Last December 13, University of Perpetual Help System DALTA Head Coach Olsen Racela told Rebanse in an exclusive interview that he hopes for his players to develop this offseason, as they cannot recruit players to play for them come NCAA Season 102.
Overall Player Development this Offseason
In the postgame interview after losing against the Colegio de San Juan de Letrán in the NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball semifinals last December 5 2025 at the Mall of Asia Arena, the sophomore guard of the Altas, Mark Gojo Cruz, that he would try and develop to become a full on point guard for his team come next season.
Which is something that his head coach has been pushing him to do for quite some time now.
And now after the bronze medal match, in which the Altas won against the College of Saint Benilde last December 13, Coach Olsen told Rebanse that he isn’t just aiming for Gojo Cruz to improve this offseason but also almost all of his players since he can’t just recruit players to play for them, just like what the other universities/colleges are doing.
“Well sa amin naman kase it’s all about player development for each and everyone. Ang goal namin is for them to improve every year and part ng growth ni Gojo [Cruz] is him taking that next step [of] being a point guard. And not just him but for the other as well.”
He then added that:
“Ang hinahanap namin is really improvement every year because once nag improve ang bawat isa sa amin then automatic yun mag i-improve yung team eh. And Perpetual is all about player development because hindi talaga kami makapag recruit ng kagaya ng ibang teams, so yeah.”
The last transfer that made a huge impact for the Altas this Season 101 is the former FEU Tamaraws, Patrick Sleat, who just played his very first season representing the maroon and white squad.
Sleat, who has spent half of his UAAP collegiate stint on the bench, took on the “star role” as he transferred to the Altas last year. His move is also connected to when Olsen stepped away from the coaching duties of FEU to handle Perpetual.
And after sitting out the entire Season 100, Patrick had become Racela’s primary tool in winning, to go along with Gojo Cruz in just his second year in the NCAA.
Still a Historical Season for the Perpetual Altas
Despite not lifting the trophy for this season, Coach Olsen said that he is still proud of what his team had accomplished.
“Well of course we’re still short of our goal of making the finals and winning the championship but you know, I’m happy and proud of the way we played throughout this season and I think kahit papaano we deserve a recognition like this with the hard work that the players put since January. So grabe yung binuhos nila eh so of course we’re happy with the third place but sa akin I’m more happy for the players actually.”
During the elimination round, the Altas made history for the first time in 21 years since Season 80 in 2004 as they finished with the top seed in their group (Pool A) with a 9-4 record, earning a valuable twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
A Short Rest and then Back to Business Come January 2026
When asked by Rebanse what the key adjustments or developments he would want to see from his players this season, Coach Olsen reiterated that he wishes for his squad to rest first and then, come January next year, he would then lay out his expectations for each of his players.
“Wala pa. Well right now ang ano ko is for them to recover, mag-uwian sila with their families, spend time with their loved ones. [Then] pagbalik ng January balik na kami tas dun na kami mag pla-plano based on the players we’ve lost, the players that will be coming from Team B. So dun palang kami mag pla-plano but definitely, part of that, like I said is player development kailangan mag improve kami kase hindi kami pwedeng umasa sa recruits namin.”
