The University of Perpetual Help System DALTA Altas were pegged as one of the front-runners to win the NCAA Season 91 Seniors Basketball crown. With Scottie Thompson at point and legitimate big men in Prince Eze and Bright Akhuetie, the Altas were the favorites to end the San Beda Red Lion dynasty.
However, the Las Piñas squad did not make it to the Final Four, falling a game shy of, at the very least, gaining a do-or-die game for the fourth spot in the rankings. In addition, with triple-double machine Thompson graduating and veteran head coach Aric del Rosario retiring, everything looked bleak for the Altas.
With foreign head coach and former Altas Nic Omorogbe at the helm, Perpetual have been on a tear in the 2016 Filoil Flying V Preseason Tournament, going unbeaten in their first four games that included match-ups against National University and NCAA rivals Arellano University. More impressively, during that four game stretch, the team’s scoring came from almost everyone.
Perpetual gunslinger Gab Dagangon has been one of the more prolific scorers in the preseason
“Well, I think we’re a little better than last year. I don’t have to do much,” said Nigerian student-athlete Bright Akhuetie about this year’s Altas. “Actually, we’re better now since we have a lot of players who have gained experience and better conditioned which is good.”
Besides changes in the coaching staff, the Altas did some reloading to the team, with Daryl Singontiko and Chester Saldua ending their residency after transferring from Letran. “It’s still the same system as Coach Aric’s,” Akhuetie shared. “Nothing’s changed.”
The change within the team that the 19-year-old had noticed was that everybody in the team is taking on the leadership role that Thompson left. “We’re all the leaders. Anyone can be the best guy right now, anybody can be the man,” he said.
Former King Altas Scottie Thompson
Moreover, the pressure to be the best player night-in and night-out does not faze Akhuetien, who said, “I’m not out there to be the best. I can be the best but my team won’t win.”
“It’s not about being the best but being able to push my teammates to be better. That’s what I’m all about.”
After being with UAAP champions Kiefer Ravena and Jeron Teng, and NCAA champion Ola Adeogun during the off-season, Big Bright is now driven more than ever to bring home a crown to Perpetual. “We’re taking it one step at a time but I’m hopeful that we can win this right now,” he said.
“Every time, every day that’s all I think about. At least we should bring one championship to Perpetual.”
