Never surrender

JERRICK Balanza carries Letran to a huge upset of San Beda. DAVID JOHN CUBANGBANG @tribunephl_dvd

The Season 95 title that Letran College won over San Beda University would definitely go down as one of the sweetest ever in the history of National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament.

But it’s not just because tyhe Knights dethroned the Red Lions or spoiled what could be a perfect season.

It’s because the victory was built on second chances.

Letran coach Bonnie Tan said his wards refused to quit despite being stacked against a great team such as San Beda. In fact, even if cramps were hurting his key players in the crucial stretch of Game 3 late Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena, they kept on pushing, knowing that fortune would favor the bold.

“I kept on telling my players that nothing is impossible,” said Tan following their title-clinching 81-79 victory.

“I told them that whatever happens, just stay positive and continue to carry the momentum we gained in the eliminations and the stepladder.”

True enough, quitting wasn’t part of the Knights’ vocabulary.

A couple of years ago, the future of their skipper in Jerrick Balanza was in doubt when he underwent a critical brain surgery.

Nobody thought that the sweet-shooting forward would be able to touch a basketball again, but in Game 3, he provided tons of leadership and some key baskets that gave the Knights a fighting chance.

“When I was suffering, it was the Letran community which was behind me the whole time. And I see no other way to show my gratitude other than winning the championship for them,” the graduating Balanza said.

Larry Muyang, Bonbon Batiller and finals hero Fran Yu also didn’t quit.

The 6-foot-5 Muyang kicked off his collegiate career at De La Salle Univerity in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) in 2015, but got lost in the rotation when other big men like Jason Perkins, Prince Rivero and Abu Tratter and Cameroonian Ben Mbala emerged.

“When I recruited him from a UAAP school, he was so down. He had zero confidence,” said former Letran coach Jeff Napa in a previous statement.

“But look at him now. He is now playing with a lot of confidence and is on his way to lead Letran to a championship.”

Also finding their shots at redemption at Letran were Batiller and Yu.

Batiller, in fact, played a key role in the rotation of seasoned coach Derrick Pumaren at the University of the East (UE) after averaging 11.1 points in two seasons, but still got cut reportedly due to academic problem.

“After getting removed from the UE lineup in 2017, I felt that I was just another trash,” Batiller said.

“But coach Jeff picked me up, he took care of me, and now I am a champion.”

On the same note, Yu also got the boot from UE.

He played briefly for Batang Gilas and flirted with the idea of competing in Thailand before landing on Letran, carrying the school on his shoulders when it shocked the erstwhile-undefeated Red Lions in Game 1 and coming up with gutsy plays in Game 3.

“Getting cut from UE served as my motivation,” said Yu, who silenced his critics by posting 13.7 points, 6.0 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals to emerge as the Most Valuable Player of the best-of-three finals series.

“I wanted to prove that looks do not count inside the basketball court. It’s all about heart, will and desire.”

With Balanza, Muyang, Batiller and Yu playing with fire in their eyes, the Knights were unstoppable.

They dominated San Sebastian College in the first round of the step ladder before clobbering Lyceum of the Philippines University to book a dream duel with San Beda, which was coming in oozing with momentum for posting 32 straight victories.

“We had a lot of trials entering the stepladder, getting those wins were never easy. Those wins carried us in facing the defending champions and winning the title,” Tan said, throwing a look at the shiny golden trophy that would forever stand as a testament to their hard work, perseverance and never-say-die attitude.