As losing streak hits 5, coach Jarin says NU 'can't put our heads down' | ABS-CBN

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As losing streak hits 5, coach Jarin says NU 'can't put our heads down'

As losing streak hits 5, coach Jarin says NU 'can't put our heads down'

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

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MANILA, Philippines – For all its talent, National University (NU) has thoroughly struggled to put everything together in the UAAP Season 81 men's basketball tournament.

Despite featuring several highly touted recruits and a solid veteran core, the Bulldogs have won just once in six games – a 75-70 triumph over University of Santo Tomas in their season-opener.

Since then, they have lost five straight games, the most recent of which was an 89-88 setback to University of the Philippines.

Amid this difficult stretch, NU head coach Jamike Jarin is imploring his young but promising team to stay in high spirits, even as he acknowledges that their current situation "sucks right now."

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"Again, today the ball just didn't bounce our way," said Jarin following the one-point loss to UP. "It was the breaks of the game."

Jarin noted how the Fighting Maroons converted some truly tough looks – including a triple from Paul Desiderio that he banked in, and another three-pointer from Juan Gomez de Liaño that bounced nearly to the top of the backboard before gently falling to the hoop.

Some of the breaks went NU's way, too. Two missed free throws by Javi Gomez de Liaño gave them a chance to win in the final possession, but JV Gallego miscalculated the clock, allowing the Fighting Maroons to escape.

This was the fourth game in their losing streak that NU had lost by single digits. Other than a massive 72-46 setback to Ateneo de Manila University, all of their games were competitive – something that Jarin is quick to point out.

"Imagine, this team has just lost two games by five points, one game by four, and one game by one," he said. "Isn't that enough experience for these young men to go through?"

The Bulldogs, he said, simply have to "take all of this" and learn from what they were experiencing.

"Nobody is sorry for us right now, nobody is sorry for us," Jarin stressed. "We can't feel like that. We just have to dust ourselves, and get back, and hopefully the results will be in our favor the next time."

"We just have to take it as a man, and continue to be competitive," the coach also said. "And we can't do it by ourselves, we have to do it together. That's what I told these young men."

Jarin is confident that all the struggles that the Bulldogs are going through right now will only make them a stronger team down the road – even if the payoff remains years down the line.

"We just have to stay together," said the coach. "Ang sakit na ng dibdib ko, not for me, but for these young men. (But) imagine this team playing four more, five more years together. Imagine this team. Can it be Season 85 already?"

For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.

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