WHILE promising to bring its A-Game in the 100th NCAA basketball tournament, Letran is tempering expectations.
“Actually, kung titingnan mo itong 100th season, parang nasa rank sixth to 10th kami kasi nandiyan pa ang defending champion San Beda, Mapua, Lyceum, CSB, EAC at Arellano, which is coming from a 9th or 10th place finish,” new Knights coach Allen Ricardo, who replaced Rensy Bajar, said. “Nakita naman natin ang improvement ng team nila. Again, we just take it one game at a time.
“Somehow naman ako, lagi kong sinasabi ang legacy nila as a person. Hindi matatawaran kung paano sila maglaro at kung paano sila magpakamatay, iyong legacy nila kapag naglalaro sila, ma-redeem ninyo from last season. I cannot promise anything. As I have said, going into this season, rank 6th to 10th. We will play it one game at a time. Talagang malalakas kalaban naming,” he added.
Letran wound up with a woeful 2-16 slate last season under Bajar and faces San Sebastian College on Sunday at The Arena in San Juan.
A former Squires strategist, Ricardo guided the team to the top in the juniors’ meet in the 98th season.
He said the Knights will have their traditional buzz cut before they begin their bid, explaining that it’s more than just a haircut.
“Una iyong sa Friday, papagupitan ko na sila kasi we always start from the ground and stay humble no matter what. Kaya may reason ‘zero’ ang ipapagupit ko sa mga bata, para makita ang unity as a team. Ma-appreciate ng community, ma-appreciate ng mga sumusuporta,” Ricardo said. “So, binabago ko muna ang pag-uugali nila at body language nila because as a coach, iyong mga techniques maituturo naman. Pero kung hindi naman maganda attitude at body language mo, useless din ang technique.
“Kung ano ang coaching style ko sa juniors, ganoon din coaching style ko sa seniors. Ako kasi, aside from techniques, importante sa akin ang right attitude, right body language. Kasi naniniwala ako na kapag tama ginagawa mo sa buhay mo, tama iyong ugali mo, may magandang balik sa iyo palagi. Iyon lang iyong principle ko as a person.”
Letran will begin its campaign without veteran Paolo Javillonar due to a three-game suspension for playing for Converge in the pre-season and the season-ending injury of Jonathan Manalili.
Javillonar was slapped with the ban after he was listed with the PBA’s Converge FiberXers during the 39th Kadayawan Festival last July.
The Knights team captain was selected 19th overall by Converge in this year’s Draft, while Manalili has an undisclosed injury, and will undergo a medical operation mid-September, according to Ricardo.
