TO kick off the countdown for the NCAA Season 101 Finals, San Beda head coach Yuri Escueta set off a firecracker of a statement to the press.
After the Red Lions' 84-81 victory vs. Benilde that booked their return to the championship round, the 40-year-old coach took great lengths in praising his point guard Nygel Gonzales.
“Alam ko, people will say the best point guard for them si Titing Manalili, who is very good and talented. But for me, you can quote me on this: the best point guard for me is Nygel Gonzales,” said Escueta of his playmaker who contributed an all-around seven points, seven assists, and four rebounds against the Blazers.
“For me, alam ko maraming magsasabing hindi totoo yan. He plays defense, he rebounds, he brings the ball down, his turnovers are low, assist to turnover ratio niya is one to four.”
Gonzales has certainly been solid for the red-and-white, upping his averages to 11.66 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in his third season.
For comparison, Letran's Manalili, an MVP contender, posted per game counts of 14.1 point, 8.9 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.9 steals.
And so, ahead of Gonzales' face-off with Manalili on the biggest stage, the San Beda shot-caller is anticipating nothing less than a slobber-knocker.
“Head-to-head matchup, it's gonna be a dogfight. Kailangan, maghanda sila pareho,” Escueta said.
“Sabi ko, Letran's a deep team, so we need to be able to play deep also, especially in a series. Everyone needs to be locked in.”
Game on for Nygel
As surprising as Escueta’s statement is, there is one person who was unfazed by his claim.
That’s none other than Gonzales himself, who appreciates Escueta's unwavering guidance.
“Hindi naman, kasi kung tutuusin, from the very start pa nung rookie year ko, palagi ako china-challenge ni coach Yuri. Kaya for me, sanay na din naman ako,” he answered when asked about feeling pressure becaue of those big words.
That doesn't mean, though, that Gonzales will now go out of his way to prove he is, indeed, the best point guard.
“Well, ako naman sinusunod ko lang kung ano gusto ng mga coaches,” he said. “I try to maximize every scoring opportunity within the sets.”
“Titignan natin sa practice kung ano magagawa namin sa kanya (Manalili), pero for sure papahirapan namin yung Letran.”
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