UNIVERSITY of the Philippines’ recruitment game went full steam just months after a second straight runner-up finish in the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament.
Topping the preliminaries and riding on a third successive Finals trip won’t cut it just yet for a vengeful Fighting Maroons side eager to double down on a historic Season 84 championship run.
At the forefront of State U’s incoming rookie class is 18-year-old, 6-foot-5 blue-chip recruit Jacob Bayla, who is no stranger to Philippine basketball being a former Gilas Youth hotshot himself.
READ: Why did UP still play in Filoil Preseason after withdrawing from Pinoyliga?
Just two days since arriving in Manila to join the Maroons, Bayla introduced himself to the UP faithful in style at the Filoil EcoOil 17th ECJ Preseason Cup with a highlight dunk to cap a stellar win that booted its Katipunan rival Ateneo out of the tournament.
Bayla posted five points and two rebounds in his UP debut and has since averaged four points, two boards and 1.3 assists with 15:28 minutes of game time ahead of their forthcoming title match with La Salle.
Now equipped with a week’s worth of experience as a Fighting Maroon, just three full team practices under his belt and already on the verge of a preseason title with UP, a preview what Bayla can bring to the table has been nothing short of promising for deputy coach Christian Luanzon.
Bayla’s promising arsenal
The longtime UP assistant coach pinpointed three key attributes that make Bayla a fitting new addition to the Fighting Maroons’ championship core: responsive, respectful and a high basketball IQ.
“(Jacob Bayla) has been responsive. For any coach na may papasok na rookie, tinitignan mo how would they respond when giving instructions, when you draw up a play, or when you tell him, let’s say, after a turnover or a missed assignment, how they would respond to that. And so far, he’s been responding well,” said Luanzon.
“Chemistry-wise, I think it’s too early to tell. He’s been here for one week. But to his benefit, it goes to show ‘yung IQ niya sa game. Tatlong practice pa lang siya with the team. Mas marami pa ‘yung laro, tatlong laro. For him to blend in right away, I think it’s very impressive so far.
“He’s a good kid. Lumaki siya sa States pero ‘yung roots nila, dito sa Cavite. Meeting both his parents, his mom actually, talagang mukhang napalaki siya nang maayos and very respectful,” he added.
Reaching the ‘Gold’ standard
Apart from Bayla’s impressive skillset, fitting in the mold of UP’s newfound winning culture will be imperative for him to shine with the Fighting Maroons.
And so far, he hasn’t just blended well but has also adapted well to UP’s brand of basketball on and off the court.
“It’s not going to be easy to do that (win the UAAP title) but there’s a process to that and it starts with our everyday grind sa practices namin, building ‘yung habits namin and ‘yung chemistry, sabi nga ni Maimai (JD Cagulangan) especially sa mga rookies namin,” Luanzon said.
“For example, si Dikachi (Udodo) and si Jacob (Bayla) na kakapasok lang ngayong season, (it’s important) how not only they can blend in but also (how they can adapt) to the kind of culture that we want and ‘yung standard na gusto, not only ni coach Gold (Monteverde) but the standard that they put on themselves and sa team nila.
“This is their team. Hindi ‘to team ni Coach Gold, hindi ‘to team ng (UP) community. This is also our team. So ‘yung standard that we uphold sa practice and sa games, importanteng-importante na fully mag-translate sa court.”
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