As Cagulangan recovers, UP’s Fortea steps up to the task

MANILA, Philippines – One of the exciting moments in college basketball is whenever two fierce competitors go head-to-head in the kind of rivalry, where once each side sees the name of the other on the floor, a normal and suspense-free type of contest is often thrown out of the picture. 

That’s what University of the Philippines vs Adamson University has materialized into. 

Their latest installment was an overtime classic at the PhilSports Arena on Wednesday, which included another comeback by the defending champions.

The UP Maroons dug themselves a 16-point hole this time by the half. It’s the second straight game in Season 85 where they responded with a third-quarter flurry to tighten the game in just half a quarter, before ultimately winning.

Coming out of halftime the more aggressive team has historically been a trademark of championship basketball squads from before, so that’s a good sign for the Fighting Maroons, but it’s fair to counter that playing from behind, even for the comeback kids, will eventually feel like playing with fire.

Those slow starts are no coincidence with the fact that JD Cagulangan, the team’s best decision-maker, hasn’t played in Season 85. His contributions as a floor general on both ends of the floor have been missed, although the Fighting Maroons have relied on others to pick up the slack.

Sources told Rappler Cagulangan is nursing a leg injury which was sustained during the Fighting Maroons’ offseason trip to South Korea, where they played tune-up matches against Korean Basketball League (KBL) squads. 

The recovery is going well, but for precautionary measures, the team is keeping him sidelined until a full recovery is reached.

That return, sources said, could vary from the final games of the first round up to the start of the second round of the eliminations.

“We miss him a lot but we got guys stepping up and that’s all you can ask for until [Cagulangan] gets back,” UP star Zavier Lucero said. 

One of those guys is Terrence Fortea, another one of coach Goldwin Monteverde’s former standouts from NU high school. 

In 34 minutes he scored 12 points, dished out 5 assists, and took away 3 steals. The +19 is encouraging (bolstered a bit by UP’s explosive overtime performance), although the 5 turnovers and shot selection remain a work in progress.

It’s worth noting the sophomore played the most minutes on his team against Adamson. Despite mistakes, Monteverde’s staff seems to trust him to sort through the growing pains. 

He repaid that faith especially in overtime, where he hit a dagger deep ball and dished a beautiful pass to a cutting Malick Diouf, the kind that Cagulangan would have made with precision.

“Hindi naman kailangan kung ano nagagawa nya is yun din dapat gawin ko,” Fortea told Rappler in an interview.

“Alam ko po din na iba talaga si [Cagulangan], specially sa pagiging point guard. Siguro ang mindset ko lang is gampanan ko yung spot niya habang wala pa siya. Every game and trainings tinuturuan niya ako. Nagtatanong ako sa kanya.”

(I don’t need to do the same thing he does. Cagulangan is different, specially as a point guard. My mindset is to fill in his spot while he’s out. He teaches me every game and training. I also ask him questions.)

Fortea’s shooting is his strongest skill, which is why it’s unsurprising to see him pull up a few feet away from the three-point line, even when there’s still plenty of time on the shot clock. 

Shooters shoot.

There are obvious pros to that capability: having someone who can hit semi-contested three-balls off-the-dribble are always important for a contending team, especially when the offense bogs down. 

It can in turn be a double-edged sword when the shot doesn’t fall in, particularly because it allows the opposing side to run on the break due to long rebounds.

Fortea was calm and composed in the second half, putting an importance on setting the table before looking for his shot as a first option. 

He doesn’t have to change his game, but putting added importance in making sure everyone else gets involved, given how deep and talented UP’s roster is, enhances the team.

“Mas binibigyan ko po nang pansin talaga yung matakbo ko yung plays and yung team, kase isa yun sa magpapabuti ng team eh, and siguro isa yun sa adjustments ko po ngayon,” said Fortea.

“Syempre yung instincts ko to shoot nandun pa din, so need ko pa din i-balance and bigyan ng pansin at aralin yung mga bagay na yun.”

(I focus more on running the plays, it’s one thing that helps the team, so I need to adjust. My instinct is to shoot, so I need to balance that, to learn and focus on other tasks.)

Two plays standout, one from each half. 

In the second quarter, Fortea and Lucero were running a two-man fastbreak. The wise choice would have been for Terrence, who was handling the ball, to dish a bounce pass to Zavier who would have had an athletic and height advantage. Fortea chose to attempt a floater, missed it, and was called for the offensive foul.

Lucero, already unrewarded for his effort to get open in the corner in the previous possession, was unhappy heading back to the bench on the next time out, urging his teammates to trust the system.

Fast forward to a sequence in overtime, Fortea drew two defenders after turning the corner on a pick-and-roll. The result was an open Diouf streaking down the middle for an easy dunk. Terrence delivered over four outstretched arms for Malick to punctuate UP’s comeback.

“Terrence played well today,” Lucero said post-game. He was pretty good himself with 15 points on an effective 6-of-11 display (it’s always a good sign to have more points than shot attempts), 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. 

“A lot of our point guards, they’re coming from playing a different position, so the fact they’re in there and stepping up to the task means a lot for our team moving forward, and for them to continue to try and grow in that point guard role,” said Lucero.  

“As long as they keep doing that, we’ll be fine.”

The Maroons will next be tested on Saturday against a surprisingly 0-2 FEU. A three-game losing streak could spell the difference between a Final Four seed or not in a few months. Every margin matters in the UAAP eliminations. 

The Tamaraws will play with a heightened sense of urgency, which would not bode well for UP’s slow starts as of late.

Fortea will have his hands full matched up against LJay Gonzales, even coming off a leg injury sustained in their season debut vs Ateneo. 

But Fortea has also proven opponents will have their hands full trying to stop him as well. – Rappler.com