With La Salle Green Archers lead guard Jacob Cortez sidelined by a right knee injury, the Taft-based squad needed someone to step up. Rookie Joaquin Tovera answered the call, stepping up to help the Green Archers get past the UST Growling Tigers, 92-80, on Sunday at the Blue Eagle Gym.
After the game, the 18-year-old made it clear that everything he did on the court was for the good of La Salle, whose latest win moved them to 5-4 in the UAAP Season 89 Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Tovera Laments ‘Selfish’ First Half
Surprisingly, Tovera felt he played selfish basketball in the first half, even after posting 5 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal and helping La Salle grab a narrow 47-44 lead at halftime.
“In the first half, I kinda was playing selfish, and then I realized that I need to get my team going and do what’s best for my team in order to win,” Tovera told reporters.
The former member of Gilas Pilipinas Youth did just that. He added 6 more assists to his ledger, which also saw him fire 15 points, grab 7 rebounds, and swipe 3 steals. Crucially, he helped his team get going, particularly JC Macalalag and Doy Dungo, who both ended up with career bests in scoring. Macalalag finished with 28, and Dungo had 24, as Tovera’s playmaking opened up the floor for the Green Archers.
“Just me trying to get my team going, hustling, doing the right plays,” Tovera said of his second half and overall game.
Team Success Over Personal Success
Tovera himself could’ve tried to go for a personal-best point total, but he instead chose to keep doing what he thought was best for the team: orchestrate and move the ball around. He is, after all, focused on team success, not personal milestones.
“My mindset is just do what’s best for the team, make the right plays, and have that motivation, like, have that ‘dog’ [in me],” Tovera later said.
With Cortez’s availability for La Salle’s next game still up in the air, Tovera will likely be counted upon to unleash that dog again come Saturday, October 31, when the Green Archers take on archrivals Ateneo Blue Eagles at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
