Duremdes: Falcons not making Final Four this year, but future is bright

MANILA, Philippines – “Hindi siguro ngayon this year, yung Final Four,” (We probably won’t make the Final Four this year.)

Adamson University head coach Kenneth Duremdes had no illusions about where his team would finish in UAAP Season 77. He didn’t sugar coat his words either.

“Not this year considering yung mga players ko are coming from high school,” (We won’t make it this year because most of my players are coming from high school) added the former Alaska Aces great, referring to the nine new rookies the Falcons are welcoming this year.

Speaking to media Tuesday, July 8, for the UAAP Season 77 press conference at Gloria Maris Restaurant in Gateway mall, Duremdes knew exactly his team stood compared to the rest of the league.

Getting better every day

Besides having to deal with a hefty amount of newcomers, Duremdes has been handed the keys to a team which finished second to last in scoring last season (67.1PPG) and ranked dead last in turnovers (18.1 TOPG).

Making matters worse, last year’s leading scorer Jericho Cruz – who averaged 14.5 PPG and was the only Soaring Falcon to norm double-digit scoring – has moved on from college basketball and declared for the PBA Draft.

Needless to say, the team is rebuilding. And like most clubs trying to work it’s way back to the top, the Falcons aim to improve day-by-day, game-by-game.

“We just hope na we can play a good game every game. Yun lang ang target namin,” explained the former Adamson player.

(We just hope to play a good game, every game. That’s really our target.)

“Pag nakalaro kami nang magandang game, naka-compete kami, achievement sa amin yun.” (If we are able to come up with a good performance, and show we can compete with the other teams, then that’s an achievement for us.)

Doing so will be difficult, without a doubt.

But nonetheless: “Mananalo kami o matatalo, okay lang saamin. Ang importante is yung goal namin na we’re improving every game.”

(Win or lose, that’s fine with us. What’s important is that we achieve our goal of improving every game)

Duremdes won’t have to go through the struggles of leading a pack of freshly minted players alone.

Emphasizing the team over the individual

The Falcons were fourth in the UAAP in Season 76 in assists (13.6 APG), but Duremdes says he wants the team to put more importance in swinging the ball. Without a dominant scorer or clear-cut star player – at least not yet – Adamson will have to rely on crisp passing to yield better scoring opportunities.

“Sa system kasi, we emphasize teamwork. We emphasize extra passes. We don’t have a go-to-guy right now,” Duremdes noted. Doing so, he adds, will help sway his rookies away from trying to go macho by playing hero ball in front of the thousands that will be watching live.

“Extra passes lang. We emphasize good passes for this team dahil ang tingin namin kasi, pag college players, minsan lumalabas yung individual eh, kasi ito yung showcase,” explained the new head coach, who’s had his share of dealing with ruckus crowds and the temptations that come along with it.

(It’s about making the extra pass. We emphasize that because with college players, they tend to play more individually sometimes because they’re playing in front of a huge crowd.)

Duremdes doesn’t want his guys to get carried away by the intensity brought about by the UAAP stage. Getting better every game is of utmost importance, as he stated numerous times. He may not have one guy out there who will be the leading force; his extension on the playing court. But he plans on making it a mission to develop his guys to work as one cohesive unit, regardless of which five are on the floor.

“Walang go-to-guy ngayon,” Duremdes has repeatedly made it clear to his team. “Kung sino yung lima sa loob, kayo yung go-to-guy. Walang isang player, wala dalawa.”

(We don’t have a go-to guy. Whichever five are on the court, they become the “go-to-guy.” There’s no one standout player, not two)

This belief, or mantra, some would say, has yielded two very important factors as the Soaring Falcons aim to fly back atop the seniors’ basketball pyramid; two beliefs their coach promises to give importance to every day: “We work together and we will be better.”

Helping Hands

Joining Duremdes’ staff in Adamson are PBA mainstay Vince Hizon and one of the greatest player to ever grace the pro league, Marlou Aquino. The latter was also a former stud for the Soaring Falcons in college.

Like most of the team’s players, the coaching staff is considerably new to the coaching stage. Nevertheless, their partnership has worked great so far, according to the head coach.

“Yung mga staff naman, may kanya-kanya silang specialties,” explained Duremdes, a former PBA MVP and national team member.
(Our staff, each one has his own specialty)

“Like si Marlou, sa defense. And tinutulungan niya ako to analyze yung spacing, yung mga movement nang mga big guys, so malaki siyang tulong. And Vince is also helping me with sa mga guards. He’s exerting effort sa mga guards namin na hindi maganda yung shooting form.”

(With Marlou, it’s defense. He also helps me analyze spacing, and the movement of the big guys, so what he contributes is huge. Vince also helps me, with the guards. He exerting effort to fix their shooting form.)

It seems the chemistry between the three is at a high level – something that will be important for the Soaring Falcons’ young recruits to develop into a force to be reckoned with in the future.

“Nakikita namin na nag re-respond nang maganda yung mga players doon sa assistant coaches,” Duremdes said. (We’re seeing great responses from the players to the assistant coaches)

It won’t result to many wins, as the head coach pointed out, as they do not expect to make it to the Final Four. However, it’s a great start, and “Captain Marbel” seems like the perfect fit to spearhead this club.

The honesty he displayed in answering the media’s tough question will be something his players will learn to respect, too, because a team, most of the time, takes the personality of it’s leader.

His basketball knowledge will play a huge role in the development of his young guns’ skills, and with two former pro players as assistant coaches helping out, the learning process will be instrumental.

“Nakakatuwa naman tingnan dahil they’re all excited,” Duremdes said about his team. (It’s fun because they’re all excited.)

And they should be.

The wins may not be easy to come by now, but the future is bright for the Soaring Falcons. – Rappler.com