Coaches see tight contest, but Archers have edge

MANILA, Philippines - Coaches expect a pretty tight contest in the UAAP Season 76 men’s basketball finals between La Salle and University of Santo Tomas, but some feel the Archers have the edge in the chase for the college basketball’s ultimate prize.

“It’s going to be an exciting series. I think it will reach three games, but it’s going to be La Salle, they’re more determined,” said Leo Austria, outgoing coach of season host Adamson.

“Hard to choose. Tough series between a dominating team (La Salle) and a team that plays with all heart (UST),” said Far Eastern U coach Nash Racela, whose third-seeded wards were ousted by the No. 2 Archers in the Final Four. “DLSU has the size advantage, which I think can be neutralized if (Karim) Abdul finds a way to stay on the court.” 

For his part, University of the East tactician Boycie Zamar said: “It’s anybody’s game. It will boil down to maturity and mental toughness. La Salle has a very deep bench but UST has a bench na laban lang ng laban (who just keeps on fighting).”

“I think it will still be La Salle in two games,” he predicted.

Austria cited La Salle’s confidence from its nine consecutive victories in the run-up to the best-of-three title series as well as the system the Archers are running and executing fluidly at this stage.

“La Salle has the confidence from their nine straight wins and you can see how different they play now compared to their performance in the first round. Everybody’s roles are defined and even Jeron Teng plays as a leader now, unlike before when it was more ‘this is mine’. You can see that they believe in their system now,” he said.

Austria, though, cited the Tigers’ experience, something that served them well in beating No. 1 National U twice in the Final Four.

“That experience was a big factor in their win against NU; they knew how to handle such pressure-paced situations. Playing with nothing to lose and as underdog, that’s the forte  of (UST) coach Pido (Jarencio).”

University of the Philippines’ Rey Madrid expressed a different opinion, siding with the Tigers, especially after UST’s historic elimination of five-peat champ Ateneo from the F4 and top ranked NU from the finals.

“Unang-una, they have the best mixture of import and locals, minus a point guard. But it’s a potent mix. Besides, si (Aljon) Mariano magigising na yan (will step up) when it comes to big games,” said Madrid.

“La Salle, they have a complete team, may twin towers sila (Arnold Van Opstal and Norbert Torres) tapos may (Jason) Perkins pa. But grabe ang firepower ng UST. Matindi ang capacity nila to score in bunches; yan naman ang nagpapanalo sa basketball, paramihan ng points. May momentum rin sila dahil sila nag-eliminate sa Ateneo then NU (La Salle may have the advantage in size but UST has tremendous firepower, they have the capability to score in bunches. Plus they have the momentum from their victories over Ateneo and NU),” he added.

The experience of Jarencio and his gang will play a factor, according to him.

“It’s amazing how coach Juno transformed La Salle, give credit to him and the coaching staff. Pero pag na-matchup ka na sa isang coach na beterano like Coach Pido tapos down the wire pa yung laban, may edge ang UST. Iba yung experience factor (Coach Pido has the edge in terms of experience of coaching at this stage of the competition),” Madrid said.

The Green Archers and the Tigers will begin their titular showdown tomorrow at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, a series that’s revived a  rivalry in the 1990s. 

The Tigers enjoy a 3-1 edge head to head. They prevailed in three successive finals (1994-96) behind a team by Dennis Espino, Bal David, Richard Yee, Estong Ballesteros and Chris Cantonjos. They met again in 1999, but the crew of Ren-Ren Ritualo, Dino Aldeguer and San Juan Vice Mayor Francis Zamora gave this one to La Salle.

The DLSU-UST tussle will be spiced up by the brotherly battle between Tiger Jeric and Archer Jeron and the members of coaching staff of two sister teams in the PBA, Juno Sauler (Ginebra) and Pido Jarencio (Petron). It will also be a sort of nostalgic duel between two prolific shooters in the 80s, Jarencio and DLSU assistant Allan Caidic (while with UE), from the bench this time.