WITH Letran in survival mode in the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball finals, San Beda’s Bryan Sajonia knew it was now-or-never.
So he took it upon himself to bring the Red Lions home and shut the door on the Knights for good.
Just when the call for the final two minute mark resonated around the Smart Araneta Coliseum, Sajonia sized up the bigger Kevin Santos before draining the dagger three-pointer over the outstretched arms of one of the NCAA’s premier defenders to give the Red Lions a 76-69 lead, enroute to an 83-71 win to give San Beda its 24th NCAA title.
READ: Undeniable San Beda sweeps Letran to win NCAA title number 24
“Ano lang, sa confidence na binibigay sakin ni coach Yuri [Escueta] at mga teammates ko. Everytime na nasakin yung bola, ako yung pinagdedecision talaga e. Yun, thankful ako nanaconvert ko yung tira na yun,” Sajonia said.
Coach Yuri Escueta never doubted Sajonia’s confidence and his ability to hit the shots which matter the most.
“Sabi ko nga si Bryan matigas ang ulo pero malakas ang loob,” he said in jest.
Escueta would sometimes even shake his head at the quality of shots Sajonia would take, but he knew well to not question the decision making of his graduating gunner, knowing the work that he puts in his game night in and night out.
“Joke ko lang sa kanya yun but I tell him I want him to get easier shots. I know he can make tough shots but I just wanted him to play basketball more and get easier shots,” he stated.
“I just want to get him better shots. Malaki puso niyang batang yan. He’s a tough defender and he can really make shots. I know he’s confident because he really works hard in practice.”
Makes the threes, locks in on D
Sajonia’s dagger three-pointer capped off a 21 point, nine rebound night, enough for him to win the Finals MVP after posting averages of 19 points and 7.5 rebounds for the series.
But Sajonia’s value goes way beyond his shot-making and clutch ways, and it couldn’t have been more evident in the play that came before the dagger.
With the momentum shifting towards the Knights’ way, Sajonia took it upon himself to stop Jimboy Estrada – plucking the ball away from Letran’s super-scorer before diving for the loose ball to complete the defensive play and set the stage for what would be the biggest shot of his collegiate career.
That play encapsulated Sajonia’s attitude entering this game – that even without Janti Miller and his expected bump in usage, he was still taking pride in his defense.
“Di ko inexpect yun. Yung mindset ko this game is talagang dedepensa ako, thankful ako na humulog yung mga tira ko,” Sajonia said.
Replacement? More than that
That’s exactly why Escueta brought him here to begin with. Sure, he’s known more for his scoring, but Sajonia always had the capabilities of locking down defensively.
Losing a two-way wing in Tony Ynot to College St. Benilde, Escueta had to scramble in looking for a replacement. Luckily, Sajonia was looking for a den to take him in after leaving the FEU Tamaraws.
“I know him from FEU, we knew we needed to fill in the spot that Tony left. If Tony didn’t leave I wouldn't get Bryan cause I don’t want them to overlap sa recruitment namin,” he said.
“But more than as a replacement, I got something more than sa iniisip ko. I wouldn’t say better but champion na siya ngayon.”
READ: Yuri Escueta bet on himself. Now he's a two-time NCAA champ
And that’s the only thing that matters for Sajonia. Replacement or not, first choice or back-up, he’ll exit college with an NCAA championship and finals MVP award to boot.
“Sobrang saya e. Dream ko talaga to e,” Sajonia stated.
“Lahat ng college players, dream makapagchampion, sobrang grateful ko na napunta ako dito at nakapagchampion.”
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