A new era of UE basketball

MANILA, Philippines – On September 14, 2013, Coach Leo Austria coached his last game for the Adamson Falcons after nine years at the helm. And like most of its season, the match ended in disappointing fashion for Adamson: a 77-60 beatdown courtesy of the UE Red Warriors.

After the match, Austria all but confirmed his exit from Adamson in his post-game interview. It was a scene where an affected man let all his emotions out, knowing his verdict had been decided for the worst.

In the other locker room, meanwhile, UE head coach Boycie Zamar was celebrating. It was a small victory, needless to say; a brief moment of triumph in what was a lost season for the Red Warriors.

7-7 was the team’s final record, undoubtedly short of what they should have accomplished. The future was uncertain, but at the very least, the season had ended in a slightly good note.

Disappointment

Prior to Season 76, UE was crowned the champions of the 2013 FilOil preseason tournament, beating a tough collection of NCAA and UAAP challengers en route to the title. There was something special about their performance, as if screaming, “we’re not here to be just a bystander,” – a role the squad had played in the prior years.

With a talented and seasoned point guard in Roi Sumang and a behemoth big man in Charles Mammie guiding the club, pundits expected UE to make its first UAAP finals appearance since 2009, or at least make it to the Final Four.

The Red Warriors came out of the gates slow, losing three of their first four games. Was there panic? Probably. But the team’s fortunes changed, as it picked up five straight wins after – three of which coming against very good teams in La Salle, Ateneo, and UST. UE was playing to the standards bestowed upon them in the preseason, and times were good in Recto.

And then, everything turned to shambles.

Charles Mammie recorded multiple unsportsmanlike accidents, granting him suspensions that hurt his team’s chances at a Final Four seed. Furthermore, episodes of his immaturity off the court were also reported, not to mention clashes with the coaching staff.

Simultaneously, UE began to lose close game after close game. In the blink of an eye, they suffered four straight defeats. Their last loss against Ateneo in the second round all but kicked them out of playoff contention, putting what was once a promising campaign to waste.

The Red Warriors beat the Falcons to at least end their year with a sense of optimism. It may have proved as an adequate-enough farewell to the team’s graduating players. But like Austria, it turned out that even Zamar was coaching his last game for UE. A few weeks later, he was let go of his head coaching duties, ending a short and unsuccessful partnership between both sides.

A new era in Red Warriors basketball

Derrick Pumaren is no stranger to winning. His resume speaks for itself.

In 1978 and 1979, Pumaren won UAAP seniors’ basketball titles with UE as a player. Years later, he would go on to coach the De La Salle Green Archers from 1986-1991, winning two championships (1989 and 1990) in the process. During that same stretch, he was part of Coach Norman’s Black Grand Slam-winning San Miguel Beermen staff in 1989 as an assistant coach.

Pumaren also has winning records in the now-defunct Philippine Basketball League (PBL) and has had successful head coaching gigs in the PBA, too. He’s an old-school guy; one who values teamwork, maturity, responsibility, and a no-nonsense approach that will make his players think twice about committing any reckless act.

And by the looks of last season, no squad in the UAAP needed a disciplinarian more than the Red Warriors.

With such a talented, playoff-contending roster in need of direction and a guiding force, UE has found a gem in Pumaren.

“For us, he’s a father-like figure,” Mammie shared about his coach in an exclusive interview with Rappler.

“He helps me,” added the big man, whom some would say needs a headstrong mentor to develop a mature mentality that would complement his physical talents.

“He helps me on the court. Our offense has a system. He’s very wise.”

In Season 76, University of the East averaged just 11.4 assists per game, a spot shy from being the worse in the league (UP: 9.9 APG).

Roi Sumang, the team’s leading scorer, was also the main distributor with an average of 4.5 APG. However, after the spitfire point guard, the next guy with most assists was Gino Jumao-as, who averaged 2.1 dimes per contest in just 14.7 MPG.

Furthermore, for all of Sumang’s ability to attack the paint and dish out to open teammates, he’s still a scorer by heart. Putting the ball in the hoop is his first nature. However, that’s about to change.

“Well, I think he’s a more all-around player this season. He will still be our lead guard, but I expect him more to be more of a court general this time, distribute the ball more,” Coach Derrick Pumaren shared in an exclusive conversation with Rappler during yesterday’s UAAP Season 77 press conference.

“I’m not going to take away his one-on-one and offensive skills, because that is his advantage,” promised the new guy calling the shots for the Red Warriors, but Sumang will have to alter his game, and that’s something the star player had learned to understand under his new coach.

“He has realized, too, that he cannot carry the team all alone on his shoulders, so he has to share the ball to make things easier for him and for the development of the team.”

It’s not difficult to see why Sumang has opened his eyes to this reality. UE looked dominant in the 2013 FilOil tourney, but preseason is different from college basketball season’s real matches, where the bumps get more physical, teams watch more video to prepare better, and the stakes are higher.

Most of all, to win in the UAAP, a team needs a coach that will tell them to, taking a cue from Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, “don’t let go of the rope.”

The UAAP has yet to start. But it looks as if UE’s new coach seems to fit that category.

“The team is very excited. They’re closer this time,” Pumaren mentioned, comparing the club’s mindset to last season.

“They know each other more, even if half the team is rookies. But they’re going to play hard every night, and that’s what I expect from them.”

