Mean, green Archers seek Final vs Falcons

MANILA, Philippines – He has been on the other side of a David-vs-Goliath showdown before.

So La Salle coach Aldin Ayo, now handling a heavily favored team, would be the last to let his guard down and lull into complacency as the Green Archers tackle surprise entrants the Adamson Soaring Falcons in the UAAP LXXIX men’s basketball Final Four.

Ayo, who previously masterminded Letran’s underdog triumph over top pick San Beda in the NCAA, knows too well that anything is possible in the playoffs and that the high-powered Archers can’t afford to give the No. 4 Falcons some semblance of confidence in today’s 4 p.m. clash at the MOA Arena.

“We know it’s not going to be easy because we’re up against a competitive team with a good coach. By this time, we’re expecting our opponents to adjust to our system so we have to be ready,” said Ayo, whose top-seeded crew led by MVP Ben Mbala, veterans Jeron Teng and Kib Montalbo, sets out to cash in on their twice-to-beat advantage against “nothing-to-lose” Adamson to reach DLSU’s first finals since its 2013 title run.

Fortunately, Ayo doesn’t have to try too hard to keep his wards on their toes against the upset-conscious Falcons of coach Franz Pumaren. He just needs to remind them how their 12-game run was halted by rivals Ateneo in their penultimate outing in the elims.

“We already know how it felt to lose, we know that if we become complacent and don’t exert effort, that could happen again,” Ayo said.

Pumaren, who described his over-achieving youngsters led by Papi Sarr, Jerrick Ahanmisi, Rob Manalang and Sean Manganti as “gatecrashers” in the Final Four, said they intend to play loose and pressure-free.

“Our mindset right now is we have nothing to lose and everything to gain. They’re supposed to even be 14-0. With that kind of lineup, they really should be dominating the whole UAAP,” said Pumaren, who on his maiden season with AdU brought it back to the semis again after a five-year futility.

“(Against La Salle) You’re playing against the best player in the league (Mbala), the best No. 3 guy rich in championship experience (Teng). Us, we’re just gonna enjoy the party. We don’t have to prove anything; being here is already a success on my part,” Pumaren said.

The DLSU-AdU Final 4 pairing features some interesting matchups.

From the coaching standpoint alone, the Ayo-Pumaren tussle is worth the price of admission. Ayo employs a “mayhem basketball” system that punishes opponents and creates a lot of turnover points and transition baskets, and Pumaren pretty much espouses a similar pressing defense philosophy.

Pumaren, of course, used to call the shots for DLSU and even steered the Taft-based squad to five diadems in the 2000s. his time, he’ll try to thwart his former team.

“It will be exciting (to face La Salle) but you have to look at the whole picture: We’re playing the best team right now and hopefully we can accept the challenge,” said Pumaren.

Mbala, La Salle’s dominant import, is set for a bruising faceoff with fellow Cameroonian Sarr of AdU, probably the only player capable of giving him a run for his money. The two finished 1-2 in the statistical race for the MVP plum.