Rookie coach Allen Ricardo will be heading to his first Letran-San Beda game with the same winning attitude as the two schools renew their rivalry on Tuesday in the NCAA Season 100.
The Knights (5-2) and the Red Lions (3-3) lock horns at 2:30 p.m. with the former trying to catch up with league leader De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde and extend their winning streak to four while the defending champions hope to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss to Arellano University last Saturday.
But setting the rivalry aside, Ricardo said winning as many games as possible is their top priority regardless of who the opponent is.
"We’re trying to invest wins eh, so syempre ang kagandahan nito ay nakakauna ka na kahit papaano. We only have last two games sa eliminations (first round), so total of 11 games," Ricardo said.
"We’re trying to win more games para umabot kami sa Final Four. Itong mga batang ‘to they want ‘yung redemption na mabalik ulit sa Letran ‘yung Final Four kasi ‘pag Letran hindi sanay na wala sa Final Four eh."
[We're trying to invest in wins so of course it's good if you're able to get ahead early. We only have last two games in the first round of the eliminations so total of 11 games... We're trying to win more games so we can make the Final Four. These boys, they want the redemption and to bring Letran back to the Final Four because Letran is not used to being outside the Final Four.]
Letran currently holds the longest winning streak after three straight big wins, including an escape against erstwhile undefeated Benilde, na arrow victory against Emilio Aguinaldo College, and a triple overtime triumph over Perpetual.
For San Beda's part, the Red Lions expect nothing less than intense basketball, especially with the Knights looking to win over the Red Lions for the first time since Season 97.
San Beda swept their elimination round matches against Letran in both Season 98, where the latter emerged as champions, and Season 99, which the Red Lions ruled.
"It’s always nice to play ‘yung mga rivalry games, ‘di mo na kailangan i-motivate ‘yung players niyo. They’re gonna play hard and of course, it brings the best out of both teams and both schools," San Beda coach Yuri Escueta said.
[It's always nice to play the rivalry games, you don't need to motivate the players. They're gonna play hard and of course, it brings the best out of both teams and both schools.]
Meanwhile in the first game, Benilde (5-1) will try to improve its hold of the top spot against a slumping yet dangerous San Sebastian College-Recoletos (2-5) side at 11 a.m.
The Blazers are high in morale after pulling off an overwhelming 103-78 victory against LPU despite an undermanned roster with Jhomel Ancheta serving his one-game suspension after a disqualifying foul against Letran.
Allen Liwag's double-double heroics saved the day for Benilde after he poured in 22 points and 12 rebounds in the victory that allowed them to create a small separation from the rest of the field.
The Golden Stags, however, can't be counted out just yet even though they lost five games in a row after opening the season with an impressive 2-0 start.
San Sebastian, parading a new coach in Arvin Bonleon and a young core led by Paeng Are, Raymart Escobido, and Tristan Felebrico, is looking to halt that slump that saw them fall to San Beda, JRU, Arellano, Perpetual, and Mapua.
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
