By ANGELO JACINTO
NCAA Season 99 is a time that Letran head coach Renzy Bajar would love to forget as soon as possible.
On the flipside, it’s something that fans of the proud institution won't easily forget.
The Knights' season was mired in bad luck, injuries and a case of bad timing as the three-time champions ended their campaign with a dismal 2-16 record - the worst in the history of the school.
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It was a tough pill to swallow on a year which started with so much hope amid the momentum from their three-peat and ended with yet another heartbreak in a 77-68 loss to San Beda in a horror stretch where they’ve experienced plenty of it.
This year was so bad that out of sheer frustration, a couple of fans managed to give the new generation a glimpse of the 80s when they rushed towards the coaching staff of the Knights in their penultimate game against the Blazers.
Disappointing as it is, it’s the way the dice rolled for Bajar and he was pretty much playing with the cards he was dealt with.
“More on tinamaan kami ng mga injuries, then supposedly yung mga [veterans] namin like Kurt Reyson and Paolo Javellonar na medyo kinailangan mag-step up maging leader. Siyempre pressure din sila to perform then kasi all of our players in the lineup, in transition e,” he said.
“Kumbaga, rebuilding yung players, almost eight to 10 rookies ang meron kami ngayon e. Plus all of our main guys from last year nawala lahat yun.”
One look at this year’s PBA draft and you’d see how badly hit the Knights’ roster was this year with veterans like Fran Yu, Brent Paraiso, King Caralipio, Louie Sangalang, Tommy Olivario all heading to the pro ranks.
“Kaya kung mapapansin niyo 'yung mga games namin, andun kami, minsan lamang kami going into the fourth quarter, pag dating ng mga crucial moments, crucial minutes bumibigay,” he shared.
“Especially sa point guard position namin, nawala samin si Fran Yu, si Brent Paraiso plus si Tommy Olivario. Napalitan ng puro rookies yun at yun ang nagtatapos ng game, yun ang isa sa mga problema namin.”
All of a sudden, guys like Reyson and Javillonar were pushed into the spotlight to lead. Last year’s role player, Kobe Monje, was also given a bigger load on offense.
Big shoes to fill for Letran Knights
While that played a role in their downfall, Bajar isn’t putting it all on them, noting that Yu and Paraiso left big shoes to fill.
“Andun yun pinapakita naman nila yung leadership nila outside and inside the court, pero siguro [mahirap lang] compared to the players we were with before. Yun ang hinahanap namin. Siguro [on their end] kailangan mas ma-involve nila yung teammates nila aside from themselves. Kasi yun lang naman ang ano ko sa team na’to e, it’s not all about you, it’s all about team,” he said.
There’s still no word as to what will happen to the Knights program moving forward, but until there’s an official change from the top, it’s business as usual for Bajar and the team.
“Sa ngayon may nakalatag kaming programa. Siguro itong mga darating na preseason tournaments malaking bagay to,” he said.
“Mga bago naming players naka-standby sa Team B, may mga tutulong sa 'min for next season. Nakakuha kami ng veterans na I think makakatulong sa bawat position na kailangan namin, especially in the point guard position."
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