Ex-UST standout Abando makes Letran Knights the favorites in NCAA Season 97

MANILA, Philippines – The NCAA defending champions Letran Knights perhaps have its most balanced lineup in years — probably even more than their two previous title teams.

They have the height and power inside with Jeo Ambohot, Christian Fajarito, King Caralipio and Paolo Javillionar.

They have tough, do-it-all players like Neil Guarino and Brent Paraiso.

They have range with Allen Mina and his fellow backcourt players.  

They have wily court generals in Tommy Olivario, Kurt Reyson and Fran Yu.

And you throw in a high-flying, mad-bombing Rhenz Abando to the mix. The man is a game-changer. He has PBA material written all over him. 

Easily, that’s an 11-man rotation for second-year head coach Bonnie Tan’s defending champs. They are long. They can run, play half-court, and defend. 

They can overwhelm opponents in so many ways. 

Having said all of that, this is the first time the Knights will be entering the season as favorites because they have a more or less intact roster with a huge and key addition in Abando.

What makes it more tantalizing for them is for the first time in so long, San Beda will not have any foreign player to man the slot. It doesn’t mean the Red Lions will be easy pickings, but now it’s more of a mano-a-mano all-Filipino crew. 

What you have to like about this Letran squad is how shrewdly it was built with their homegrown crew and transferees and recruits.

Abando and Paraiso came from the UST implosion at the start of the pandemic. Fajarito, who previously played for Letran, transferred from the College of St. Benilde. Javillionar played for the College of St. Benilde Blazers in the summer games before the last NCAA season but decamped for Intramuros and helped the Knights win a title. Yu transferred from the University of the East and was hugely instrumental in the last title win (he was feted with the Finals MVP Award). 

With all the cards seemingly stacked in their favor, anything less than a championship will be a disappointment.