That’s what he expectsof them. Not asks. Expects.

So far, it seems to be working.

“We’re good. We like our team building. I’ve been here for some time, and we’ve now built chemistry,” Mammie noted about the team’s camaraderie.

“We good,” he said for the second time.

Defense is offense

Pumaren has had less than three months to work with his new team. In such a limited timeframe, it’s tough to change a squad’s system and expect them to contend for championships, but that’s what UE is plotting.

“It’s more of getting to know each other and getting to know the system I’m trying to put in,” explained Pumaren, who said that other than expecting Sumang to make sure the ball moves, he also wants his boys to “run every single time.”

But that’s not going to be the team’s main course of attack, as the Red Warriors are relying on their improvement on the other side of the floor to spearhead their offense.

“We’re trying to take advantage of our defense. Defense will be our number one offensive weapon. So, we’ll try to score coming from playing on defense.”

It sounds like a great plan. But here’s a possible problem: UE was seventh in the UAAP last season in points allowed, giving up 75.8 PPG against its opponents.

With such a physical presence in Mammie patrolling the paint and a guy in Sumang ranked fourth in steals (1.2 SPG), critics were surprised by how lackluster the Red Warriors looked on defense at times. Was it a result of bad coaching? Maybe. It could also be because of lack of effort or lack of chemistry between teammates.

The answer seems to be fatigue.

Only three guys averaged double figures in scoring for the Red Warriors last year: Sumang, Mammie, and the now graduated Ralf Olivares.

With so much of the scoring load placed on the shoulders of the team’s two main guys, having enough strength to play headstrong defense was tough. Depth was a constant problem too but that is something the Red Warriors should have more of in Season 77.

“I think I have enough depth,” Pumaren proclaimed, before mentioning that he felt experience would be more of a troublesome factor.

“Half the team is rookies, and they will still have their jittery moments, and hopefully they will be able to adapt right away and play like veterans.”

The same veterans, who, according to him, didn’t get much of a shot in Season 76 – something that should change once UE opens its season against University of the Philippines on Saturday, July 12.

“The veterans naman (on the other hand), half the team didn’t really play significant minutes last season. It was only Charles (Mammie), Roi (Sumang), and probably Chris (Javier) who played more minutes. But the rest of the guys, wala eh (they didn’t play).”

But he did make one thing very, very clear. There will be no room for excuses or immaturity. He expects his veterans to set a good example for the rookies and to guide the team on and off the court.

A different Charles Mammie

Mammie averaged 15 points and 19 rebounds per game last season. He had games where he recorded 20-20s, clawing away at any sort of defense the opposition threw at him. His presence makes defenders think twice before attacking the paint. Seeing him come attack at full speed will at the very least intimidate defenders, if not scare them away.

Charles Mammie has a lot of potential. So much so that he can easily become the best big man in the league, according to many.

However, his off-court problems have hindered him.

Last season, Mammie earned his first suspension after showing intent to hurt Adamson big man Roider Cabrera in the Red Warriors’ and Soaring Falcon’s first round encounter.

During the latter half of the elimination round, Mammie and his teammate Lord Casajeros were slapped with suspensions for unsportsmanlike conduct in a crucial double overtime loss to Far Eastern University. The big man was originally supposed to miss two games, but the penalty was downgraded to a one-game suspension. Nonetheless, his team missed his presence against NU, which had the towering Emmanuel Mbe, and lost by eight.

In his club’s 2014 FilOil opening game against La Salle, Pumaren benched Mammie for missing practice a few days before the game.

And then a few weeks later, Mammie got into an apparent altercation with his teammate, Chris Javier, in UE’s final loss of the tournament, where they finished 3-3. Later on, the new head coach called it a “misunderstanding,” and said both guys “wanting to win” caused it.

Whether that’s true or not, Mammie has to display more maturity this season. Rest assured, his coach has made sure that message is clear.

“I expect him to be a different Charles this season, on and off the court,” Pumaren curtly stated. “He knows that. He knows he has to be more mature now.”

Mammie, for what it’s worth, seems to know what’s at stake and says he has concentrated a lot on improving his skill set.

“Compared to last year, I’ve been in the league longer now,” he mentioned during Monday’s press conference at Gloria Maris, Gateway Mall.

“I wasn’t good last year with finishing my jump shots, so I’ve been working on my jump shots and free throws. I’m getting better for the season,” he also promised.

But that’s not all he’s been focusing on. According to the marketing major, a lot of his time is devoted to ensuring he gives top performance in class, which has become a common trend amongst his teammates.

“We go to school every day, concentrate on our studies, and our classes. So we go to school every day.”

And why does he do this?

“Education is first and basketball second,” he noted without a hint of joking in his voice.

And speaking of basketball, all he needs to do to appease his coach is simple.

As Pumaren puts it, “He has to play UE basketball, not Charles basketball.”

A new chapter

Under Pumaren, the UE Red Warriors are hoping to open a new chapter in its school’s history. Not since 1986 has the university won a seniors’ basketball title, which must be a tough ordeal for a school as passionate about its basketball squad.

The 2014 Red Warriors aren’t perfect, but they are contenders – this much is true. The talent is there, and they now have a coach to lead the way and teach them winning principles. A new era of UE basketball is taking place, and the school can has hope the future is better than what has transpired in the past 28 years. – Rappler.com