“Personally, from high school to college, nag champion ako e. Pero if magchampion kami this season yun ‘yung pinakaspecial. Para buong stay namin sa Beda, champion.” – Smart Elite ambassador Baser Amer during the Under Armour X Slam Draft Suite
For the most part of the ongoing NCAA Season, the San Beda Red Lions, leaning on the spectacular play of do-it-all forward Arth Dela Cruz, were able to muster convincing wins and remain atop the standings sans star point guard Baser Amer. As of press time, the five-time defending champions are currently tied with the Letran Knights in the standings with a 10-2 card.
Since dislocating his shoulder during San Beda’s first round encounter against Letran, the million dollar question was when will Amer return? Game in and game out, everyone would often take a look at the Red Lions’ bench and see if Amer was already in uniform.
The speculations would then be over as Amer finally played for San Beda during their latest win against the JRU Heavy Bombers last Thursday. In his return, the PBA-bound floor general put up 4 rebounds and 5 assists in 22 minutes of action.
“Sobrang happy kasi namiss kong maglaro at namiss ko mga kasama ko,” Amer told reporters when asked about his thoughts on his first game back from injury. “Last year ko na ito at gusto ko na maging special ito sa akin.”
Baser Amer
In Amer’s absence, San Beda was still rock solid as it boasted the league’s best offense by posting norms of 89.58 points per game. In addition, Amer’s prolonged absence also benefitted the likes of second stringer-guards Acee Soberano, Radge Tongco and Jeramer Cabanag to thrive in expanded roles.
“Sabi ng coaches sa akin, maging ready lang ako,” Amer added. “Ang akin lang naman, kung ipasok man ako o hindi, makita ko lang ang teammates ko na masaya and nandoon naman ako palagi every practice and every game to support sa kanila.”
The return of Amer to practice delighted the entire San Beda Red Lions-squad according to co-captain Art dela Cruz. “Sobrang saya nung bumalik sa siya practice. During practices kasi masayahin si Amer, when he returned sobrang saya namin nila Ola [Adeogun].” Moreover, he added that the leadership the young court general brings to the floor is irreplaceable.
Now, Amer’s return to action finally enables an already-potent Red Lion attack to reach its peak. With their star guard finally running the show, look for San Beda to once again show its championship pedigree as the season goes deeper.
“Basta ready lang ako. Maganda naman ang tinatakbo [ng San Beda] pero may mga iba lang na bad decisions,” he ended. “Kasama naman sa laro iyon kaya every practice improve lang talaga dapat.”
