Letran College is ready to march to its rivalry match with Mapua University even without top rookie Jimboy Estrada when they clash in Season 100 National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament on Friday.
Knights coach Allen Ricardo said he expects other players to step in a bid to snap their back-to-back setbacks even without Ricardo, who was slapped with a one-game suspension for unsportsmanlike behavior.
The 23-year-old forward was slapped with a technical foul that led to his ejection during their 61-71 loss to University of Perpetual Help System Dalta last Sunday.
But Ricardo is hardly worried, saying that he believes that his players will assert their next-man mentality against the dangerous Cardinals in what sideliners dubbed as “Battle of Intramuros” at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
“They need to step up. This is a collective effort since we have a next-man-up mentality,” Ricardo said.
“As a coach, I believe in the abilities of the boys to overcome the challenges and I hope the fans are patient with us.”
Estrada’s absence is a major blow to the Knights, who are looking to book a return flight to the Final Four after losing the crown to San Beda University last year.
He averaged 15.36 points with7.45 rebounds, 5.36 assists, and 1.0 blocks in 11 games for Letran, which is tied for fourth place with a 6-5 win-loss record along with host Lyceum of the Philippines University.
With Estrada out, the likes of Kevin Santos, Deo Cuajao, Kobe Monje and Pao Javillonar, who is their second-best scorer with an average of 11.38 points, are all expected to step up and make life difficult for Mapua.
Ricardo said despite their slow start in the second round, they are optimistic that they can turn things around and march to the semifinals.
“There are still things we can work on in our team dynamics. There is no perfect game,” Ricardo said.
“Our opponents are either strong from the start or are just improving. There is no certainty and what we can do is regroup.”