MANILA, Philippines — Back in the Final Four for the first time in five seasons, the Adamson Soaring Falcons are now "living the dream," says head coach Franz Pumaren.
The Falcons' 76-61 victory over the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers on Wednesday gave them a 7-5 record in the UAAP Season 79 tournament to land a spot in the semifinals.
This marks the first time that Adamson will play in the UAAP postseason since 2011, when Leo Austria, the Falcons' coach at the time, led the team to the No. 2 seed only to lose to the Far Eastern University Tamaraws.
With a proven system under their new head coach and a bevy of talented Filipino-American recruits joining gritty veterans, the Falcons regained their competitive edge and notched some impressive wins en route to the semifinals.
"I think," Pumaren said, "right now, we're living the dream.
"I feel that we surprised a lot of basketball fanatics. We were able to fast-track everything."
Several pundits expected the Falcons to contend for the Final Four this year, but Pumaren himself downplayed the team's chances, instead pointing to the 2017 season as their time to make some noise in the UAAP.
"This year, we just wanted to be very competitive," he said.
It is his players, Pumaren said, who were determined to make it to the Final Four ahead of schedule.
"They wanted to attend the advance party," he said. "(But) nobody expected us to be here in the Final Four."
Not only are the Falcons in the semifinals; they've also kept alive their chance of claiming a twice-to-beat edge in the Final Four with two more games left in their elimination round schedule.
Adamson plays red-hot Ateneo and also-ran National University in its last two games, and Pumaren is determined to make the most of their chance.
"We'll continue dreaming," he said. "We'll continue the journey.
"We're in a situation where there is a possibility that we can create a tie for the second spot. Why not?"
Right now, Adamson is a "gate-crasher" to the Final Four party, Pumaren said, and the Falcons are relishing the role.
"With this opportunity, we might as well make the most out of it," the coach said.
In that instance, the team with the lowest quotient will get the fourth seed, and the second- and third-ranked teams will play in a virtual best-of-three series.
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