Aldin Ayo’s confidence erases the doubt for Abu Tratter

MANILA, Philippines – With 2 minutes and 12 seconds left in the third quarter of the DLSU Green Archers’ game against the Adamson Soaring Falcons, Kib Montalbo was able to steal the ball and throw a go-ahead pass to big man Abu Tratter on the break.

Had Tratter caught the leather, it would have been an easy lay-up – maybe even a dunk – which would have extended the Green Archers’ lead to 61-47. Instead, Tratter was unable to catch the pass and the play resulted in one of DLSU’s 26 turnovers.

A few possessions before the mishap, Tratter also had an open runway to the rim, but after leaping with the ball in his hand, he couldn’t decide between a lay-in or a slam, and the shot attempt resulted in a missed dunk plus some laughs from the crowd.

Those types of plays can kill the confidence of a player. They can also force a head coach to sub him out for the rest of the game.

But that’s not how Aldin Ayo operates.

“Kung sino nasa ibaba, ‘yun ang pupulutin namin (Whoever’s down, that’s whom we will pick up). That’s being a team,” the Green Archers head coach said after the game, which La Salle easily won, 91-75, to remain undefeated in UAAP Season 79 at 5-0.

If you watch a clip of the botched pass, the the first thing Ayo did after Tratter’s mistake was run onto the court and give the big man a bone-crushing hug. A wide smile on his face, his feet bouncing up and down, the rookie La Salle head coach then patted Tratter on the chest repeatedly. “It’s okay,” was the message he was trying to give.

Coach Aldin Ayo gives Tratter some love after that turnover.#UAAPSeason79 pic.twitter.com/xe5y5tC2Tb

— ABS-CBN Sports (@abscbnsports) September 24, 2016

Then during the time-out, Ayo called for the next play of La Salle to be run for Tratter, who rewarded his coach’s trust with a turn-around shot in the paint. He finished the game with 6 points and 8 rebounds, and was a +7 for the contest.

“He gave me the most confidence, because at certain points, you know the doubt comes in. So by coach calling specifically a play for you at that given moment, it will encourage you,” Tratter told the media after the match.

“I felt a relief. As a coach, you tend to have some kind of doubt. At no point do I feel that coach had that doubt.”

That kind of optimistic mentality is what Ayo wants to instil in his team, which so far has clearly looked like the best club in the UAAP and lived up to expectations.

“Every time my player commits a mistake, I’ll make sure maipakita ko sakanya na special siya (I’ll show he’s special),” said Ayo.

“So on that sequence, si Abu [he was] very down, pero buti nalang nagkaroon nang (it’s a good thing there was a) dead ball… and I was able to tell Abu that, ‘Next time, next play… ikaw yung pupuntahan namin (we’ll go to you).”

“He delivered.”

And according to Tratter, Ayo does not give special treatment. That type of positive mindset is the same for the top scorer of the team or the guy who doesn’t get to play as many minutes during game time.

“It doesn’t matter from the first guy to the last guy on the bench, he’s going to do that for everybody to make sure that everybody has that courage to come back in the game,” Tratter said.

“As soon as he called that time-out,” Tratter talked about the play, “he looked for me on the next option, so he really strives to put that point across.”

Another thing that has come across almost a month into the UAAP year is that the league goes through the favorited Green Archers. And if Ayo continues to infuse more confidence in his players, they may be even harder to beat. – Rappler.com