I thought it was good. I thought those three guys came in and gave us what they could.

JAMIE Orme Malonzo is one of the three “one-and-done” players for La Salle. DAVID JOHN CUBANGBANG

De La Salle University bombed out of the Final Four of Season 82 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament despite parading three Filipino-American players.

Jamie Orme Malonzo, Keyshawn Evans Meeker and James Laput all played college ball in the United States, but decided to play for the Green Archers just for this season, a case dubbed by sideliners as “one-and-done.”

But their campaign didn’t go as planned.

Injuries haunted them, reducing them into mere bench players as the Green Archers enter their final assignment in the eliminations with only seven wins in 13 games.

The 6-foot-7 Malonzo and Meeker suffered a sprained wrist and tendonitis in the first couple of weeks of the season while Laput sustained a foot injury, prompting him to suit up for only six games with a forgettable averages of 2.5 points and 2.6 rebounds.

Malonzo, who averages 14.2 points and 9.7 rebounds, is the lone bright spots among the newcomers as he delivered 23 points, seven rebounds and three steals in La Salle’s 80-79 win over University of Santo Tomas.

Still, La Salle’s active consultant in Jermaine Byrd sees some positive in this setup.

“I thought it was good. I thought those three guys came in and gave us what they could,” said Byrd, the former NBA G-League head coach who is also a newcomer in the most prestigious collegiate league in the country.

“Like you said, it was an experiment. My assessment was good and I enjoyed coaching those guys.”

Tapping “one-and-done” players seems to be the trend in the UAAP lately.

Last year, National University tapped Troy Rike for just one season shortly after he graduate from Wake Forest University, a prominent program in the United States that produced the likes of NBA stars like Tim Duncan and Chris Paul.

This time, La Salle used the rule to its advantage as it brought in not one, but three players, who would take up post-graduate studies while playing college ball.

“They just got done with the college season in the States so we asked them to come here and go to college again to learn on the fly about local basketball an the UAAP,” Byrd said.

“It’s kind of tough but they’ve handled it extremely well. They have handled it like professionals and I wish those guys the best and I loved them for they have done for my career.”

Byrd said he wouldn’t be surprised if Malonzo, Meeker and Laput land on the Philippine Basketball Association.

“All those guys will be professional players here in the Philippines, I believe.”