During the postgame interview last November 27 at the Mall of Asia Arena, University of Perpetual Help System DALTA Head Coach Olsen Racela gave his players, Patrick Sleat and Mark Gojo Cruz, their flowers as they made his job a lot easier.
The Brand New Dynamic Duo for the Altas
Earning the #1 seed and having a twice-to-beat advantage, the Altas were able to defeat the Jose Rizal University in their quarterfinals game last Thursday, 81 to 74.
And moving to the semifinals, the former UAAP Head Coach Champion with the Far Eastern University emphasized that both Sleat and Gojo Cruz would be crucial in accomplishing their long-term goal of making the Finals and winning the championship.
“Well, itong dalawa na to kase makes my job easier having them on the floor. Katulad nga nung sinabi ko kanina kay Gojo [Cruz], si Patrick is a two way player also. So hindi mo na pro-problemahin yung situational substitution on defense or in offense, kase you know they can play on both ends [of the floor].”
In the quarterfinals win, the 6-foot-3 forward Sleat had 14 points, 6 rebounds, 10 assists, and 2 steals. While the 6 foot guard Gojo Cruz scored a team high 23 points along with 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
The Recruit from the FEU Tamaraws
Unknown to many, when Olsen shifted from coaching the FEU Tamaraws of the UAAP to handling the UPHSD in the NCAA, he also brought Patrick Sleat with him.
He was part of the green and gold tamaraws from Season 84 to 86, but before graduating, he transferred to the Altas. And after sitting out the entire NCAA Season 100 due to residency rules, the 24-year-old finally gets to suit up for the Perpetual this season.
Head Coach Olsen then pointed out how important a player Sleat is to his squad if the Altas wanted to defeat the Colegio de San Juan de Letrán in the semis, but also called out that he would still need help from his other players aside from these two.
“Malaking bagay si Patrick sa programa namin because kailangan ko ng tulong eh kaya ko ni-recruit to eh. And of course moving forward, Final Four, malaking bagay pa rin sila. I’m sure teams will key on these two players, its up to the other players na suportahan sila.”
Work More as a Team on the Defensive End
Despite being in this position after a very long time, Patrick Sleat wanted to see his squad work more as a one cohesive unit in order to make it out of the semis.
“Ayun nga I think we need to work more as a team and yun, focus pa kami sa defense namin kase I think yun talaga ang nagpapanalo sa amin. So kailangan pa namin, hindi lang individually sa defense as a team.”
University of Perpetual Help System DALTA will face the Colegio de San Juan de Letrán at the SMART Araneta Coliseum this December 2 (Tuesday) at 11:00 AM for their Best of Three Semifinals clash.
