MANILA, Philippines — It is safe to say that the dark days are over for the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights after wrapping up with a 6-3 win-loss card in the Round 1 of the NCAA Season 100 men’s basketball tournament.
After a 1-8 slate in the first round of the previous season, winning only against the San Sebastian College-Recoletos, the Knights buried the nightmare finish and returned to their high-caliber form.
But for head coach Allen Ricardo, the job is not yet finished as he and his squad brace for the second round.
The Knights were the back-to-back champions during Season 98 and 97, before falling to the slump in Season 99 where they only tallied two wins and absorbed 16 losses.
“We still have nine games, I hope we can [win] six or seven games, but the way things around, the competition, all of the teams and their standings are close to each other, so we don’t know. The number eight or seven teams can rise. That’s why we need a sense of urgency when we play, that’s what I always tell them,” Ricardo said.
Letran capped the first round with a dominant win against the formidable Lyceum of the Philippines University, 78-66, last Oct. 5.
With the head tactician remembering the 2-16 finish of the Knights, he stressed that there is no room for complacency despite a comfortable lead in the first round.
“The 5-2, 5-3 records, and now we’re 6-3, that’s nothing. But in the meantime, we will celebrate this small win, this gave us the confidence to come to the next round. Six wins is six wins.”
“But we’re still far.”
During post-game, players always stressed out Ricardo’s encouraging words, which fueled them to perform at their best against their opponents.
It was more than the “pep talk” that the head coach gave to his team, it was the trust and faith that changed the attitude and the body language of the Knights.
“For me, I started with their attitude. The techniques, all the basketball coaches here are good at what they do. In terms of X and Os they know it. For me, as a coach what I learned is that the attitude of the players should be right, they have the discipline, respect, and commitment is there.”
This led his players to reach their potential.
Rookie Jimboy Estrada served as a starter, and he braved and stormed his defenders, continuously showing his mastery of doing flawless jumpers.
Big man Kevin Santos slowly found his footing as he guarded the rim, and displayed more confidence after taking the NCAA Player of the Week plum.
Ricardo showed faith in Deo Cuajao’s clutch capabilities after scoring 15 points on four triples in the fourth quarter, winning against the College of Saint Benilde.
Lastly, Pao Javillonar redeemed himself after returning to Letran and made a much introduction with a career-high of 28 points against Arellano.
Only a few were mentioned above, but the Knights showed that they are one as a team whenever they go in a battle.
Team captain Javillonar stressed that this season is all about bringing back the glory of Letran basketball.
“What motivates me is our last year’s performance, we want to be back on track, we want to bring back the legacy of Letran.”
