I've been a proud supporter of the Green Archers way back when they ruled the UAAP in the late 90's. It was the decade that opened my eyes to local college hoops and rest was history. Although I never studied at De La Salle University in college (I wish I did), they are simply the best when it comes to basketball.
Obviously, it's the only sport I follow in the UAAP. Anyways, I just wanna talk about what's currently happening to my team. Since the departure of key players Jvee Casio and Rico Maierhofer, the Archers are now at a crossroads. It's now up to forward James Mangahas -- the only role (and clutch) player left in the roster -- to lead the Gang Green back into title contention. From the looks of it, he (Mangahas) doesn't seem to be comfortable being the leader of the pack. Perhaps coach Franz Pumaren already saw it coming. Ok, so he expected it.
To put things simply, things are not going as planned for the Green Archers. It's sad to see my team get whooped by teams like the UP fighting Maroons(!), their arch rivals Ateneo Blue Eagles, Adamson Soaring Falcons and just recently -- to the UE Red Warriors. They are now 5th in the standings with a 5-6 (or 7) win-loss card -- a couple of games behind 4th seed UST Growling Tigers(?!) unfortunately. Yeah, who'da thunk it?
UST leads the league in scoring (82.5 ppg), turnovers and has poor defense. Yes, they don't defend a lot. The reason? Simple. They allow their opponents to drop almost 84 points (83.8 to be exact) on them -- the only drawback for a run-and-gun team. The surprising part is, they are still winning(?) albeit their lack of defensive prowess. Another thing is, UST mentor Pido Jarencio is not a firm believer of DEFENSE. I'll talk about more on my thoughts on the UST cage team some other time. No wonder he didn't go to Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra's basketball clinic for coaches last July (I have yet to post my stuff on that event).
Going back to the Archers, their loss to the Red Warriors last August 29 halted their hopes in making it to the Final Four. Even if they win their next few games -- including their showdown with UST (a do-or-die match to vie for a Final Four spot) -- it's not enough to make the cut, to say the least -- unless the The Growling Tigers to lose their upcoming games (they had an easy win over the NU Bulldogs last August 30 which is no surprise).
I know the chances of making it to the semis is rather slim but I guess the inevitable is already sinking in for the Green Archers -- most especially coach Pumaren. He knows his team's on the brink of elimination. La Salle fans (myself included) will find it hard to fathom the fact winning a title -- let alone make it to the Final Four -- won't happen this year. But there's no harm in hoping for a miracle though. Had Rico Maierhofer stayed for his final year in DLSU, maybe they still have a fighting chance. That's just wishful thinking I guess. Dude will now be playing where the big boys are at -- the PBA.
It's gonna take a while for the rooks to get a hang of Franz Pumaren's system. Besides, he (coach Pumaren) never said it was going to be easy. Joshua Webb is gonna be a star for the Archers in the coming years, that I'm pretty sure of. All I can say is, give them 2 or 3 years and the Gang Green will be back in the title hunt. Count on it.
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