Colegio de San Juan de Letran head coach Bonnie Tan played down his wards' impressive 3-0 card to open the NCAA Season 97, saying they still have a lot to work on if they want to retain the title in Muralla.
"[It's still a] long way to go. Matagal pa ['yung tournament] at iisa-isahin pa natin," Tan said on the heels of their dominating 68-57 win over the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA on Sunday.
Letran had a rousing start to their Season 97 campaign, edging the College of Saint Benilde during the season opener last Saturday while they had a runaway 96-67 victory over the Arellano University last Wednesday.
Against the Altas, the Knights had another stellar showing with star transferee Rhenz Abando leading the way with a new career-high of 24 points to go along with five rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a block.
Next on the docket for the defending champions will be Mapua University, which is also on a roll in the tournament with a 2-0 win-loss slate. And against the Cardinals, Tan said they can't afford to rest on their laurels.
"May game pa against Mapua. Mapua is a tough team, they just won against JRU last game. Talagang we're pressured to win kasi nga as a defending champions, lahat naman [ng team] alam natin na gusto tayong talunin," Tan added.
"And slowly sana ma-improve pa namin 'yung chemistry namin because of the short preparation, nakikita naman natin na we still need a lot of improvement."
—JMB, GMA News
