EVAN Nelle was audacious enough before the season to peg La Salle as the top team in the league.
Nine games in and the Green Archers are anything but.
See Ateneo turns to familiar third-quarter assault to add to La Salle woes
Sitting at a lowly seventh place with its 3-6 card, La Salle finds itself in danger of missing the Final Four in this wild UAAP Season 85.
Yet with five games still to be played, Nelle isn't losing faith on his side.
"I’m still rooting for our team. I still think we’re one of the deepest teams," he said after the Green Archers stumbled to their fourth straight defeat, a 68-54 loss to archrival Ateneo on Saturday.
Schonny Winston is recovering from a calf injury.
Nelle charged the skid to injuries and suspensions that has left coach Derick Pumaren shaking his head in disbelief.
"Ilang laro lang kaming kumpleto. I’m not using it as an excuse with the way we’re playing because we’re losing fair and square. I just think once we come back healthy and fresh off this break, I hope it will be a different game," said the 5-foot-10 court general.
Leading scorer Schonny Winston, top rebounder Michael Phillips, and Mark Nonoy have all missed games due to injuries for the Green Archers, while swingman CJ Austria was also slapped with a one-game suspension in the first round.
Even Nelle wasn't spared from any penalties as he served his one-game ban in the team's last game against Far Eastern University before coming back with a vengeance and putting up 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists against the Blue Eagles.
"I think I was just gigil, that’s how I put it," he said of his return. "I really wanted to come off strong. I really wanted to make my mark agad but that’s the immaturity in me. I need to learn again. I need to play smarter para ma-control ko yung game at di na ako ma-suspend."
La Salle gets a chance to hit the reboot with the league going on a two-week Fiba break.
"We just have to regroup," he said. "This break’s really good for us. Our team will get all the injured players. Whatever we’re dealing with, we could just regroup and come back stronger for the remaining games and the last push."
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