YURI Escueta is just ecstatic to finally get the monkey off of his back and nail his first win at the helm for San Beda.
And what better way to claim that at the expense of the Red Lions' archrival Letran in dominant fashion, scoring a 25-point rout, 102-77, on Sunday in the Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup.
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"Of course, the first win is always nice, and swerte na Letran pa ang nakalaban namin," he said.
Escueta, though, isn't putting too much thought on the win, seeing it as just the start with San Beda slowly absorbing the system he's putting in place.
"We have time to practice last week. This is just our first full month of practice so we took advantage of it, we strengthen our free throws tsaka yung mga pinagpapraktisan namin. We just want to focus on the game and what we're trying to do," he said.
Against the Knights, the Red Lions looked far from the team that dropped their first three games in the tournament, shooting 14 for 37 from deep, made 26 of their 38 free throws, and assisted in 21 of their 31 baskets.
This, to Escueta, is a testament on how the players have embraced his principles in their short time together in hopes of bringing San Beda back into contention.
"Credit to the players on how they work on their shots, on how they accepted what we're trying to do defensively. Medyo challenge din sa kanila yun kasi medyo nag-shift yung offensive and defensive principles and mahirap i-explain yung xs and os pero nahirapan sila kasi iba talaga," he said.
"So credit goes to them for being receptive, willing to learn, and listening everyday in practice."
Escueta hopes that this is indeed just the start, eager to see the Lions play with more confidence.
"It's not just necessarily threes. I just told them to take open shots," he said. "It could be a layup, an open three, but as long as the shot is open, feel free, be confident, and fire it."
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