San Beda University is more than just a one-man show.
After a challenging stretch in which they lost four of their last five games, the Red Lions have now won three consecutive games, with their most recent victory coming at the expense of the second-best team in the league: Lyceum of the Philippines University.
A significant contributor to their strong stretch is the performance of their big man, Yukien Andrada. He continued his excellent play against the Pirates, notching a career-high 26 points with six made triples.
While NCAA fans may perceive the Red Lions as Jacob Cortez’s team, Andrada has reminded the league that he is a force to be reckoned with as they make their final push towards the Final Four.
San Beda head coach Yuri Escueta himself acknowledges the true value of Andrada’s contribution.
“It’s not a secret naman talaga — Yuki is as valuable as Jacob is in our team.
“When we lost yung first two games niya sa second round ayoko isipin na wala si Yuki eh kasi siyempre gusto ko yung next man up mentality eh. Pero sabi nga nung coaches kahit hindi mo isipin iyan, kahit gusto mong sabihin stumep up yung mga bench players mo si Yuki talaga yung nawala, parang nawala si Jacob non. Ganoon talaga ka important si Yuki sa amin,” explained Escueta about the 6-foot-6 big.
Andrada, who recently returned after a hamstring injury forced him to sit out a few games, explained that much of his confidence grew after the Red Lions’ battle against Mapua University.
Although the Red Lions lost the match 69-71 after Andrada’s game-winning three-point attempt missed the mark, he shared that the trust his teammates and coaches instilled in him to put the ball in his hands with the game on the line meant a lot for his confidence.
“Even though we lost I still made those shots eh. Coming from that game tuloy-tuloy na yung pagtira ko ng tres and malaki yung tiwala na binigay sa akin ng teammates ko and coaches,” the 22-year-old San Beda lifer said.
Andrada’s and the rest of the Red Lions’ morales are now higher than ever after convincingly beating the league’s second-ranked team.
“Really big confidence boost sa amin kasi nga top two sila diba? We beat them and it’s a big margin. Ayun nga sabi sa akin ni Coach Yuri na during the first round we could have beat them eh, but parang minalas kami nung first round and we came up short,” Andrada continued.
The Red Lions will need to ride that morale boost as much as they can as they face also-ran rivals Letran Knights to end the season on Friday at 3:30 p.m., where a win would secure a Final Four slot in San Beda’s favor.
