Lighting a Fire

Right before the first round of UAAP Season 77 ended the Adamson Soaring Falcons had hit rock bottom. They were winless through six games, they suffered an embarrassing defeat scoring only 25 points against the eventual champions, and they allowed themselves to be at the receiving end of the bonfire inducing halt to the years-long UP Fighting Maroons’ losing streak. But when it looked like the Falcons were ready to give up on themselves, the alumni and the Adamson community did not.

Monday night, right after a fire was lit in the Sunken Garden in UP Diliman, the Soaring Falcons were called to a special practice. Then head coach Kenneth Durmendes didn’t meet them that night, instead it was assistant coach Vince Hizon and team manager Gilbert Cruz who were waiting for them in the gym.

“Nobody is happy with what is happening,” said Falcons team manager Gilbert Cruz as he addressed the team that Monday evening. To his right, the Season 77 Soaring Falcons who have gone on a six game skid, the final straw being a loss to a win-deprived UP team. To his left, Alexander Nuyles, Lester Alvarez, Janus Lozada, Jan Julius Colina, Rodney Brondial, just to name a few. Former Falcons who have left the nest, members of the glory team that brought Adamson the closest to a championship it has been since Hector Calma led them to one in ’76. The Season 74 Soaring Falcons who won hearts through heart, putting Adamson squarely in the middle of the Philippine sports map.

One by one the coaches and alumni took turns sharing their disappointments about how the season was going. It couldn’t be helped, nothing had gone their way and it didn’t look like it was going to any time soon.

“Hindi namin alam kung ano ang reason kung bakit hindi kayo naglalaro para sa school,” said former Soaring Falcons captain Jan Julius Colina, referring to their lack luster performance in the past six games. The former collegiate big man was aware that majority of the team was composed of rookies and green horns so he knew not to ask too much from them, “Gusto lang naman namin lumaban hanggang sa dulo.” A sentiment shared by many in the Adamson community then.

To drive home the point, for the first time in years, the older Falcons suited up to play with one another as a team. Once again they shared the court with their Falcon brothers, reliving the days when they caused Adamson to suspend classes just so the students could watch them play. For 30 game minutes they challenged the younger Falcons and showed them the drive and passion that got Adamson fans cheering win or lose.

With time running down the older Falcons had a commanding lead, but the then young bloods put up a nifty run to bring it down to within 3. The final possession went to the younger Falcons and everyone in the gym that night was cheering for them to score. As the buzzer sounded, the ball bounced off the rim after a shot attempt by Bill Polican. The younger Falcons may have lost the skirmish, but they gained a fire that lit up inside them.

“Look around you,” pointed out assistant coach Vince Hizon as students, alumni, administrators and staff surrounded them in the gym that evening, “They care about the school, they care about you. Despite all this they are all here to support you.”

As coach Hizon tried to huddle everyone up for a “Falcons on three” break, the alumni had other plans. Just like in the old days, just like when they were taking Tamaraws by the horns, the resounding voice of equipment manager Cris Bono filled the gym with a loud reverberating, “ADAMSOOOOOOOOOOOON!” followed by the loudest and most heart-felt, “HAIL!”

The next day in practice, members of the Adamson Drummers Yellers Online known as AUDYO came into the Saint Vincent Gym carrying placards that read, “We still believe.” A message not only from them, but from the rest of the Adamson community that knew that despite all their woes, despite all their problems at the time, there was still some semblance of the Adamson spirit left inside them.

The fire that lit up inside them that night translated to the best outing they had since then. They went toe-to-toe with the eventual runners-up that year; however, they came up short. But the community could see it, the coaches to could see it, the players could see it, the passion, the drive to win was back.

That was a rough season for the Soaring Falcons. The players were being asked to do more than they could handle, the head coach was underperforming despite already lowered expectations, but walking out on them simply wasn’t an option. Getting to the Final Four isn’t a one day process. Unless you have a really special team, bad seasons are normal, if not necessary, toward building a more successful sports program.

The Soaring Falcons won exactly one game that season, evening the season series against UP. The next season they won 3 games. The season after they made it to the Final Four with 8 wins. Now, the Soaring Falcons are where they are, in good position to end Season 80 with a good record into the Final Four.

Two fires were lit that week; one that was promptly put out after the festivities were done, and the other continues to burn on in the team and community. Both meant the start of better days to come.