Ayo makes it back-to-back with DLSU feat

MANILA, Philippines – From the NCAA to the UAAP, coach Aldin Ayo enjoys the best of both worlds.

The proponent of “mayhem basketball” for 2015 NCAA champ Letran made a crossover to the UAAP this year and reaped the same result for De La Salle U.

“It feels good but hindi ko iniisip iyun. Inisip ko lang maibalik ang championship sa La Salle (I wasn’t thinking about the personal double, I just wanted to bring the championship back to La Salle),” said Ayo after earning the rare distinction of steering champion teams in both the NCAA and UAAP back-to-back.

Unlike in his previous stint with the Letran that shocked the NCAA with an underdog triumph, Ayo’s current squad La Salle entered the UAAP wars with heavy expectations.

“Sobrang hirap dito, grabe ang pressure. Ang gagaling ng coaches, buti na lang magagaling ang players ko (It’s so much harder and there’s a lot more pressure here in the UAAP. I went up against a brilliant cast of coaches but fortunately, I have good players who are up to the task),” he said.

The coach from Sorsogon dedicated his success to fellow probinsyanos dreaming of making it big in Manila.

“Whatever achievement na nakuha ko, malaking bagay ito sa mga coaches sa probinsya na tulad ko ay nangarap,” he said.

Punishing opponents with their stifling defense, the Archers steamrolled their opponents one after the other en route to a 12-0 start. They suffered a mishap in Game No. 13 and lost to Ateneo, but got back on track with a big win over Far Eastern and finished No. 1 and went on to sweep rivals Ateneo in the finals.

“The players have sacrificed a lot, hindi sila sanay sa ganitong sistema na umiikot ang bola. Before match-up lang, hahanap ng mismatches. Hindi nila laro yun, pero they absorbed the system,” said Ayo.

And swept the championship.