San Beda head coach Yuri Escueta expressed pride in the Red Lions players who remained with the team despite the departure of several veteran players before the start of the NCAA Season 99 men’s basketball tournament.
The second-year Red Lions head coach mentioned that the 18 players in his lineup deserve to relish the championship immensely for choosing to stay and adhere to his system.
“There are guys who left; sabi ko nga sa kanila, ‘If we win this championship, I’m gonna be really proud of you’,” Escueta said in a post-game interview after San Beda’s 77-67 title-clinching victory over the Mapua University Cardinals last Sunday.
“They really deserve this; after all that happened last year and this year, these are the guys who stayed, the guys who believed in themselves,” added the former Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles guard.
In the offseason, the Red Lions faced significant departures, including veterans like Justine Sanchez, Winston Ynot, and Gab Cometa, who all moved to the College of St. Benilde Blazers.
The departure of the three, however, was compensated by the emergence of rookies Nygel Gonzales and Jomel Puno, both of whom had breakout performances for San Beda this season.
The Red Lions will be more formidable for Season 100 next year with the addition of John Bryan Sajonia, Penny Estacio, brothers RC and Ricci Calimag, Joe Celso, Menard Songcuya, Ronrei Tolentino, and John Bismarck Lina, who will be eligible after completing their residency.
The post Coach Yuri Escueta proud of San Beda players ‘who stayed’ for Season 99 first appeared on Fastbreak.
0 comments: