In a sense, it’s déjà vu for De La Salle University Lady Archers head coach Cholo Villanueva.
Villanueva had been part of the 2007 De La Salle Green Archers squad that had swept aside the University of the East Red Warriors team — a UE squad which had ended the UAAP Season 70 Men’s Basketball Tournament elimination round with a win-loss record of 14-0 — en route to winning the championship.
This time, Villanueva is directing the Lady Archers towards a championship against the three-peat seeking National University Lady Bulldogs, who have not only swept the UAAP Season 79 Women’s Basketball Tournament elimination round, but are also undefeated in 46 games.
“During my final year we played against an unbeatable UE who had 14-0. For me it’s a doable feat.
“But again, we just need to play the right way, play our game and hopefully get the win and the championship,” shared Villanueva.
NU are going to be a tough nut to crack for Villanueva and company. The Lady Bulldogs proved to much of an obstacle for the Lady Archers to overcome as the former won both times against the latter in the elimination round.
One thing Villanueva noted that NU have and that La Salle lack is size. He admitted, “I think we’re the smallest team in the league. I think we’re number six or number five in rebounding because we’re a very small team and that’s their advantage.”
“They have a 6-foot-4 (player), they have an import, they have 6-footers [and] 5-foot-11 guards so it’s the rebounding area that we’re supposed to focus on. We’ll work on that.”
Circumstances, though, may prove kind for La Salle. Similar to 2007, there is no thrice-to-beat advantage for the team that sweeps the elimination round, after the UAAP board decided to change the eight-year-old rule. For Villanueva, that’s a helpful incentive for La Salle to win the title.
“I think that happened after we won the championship in 2007. I think in 2008, thrice-to-beat advantage ang nag 14-0. It’s advantageous because when you reach the Finals, it’s 0-0,” the second-year Lady Archers reflected.
“It’s back to zero, so it’s just one game at a time and if you need to win two games to win the championship rather than three, it will be more advantageous.”
But NU have national team players such as Afril Bernardino and Jack Daniel Aminam in their lineup. Aside from that, Perlas Pilipinas coach Pat Aquino has been also the one who breathed new life into the Lady Bulldogs with his program.
On paper, NU are certain to win the championship. The Lady Bulldogs are superior compared to the Lady Archers, especially in terms of experience. But against all the odds, though, Villanueva is keeping his and the rest of the team’s eyes on the prize.
“I think it’s everything to learn for us, everything to gain. As I said last year we were inexperienced in the Final Four, but now this year we had that experience and we pulled through.
“This year, same thing, we want to gain experience again but we want to gain experience winning. We’ll just play the right way. We’ll match their intensity and hopefully get the win,” Villanueva promised.
