How Nash Racela Turned Adamson into the UAAP’s Defensive Standard
The UAAP Season 89 Men’s Basketball Tournament has been a rollercoaster ride so far.
Before the season started, there was a lot of discourse on who the contending Final Four teams would be. The majority of people would say UP and La Salle, as they have faced each other in the Finals in each of the past three seasons. Others would go with UST, FEU, NU, and Ateneo, and for good reason too.
However, a few weeks into the season, the picture has already changed.
Ateneo defeated NU. NU defeated UP. UP defeated Ateneo. UST defeated La Salle. La Salle defeated NU. It has been a showcase of competitiveness among the top teams, and a testament to the level of competition in the UAAP.
Yet one team that people didn’t necessarily expect to be in the mix has forced its way into the conversation—Adamson.
The Soaring Falcons defeated FEU in a thrilling season opener, then blew out UST just last Saturday. Their early success may have caught many by surprise, but there is more to it than what meets the eye—and head coach Nash Racela explains why.
Defense That Makes the Difference
When you look closely at Adamson’s games, one thing stands out: they have been low-scoring. The Soaring Falcons average the fewest points per game among all UAAP teams so far this season at just 69.7 PPG. So how did they win? Simple—they made sure their opponents scored even less.
As the graph above shows, Adamson leads the UAAP in defensive rating so far this season, allowing just 83.2 points per 100 possessions. In simple terms, defensive rating measures how many points a team allows if you gave them 100 possessions to work with, and the San Marcelino-based squad leads the rest of the league by quite a margin.
For Racela, it didn’t start with defensive techniques right away. It started with their mindset.
“Well, everything started with us realizing and accepting that we are not as talented as the other teams. So, ‘yun ang aming pinaka-base. That’s why, now that we accept that, we know that it’s a reality; ayan yung mga pwede naming gawin,” he expressed.
“We sold that [mindset] to the players. We decided to play defense. I do think that they were able to buy in.”
That type of mindset is reflected in the way they play. They play with energy, intensity, grit, and most importantly, a will to win, even when others didn’t expect them to. It’s something you can’t measure with stats.
But even when you look at the numbers, the results speak for themselves so far.
When looking at this graph, focus on three things: Adamson’s stats in blue, their opponents’ stats in the dashed line, and the league average in the smaller dashed line.
There are a lot of things that stand out. First, look at the league averages for PPG, FG%, 2PT%, and 3PT%. Now, take a look at Adamson’s numbers. They are pretty much lower, right? But look further and check their opponents’ numbers. Adamson limits their opponents’ scoring and shooting efficiency significantly below the league average. Even though Adamson’s own numbers are below the league average, they make sure their opponents are even lower.
Next, look at the blocks per game (BPG), steals per game (SPG), and turnovers per game (TOV). Adamson’s numbers are significantly higher than both the league average and their opponents’ when it comes to blocks and steals. They block more shots, get more steals, and, most importantly, limit their own turnovers while forcing more from their opponents.
At the forefront of that is Precious Jonah, who leads the UAAP so far in BPG with 4.3, while Mathew Montebon leads in SPG with 3.3 per game.
You might notice that the Soaring Falcons gave up a lot of rebounds in the graph, and it would not be wrong to consider that an area for improvement. A huge reason for that is the rebounding disparity in their game against UST, where Adamson was outrebounded 50–36. But what’s even more impressive is that they still managed to play great defense even after giving up offensive rebounds and with Collins Akowe inside the paint.
However, it’s still early in the season, and the results can always change. Knowing this, Racela pointed out exactly what they need to do as they move further into the season.
“We just have to have consistency. Sa depensa namin, we can’t let up against other teams na we think are not as formidable or not as strong as those contenders. So dapat pare-pareho lang ang trato namin sa kanila. I think if we continue to have that mentality, magkakaroon kami lagi ng chance sa game.”
Ultimately, Adamson may not be the team that scores the most, but their ability to make opponents score even less has become the foundation of their success so far.
The Other Side of the Ball
Although Adamson has been performing well so far, there was one game that served as an example of what they still need to improve on, which was their 73–68 loss against Ateneo.
For Racela, even with their defensive identity already established, there is still room to refine it.
“We saw some points ‘dun sa defense namin na nagkamali kami,” he shared.
But what’s interesting is what he said after.
“I think [offensively] is just really more on giving up the ball.”
Defensively, we know what Adamson is capable of. But offensively, the stats may not tell the whole story. The coaching staff, however, sees something different, as they trust the system they run.
“We run a conceptual type of offense, which means there’s a little bit of freedom dun sa mga players namin. That’s why we always encourage them to make the right decision. So pag maganda ang desisyon nila, then we will be a hard team to play against,” Racela added.
One player who has benefited from that freedom is none other than their leader, Mathew Montebon. In terms of an advanced stat called Player Efficiency Rating (PER), Montebon leads all UAAP players who are averaging more than 15 minutes per game.
PER is an advanced statistic that measures a player’s overall statistical productivity on the court, taking into account positive contributions such as scoring, assists, rebounds, steals, and blocks, as well as negative plays like missed shots and turnovers. In simple terms, the higher the PER, the more productive a player has been statistically.
Montebon averages 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 63.3% in true shooting percentage (TS%), a metric that accounts for two-pointers, three-pointers, and free throws. Those numbers have helped him post a 31.8 PER, the highest among players meeting the minutes threshold, and made him the current leading candidate for the MVP award.
Related: UAAP Season 89 MVP Race: Montebon Leads Mongcopa
Of course, Montebon is not the only weapon on the Falcons’ roster. Precious Jonah averages 10.0 points per game, followed by Matt Erolon at 8.7, Mat Edding at 8.3, Ray Allen Torres at 7.3, and Earl Medina at 6.0.
That production shows that even if Adamson’s offense does not stand out in traditional team statistics, they have players capable of making efficient and impactful contributions within their system.
The Buy-In
At the end of the day, the numbers can only tell part of Adamson’s story. The defensive rating, the steals, the blocks, and the efficiency numbers show what the Soaring Falcons have accomplished, but the effort and intensity behind those numbers are what make their identity work.
Racela himself has been pleased with what he has seen from his team, especially in their statement win over UST.
“Well, as a coach, I can’t really complain [about] the effort that they put in. Again, the focus; just basing on that last game sa UST, can you imagine a dominating team like UST, all of a sudden scores less than 60. So even I myself as a coach medyo na-surprised ako, but at the same time syempre I was really happy because nagkakaroon na talaga ng buy-in.”
The challenge now is consistency.
Adamson has already shown that it can compete with the UAAP’s top teams. It has already proven that its defense can dictate games and that its offense can do enough to support it. But with a long season ahead, the real test will be whether the Soaring Falcons can maintain the same intensity, focus, and buy-in every time they step on the court.
For a team that was not widely expected to be in the conversation before the season began, Adamson has already made its presence felt. Now, it is about seeing how far that identity can take them.
