(Editor's note: This is the fourth of a series of team previews for the NCAA Season 97.)
NCAA preview: San Sebastian
WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE? 11-7, 4th in the eliminations; lost to Letran in stepladder semis
WHO'S GONE? Allyn Bulanadi, RK Ilagan, Alvin Capobres
WHO'S BACK? JM Calma, Ken Villapando, Ichie Altamirano, Michael Are
WHO'S NEW? Kendrick Abarquez, James Una, Ian Suico
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IF you thought San Sebastian was scrappy before, what more now?
Losing its two main gunners, the Golden Stags are plunging into NCAA Season 97 desperate to find another source of firepower.
It's a tall task to accomplish, but one coach Egay Macaraya is keeping his fingers crossed as he hopes that someone capable to carry the scoring load will soon emerge in Recto.
"Puro role players ang mga natira sa amin, so naiba yung sistema namin ngayon na mas umiikot ang bola. We're playing without a legitimate scorer, so sinasanay namin sila na yung bola talaga, umiikot sa lahat at mas naka-focus kami sa depensa. Defense wins championships nga eh," he said.
Macaraya has his eyes set on his veterans Ken Villapando, Ichie Altamirano, and JM Calma, all of whom have garnered experience from their forays in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League and Filbasket, to be able to step up and fill the roles left by their seniors.
Playmaker Arjan dela Cruz is also making a comeback after suffering an ACL injury back in NCAA Season 95, while former University of San Jose-Recoletos stud Kendrick Abarquez has joined the Golden Stags' lair.
But more than the offense, it's the defense that Macaraya is zooming in on as he hopes that the extended offseason not only made his wards hungrier but also wiser.
"Ang maganda sa mga bata na ito, coachable sila. Even if lacking kami sa scorers, I think nako-compensate namin yun sa depensa. Hopefully lang, everybody is focusing on the right thing and I think good things wiill happen," he said.
And if Macaraya unearths another Allyn Bulanadi or RK Ilagan in the process? Well, it's just a massive bonus for a San Sebastian squad which aims to overachieve this year.
"Doon naman kami nagsimula dati, so malay natin baka maka-discover ulit tayo ng bagong RK at Allyn."
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