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    UAAP Preview: Can Baltazar lead revamped La Salle back to pinnacle?

    Patented Pumaren press returns, this time in Taft
    Mar 22, 2022
    La Salle Derrick Pumaren Justine Baltazar Evan Nelle
    Coach Derrick Pumaren turns to Justine Baltazar and Evan Nelle to lead the Green Archers back to the Promised Land.
    PHOTO: Marlo Cueto | Dante Peralta

    (Editor's note: This is the fifth of a series of team previews for the UAAP Season 84.)

    UAAP Preview: La Salle

    WHAT HAPPENED WHEN? La Salle pinned its hopes on Jamie Malonzo and the Fil-Am high-flyer sure carried the Taft's hopes on his back en route to a Mythical Team selection.

    However, that quest fell just one win short -- ending up at an even 7-7 record -- and missing the Final Four for the second straight season, an obvious disappointment for a retooled Green Archers team which relied on the guidance of coach Gian Nazario and consultant Jermaine Byrd.

    It's a frustrating foray for the likes of seniors Justine Baltazar, Aljun Melecio, and Andrei Caracut, and the extended break brought about by the pandemic also saw the departures of the likes of Encho Serrano and Brandon Bates.

    WHAT NOW? If it's not obvious yet, La Salle can only get to as far as where Baltazar will take them.

    New head coach Derrick Pumaren is firm on that belief all the more as the 6-foot-7 center looks to bring the learnings he's had in his time with Gilas Pilipinas to a lead role for the Green Archers.

    Joaqui Manuel and Kurt Lojera are among the few holdovers from the UAAP Season 82 campaign, and as they shift to a more veteran role, could be counted on to provide stability if they want to deliver a triumphant potential swan song for Baltazar.

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      WHAT'S NEXT? La Salle didn't just revamp in the offseason, it certainly made significant reinforcements from top to bottom.

      Five-star guards Evan Nelle and Mark Nonoy are poised to be vital pieces for the Green Archers as the anchors on both ends in the return of the patented Pumaren press in Taft, while also getting superb support from Fil-Am recruit Deschon Winston.

      La Salle is also trotting out intriguing big men in brothers Michael and Ben Phillips, Nigerian center Bright Nwankwo, and former Gilas Pilipinas Youth member Raven Cortez, all of whom are looking to pair up with Baltazar up front.

      It should be no surprise that these changes have La Salle dreaming of a title, and don't be shocked if the Green Archers indeed make a run for the crown when it's all said and done.

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      Coach Derrick Pumaren turns to Justine Baltazar and Evan Nelle to lead the Green Archers back to the Promised Land.
      PHOTO: Marlo Cueto | Dante Peralta
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