In the post-Kevin Quiambao era, De La Salle University’s campaign in the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament will revolve around team captain Mike Phillips, alongside the emergence of key transferees Kean Baclaan, Jacob Cortez, Mason Amos, and Luis Pablo.
Amid this stacked roster fueling the Green Archers’ title redemption bid, it’s easy to overlook the addition of highly-touted rookie Lebron Jhames Daep — a 6-foot-7 center who won the NCAA Season 100 Juniors’ Basketball MVP and led University of Perpetual Help’s System DALTA to its first-ever NCAA juniors title.
Such a decorated résumé at just 19 years old might satisfy another athlete’s ambition, but Daep is eager to make an immediate impact to help La Salle reclaim the crown it lost to the University of the Philippines in Season 87.
That mindset was evident on Saturday afternoon, as the Las Piñas native made his presence felt in his debut for the Green and White. He finished with eight points, three rebounds, two steals, and one assist in La Salle’s narrow 60-58 win over the Adamson Soaring Falcons.
“Yung eagerness ko is ibibigay ko yung best ko — yung ‘super best’ ko pa nga — kasi pagtapos ng game para wala akong regrets kasi alam ko binigay ko yung lahat and nag-sstick lang ako sa plans namin and kay Coach Topex,” Daep told Tiebreaker Times.
Coming from the NCAA Grand Old League, Daep immediately got a taste of intense UAAP action, playing a pivotal role in defending Adamson’s defense-oriented frontline of Cedrick Manzano, OJ Ojarikre, AJ Fransman, and Allen Perez.
What truly made the difference for Daep in holding his own against UAAP-proven big men was the roaring La Sallian crowd and the team chemistry the Green Archers developed over the offseason.
“Masaya ako and nakakapanibago kasi grabe yung mga tao dito, akala mo finals ng juniors. Sobrang nakakatawa kasi maraming sumusupporta sa amin and talagang nagsti-stick kami together as a team,” Daep said, whose father, Rommel, was Robinson’s former teammate at San Sebastian.
“Sa juniors sa NCAA, parang mas inaano nila na kung ano tinuro ng coach, ‘yon na yung ginagawa, dito parang binabasa namin yung isa’t-isa and kami lang yung naglalaro sa loob.”
For head coach Topex Robinson, a one-time UAAP champion, the promise that comes with a talent like Daep is clear.
With more games under their belt and shared experiences through the highs and lows of a long season, Daep and the rest of the Green Archers can aim to return to the summit of UAAP men’s basketball.
“There’s so much promise with Lebron Daep. Again, the more games we play, the more times that we really spend together is really gonna be crucial for us in this long season. Part of that is, I guess, these times, these learnings that we get,” said Robinson.
“We always treat these games as a learning opportunity for us. We really need to work a lot, just like what Mike said, but we’re okay. That’s just part of the journey for us.”
