By: Hannah Heramia
Despite a strong first half in their stepladder playoffs against Ateneo, Letran failed to secure a
spot in the semifinals as the Katipunan-based team bounced back and claimed the win in a tight
score of 74-72. The loss, however, relinquished the hopes of the Letran Knights’ preseason
campaign.
With the preseason now over, Letran head coach Jeff Napa shared his thoughts on the team’s
performance this year, “We fell short [of our expectations]. ‘Yung ine-expect sa amin is
makaabot kami ng Final Four pero hindi kami gaanong consistent kaya we fell short. Pero bonus
na samin yung makapasok na kami this quarterfinals.”
Napa also bared what the team can do to improve going into the upcoming NCAA Season,
“Actually, start pa lang positive na ko and confident. Siguro ang masasabi ko lang they should
work harder. Don’t take trainings for granted, and wag susuko.”
In terms of the character of the team, the preseason taught the team to focus on conditioning
as a significant aspect in their training to help sustain endurance and stamina inside the court.
Movement and proper placing were also emphasized in training as a part of their Filoil
campaign.
Nonetheless, when Napa asked about how he made Letran’s key additions along with familiar
sights to step-up their game, he said: “Yung mindset ng winning attitude ‘yun ‘yung lagi kong
sinasabi sa kanila when losing a game, kailangan nating maging competitive para ‘yung
approach natin laging panalo.”
“So overall, masaya naman ako sa naging performance. Siguro wait and see na lang kung ano
yung magiging approach namin coming to Season 94,” he ended.