La Salle's championship win: A "no shocker", says sports analyst
The De La Salle Green Archers’ championship win in this year’s University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball came out as a “no shocker” a UAAP sports analyst says.
Christian Pierce Luanzon, also a former Philippine Basketball Association player of the Alaska Aces and the San Miguel Beermen, said the Green Archers were likely to win even from the start of the season.
“They are a powerhouse team with a lot of veteran players,” Luanzon told the Pantograph in a phone interview.
Despite the improved performance of the Ateneo De Manila University Blue Eagles, the sports analyst still believed that the odds are in favor of the Green Archers.
“If you’d ask me this question early in the season, around September, I would right out say La Salle,” Luanzon said.
After three years, the Green Archers once again took home the championship title after outlasting the Blue Eagles, 79 – 72, last December 7, 2016 at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“We practiced hard especially on our executions on offense,” McJour Luib, assistant coach of the Green Archers, said.
Luib added that Aldin Ayo, head coach of the Green Archers, always reminded his players “to be sharp, play basketball and be optimistic.”
Throughout the season, the Green Archers held the top spot in the team standings with 13 wins and only one loss.
Luanzon also foretold that La Salle’s Benoit Mbala will be named as this season’s Most Valuable Player. Mbala was formally awarded the MVP title before the start of the second game of the UAAP Finals.
Mbala acquired a total of 163 points, 124 rebounds and 17 steals in the eight games he played in since the start of season 79.
Season’s shockers
Luanzon noted that this season was different from the previous ones because basketball stars like Kiefer Ravena, Kevin Ferrer, Ed Daquioag and Mac Belo, graduated from the UAAP. “I think in a way, yung anticipation or excitement ng tao mas nag-decrease,” Luanzon explained.
However, Luanzon admitted that he was shocked at the unexpected turn of events as Ateneo made it into the Finals.
“I didn’t think anyone expected them to even make the final four, myself included. You gotta give credit to obviously Coach Tab Baldwin for a remarkable job,” Luanzon said.
Coach Baldwin of the Ateneo Blue Eagles lost Kiefer Ravena and Von Pessumal the last year and also four key players: Vince Tolentino, CJ Perez, Jerie Pingoy and Hubert Cani at the beginning of the season, but still managed to exceed everyone’s expectations of the team.
Another team that stunned the crowd this season is the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons.
Aside from adding numbers to their winning column, Luanzon said that the Maroons have improved in their performance bigtime.
“After watching them play in the first three games, nagkaroon na ako ng anticipation because they always play hard,” Luanzon added.
Team Captain Jett Manuel said Maroons’ head coach Bo Perasol exercised his authority at the beginning of the season to teach his players what it takes to be a winner and what winning means.
“Coming in [the season], he asserted his authority right away. Making us all listen to him. At the same time he wanted us to first learn why winning was important,” Manuel said.
The Fighting Maroons retired from being at the bottom of the standings, and finished strong on the 6th spot with five wins and nine losses.
Meanwhile, the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers fell almost at the bottom of team standings.
Luanzon, who was also former Tiger, said the players should learn to take responsibility for their performance on the court.
“Unfortunately, in the basketball world, usually there’s a saying na ‘pag panalo, bida ang player; pag talo, kasalanan ng coach.’ I disagree with that,” Luanzon firmly said.
Luanzon emphasized that if the players can accept the glory, then they have to be willing to take the blame as well.
“Even though the coach has a lot to do with how your team performs; don’t get me wrong. At the end of the day, yung mga players ang nagpe-perform sa court, hindi yung coach. Sila yung dapat magpakitang-gilas and all that,” Luanzon explained.
The Tigers made it to the finals against the Far Easter University last season, this year they dropped with only three wins and 11 losses. ###
