BY MILES ARCENAL
PERPETUAL head coach Olsen Racela may have missed out on elevating NCAA juniors MVP LeBron Jhames Daep but he's nonetheless confident with the talent that he'll be elevating for the upcoming NCAA Season 101 in JD Pagulayan, Jan Roluna, and Aries Borja - three players who were also a big part of the championship squad in the Juniors division.
The second-year shot-caller knows that the championship experience of his rookies is something he intends to nurture as they transition into the college game.
“The confidence they gained from winning a championship is a big thing for us. The challenge now is to translate that into the college level,” Racela said.
Racela, who works closely with juniors champion coach and also seniors assistant Joph Cleopas, said their partnership will be key in developing rookies both on and off the court.
“The college level is different from high school, so we’re guiding them not just as players but also as persons. Doon kami nagkakasundo ni coach Joph. We’ll continue to be teachers, help them with whatever they need or lack, and more importantly, carry that winning mindset forward,” he said.
Start 'em young
The tactician also emphasized the importance of their grassroots program, especially in developing homegrown talent for the seniors team.
“It was very crucial. The collegiate level is very hard to recruit if you don’t really have the means or big budget, so we strengthen our grassroots, specifically our high school program,” he said.
“Right now they’re really doing good job, si coach Joph is really doing good job. ‘Yun ang nagiging farm team namin, we get players from our high school teams. Malaking bagay yun sa’min, ang recruitment kasi is really the main thing in college basketball and with the high school program like ours medyo mapapadali yun for us,” he added.
The Altas will enter a new era in the NCAA with a deeper lineup, led by the likes of Mark Gojo Cruz, Patrick Sleat, John Paul Boral, LA Casinillo, and, of course, their battle-tested rookies.
“We have a better lineup but it doesn’t necessarily mean na better team. Right now, we’re trying to build on our chemistry, make it really a team first. But if lumakas kami, nagpalakas din yung ibang teams - lalo na yung Mapua, champion na nga, ang dami pang recruits.”
Despite the challenges, Racela made one thing clear - don’t sleep on Perpetual this year.
“Make no mistake, ang Perpetual Altas, we’ll be there competing.”
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