At A Glance
- Harold Alarcon vowed to pour it all out to help University the Philippines defend its crown in his final UAAP run in the Season 88 men's basketball tournament.
Harold Alarcon vowed to pour it all out to help University the Philippines defend its crown in his final UAAP run in the Season 88 men's basketball tournament.
Playing in his last season as a Fighting Maroon, the 23-year-old Alarcon eyes a fitting swan song to his splendid collegiate career which included two UAAP titles and four finals appearances.
“Expect nalang ng ibang team na ibibigay ko lahat ng best ko, kasi last Round 2 ko na ‘to sa UAAP,” said Alarcon.
“And ‘yon nga kailangan ko na rin pati ‘yong apat ko na kasama na magbuwis-buhay dahil last year na namin [tong] pagsasama,” he added.
The Silay, Negros Occidental native is one of the members of UP’s “Maroon 5” which is also composed of graduating players in Gerry Abadiano, Terrence Fortea, Reyland Torres, and Janjan Felicilda.
They played pivotal roles that brought the State U to a 5-3 record which sits them at third place.
Leading by example through his actions, the 6-foot-1 sweet-shooting guard recently took command and paced the Maroons to a 78-74 win over National University.
There, Alarcon displayed great composure, especially in the fourth where he and Gani Stevens connived offensively to halt NU’s resurgence to finish with 24 points, three rebounds, four assists, and one block for UP.
“As isa sa mga seniors sa team, kailangan lang [namin magpakita] ng composure so ‘’yon ‘yong naibigay ko sa kanila,” Alarcon stressed as the Bulldogs almost mounted a comeback after the Maroons had a brief collapse in payoff period.
“[Basta] makita lang nila na ‘yong senior nila [na] composed and parang hawa-hawa na ‘yon kapag ganon,” he added.
UP takes a three-day break before returning in action against Far Eastern University (3-5) this Sunday, Oct. 26, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
“Napa-crucial ng bawat possession, puntos, at laro para sa amin, with six remaining games, just like Harold said, we’re just staying in the present,” said UP assistant coach Christian Luanzon. “After tonight, we’re just going to regroup and prepare for FEU on Sunday.”