MANILA, Philippines – A Final Four run? Most definitely. The De La Salle University Green Archers have been the picture of consistency in college hoops for the past three decades.
Let’s take a look at the changes.
Key Losses: Kib Montalbo, Mark Dyke, Jollo Go, Miggy Corteza, Leonard Santillan, Taane Samuel.
Key additions: Jordan Bartlett, Kurt Lojera, Joel Cagulangan, Joshua David, Francis Escandor, Keyshawn Evans, Jamie Orme, James Laput.
Oh, there are their new coaches in Gian Nazario and Jermaine Byrd.
The Green Archers can take a licking and keep on ticking.
Fresh from a pair of finals stints in the preseason (Filoil and the recent Kadaywan Sports Festival), the Taft-based squad is hoping to make even bigger strides come Season 82 tip-off.
The Archers already have a good lineup with veterans Justin Baltazar, Andrei Caracut and Aljun Melecio. They also have Encho Serrano, who has proven to be a valuable asset to the team as its x-factor; transferees Jordan Bartlett, Kurt Lojera and sophomore Brandon Bates; rookies Joel Cagulangan and Joshua David; and Fil-foreigner one-and-dones in six-foot guard Keyshawn Evans, 6’7” forward Jamie Orme and 6’9” center James Laput.
What I liked about this team during the preseason is they have tapped different players and combinations to lead them. They have gone from a more Aljun Melecio-oriented offense to one that has a lot of other players contributing. The ideas of Byrd? I think it is good. They do need to move that ball around some.
The other thing I would like to point out is how La Salle will battle for every ball and every possession. They have players like Serrano and Lojera who will throw caution to the wind just to secure that ball.
Obviously, the Archers are building for the future, but do not for one minute think this is a “pampatawid” team. No, they will compete.
They have the depth, height and athletes to compete. They might not have had the star power in years past, but make no mistake, they have some really good players on this team. When they need their buckets, their three vets in Caracut, Melecio and Baltazar are some of the surest when it comes to two- or even three-point shots.
And the more Cagulangan gets exposure, the more he will fill the role of that big-shot player.
How far this team goes will also depend on how Bates does, as do the one-and-dones.