San Beda University is taking home valuable lessons after failing to defend its title in the NCAA Season 100.
The Red Lions suffered a four-game losing skid on their way out of the centennial season as De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde ousted the Yuri Escueta-coached side in their Final Four clash, 73-69, last Saturday.
San Beda hardly put up a fight to find its way back into the season-defining match that saw them in a 70-40 hole at some point with Benilde's consistent showcase from start until endgame.
“It was tough, of course, coming from last year’s cloud nine feeling. But I told the players, this feeling is something that this team needs to feel. And it’s the same feeling that we felt two years ago, and that feeling helped us fired up our preparation for [Season 99]. It’s also a reminder to humble us from the cloud nine feeling of being the defending champions,” said Escueta.
“Very positive naman everyone [in the team]. And of course malungkot. Sana lang we could have played much better ito ngang final game namin. Hats off to CSB, the way they prepared and the way they played. They shot sixty percent in the first half and ending with fifty percent. Good luck to both teams,” he added.
Their loss set up the Blazers for a historic championship series with Mapua University, which prevailed over Lyceum of the Philippines in the semifinal to mark the first time since Season 80 that neither San Beda nor Colegio de San Juan de Letran will be playing in the finals.
While Escueta was reeling from the loss of key players from last season’s title victory in Jacob Cortez, Peter Alfaro, Damie Cuntapay, and Clifford Jopia, he also had to fit into his system the addition of five new guys in rookie JC Bonzalida as well as Penny Estacio, Bryan Sajonia, and brothers RC Calimag and Richi Calimag in their title defense campaign.
As Escueta sees it, pressure may have gotten the best of the debuting players who were seeing action in their first-ever semifinal stint, no less against the Charles Tiu-mentored squad which have repeated over them in the elimination round.
“We need to prepare better next year. Kasi we got this late in the season, we had guys in and out of injury, all of those affect ‘yung offseason, preseason, and even during the season. Malaking bagay sa amin ‘yung mga ganon. Basketball lang 'to eh. Siguro ‘yung ibang guys namin na first time in this kind of atmosphere parang medyo naka-feel sila ng pressure. It’s good that they were able to feel this already sa Final Four. Katulad nung mga transferees from the UAAP,” said Escueta.
“Nag-Final Four ‘yung iba diyan pero ito ‘yung first time nila na sila ‘yung naglalaro sa sitwasyon na ‘yan. Welcome feeling and welcome experience for them,” he said.
AJ Royo, Emman Tagle, and Joshua Tagala have spent their final playing year with San Beda, while Yukien Andrada said he is undecided about his return.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
