” Abadiano said.
Knowing that the job isn’t finished, Abadiano hopes to see more consistency from his teammates, all while holding himself to a higher standard as UP’s heart and soul.
“Gusto ko lang ma-lead pa ‘yung teammates ko nang maayos, and gusto ko lang sabihin sa kanila na maging consistent lang kami every time na may game, or every game na first to fourth quarter, maging consistent lang kami,” he reflected.
“Sa team namin, lagi lang sinasabi ng coaches na everytime na pumasok kami sa loob ng court ‘yung effort talagaibibigaynamin ay 100 percent.”
Images courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau.