CJ Austria of the La Salle Green Archers during a UAAP Men’s Basketball Season 87 Final Four game. –UAAP PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – The UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament wasn’t exactly the best for La Salle guard CJ Austria.
Austria was once the Green Archers’ proven shooter in the ’86 championship season, but has struggled with injuries and shooting slumps in La Salle’s back-to-back title runs this season.
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No game epitomized Austria’s season better than the team’s final victory over Adamson, 70-55, in the Final Four at Araneta Coliseum on Saturday.
LIVE: UAAP Basketball Season 87 Final Four on November 30th
“All my punches before, I practiced them all. All my teammates told me, ‘Shoot that, we got you, it’s going in,’ but the shots weren’t going in,” Austria said in an interview with Inquirer Sports.
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“Still, I applaud my teammates because they cheered me on and said it was okay. They kept telling me to shoot, so even if I missed (my shots), my confidence was hugely boosted because my teammates were there.”
In 16 minutes of action, Austria fought hard and finished with just two points and two assists. The three-point sniper only sank one of his eleven attempts from the field.
READ: UAAP finals: La Salle’s CJ Austria fends off audience boos
Still, despite the subpar season he had, pessimism is not in the Austrian vocabulary.
With a rematch against the University of the Philippines in the best-of-three final, Austria hopes to regain the form that once helped La Salle to a historic title win.
“Hopefully,” Austria said when asked if he would be back to form in time for the UAAP finals.
“Nobody wants them to miss out on much so I hope my confidence and form comes back in the final so I can help. As a veteran, I want to help my team and contribute.”
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Game 1 of the UAAP Finals between La Salle and UP will take place on Sunday, still at the Big Dome in Cubao.