Colegio de San Juan de Letran might have been the overwhelming favorites this NCAA season, but head coach Bonnie Tan admitted they're much more used to being the underdogs.
The Letran mentor found it amusing to see the shoe on the other foot as the Knights cemented their tag as favorites by sweeping NCAA Season 97 en route to a second consecutive title
"Mas mahirap na mas masaya kasi we didn't know how to i-hold 'yung pagdedefend ng crown na nasa on top kami palagi. 'Di kami sanay sa ganon," Tan said following their 75-65 Game 2 win over Mapua University on Sunday.
Back in Season 95, it was their rival San Beda Red Lions that swept the elimination round with an 18-0 slate with Letran finishing in third place with a 12-6 record.
To make it to the finals, the Knights needed to pull off victories over San Sebastian College-Recoletos and Lyceum of the Philippines University in the stepladder playoffs.
In the title series, they managed to score an upset over San Beda to clinch the title.
The narrative was very different from how Letran copped the Season 97 crown.
Not only were they the defending champions, they returned this year with some talented transferees, including Rhenz Abando, who was eventually named Rookie of the Year and MVP of this season.
The Knights lived up to their billing as preseason favorites, going undefeated in nine games in the eliminations.
They faced some stiff challenges in the postseason, though. They managed an escape of University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, 77-75, in the Final Four thanks to the brilliance of Abando and some clutch plays from Fran Yu.
In Game 1 of the NCAA Finals, the Knights trailed for nearly the entire game before taking the lead for the first time in the last 45 seconds of the contest.
Now, Tan understands how difficult it is to play as the favorite rather than the underdog.
"Mas maganda 'yung parating dehado lang kami. Ngayon at least na-pull through na rin namin how to defend 'yung llamadong side ng team natin."
No foreign student athletes
Tan added that the absence of foreign student-athletes was one of the factors that made it an unpredictable season.
"'Di ko masasabing mas madali or mas mahirap pero at least naging pantay pantay 'yung scoring ngayon. Lahat pwedeng manalo, 'yung nasa bottom pwedeng manalo sa nasa taas so naging fair 'yung labanan," Tan said.
"Dati before the game, alam mo na agad kung sino mananalo. I don't know if that's healthy for the league but I'm sure 'yung ibang teams at least nakaka-level up na sa mga top teams."
—JMB, GMA News
