DON'T be fooled by Jacob Bayla's seemingly meager numbers so far this UAAP Season 88.
Yes, he's only averaging 5.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 20 minutes of action - subpar for some people's standards - but he's bringing to the table something that the University of the Philippines badly needs: the intangibles.
Bayla has taken it upon himself to be the defensive anchor for the Fighting Maroons, which is one of the big reasons for the defending champions turning things around after a horror 0-2 start.
"I know my role, and whatever the team needs, I'll do it to the best of my abilities," the sophomore wing told SPIN.ph. "Whether it's guarding the best player of the opposing team, I'm taking it upon myself to do it since last year. It's just knowing what to do and knowing what my role is."
This really shouldn't come as a surprise for many, as Bayla has been this way since his high school days at Valley Christian Schools in San Jose, California and showed glimpses of this in last season's finals against La Salle, where he was one of those tasked to slow down back-to-back MVP Kevin Quiambao.
"I've done it in high school when there were times when I'm not the main guy. But I got to do whatever I can to contribute to the team," the 19-year-old said.
This year, though, in a season that has been a roller-coaster ride so far for State U, it's a much needed fixture.
Bayla's ballin'
Traditional stats really can't highlight Bayla's importance to this turnaround, but there's one facet of the game where he stands out best: plus-minus.
In UP's first two defeats, the Fil-Am winger was a minus-10 in the 33 combined minutes he played. But in the next four matches, he's a plus-30 - a clear indication of the positive presence he brings to the Iskos.
To further highlight this, just take the Fighting Maroons' last two games.
Bayla went scoreless in the maroon-and-green's 83-69 win over Ateneo last Wednesday, but he was a plus-21 in 21 minutes of play, as he also collected three rebounds, three steals, and one assist.
And on Sunday's 69-66 escape of Far Eastern University, the 6-foot-4 versatile talent finished with eight points and three steals, but more notably, commanded the UP defense down the stretch to wind up as a plus-4 in 27 minutes of action.
"Actually, para sa team like sa amin, ang laking bagay at na-appreciate namin sobra yung players na tanggap nila yung role nila," noted coach Goldwin Monteverde, praising Bayla's choice to put the team over his welfare by being their defensive lynchpin at the wings.
"For Jacob, he might not have scored, but he's always a plus for us when he's on the floor. Defensively, mas binigyan niya ng importansya yun at nakikita namin yun as a team. That's why we would always encourage each other na whatever role is required just to help the team, we do it kasi yun naman ang commitment ng bawat isa."
And even better? Bayla is, indeed, committed to the bit.
"Whatever it takes to win, as I've said, and it's showing these past four wins. So we just got to keep sticking to our game plan and following coach's instructions," he said.
"We got more games to come and we can't relax. So we're just taking it game-by-game. We're starting to get that leverage and we just want to keep it going."
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
