OLSEN Racela was still in a San Miguel Beermen uniform the last time Perpetual ended the elimination round as the No. 1 team in NCAA Season 80.
That's why now he's calling the shots for the Altas, Racela himself was caught by surprise at the history he and his wards just made in Season 101.
Not only that, the Las Pinas-based outfit will be twice-to-beat in the quarterfinals against the victor of the play-in game between Jose Rizal University and Emilio Aguinaldo College.
Who would've thought, right?
“I'm happy for the community, for the supporters, for the alumni, and for the players, but it’s not how you start, but it’s how you end,” Racela clarified. “It's good that may marka kami nang konti, may na-achieve kami, but we’re after the bigger prize.”
Looking at Perps' roster, not even a handful of names would catch the eye - and their head coach would be the first to admit such.
“If you take a look at what we achieved, sasabihin mong hindi kami underdog. But if you take a look at the lineups and you compare man-for-man, I think we’ve overachieved,” he said, as this dream run has been propelled by the likes of Mark Gojo Cruz, Patrick Sleat, and John Abis.
“I think it shows in the way we play. No-nonsense, laro lang talaga, walang pa-star, and I think that’s the way the game should be.”
Interestingly, though, that similar formula was what the Season 80 iteration of the Altas ran with all the way to the finals.
Like the current squad, which has a shortage of big-name stars, that 2004 crew was also headlined by under-the-radar players, with nobody from that roster even making it to the PBA.
All they had was clear belief in the system, wilingness to defend, and all-out effort - much like Racela's wards this year.
As he put it, “Sakripisyo yun, eh. Hindi basta-basta lahat, gusto dumepensa, and we were doing that individually. And more importantly, as a team.”
Nevertheless, that’s where the Perpetual tactician hopes the similarities would end.
Those Season 80 Altas unfortunately lost in the finals to Jayson Castro-led Philippine Christian University, so this year, their mentor is making sure their sights are still set on the prize, as the top seed is just that, the top seed.
“Right now, ang meaning ng success is subjective. Para sa akin, wala pa yung success. We’ve achieved something, it’s worth noting, pero kulang pa ‘yon. It just shows that something’s working dun sa ginagawa namin,” he said.
“Nakuha na namin yung unang goal namin which is twice-to-beat, bonus yung nag-number one. But until we make it to the next level, for me, yun ang definition ng success. I wanna keep them grounded and make them still focused on the prize.“
Perpetual's lessons from losses
Indeed, their ceremonious rise to the top spot wasn’t without a few snags, as before their rescheduled eliminations closer against Lyceum, Perpetual was working through a three-game skid.
And with the quarterfinals right around the corner, the Altas needed to iron out each and every fault, even in what was hailed as a non-bearing game - in the standings, at the very least.
“Yun yung focus ko sa kanila, yung morale ng team. Credit to them, they were really still focused on playing possession by possession. In fact, sa three-game stretch, maganda pa rin yung depensa namin, which was really important,” said Racela.
“Yung resulta hindi namin nakuha, pero yung proseso ng ginagawa namin was still there. So I knew that in time na makukuha na rin namin yung panalo.”
And though they did pull off a 72-57 drubbing of the Pirates, a few tweaks are still in order, especially when it comes to shot-making.
“Well, more on the offensive end. Our defense has been consistent. You know, offense nalang ang kailangan namin na ma-improve, especially sa bench namin. Our outside shooting needs to improve, as well," said their head coach.
"Hopefully, itong ilang days, magawan namin ng paraan to work on that.”
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