The Letran Knights are tagged as a title favorites when the 97th season of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s men’s basketball tournament fires in a bubble this Saturday at the La Salle Greenhills gymnasium in San Juan.
The defending champion Knights, who upset the San Beda Red Lions two years ago for the title, are coming in with new players they have acquired following more than 24 months of inactivity because of COVID-19 restrictions.
And they hope that the team’s chemistry has improved now that they start their season with a 3:30 p.m. game with the College of St. Benilde Blazers.
Organizers, led by host College of St. Benilde, will have basketball matches held under a bubble, in compliance with safety and health protocols which in the Interagency Task for the Management of Infectious Diseases set.
Later at 7:05 p.m., the San Beda Red Lions clash with the Lyceum Pirates.
The games will be aired live and livestreamed by broadcast partner GMA 7.
“Humahabol pa kami kasi ibang-iba ‘yung performance ng players dito sa preparation namin. Kulang pa talaga sa jelling,” said Letran coach Bonnie Tan.
The Knights still have NCAA Season 95 Finals MVP Fran Yu, who is expected to lead the way, with support from holdovers like Jeo Ambohot, Allen Mina, King Caralipio, Kurt Reyson, Paolo Javillionar and Mark Sangalang.
Rhenz Abando and Brent Paraiso, two bluechip transferees from the University of Santo Tomas, are also part of the new system, while rookies Rafael Go and Andrey Guarino are being groomed to blend in.
Back in 2020, the Knights finished the elimination with a 12-6 win-loss record for no. 3 spot in the Final Four.
Then, they beat the San Sebastian Stags and the Pirates in the stepladder semifinals, before upsetting San Beda, 2-1, in the finals to win the championship.
This time, the Knights will be without graduates Jerick Balanza, Larry Muyang, Bonbon Batiller and Ato Ular.
