Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times

AU

Levi dela Cruz finds a home in Arellano


If there’s one game plan that’s proven to be effective every time teams take on the Arellano University Chiefs, it has always been “If you stop Salado, you stop Arellano.”

But Levi dela Cruz stepped up for the skidding Chiefs in the nick of time, Friday afternoon.

Arellano ace Kent Salado, who tallied only nine points (down from his 17.1 points average), struggled with the defense imposed on him by the Saint Benilde Blazers, but Dela Cruz came to the rescue. The 5-foot-7 point guard from Davao City carried the Chiefs to a come-from-behind win against the College of Saint Benilde, 87-81.

He may be a new face in the NCAA, but he’s been making the rounds in the college basketball scene for quite some time.

After playing for two UAAP teams, and after taking a year off from basketball due to an ACL injury, he is now fitting in perfectly with the run-and-gun type of play of Arellano University, playing 22.6 minutes per contest for Arellano.

“Pagdating ng 2016, ininvite na po ako para mag try out sa Arellano kasi daw patapos na si Jio [Jalalon] so punta ako Arellano,” the 22-year-old, who dropped a career-high 24 points on 9-for-13 shooting, said.

“Running team po sila [Arellano], which is yun po nakasanayan ko kaya nag-fit naman po ako sa system.”

His career-game was not planned according to him, however, as he said that he just needed to step up as the Chiefs were in the midst of a four-game skid.NCAA-93-CSB-AU-Dela-Cruz-8612 Levi dela Cruz finds a home in Arellano AU Basketball NCAA News  - philippine sports news

“Di ko naman po talaga minamadali [opensa ko] pero kanina kinapalan ko na po mukha ko, lagi naman kasi akong nage-extra work kaya confident na rin po ako,” admitted Dela Cruz, who added across his name plus four assists and three rebounds.

#ReadMore  NCAA mulls second sem start for seniors basketball tournament

When asked about how he feels about the recognition he is receiving now as a rising reinforcement for Salado, he giddily said, “Nako, kung may camera lang, naihi na ako sa kilig. Masaya po ako, kasi si Kent role model ko talaga siya, hinahangaan ko yan.

“Blessing lang po talaga yung mga umaabot na score ko, papulot pulot, three points.”

And coach Jerry Codinera hopes that this is just the beginning for his recruit.

“Na-surprise ako sa performance niya. Sana maging consistent na ito,” Codinera remarked about his rookie.

Written By

Danine is a graduating Broadcast Communication student who writes about basketball and volleyball in between her classes. Initially just a sports fan mostly influenced by her fanatic dad, she eventually realized that she can make a career out of her passion after her amazing internship with Tiebreaker Times


You May Also Like

AU

University of Santo Tomas became the first team from the UAAP Group to clinch a playoff berth in the PlayTime Cares 18th Filoil EcoOil...

AU

Zed Etulle delivered in the clutch to help San Beda snap its losing streak in the PlayTime Cares 18th Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup presented...

AU

In a testy, physical showdown between UAAP rivals, La Salle held off a furious late rally from National University to stay unbeaten in the...

AdU

Adamson University finally barged into the win column of the Playtime Cares Filoil 18th Preseason Cup presented by ABC Tile Adhesive after outlasting University...

AdU

Far Eastern University needed every bit of Mo Konateh’s dominance to hold off Adamson University, eking out a gritty 68-66 overtime win in the...

AU

Emilio Aguinaldo College extended its winning streak to four games and forged a tie with Letran for the top spot in the NCAA standings...

AU

Letran leaned on a second-half surge to end Benilde’s perfect run in the PlayTime Cares 18th Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup presented by ABC Tile...

AU

Far Eastern University and University of Santo Tomas kicked off their campaigns in the PlayTime Cares 18th Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup presented by ABC...

Advertisement