OSD’s outlook for UAAP Season 78 remains optimistic despite various changes

Business as usual. This is the sentiment the Office of Sports Development has had despite the shift in the UAAP calendar and the consequences that come with it. However, this does not take away the feeling of optimism they have coming into the new season, one they believe will be a great one for DLSU.

More than just adjusting to the schools’ schedules, the new opening date has made students and fans alike wait longer than usual, as the four-month layoff has them eagerly looking forward to the moments that will once again be the talk of the town.

“We’re always excited,” OSD director Emmanuel Calanog explains. “I mean, that’s basically what the office lives for. Parang year in, year out, our sights are trained towards the UAAP. Kumbaga, for some people, their calendars are trained towards certain goals like for example finishing a term. For students, they set their schedule so that they are able to study so that they can take the test and finish a term. As far as we are concerned, dito sa OSD, our calendar is set towards the UAAP.”

“If you’re asking me [as one of the board members], of course we’re excited,” UAAP administrative board member Edwin Reyes adds.  “It’s the first time that we’re having it with this new calendar. So it’s a bit unique if only just for the calendar and of course the pent up emotions that are about to be unleashed because of the season and we’ve had such a long furlough, parang the longest in I think in the entire history of UAAP.”

New season, new policies

Among other things, the long break has allowed policies to be properly enacted and has given rookies more than enough time to adjust to their respective teams’ systems. Aside from this, however, the past four months have given athletic departments the opportunity to tweak their strategies and prepare contingency plans should the need arise.

“Nothing in particular since we already anticipated the possible outcomes of the calendar change and even other things,” OSD tournament coordinator Joy Lanting mentions when asked about other policies that could affect the season. “Of course, we always have plans B [and] C if a certain plan doesn’t work.”

“Just probably the approval of the Cayetano bill (Student-Athletes Protection Bill) because that basically takes out the residency requirement for recruits from other schools,” Calanog said when asked about the new UAAP policies. “The other is of course, the K-12 program but the impact of that will be felt next year because this year we still had high school graduates. Next year, there will be very few. So that’s another major policy, well in this case it’s a government policy, so it will affect us but technically next year. It affects us, this year because the coaches, knowing that there will be a dearth of recruits, are frontloading.”

Calanog and Reyes also mention how the UAAP continues to work on the officiating of games and the rules that concern the student-athletes, with the latter citing the new rule that allows athletes to suit up for the UAAP as long as they don’t turn 26 by the end of the season, which is currently pegged at May 31, 2016.

“I think that’s fair for all,” Reyes says on the new age limit policy.

Trusting the process

In Season 77, it seemed as if La Salle would make a push for their third straight General Championship, yet. it wasn’t meant to be as UST clinched the title after making a late run in the second half of the season. Normally, teams who go through tough defeats would head back to the drawing board and try to hatch new plans that would bring them back to contention in a snap. La Salle however, continues to trust the foundation laid down by Reyes and Br. Bernie Oca FSC during the former’s stint as the OSD Director.

“Actually nothing major because we’ve more or less put in the necessary infrastructure,” he says, also citing academics and formation as the other areas the office will work on. “Maybe really more on the support mechanisms in terms of one, we know that the school really cannot sustain the needs of the sports office. So it’s really looking for partners outside to supplement what the school is able to provide us.”

“As a unit, we have been working hard in making sure we address properly all the weaknesses [of] the previous year,” Lanting adds. “I guess, everything is accounted for from the supplies, academic monitoring, teambuilding activities, and mental toughness programs.”

After four months, the table has been set for DLSU to bounce back from what was a season that went down to the wire. Lessons have been learned and even with the graduation of key veteran players from various teams, the coaches and the remaining players have adjusted and tweaked their strategies to not only get it done this season, but also to do great this Season 78.

“Well, of course subject to my talks with them, I mean on a whole, I sense very positive [outlooks] from them, from the sports office, from the sports staff,” Reyes answers when asked about DLSU’s chances this season. “I think we can get it [the GC] back.”

“I would think so,” Calanog said. “I think every year, when we meet with the coaches and we meet with the team captains, we meet with the players, we only ask of them to play, not even to win the championship but if they play to the best of their ability, yung excellence, that championship will come. The wins will come. So it’s now just a matter of putting in the time and the effort into the training and hopefully that will pay off in the actual games. And hopefully that will in turn convert into championships.”