THE De La Salle University Green Archers typified how their whole disappointing season went by losing to the shock troopers of one of this year’s University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) finalists, the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws, 71-68, on Wednesday last week. With the loss, the underachievers from Taft ended their season and walked into the sunset burdened with questions that need to be answered.
After winning it all in 2013 as a rookie coach, it might be safe to say that the honeymoon period between Juno Sauler and that portion of the La Sallian community keenly watching the basketball games is now over. There are reports that he won’t be back on the sidelines for the green and white next season and several names have been mentioned to replace him.
In first round games against now UAAP finalists FEU and University of Santo Tomas (UST), Sauler did not call a single timeout amid a barrage of 20 unanswered points from the Tamaraw offensive onslaught. In the game against UST Growling Tigers, the Tigers went on a 14-0 run but no timeout was called by Sauler to stem the tide.
I am neither a basketball coach nor a spontaneous armchair basketball analyst but if I were a coach in that situation, I would call a timeout if the opposing team’s lead reaches double digits to break the opponents’ momentum and for the Archers to regroup.
La Salle finished at the bottom four in perimeter defense, points allowed and rebounding this past season and this has to be addressed in the offseason.
Like any dark cloud there is a silver lining—only point guard Thomas Torres will graduate from this year’s team. Jeron Teng has committed to return for his fifth and final playing year next year. Ben Mbala is set to play next season to make up for the Archers’ lack of ceiling this past season. Kib Montalbo is expected to make a full recovery from a torn ACL injury and return stronger and better than ever to possibly start for La Salle at the point next season.
Since joining the UAAP in 1986, La Salle has missed the final four only four times, although this last season was the third time in the last six years that the Archers missed the final four bus.
Perhaps, a point to consider by our coaching staff, alumni boosters and plain pundits and fans in this moment of reflection is the need to keep a stable line up consisting of young men who will be developed over the years, skills and attitude wise.
These boys are just in their late teens and are students first and foremost who need to maintain a certain scholastic standing to maintain their scholarships. They need time to develop and mature. The Archers cannot afford too many sweeping revamps when they let go of some players with good potential but who are expected to be “finished or semi-finished” products.
We can’t expect to recruit young men whose skills are almost complete. We have to be patient with them and get skills and conditioning coaches to get the best out of them…over a period of time. We can’t get instant results.