In only his sophomore year as the head coach for San Beda University in the NCAA Seniors Basketball Tournament, Yuri Escueta’s coaching experience still pales in comparison to some of the veteran minds that the oldest collegiate league in the Philippines has to offer.
So, in the crunch time of the Red Lions’ matchup against Jose Rizal University–one that could have massive implications in the final four landscape of NCAA Season 99 – Escueta went all the way back to his playing years in Ateneo De Manila University to muster up an After Time Out (ATO) play that could seal the game.
With 22.9 seconds left and the Heavy Bombers closing in on San Beda’s 71-67 lead, San Beda inbounded the ball from the sidelines of JRU’s side of the court, instead of moving the possession up to their end after the timeout.
“With 22 seconds on the clock, if we inbound the ball at the backcourt wala nang shot clock, so we decided to inbound the ball at the backcourt,” explained Escueta.
With the inbounder on JRU’s side, the Red Lions sowed confusion by having all four players positioned towards JRU’s basket as well, tricking the Heavy Bombers into defending their own hoop. With the Heavy Bombers playing man-to-man coverage, the Red Lions’ positioning meant that no defenders were covering San Beda’s basket.
Yukien Andrada set a back screen for Nygel Gonzales, who drove hard into the paint on JRU’s side of the court and drew two defenders onto him. With his defender occupied by Gonzales’ fake drive, Andrada sprinted towards San Beda’s court, wide open for a fastbreak layup that ultimately sealed the 74-69 win.
After the game, Escueta explained that the set they ran sprung from the mind of none other than coach Norman Black.
Black, who was Escueta’s old head coach in college for Ateneo and who now serves as a consultant for San Beda, ran that same set for Escueta and his Ateneo squads two decades ago.
“That sideline out of bounds (SLOB) in the backcourt was Coach Norman’s SLOB with us when I was still playing. Kaya after nung SLOB nag-thank you ako kay Coach Norman. Hindi niya siguro maalala iyon pero ako naalala ko, yung sideline out of bounds namin sa backcourt before when I was playing for him,” Escueta shared.
Black’s influence in San Beda’s Season 99 run has been significant as his teachings and mentorship have rubbed off on both players and staff alike. As Escueta showed against JRU, Black’s impact on San Beda’s system goes deeper than just his presence as a consultant but ranges all the way back to the lessons he taught Escueta decades prior.
With the crucial victory, the Red Lions leaped past the Heavy Bombers in the standings and placed themselves back into the Final Four picture, tying themselves up with College of Saint Benilde for the third and fourth spots in the standings as they look ahead towards their final two games of the elimination rounds.
