By Jerome Lagunzad
He’s not as ultra athletic as La Salle counterpart Ben Mbala. He’s not as quick as University of Santo Tomas big man Steve Akomo. He’s not as powerful as Adamson center Papi Sarr.
But Ateneo’s homegrown slotman Isaac Go is smart enough to play to his strengths and within the Blue Eagles’ solid system that makes him as one of the most compelling figures in this year’s UAAP basketball finals against the Green Archers.
The former Xavier standout has showed poise well beyond his years, emerging as Ateneo’s unlikely source of production down the stretch that put the coveted crown within the Blue Eagles’ grasp.
Go, 21, drained a booming triple late in regulation then came through with another back-breaking putback while he’s down on the floor in overtime, enabling Ateneo to escape past host Far Eastern University, 88-84, in their knockout Final Four duel exactly a week ago.
Then Go picked up from where he left off in the series opener against the Green Archers over the weekend, turning a nifty feed by ace wingman Thirdy Ravena into a game-clinching and-one play in the closing seconds that capped the Blue Eagles’ 76-70 victory.
“The next man mentality,” was how Go summed up his renewed drive in Ateneo’s bid to stop a five-year title drought since American coach Norman Black led the Blue Eagles to a ‘five-peat.’
“If you see, a lot of us got into foul trouble, and coach (Tab Baldwin) had to go deeper into the bench but everybody stepped up. Everybody was ready to play. That’s how we’re mature. We got better, we’re ready to play.”
Although his numbers were not eye-popping as he collected five points, two rebound and as many assists in nearly 16 minutes of play off the bench, Go himself has made a strong impact on the defensive end, helping limit the 6-foot-7 Mbala to his lowest production in the league at eight points in seven attempts.