ST. BENILDE could very well be depleted until the very end of its NCAA Season 101 classification campaign
Reigning MVP Allen Liwag's return from a shoulder injury remains up in the air, with coach Charles Tiu expecting his prized big to be out for their remaining two games in the classification.
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“We're not too sure. Some say four to six weeks, some say two to three weeks. It's really going to be up to him when he feels his shoulder is going to be strong enough," Tiu said after the Blazers' big 80-74 win over the Letran Knights on Friday.
That's why Tiu is calling out on his players to step-up, particularly from his backcourt where consistency have been an issue all season long.
Gab Cometa has been averaging 4.43 points so far in the season, only half of his Season 100 production of 8.5 points. Meanwhile, his backup Josh Cajucom, is hovering around the same mark at 4.25 points a game.
But he'd be delighted to see how Ian Torres responded in the win over the Knights, with Torres firing a team-high 15 points in the victory.
“To be honest, the last few games, we haven't been satisfied with the way our point guards especially have been playing. This season, none of them have played the way they played last year," Tiu lamented.
“I told them that's one of our biggest strengths last year that we had three point guards and we're all playing at a high level.”
Responding in a big way
Because of their fluctuating performance, Benilde drew a lot of flack and questions regarding their capability to return to the finals.
And rather than preventing the criticism to reach the players, Tiu used it as a tool to possibly harness Benilde’s guards and return to form.
“I just challenged them today before the game. Throughout the week, we see all the chatter from within our team, from the people supporting our team, from the fans always criticizing our point guards. It's up to you to respond and show what kind of players you are," Tiu stated.
“If you want to fall to criticism, be mentally weak, that's your problem. But the best ones show and prove it and go out there.”
Banking on his guards rising to the occasion, Benilde will have two guard-heavy teams in Jose Rizal University and Emilio Aguinaldo College to test their mettle
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