The UST Growling Tigers faced adversity early on in their 80-75 win over the La Salle Green Archers when starting power forward Gelo Crisostomo suffered an injury at the 6:55 mark of the first quarter. Down one key player, head coach Pido Jarencio turned to sophomore Koji Buenaflor to step up.
Crisostomo never returned to the game, but his absence hardly mattered. With Buenaflor and others providing valuable help off the bench, the Growling Tigers still secured their first win in the UAAP Season 89 Men’s Basketball Tournament after their opening-game loss to the UP Fighting Maroons.
“Nawala pa yung isang key player namin, hindi nakapaglaro si Gelo [Crisostomo], marami sa amin kailangan mag-step up,” Buenaflor said in an interview with Rebanse. Buti naman this game maraming nag-step up, si [Charles] Steban, [Kris] Porter, and other teammates.”
Koji Buenaflor Leads Next-Man-Up Approach
Indeed, several Growling Tigers filled the void left by Crisostomo.
Coming off the bench, Charles Steban finished with 9 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Kris Porter contributed 3 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. Meanwhile, Buenaflor, who logged the most minutes off the bench with 23, ended with 5 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block. He also played down the stretch, a sign that UST coach Pido Jarencio likely has faith in his young forward.
“Actually yung mga last minute na yun, thank you lang kay Coach Pido kase stay-in ako sa game, so makikita mo yung tiwala niya sa akin,” he said.
The Little Things Matter, Says Koji Buenaflor
The stat sheets don’t necessarily reflect Koji Buenaflor’s contributions to UST’s first win of Season 89. But he did the little things, including setting screens, defending, and grabbing rebounds.
“Nandoon ‘yung responsibility ko na gawin lahat ng tama sa loob ng court, meaning tama, hindi lang puro score, puro ganun, kailangan ko rumebound, umiscreen, set screens,” he said. “Mga little things na kailangan ko para maka contribute sa game,” Buenaflor added.
With Crisostomo’s status still uncertain for the next few days, best believe that the second-year forward will answer the call to step up once more.
