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    Playing out of position, Schonny Winston delivers huge anyway for La Salle

    Under-the-radar Schonny Winston says this is just the start for La Salle
    Mar 27, 2022
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    Playmaker Deschon Winston comes up huge playing winger.

    SCHONNY Winston is no stranger to making big plays and being a vital cog for his teams' success.

    What he had to hurdle more though, is the adjustment to playing in a Philippine setting.

    Yet after his La Salle debut on Saturday, it seems like the Fil-Am guard is doing just fine.

    Winston introduced himself to the UAAP with 22 points, six rebounds, and three steals to carry the Green Archers to a 71-66 victory over University of the East in the Season 84 men's basketball tournament opener.

    "It felt great," he said. "I felt great. I was really excited to play this game in the UAAP, just in a new country, a new environment. My team and I, we’ve been working really hard the past couple of months so I was just happy to go out there and compete."

    Compared to the other recruits, Winston flew under the radar as much of the fanfare was thrown to the likes of Ateneo's Chris Koon and University of the Philippines' Zavier Lucero.

    But it really shouldn't have been the case especially with how he performed for NCAA Division I school Central Michigan University where he was a consistent contributor with 5.9 points, 2.3 assists, and 2.2 rebounds for the Chippewas.

    Still, there's nothing quite like playing in your motherland and Winston could already feel the difference.

    "Playing here in the Philippines, I feel like there’s more passion with the players and there’s more fire with the players. I’ve noticed that with my own teammates practicing with me. It’s more competitive and they always bring fire," he said.

    For coach Derick Pumaren, Winston's eruption only validates the untapped potential that La Salle possesses all the more as it has grand aspirations to make a run for the cup this year.

    "We kinda expected what he can do. Things weren’t going right for us, but he made some big shots in the end, he made the big three and I think that gave us the cushion," he said.

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    Deschon Winston

    Deschon Winston stars in La Salle's opening-day win.

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      Making Winston's standout performance is that he's actually playing out of position, away from his usual playmaking roles as he ceded those responsibilities to the likes of Evan Nelle while also shifting to a winger role in this game against UE.

      "He can do a lot of good things for us. He’s not playing his natural position because of the injury to Josh David, so I had to put him in the wing position," remarked Pumaren.

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      But it's all in a day's work for Winston who stated: "The objective is the same."

      "It could be anybody on our team that can get these numbers. [What's important is] the defense that we played, we want to play where we would get easy points and easy steals."

      And this is just the beginning, with Winston and the Green Archers putting everyone on notice after this first victory.

      "We should've expect a lot of things from La Salle," he said. "I love my guys, I love [Justine] Baltazar and Mark [Nonoy] cause they've really helped with the transition here and they've made me feel like family from the jump. So I couldn't ask for any better teammates and a better coach."

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      Playmaker Deschon Winston comes up huge playing winger.
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