In the postgame interview on November 21, Arellano University head coach Chico Manabat told the media that they were able to turn the team’s weaknesses into strengths after their win against Mapúa University at the FilOil EcoOil Arena in San Juan City.
Lack of Height and Talent? Not a Problem
The 3rd Year mentor for the Arellano Chiefs reiterated that his squad isn’t the most talented nor the tallest in the on-going NCAA Season 101 Men’s basketball tournament.
But that doesn’t mean they won’t compete at their best.
After a come from behind win against the defending champions Mapúa Cardinals last Friday, the 47 year old head coach said they were able to use the teams’ disadvantages into their weapon against any team as they prioritize “team defense.”
“Siguro ano, yung program kase namin is based on Defensive Team kami. So lack of talent and then small [ball] kami, so doon kami nag focus. So mayroon kaming mga structure na binuo so nagbubunga naman lahat para doon sa defense namin.”
The Chiefs were able to limit former Finals MVP Clint Escamis to just 4 points while shooting 2 out of 8 from the field, further highlighting the importance of team defense.
Sticking to the Game Plan and Play Honest Defense
Before sealing the deal against the defending champs, in the final seconds of the 4th quarter there was an error coming from Arellano’s best player T-Mc Ongotan where he wasted 21 seconds of their shot clock not being able to get off any kind of shot while his team was down.
Prior to that sequence, he also missed 2 straight free throw shots which could’ve given them the lead.
When asked about what were the conversations during the timeout and the team huddles, Coach Chico told his boys to just stick with their game plan despite committing errors and just play honest defense on the other side of the court.
“Ah yun lang, stick with the system. Lagi ko sa kanilang sinasabi kung mag mi-miss man kayo, everything’s going to be ok and then sabi ko [kay T-Mc] talagang scouted ka na eh. Pwede mong gawin yan pero kapag may open [ka na teammate] yung kick up or kick out [the pass to your teammates] para may ma-free up na mga shots.”
This of course paid off as after 2 straight errors, Arellano was able to get the lead with a 3-pointer from Renzo Abiera, 60 to 58. Then to make up for the 2 missed free throws, T-Mc was able to get a clutch steal in the last 15 seconds of the game and made his next 2 free throws to go up by 4 points, 62 to 58 as Arellano finally got the win.
The Chiefs didn’t just win their last elimination round match but also gave them a Twice to Beat advantage heading into the playoffs as they face the Colegio de San Juan de Letrán on Wednesday, November 26.
