By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers head coach Pido Jarencio couldn’t contain his frustrations and addressed his bashers when they pulled off an impressive 79-70 victory over the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws in the second round of the UAAP Season 87 preliminary round.
After their win, Jarencio was no holds barred in front of the press conference after saying: “I have so many bashers. I love you all. I hope you all die. That’s it.”
Before outclassing the Tamaraws, the Growling Tigers were in a three-game losing skid after dropping their past three outings against DLSU, UP, and Ateneo.
Despite the retooled roster and a promising start in the first round of the eliminations, UST suddenly went flat and entered a cold stretch and dropped to a 5-6 win-loss record for the fourth spot in the standings.
UST still has two remaining games left to determine its Final Four fate. To fortify its spot in the playoffs, they must win against the National University (NU) Bulldogs and the University of the East (UE).
With the ongoing bashing and criticisms Jarencio is facing, the veteran mentor still vowed to lead UST to a playoff seat and end their post-season drought.
Just when everybody thought Jarencio would focus on explaining the attention to detail in his turn, the returning coach added more statements to his haters.
“To our real fans, keep watching us. If you’re not real, it’s okay. If only five thousand fans watched us today, that’s fine with us. I have nothing to say anymore. I might say something worse. I don’t know. Thank you,” added Jarencio.
Currently, the Growling Tigers are in the position to clinch the final spot in the playoffs but if they drop their last two games and Ateneo rake their clashes against UP and FEU, the Blue Eagles might take over their spot, depending on the outcome.
