A day for Knights

Friday was the day the Letran Knights ascending the mountaintop of the NCAA to claim their second seniors basketball title in three years. Last year, they blew a twice-to-beat advantage to eventual champion Philippine Christian University, and found themselves in the unfamiliar position of watching the finals on television.

"After the finals, the next morning, we started practicing already," revealed head coach Louie Alas, who also steered the Knights to titles in 1998 and 2003. "The boys have really sacrificed a lot, and thank God, it paid off with a championship."

There were also other problems that the team had to overcome. This season, they played without shooting guard and leading scorer Ronjay Enrile, whose attitude supposedly conflicted with his teammates’. He opted to play for a regional basketball league, instead. For a while, Letran struggled in tournaments like the Champions League, trying to find a way to spread out the offense. Eventually, they found their form.

Then Letran methodically dismantled each of its opponents, and headed into their last game of the first round against PCU with each team bearing a clean 6-win, 0-loss card. The Knights prevailed in overtime. Their only loss in the eliminations came in their second-round meeting with Mapua, which built double-digit leads, and held on to escape a second loss to Letran.

In the crossover semifinals, Letran mercilessly blasted San Sebastian College by 33 points, exorcising their Finals Four ghosts from last year.

Looking over the fence, they saw the Dolphins eliminate Mapua, setting up a rematch.

"I didn’t want to use revenge as a motivation," Alas explains. "But instead, I said we could ‘make up’ for last year. And the boys played their game."

In Game 1, Letran was in command, even leading by seven going into the last four minutes. But PCU’s fireball guard Jason Castro erupted for 12 of his 20 points in the final quarter, nullifying another great performance by Mythical team member Aaron Aban. After a 13-1 eliminations record, the former champions suddenly found themselves staring elimination in the eye.

Game 2 was a different story. The Knights pressed relentlessly from the opening, slowing down the Dolphins, and forcing them into a whopping 33 turnovers. Letran led by double figures, and PCU could not get close. At the end, after he had lost starters Lisztian Amparado and Beau Belga to fouls, head coach Junel Baculi clearly hesitated in putting back in lead guard Mon Retaga, a sign that things were not well.

"For Game 3, coach said just relax and enjoy the game," Letran guard JP Alcaraz told The STAR.

In the final game, Letran led from opening tip-off, and PCU could only cut the lead to two points midway in the fourth quarter. Then starting point guard Boyet Bautista hit some unbelievable shots, including a spectacular buzzer-beating three-pointer, and Letran kept their distance. Forward Jonathan Aldave buried a triple from the left corner to put the Knights up by 10 with 51 seconds to go, and the Dolphins were history.

"All of our hard work paid off," said Bautista, who was named finals MVP.

"It really feels great."

"I don’t even know what’s going on, I can’t believe it," gushed 6’7" center Mark Andaya, who played the last game of his eligibility. "From grade school, high school to barangay leagues, I’ve never won a championship. And to win it in the NCAA and in my last game, I thank the Lord."

"I feel happy and sad at the same time," said team captain Erick Rodriguez, who likewise bade the NCAA farewell. "I feel happy because we won another championship, but sad because I’ll miss my teammates."

The Knights won with clear purpose, and a serene calm that did not ripple even in the face of adversity. They showed class and poise, and found themselves winners.

* * *

Catch the Knights’ championship run, and the preparations of PBA teams for the coming season on this week’s episode of The Basketball Show on IBC-13 at 9 p.m.