Heading into his highly anticipated homecoming at Ateneo, University of Santo Tomas guard Forthsky Padrigao knew he had to keep his focus and his emotions in check.
He did just that and it showed, helping the Growling Tigers survive a grueling battle that saw three overtimes at his old stomping ground at Blue Eagle Gym. ‘I just needed to do my job and role with the team. Nothing personal for me. I treated this game as a regular game. I didn’t do anything special [coming into the game],’ said Padrigao, who played two seasons with Ateneo and won a title in Season 85, during the post-game presser following the heartstopping 98-89 victory.
He wasn’t anticipating a hostile crowd either.
‘No, coming into this game. I wasn’t expecting any boos. I have good friends here in Ateneo. They watched, they even asked tickets from me,’ he said. In a gesture of respect, Padrigao touched the center court at the Blue Eagle Gym, which staged a UAAP men’s basketball doubleheader for the first time in 20 years. Padrigao finished with 20 points, including a clutch 3-pointer with 39.9 ticks to go in regulation to force OT.
‘We were all tired. All we needed to do was show our heart and grit and it paid off in the end,’ said the graduating guard.