LETRAN head coach Allen Ricardo has always looked ahead to NCAA Season 101 - and for plenty of good reasons.
Falling short of bringing his alma mater back to the semifinals last year after a dismal end to Season 99, the second-year collegiate coach won’t have a hard time leaving that campaign behind, especially with what’s in store.
Joining their core trio of Jimboy Estrada, Deo Cuajao, and Kevin Santos are now-eligible transferees Mark Denver Omega and Jun Roque (Perpetual), Aaron Buensalida (La Salle), Peter Rosillo (Mapua), and Luis Tapeno (St. Clare), giving the Knights one of the deepest rosters in the upcoming season.
“Importante talaga yung may materyales e. Kahit na gaano kaganda yung ilatag mong sistema, 'pag wala kang players na magfi-fit sa ginagawa mo, it’s useless,” Ricardo said.
“I’m lucky that with Jun Roque, with Omega, with Buensalida, with Jimboy Estrada, beterano na e. So kailangan ko lang ma-insert sa kanila kung pano kami pupunta sa opensa at depensa. Kailangan may clarity."
And that’s something that Ricardo isn’t taking for granted.
“Naka-focus talaga ako sa kanila. For the past weeks, lagi kaming twice-a-day nagpa-practice. Para maramdaman nila yung perseverance at yung sacrifice na kailangan,” he bared.
“We’re doing this for a certain goal. Ang kalaban ko dito sa mga batang 'to, 'pag nagre-relax e.”
Moses to lead Knights to promised land
But the one who could truly unlock Letran’s potential isn’t a transferee, but a player who’s always been there.
NCAA juniors standout Jonathan Moses 'Titing' Manalili is now good to go for the seniors tournament and he’s already making his presence felt with the blue-and-red who’ve truly looked good in the Playtime Cares Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup.
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The 21-year-old continues to be the steady hand guiding the Knights’ crusade so far, including a 12-point, 10-assist double-double in their 80-65 win over potential semis rival Perpetual.
Manalili knows exactly what he can bring to the table and he’s not shying away from taking the lead for this team.
“Simula nung pumasok ako sa college, alam naman nila yung kung anong kaya kong gawin. Basta malibre lang sila, makikita ko yan,” Manalili said.
“Lahat naman, bibigyan ko, especially sa bigs kasi siyempre, hindi madali yung trabaho nila, rebound, box-out, gusto ko ma-rewardan sila at kumakain din sila.”
That Jimboy-Titing tandem will be a problem
Manalili's arrival pairs him with the brilliant, do-it-all guard in Estrada who only missed out on an individual award last year after getting ejected.
The transferee out of St. Claire posted averages of 16.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game and he's excited to finally have all the help that he could have this season.
Manalili’s arrival relieves him of playmaking duties, while having plenty of scorers around him like Roque and Rosillo, among others, opens the game more for him.
“[Mas madali na ngayon] kasi nadagdagan pa yung team namin, nadagdagan kami ng scorers, nagkaro'n kami ng point guard,” Estrada said, while promising that he’ll exert extra effort on other things to make this new and exciting backcourt partnership work.
“Kung ano ginagawa ko last year, kailangan ko pa dagdagan para mas lalong matulungan itong team,” he added.
Now, it’s all about making sure this promising run with a bunch of really talented recruits translates into the NCAA season.
For Ricardo, that means creating more familiarity within, as there's no questioning the talent he has at his disposal right now.
“It’s not really about the system now e. Madaming sistema, pwede kami mag-tweak sa iba’t-ibang possessions,” Ricardo said.
“It’s all about clarity on sa'n kami pupunta at sa'n kami mag-eend up 'pag walang nangyayari.”
Manalili, for his part, vows that he's only just begun.
As he puts it, “Dapat maging consistent ako. Iba pa rin ang Filoil sa season pa. Ang challenge sa'kin ngayon, madala sa season.”
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