As the first round of UAAP Season 87 closes, UST’s Forthsky Padrigao has strung together a series of double-digit scoring games to accompany his elite playmaking.
UST’s Forthsky Padrigao was limited to 4.3 points on 20 percent field goal percentage during the Tigers’ first three games for UAAP Season 87. His elite-level playmaking was evident, but it was clear that the former Ateneo guard was yet to rediscover his shooting touch.
But Padrigao has slowly worked his way back, starting with an eight-point effort in UST’s 67-64 win over the NU Bulldogs. He proceeded to nab a season-high 15 points in UST’s loss against La Salle, and 14 points against the UP Fighting Maroons.
Padrigao remained efficient in UST’s bounce back against FEU, finishing with a 14-point, 11-assist double-double to close out the first round of UAAP Season 87 action.
“I think reps lang talaga, kasi kahit na nung first three games na pangit ‘yung percentage ko, I still did my reps. You won’t know, sabi nga ni Coach Tab [Baldwin] ‘you won’t know when it will pay dividends. I read that, so that’s what I did,” Padrigao told The GAME after UST’s 83-72 win over the Tamaraws.
All in all, Padrigao has averaged 12.8 points on 53 percent shooting in the Tigers’ last four games. Three-point shooting remains at 32 percent (9/28), but it’s nonetheless an improvement over the 19 percent (3/19) clip to start the season.
“Pero wala naman sinabi sila coach na mag-score ka nang mag-score, hindi naman ganon. I think nagkakaroon lang rin ako ng mga scoring opportunities na gano’n dahil sa system na nira-run namin [in UST],” he said.
The Tigers ended the first round with a 4-3 record, their best start since UAAP Season 82 in 2019. As a winning culture begins to take shape, Padrigao praised the team’s lighthearted vibe regardless of the final score.
“Pinakanagugustuhan ko is nag-eenjoy yung bawat isa dito sa amin, especially pag manalo kami, lahat nag-enjoy. Well, although sa talo rin naman, hindi nga pwede mag-enjoy pag natatalo ka, but then overall, magaan ‘yung vibe ng team and nakikinig kami sa isa’t isa dito,” he shared.
On top of this, Forthsky Padrigao has continued to embrace his leadership role within the Tigers as one of its co-captains for Season 87. While there was a short learning curve, it’s a role that the 22-year-old has excelled in so far.
Padrigao has shown himself to be a vocal leader, whether it’s in orchestrating UST’s plays, or simply motivating his teammates on the court. In a previous interview with The GAME, he also admitted trying to fire up the UST crowd by being animated with his celebrations.
“Actually nakakapanibago lalo na noong mga first few games [with UST], kasi sa Ateneo nun nakikinig lang ako sa mga teammates ko, kuyas ko. But then dito, kailangan ko na maging mature and maging leader,” he admits.
“Masaya naman ako kasi…hopefully, I think, sana nagagampanan ko ‘yung [leadership] role ko…’Yun lang, okay ‘tong kasama mga boys kaya masaya ako.”
Reality checks
Two of UST’s losses came from Season 86 finalists La Salle and UP. While the Tigers kept it close, the Archers and Maroons pulled away late to win by double digits.
Padrigao sees it as a reminder for UST as they hope to re-enter the Final Four.
“We really prepared for those two teams, but then we came up short…Pero alam mo ‘yun? Wala eh, malayo pa talaga kami sa gusto namin puntahan. Hopefully ma-address namin sa one-week break para sa second round, mas maging handa na kami pag nakalaban namin sila uli,” the guard said.
So despite the positives, Padrigao laid down some weak points including their turnovers. The Tigers averaged 14 turnovers for the first round, with Padrigao averaging a team-high 3.67 turnovers himself.
Second, is their character in facing adversities throughout the season.
“So far okay naman [‘yung nabubuong culture], but then sa season naman usually may ups and downs. And for us, kailangan lang namin ‘yung paano kami humarap sa adversities, how do we overcome it? And I think ‘yun ‘yung isa sa mga kailangan pa namin i-work on.”
Banner image courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau.