TO win it all, you've got to be as well-oiled of a machine as you can be.
And did the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers look like one on the way to shocking college basketball by winning the 19th Filoil Ecooil Preseason Cup.
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More than lifting the trophy in the long-running preseason league, the Heavy Bombers fired one of the loudest warning shots ahead of NCAA Season 102, baring real ambition of of finally ending their 64-year title drought come December.
But how did they do it?
Defense
Of course, we've got to start with the grit-and-grind mentality that coach Nani Epondulan brought to this JRU team.
We've seen flashes of that last season with JRU ranking second in points allowed and total field goals allowed, but the squad ramped it up in their preseason showing.
The Heavy Bombers ranked first in the Filoil when it came to points allowed at 68.4 points per game, suffocating the opposition with their intensity on defense.
Not one to shy away from physicality, the blue-and-gold were just tenacious on-ball defenders.
Just look at how their guards led by Lawrence Mangubat and even rookie Jhillian Palis hound the ball-handlers, or with how much the paint is crowded with Chris Hubilla, Allan Laurenaria, and Ivan Panapanaan collapsing down low.
Rebounding
More than being one of the supposed taller NCAA teams in the field, JRU adds another layer to their tenacity by the energy they bring inside the paint.
Gang rebounding has been one of the modus operandi for the squad this preseason, ranking first among NCAA teams by grabbing 38.4 boards per game, good for fourth-best in the league only behind University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas, and Far Eastern University - all of whom have foreign student-athletes who are certified rebounding demons.
A big bulk of those came on the offensive end where they hauled down 14.2 per game, making sure that they don't give up on their possessions and crash the boards to get those elusive second chances which led to a league-best 16.3 second chance points,
Outside shooting
In this day and age where offenses evolve, you've got to hit those perimeter shots.
And JRU sure has a chock full of gunners who aren't shy of lighting it up from distance.
Epondulan has given a green light to his players to take those outside shots when the defense gives it to them, and they sure are making those count.
Jalen Garcia, a transferee from Enderun, has been a shot of adrenaline to the team's offense as he knocked down 42.9-percent of his three-pointers while Stephen Garupil, a former NCAA Freshman of the Year, also displayed that improved form from rainbow country with his 42.6-percent clip, one which was seen in the crucial junctures of Game Two en route to the clincher.
Last year's leading scorer Sean Salvador is still there, averaging 8.5 points on 29-percent clip.
But it was Mangubat who has really taken over the mantle to be the leader for this squad when it comes to the offense as he posted an average of 15.5 points capped by his 27-point output in Game Two of the finals.
Heck, even big guys like Hubilla, Justin Lozano, and Harry Herrera were allowed to take those shots if they are open - proof of the trust that Epondulan has on his wards.
More than anything, it's the players buying in to the system which Epondulan repeatedly emphasized has enabled JRU to achieve this preseason success.
Players understanding their roles and being accountable for that has been a big plus for the Kalentong crew to become only the third NCAA team to lift the Filoil trophy.
Of course, preseason is a different beast from the season proper, and the jury is still out on the Heavy Bombers on whether they can replicate this success when the lights are at their brightest.
The chances, however, is that there's a big probability that this success isn't just a preview but also a spoiler of things to come in NCAA Season 102.
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