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How Coach Olsen's advice unburdened once-pressured Xyrus Torres

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Aeron Gabriel V. Pantig

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="The Tamaraws are on a three-game winning streak, and a more relaxed Xyrus Torres is a major reason for his team" s="" resurgence.="" UAAP="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/sports/10/30/10302022-xyrus-torres-feu.jpg"/><figcaption>The Tamaraws are on a three-game winning streak, and a more relaxed Xyrus Torres is a major reason for his team&#x27;s resurgence. UAAP Media</figcaption></figure></div>After dropping their first five games in the UAAP Season 85 Men’s Basketball Tournament, the Far Eastern University Tamaraws are peaking at the right time. And Xyrus Torres is a big reason behind it. Torres dropped a season-high 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc to exact revenge against the UE Red Warriors, 75-68, Saturday afternoon at the SMART Araneta Coliseum. The Tamaraws clawed back from a 15-point deficit to snatch their third straight win in the tournament. However, the 6-foot sharpshooter revealed that their 5-game losing slump, which was FEU’s worst start in the UAAP Final Four era, weighed down on him.Torres, 22, was only averaging 8.4 points and 2.8 rebounds in 27 minutes during their first five games. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/10/30/22/uaap-feu-shakes-off-slow-start-gets-back-at-ue">UAAP: FEU shakes off slow start, gets back at UE</a></li></ul>“Dumating sa point na kinausap talaga ako ni Coach (Olsen Racela) ng 1 on 1, ano ba nangyari. Parang sinabi ko lang sa kanya na, ‘Coach parang nap-pressure ako’,” Torres shared. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/10/19/22/uaap-feu-finally-barges-into-win-column-by-beating-ust">UAAP: FEU finally barges into win column by beating UST</a></li></ul>“So ayun, sinabi niya lang na hindi mo kailangan ma-pressure kasi hindi lang naman offense ’yung hinihingi namin sa’yo.”The Pampanga native thanked his coaches and teammates’ trust and posted the norm of 15 points and two steals in their last three games. “Well, sinasabi ko naman kay Xyrus more than just a shooter ang value niya sa’min … Nagtataka nga sa bakit binibigyan ko pa siya ng playing time, sabi ko hindi lang naman ang shoot ang tinitignan natin. And he was really consistent in defense,” Racela said. FEU, now at 3-5, is seeking its ninth straight Final Four appearance since Season 76. The Tamaraws aim to extend their winning streak as they take on Schonny Winston and the De La Salle Green Archers, who are on a 3-game skid, on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.

The Tamaraws are on a three-game winning streak, and a more relaxed Xyrus Torres is a major reason for his team's resurgence.