Even if he is already part of the coaching staff of the De La Salle University Green Archers, former Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knight McJour Luib still enlisted himself to be part of the 2016 PBA Rookie Draft.
Luib, a 5-foot-10 guard from Cagayan de Oro, is well-known for his tenacious, hard-nosed defense that had helped lead Letran back to the top of the collegiate basketball mountain back in the 91st Season of the NCAA. Moreover, he became one of the leaders of the Knights last season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfTxdIxDHo4
However, the 23-year-old had no plans of entering the draft after graduating from Letran. However, his plans took a drastic turn because of coach Aldin Ayo, his mentor since 2014.
“Sabi ko sa kanya, ‘wala naman mawawala sa iyo kung magpa-draft ka e.’ At least pag nagpa-draft siya, anytime puwede may kumuha sa kanya,” the one-time NCAA champion coach shared.
For Ayo, he believes that Luib’s blue-collar approach to the game will be an asset to teams that need a perimeter defender and a secondary ball handler.
“Depende naman sa gusto nila e. Si McJour naman na-establish na niya kung anong identity meron sa kanya. He plays tough defense talaga. Kung may mga coaches na gusto nila ng ganun na player, puwede yun,” the 39-year-old mentor remarked about Luib.
“Wala akong masabi sa bata na iyon. Magpapakamatay talaga sa bola. Parang sundalo yun.”
However, the Letranite added that Luib needs to polish his offensive game to become at least a 3-and-D guy. During his last season with Letran, Luib shot just 23.7 percent from downtown. However, he has shown flashes to be a catch-and-shoot player as he was able to knock down five triples during Letran’s fourth game of the season.
“He just has to work on his offense pero yung defense nandun na,” Ayo added.
