Once again, Ara Galang’s untimely loss speaks volumes on how pivotal her all-around play is to the Lady Spikers. As a matter of fact, La Salle head coach Ramil De Jesus also admits that she is the team’s go-to player in pressure-packed moments.
“Ang nangyari kasi, nawalan ka nung consistent na player. Kung baga nawalan ka ng go-to guy,” De Jesus told Tiebreaker Times. “Anytime na magkaroon ka ng problema, itapon mo lang si Ara sa backline at kahit paano magagawan niya ng paaran.”
“Minsan pwede pa niya mapatay nga eh. Ganoon ang nawala sa team eh, kung kailangan mo ng puntos bigyan mo lang ng bola si Ara tapos mapapatay naman niya.”
Even though the Lady Spikers will not have their top gun, De Jesus elaborated that he still has a lot of players at his disposal. From his seniors down to the bench warmers, he can definitely shake things up and keep Ateneo second guessing.
His bench may not be dominating super subs, but he pointed out that he cares more about the specific skill sets of his other skippers.
“Yung lalim ng team depende sa kanya-kanyang skills yun eh. Hindi naman anytime na humugot ka [sa bench] papakinabangan mo siya as first six,” De Jesus added. “Bawat isa kasi sa kanila iba-iba, siguro at best quality minutes ang mabibigay nila. May specific skills silang maibibigay kung baga.”
Lastly, De Jesus also added that the likes of Cyd Demecillo, Kim Fajardo and Mika Reyes, part of De Jesus’ championship squads, will be key in anchoring his team against a juggernaut like Ateneo.
“Si Cyd kailangan magstep-up, si Mika Reyes and even Fajardo kailangan rin. Sabi ko nga sa mga bata yung 25 points [per game na binibigay ni Ara] maliit lang iyon kung magcontribute kayo ng maski five points each lang [from the other players],” De Jesus ended.
