THE SAN BEDA-Macha-Team lost to the the Kuala Lumpur (KL) Aseel, 83-72, in their final face off at the Sportsclick-AsiaBasket International Championship held at MABA Stadium Malaysia last April 18. 

In an interview with Coach Andre Santos, he said that the team has been practicing for three months for their preparations in joining the said tournament. “A lot of preparation was just really preparing for the opponents so it’s more of scouting our opponents and knowing how to adjust to those particular opponents,” Coach Andre shared. 

As they played against the Malaysian team, Coach Andre mentioned that the style of playing basketball was the same but the opponnent had their own way of playing the game. “Well for Asiabasket, it’s not sure thing that we are joining every time,” Coach Andre revealed, but still regarded it as a good experience for them to be able to join tournaments abroad. 

When asked as to who among the the players who stepped up in the match, Coach Andre answered, “Well ‘yung pinaka obvious siguro si Jacob Cortez,”  

Jacob “Cool Cub” Cortez, part of the first team revealed that their motivation before the game is not only to represent the Den but likewise the country playing in an international tournament. “We wanted to show them that we could win,” he averred. 

However, notwithstanding the unfavorable outcome, Cortez still regarded the game as an opportunity for improvement. “We loss some games but that’s where we learn more as a team. And for me as a player, that helped me to become better,” 

As to the challenges encountered during the games, the team experienced fatigue and some mental mistakes but it did not stop them from practicing everyday with the mantra to keep going and keep playing. 

Cortez expressed his gratitude to his team mates for pushing each other every day to become better.  He addressed the Red Lions Basketball team claiming, “For the NCAA season, I hope we keep, if not, make the practices more intense so that we could play better as a team,” 

At length, the basketball player acknowledged the Bedan Community for all the support given throughout the game disclosing, “Since we lost and we didn’t make the finals, they are still there to support,” 

Conversely, Coach Andre appreciates the Bedan Community for supporting the team no matter what tournament they partake in. “I hope that they could continue to support the team through the ups and downs,”  Cortez then urged the Bedan community to keep the level of support going forward, promising that the games will get more exciting for the next seasons.