Chris Koon, Mason Amos hold heads up high despite Blue Eagles' elimination

For Chris Koon and Mason Amos, there is nothing to be ashamed of despite Ateneo de Manila University being dethroned as UAAP men's basketball champions.

The Blue Eagles faltered against the twice-to-beat University of the Philippines in the UAAP Season 86 Final Four, 57-46, last Saturday.

This is the first time that the Katipunan-based squad missed the finals since UAAP Season 78 in 2015, when Far Eastern University and University of Santo Tomas battled for the title, with the Tamaraws eventually getting the crown.

"It's a tough year but like I said in the locker room, it's hard to criticize in this tough time but I'm just really proud of the guys," Koon said.

"We accomplished getting to the playoffs, obviously it's not the accomplishment we would've wanted, but just kind of a lot of emotions," he added.

Koon also revealed he was playing through the season with an injury.

"I have a fractured bone on my foot kind of the whole season, just played through it but let's see if it needs surgery," he said as he still needs to reflect on the season that happened.

Amos echoed Koon's thoughts about the blue-and-white squad's performance this season.

"To be honest I'm really proud of what we've done but we fell short. Every year, someone has to lose. I know that we had a good chance this year. The fact that we made it to the Final Four, I'm really proud of what we did," Amos said.

"All I can say is we got to continue building as a team. We have no choice now but to look forward to the next season."

Amos added that it is already a blessing to make it to the UAAP semifinals in his rookie year.

"I think I've done a pretty decent job this year. I've got a lot to improve on but the experience, that's what I really gained this year," he said.

—JMB, GMA Integrated News