By: Kim Yoshi Espiritu, Aianna Xyril Monsod
The Letran Knights huddle in practice ahead of their rivalry showdown against the San Beda Red Lions. Photo by Aianna Xyril Monsod | The LANCE
The NCAA Season 101 Men’s Basketball Tournament is nearing the next stage of its newly adopted Group format and there is no fitting end to its elimination phase other than the classic rivalry showdown between the Letran Knights and the San Beda Red Lions.
The group elimination phase showcases 13 games before heading into the play-in stage, which will be a clash of the bottom two seeds in each group. Fortunately, much to Letranites’ delight, the Muralla-based squad held a 7-5 standing to clinch the Third seed–missing the chance at a twice-to-beat advantage by an inch.
Meanwhile, their fierce rivals reign over the “group of death” as the top-seeded team in Group B with a league-high nine wins and three losses.
Calibrating their Gears
A week-long team practice at Aero Center in Quezon City recalibrated the Knights’ conditioning and game plan ahead of Sunday, after a shaky victory against the EAC Generals last Sunday, November 16.
Head Coach Allen Ricardo admitted that they were shaky in terms of executing their playbook, saying, “I don’t feel good about the win versus EAC, medyo hindi nasunod ‘yung gusto kong mangyari.”
But after locking in, the tactician is confident that his cagers will show up where it matters most, especially after solidifying their roles and chemistry throughout the past week.
“The most important thing is how the players define their roles, how clarity is made in terms of the technical aspect. Ngayon, I feel we are prepared going against San Beda. We scouted them, tingin ko we have a good chance on how we are going to perform on Sunday,” he confirmed with The LANCE.
Remembering their early struggles against the Red Lions, where Letran lost grip of the match in the clutch to Janti Miller’s offensive poise, the coaching staff ensured that precision is instilled on the defensive end, leaving no holes for a Miller isolation or a pick-and-roll opportunity with Yukien Andrada, who is a threat from the perimeter.
Guard Jimboy Estrada captured the team’s mindset when asked about their approach, noting how the Knights remained committed despite the non-bearing match.
“Siguro para sa amin huli na kasi sabi samin ni Coach Allen, no bearing game na ‘yung game. Ang kaso rival ‘yun, kasi Beda. Ayun practice pa rin kami. Kung ano ‘yung ginagawa namin, mas dinadagdagan lang namin,” he said.
Up front, Kevin Santos and Mark Omega are gearing up for a tough, physical showdown with San Beda’s bigs. And for Omega, that frontcourt clash comes with added motivation. When asked which Red Lion he wants to match up against, he didn’t hold back from naming one.
“Si Bismarck Lina, kasi nung nasa UP siya and Perpetual ako may something na nangyari. Ang gagawin ko sa kanya is i-out rebound and out hustle ko siya,” the team captain shared excitedly.
The moment of truth will be unveiled tomorrow, November 23, 2:30 PM at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.