The boos rained down from all corners of the Mall of Asia Arena. On Sunday night, Ateneo fans made sure Mason Amos understood the extent of the enmity he created by swapping his blue uniform for green.
The jeers were loud. Personal. Unrelenting.
Turns out, they weren’t needed. Amos knew exactly what he was getting into. ‘That’s how they feel,’ he said with a shrug, moments after La Salle’s 81-74 loss to Ateneo in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament. ‘That’s how they’ll feel for the rest of the season.’
The 6-foot-7 forward, who transferred from Ateneo to La Salle before last season, struggled in his first rivalry game wearing the other shade of school pride. He played more than 25 minutes but finished with just six points, two rebounds and two assists. ‘I had a bad game,’ he admitted. ‘But we all have bad games. I’ll keep improving.’
It wasn’t just the missed shots or the stats. Amos was also tasked to guard Kymani Ladi, who wound up with 15 points for the Blue Eagles-another detail that underscored his tough night.
Still, Amos didn’t search for excuses.
La Salle dropped to 2-2 with the loss, but Amos quickly turned the page. His eyes are now set on bouncing back when the Green Archers face National University next Sunday at UST’s Quadricentennial Pavilion.
And whatever noise he heard Sunday night, he is wading right through it.
‘I just have to keep moving forward,’ he said.