UP until the end of the third quarter of the Letran – Emilio Aguinaldo College game in the NCAA Season 102 group stage on Thursday, it looked like it was going to go down the wire.
The Generals after all, made a strong push to close out the third quarter and tie the game at 61 apiece with 10 minutes left, putting themselves in a good position to take win number one in the tournament and hand the Knights their first loss.
But the Knights thought differently.
Letran started forcing one turnover after another. Kevin Santos, all of a sudden, was throwing down in-your-face dunks on the break while Titing Manalili started picking off the defense by making accurate passes and just less than five minutes later — the Knights were up 75-63 and in total control of the game.
READ: Letran overwhelms EAC for 3-0 start to NCAA Season 102
“It shows how responsive they are sa gusto kong mangyari. Cino-comment niyo nga na ang bilis ng laro, wala pang five, eight seconds andun na kami kaagad, we’re trying to press and force turnovers, that’s what we practice,” Ricardo said after Letran's 91-80 win over EAC.
“Those are habits. I’m trying to push them to the next level wherein bawal mapagod. Yan ang sinasabi ko sa kanila. If you want to go to the next-level, bawal mapagod. Kasi ito lang naman din ang maga-ahon sa kanila.”
No switch, full throttle
While it’s easy to pin down Letran’s run to having a switch that they can turn on-and-off whenever they want to, that’s not exactly how Ricardo described it.
The outspoken third year coach of Letran detailed how that fourth quarter run was a mere byproduct of the team’s constant pressing and aggression on both ends from the very start, tiring out the Generals — forcing them to play their pace, and eventually outlasting them in the end by keeping up that tempo for the full 40 minutes until their opponents break.
That’s where all those extra hours in the gym, running and pressing and then running some more, are starting to pay off.
The next level that Ricardo was so keen on talking about was in full display in that five-minute stretch where the Knights looked like they were just simply the fresher, and more determined, squad come the fourth quarter.
“Eventually hindi mo naman makukuha yan ng first half e. Lahat ng teams nagpprepare. So it’s all about the mental and physical toughness ng mga bata,” he shared.
“That’s why nagkaroon kami ng momentum, nakakuha kami ng mga turnovers which resulted to turnover points, so yun talaga yung biggest factor for the past few games.”
Ready for the Rapture
That style isn't entirely isolated on the EAC game. Letran’s game for the season has been heavily predicted on wreaking havoc and building pace and the numbers totally back it up.
The Knights lead the league in fastbreak points by a mile, posting 24.3 points on the break through three games. They also lead the league with in steals with 16 a game, and to no surprise – they’ve forced the most turnovers per game at 25.
Their fast-paced approach seems to be a throwback to Ricardo’s time with the Squires when he won back-to-back titles with Manalili in the NCAA juniors division — cutthroat, fast and lethal.
“Speaking of that, binabalikan ko yung high school days, yung journey ko from first year and last year, what went good, what went wrong and again babalik kami sa fundamentals ng game,” Ricardo shared.
While the Muralla faithful have seen glimpses of that style in the previous iterations of Ricardo’s Knights over the past two-years, it seems like this is the year when Ricardo finally gets to unleash that style on a consistent basis – and it all boils down to personnel.
Though they still have Santos and Aaron Buensalida at their disposal, two of the most solid bigs in the league today— their roster this time has always been built to go fast.
While the Manalili – Jimboy Estrada backcourt tandem is a given, the arrival of fast, athletic wings and forwards in the likes of Denzil Sison-Walker, Justin Cargo, Lance Siena and George Diamante has allowed Letran to play with this type of aggression.
Add to it the continuous growth of second-year guard Chad Gammad as the Knights’ main floor-spacer and Ricardo certainly now has the pieces to wreak havoc and force their opponents to play at a frenetic pace.
“If you have the pieces, mayroon kaming Kevin Santos mayroon kaming Buensalida but again sila lang yung malaki namin,” Ricardo explained.
“We’re just trying to play hard defense and tawag ko nga doon, is the rapture. That’s 94 feet (of defense). Ayun eventually naman nag-pick up.”
Ricardo, however, isn’t falling into complacency as he understands that teams will certainly find ways to adjust to how they want to play.
But that’s when all those countless hours in the gym will start to pay off for them. If they want to come and try to match Letran’s intensity and effort, he’s confident that he has a team willing to take it even further.
“Sa amin naman, we’re always ready kung anong ibigay samin. Maraming press break na gagawin sa amin but we’re always ready kung anong ibibigay nila.”
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