BY MILES ARCENAL
CHARLES Tiu admitted that they, as a team, panicked in the NCAA Season 100 finals which resulted in Mapua sweeping College of St. Benilde to end a 33-year title-drought for the team from Intramuros.
But Tiu, already in his fifth year as head coach, hopes that the pain that they experienced from last year will fuel their title drive this year.
“Last year we panicked, we lacked the experience, we weren’t ready for the big moments,” Tiu admitted.
“So this year we worked on that. We worked on a lot of issues that we struggled with in the Finals, and we’re trying to be a deeper team.”
READ: NCAA 101: Coaches agree title chase will still go through Mapua
With reigning MVP Allen Liwag running it back with the Blazers, they are certainly a deeper team up front as veteran big Shaun Umali is now eligible to play for them after red-shirting in NCAA Season 100.
With Umali there to provide support, Tiu hopes that they won’t have to rely heavily on the 6-foot-6 forward.
“Allen is improving a lot as a player, no doubt about that, but what I’m hoping this year is we won’t have to rely on him too much,” Tiu explained.
“We now have Shaun Umali to help him. Shaun is physical, a post presence, a good defender, and he’s one of our leaders also. He’ll be a huge help for us.”
Still, Benilde’s depth will be tested early, with key player Tony Ynot likely missing the start of the season due to injury.
And the challenge won’t be easy as they find themselves in the so-called ‘Pool of Death’ with San Beda, EAC, JRU, and Letran.
“Well it’s a tough challenge. If you want to be a champion anyway, you have to go through these teams. We’re gonna be ready for it,” Tiu said.
While they haven’t won the big one yet, Tiu can proudly say that he’s already fixed the culture of the Blazers – as they’ve made the playoffs in each of his four years in the program.
“For me, it’s about building a winning program, fixing the culture. Before I took over, the school hadn’t seen much success - they never made the playoffs in 20 years,” he said.
“So we want to consistently make it, develop our players, and be a program and a school that players want to go to,” he added.
But now it’s all about taking the next step for them, and he knows that if they are to take the leap, it starts with their MVP in Liwag.
“Of course, Allen has goals to win the MVP again, but I’m telling him to look at the bigger picture. What matters is the championship,” Tiu stressed.
“For me, that’s the next step.”
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