Perez rooting hard for Lyceum

Lyceum of the Philippines University needs endgame toughness if it wants to win the men’s basketball title in Season 100 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

CJ Perez, arguably the most successful cager ever to play for Lyceum, said the Pirates must learn how to close out games to gain a shot at the crown of the centennial edition of the country’s oldest collegiate league.

“Actually, in their last season, they fell short in the Final Four. They were just behind in the fourth quarter but I saw that they need to finish the game well,” said Perez, who led Lyceum to back-to-back NCAA finals appearances in 2017 and 2018.

“Hopefully, they’ll have a better season and gun for the championship.”

Last year, the Pirates were one win away from advancing to the finals after clinching a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four.

But they crumbled when the game was on the line, prompting them to lose to San Beda University twice that sent them out of the race for a slot in the best-of-three finals.

This year, the Pirates started out slow, absorbing a 63-79 loss to the Red Lions in the opening salvo last Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

They have a chance to bounce back when they face San Sebastian College on Wednesday, something that Perez, now a star player for San Miguel Beer in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), hope will happen as they play not for themselves but also for their school.

“Actually, the feeling of playing for the school is different because the whole school really supports you. The students really give their all to watch you play,” Perez said.

“Also, there are big drums playing loudly in games. You don’t get that much in the PBA.

“The Lyceum crowd is also something I missed.”