In the NCAA Season 99 Seniors Basketball Tournament, Colegio de San Juan de Letran had the worst possible start to a season for any defending champion in league history.
After many tight battles and heartbreaking endings, the Knights dropped seven straight games to go 0-7 at the bottom of the standings, a complete 180-degree turn from their successes in the past three seasons as the three-time defending champions.
Over the offseason, the Knights grappled with a ton of roster turnover, both among the players and the coaching staff. Letran lost the services of key players like long-time leaders Fran Yu, Louie Sangalang, King Caralipio, and Brent Paraiso, while it also handed over the coaching reins to Rensy Bajar after the departure of Bonnie Tan.
There was no doubt that Letran would go through a learning curve in the new season, but not even their strongest critics predicted that they would start the first round winless.
As they neared their matchup against San Sebastian College-Recoletos, things only got worse for Letran as their leading scorer Kurt Reyson would have to sit out due to a lingering groin injury. Reyson’s injury only added to the list of unfortunate absences, as Paolo Javillonar had already sat out their previous match.
What seemed like a doomed matchup for the Knights ended up being the highlight of their season, as they showed the dominance expected from a title contender. They thrashed San Sebastian 86-71 as their offense became a well-oiled machine.
“Lumabas yung laro ng ibang players eh, they’re winners too. Even if wala yung captain ball namin, nagpakita sila and naging matibay sila doon sa challenge,” shared Bajar.
Now that their first win is in the books, Bajar hopes the game serves as a turning point for Letran as it continues its push to get back to the final four.
“I think so, I’m positive on it. Ieenjoy namin itong game na to then bukas prepare for Saint Benilde, positive ako na sana ito na yung turning point for our season,” said Bajar.
The win also came at a timely moment as the Knights are set to end the first round with a finals rematch against College of Saint Benilde. After their match with the Stags, they now enter the much-anticipated matchup with some momentum and boosted morale.
The finals rematch is scheduled for Sunday at 2:40 p.m, marking the last game in the first round of Season 99.
