Chasing Ten: Green Archers primed to translate their ‘preseason of promise’ into a Season 86 championship
The closing stages of the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers’ Season 85 campaign ended in heartbreak after a strong resurgence late in the second elimination round. Their fourth seed tiebreaker against the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons went down to the wire, but the final result ultimately wound up not granting them entrance into the promised land, as Boom Gonzalez commented on the very last play: “Nonoy…will stop…and miss, and Adamson will go to the Final Four!”
But that was already nine whole months ago. The Green Archers were one of the teams that underwent a massive overhaul during the off-season with the introduction of a brand new coaching staff spearheaded by coach Topex Robinson. Alongside a fresh slate of assistants, La Salle also brought in a number of new recruits to bolster the lineup and fill the slots vacated by Schonny Winston, Ice Hontiveros, and, most recently, Penny Estacio.
Ben Phillips, now the captain of the Green Archers, didn’t hold back in sharing his sentiments on what went down back in Season 85. “Sobrang malungkot kapag pinag-iisipan ‘yung last season, kasi, there were so many close games. I think of the FEU games, [and] I think of losing to UE twice which really, really stings. I think of the second round where we could have won a lot of games, pero andaming injuries.”
“But now, the difference is we have 15 or 16 players that will be ready to play and can make an impact when they step on the court. So, if somebody gets hurt, we have another man who can step up. For us, it really is nice that we have 16 strong members that we can depend on for this season.”
Despite losing out on a playoff spot in agonizing fashion, Ben affirmed that even if given the chance, he would not change the outcome of any game from last year. In his view, the team needed to absorb the loss to change up the culture within the team and to know the pain of defeat during high-pressure situations — something they witnessed a whole lot during the preseason. When the stakes got high during games, Ben revealed that coach Topex would prefer to let the team experience the pressure and count on them to overcome the situation. “It’s really been a preseason of character building, of promise, and coach Topex is a wonderful person to do that.”
“I never want us to be there [outside the Final Four] again and, for us, it just fueled the fire of not only wanting to make the Final Four this season but winning the entire championship. We learned a lot of lessons, a lot of things happened from that, we’ve had a lot of players come here, a lot of holdovers decided to stay for their final year, and so we want to make sure we give it our all this season.”
Dawning of a New Day
Captain Phillips described the team’s chemistry to be exceptionally high, especially since the balance between rookies and veterans is just right. Newcomers like EJ Gollena and Jonnel Policarpio are getting acclimatized quickly in practice while tenured players such as Evan Nelle and Mark Nonoy use their experience to lead by example. “For us, we’re really excited, we trust each other, we have really good team chemistry, and we’re having fun outside the court as well.”
Heading into Season 86, a handful of watchful eyes will certainly be on coach Topex’s new system. Kuya Ben praised his new coaches and even put the spotlight on Caloy Garcia, whom he described as “one of the greatest offensive minds in the Philippines.” He also credited their new, free-flowing style of offense to the revamped coaching staff which has translated into a refinement of skills for some of the veterans. Said offensive flow was the biggest difference between this year’s system and what was implemented last year under coach Derrick Pumaren, which Ben admitted became a bit stagnant and robotic at times.
Another key change for the Green Archers this year is their minimal amount of set plays on offense. Ben stated that it was yet another facet of the game the coaching staff intentionally wanted, building on their learnings from high-level opposition from Korea, Japan, and even the PBA. “Sometimes it looks chaotic, but that ball is moving very fast, people are cutting, people are screening, so it is intentional to have more of a free-flowing offense now. We have some plays, but all of our set plays break down into our flow offense whereas last year, we had a lot of set plays.”
“A lot of these next-level teams, they’re doing offenses like that where it’s more free-flowing, the ball is moving a lot, and it’s very hard to guard. Especially when we played against the Korean teams, they were all shooting, they were all spread out, but it was really, really nice to see and so we want that to be a result of the hard work we put in as well.”
Familiar Foes and Fresh Faces
One of the biggest headliners in the UAAP community was Ange Kouame’s departure from the Ateneo de Manila University (Ateneo) Blue Eagles at the end of his final collegiate year. As arguably the league’s most dominant force over the last half-decade, the native Ivorian leaves a tough gap for Ateneo to fill. “That kind of opens up a lot of their inside presence. He was a great two-way player, he would block all the shots, he would intimidate a lot of drives, and he would also put the ball in the basket,” Ben mentioned.
“I think that opens up the lane for Bright Nwankwo, for Raven Cortez, for Isaiah Phillips, and it’s really going to be a nice impact for the league because, for a lot of the Foreign Student-Athletes, they’re really going to compete against each other.”
If you take the majority of the UAAP schools’ lineups from this year and last year, it would be impossible to find a completely intact core when looked at side-by-side. Teams such as the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, who had one of the best recruitment classes in the off-season, and a University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers crew now guided by a returning icon in coach Pido Jarencio, are all on the Green Archers’ radar for Season 86.
“We’re not taking anybody for granted, we’re not saying that anybody is stronger than anybody else, we want to play everybody just like we’d play each other in practice.”
Out of all the teams DLSU will face, it comes as no surprise to anyone that Ateneo is their most-anticipated opponent. The latest chapter in their storied rivalry went the Green Archers’ way following a close 86–83 victory at the 38th Kadayawan Invitational Basketball Tournament’s title-deciding game. Though they competed a long way south of Manila, the atmosphere in the venue was one Ben could only describe as “the loudest in a very long time.”
Naturally, La Salle brought home the momentum from defeating their greatest rivals in yet another modern classic. When asked if the team can replicate the same success come UAAP season, Ben guaranteed that it would be a very close affair between both sides, especially with coach Tab Baldwin calling the shots for the Blue Eagles.
When Arrows Fly
Back in Season 85, the Green Archers visibly struggled during high-pressure situations that came down to the very last second. Losing by just a one-possession scoreline or failing to close out a victory in the last two minutes became all too common, but the team has since turned their biggest weaknesses into one of their main strengths.
“Ngayon, we’re more professional. We know how to close out games, we know how to really manage the clock, analyze defenses, and so when those high-pressure games come this season as we know that they will, we’re prepared.”
All throughout the preseason, Evan Nelle and Kevin Quiambao held the spotlight throughout practically every tournament DLSU participated in. They have both become established go-to players for the Green-and-White, with Nelle providing high-volume scoring and Quiambao taking a major leap forward entering only his second year. “Kevin and Evan are gonna win and lose games for us, and we know that as a team we’re gonna be behind them 100%”
Among the holdovers from the previous season, it's the senior Francis Escandor whom captain Ben describes as having had the biggest improvement. The senior hooper’s fundamentals such as shooting, physique, and especially confidence have all been refined over the last nine months, which opens up more avenues for the Green Archers to succeed on offense.
Within the younger members of the crew, Ben made no reservations in praising EJ Gollena as the one to watch for the future. The captain believes his rookie teammate will easily become a fan favorite based on his on-court tenacity and work rate.
“When you think of a hardworking player, you think of somebody like EJ. When you think of somebody that’s going to do what a coach wants, you think of somebody like EJ. When you think of somebody who’s going to do anything it takes and go the extra mile, you think of EJ Gollena.”
From Lone Wolf to Leader of the Pack
Ben likens his role on the team to that of former NBA player Udonis Haslem who, in his final years with the Miami Heat, was the experienced backbone of their squad and an invaluable locker-room presence. He attributes his leadership qualities and work ethic not only to his Doctorate studies or businesses but also to his parents. Ben understands that leadership is a cross-functional skillset and that the life lessons allow him to become the type of captain the Green Archers can depend on.
“When I arrived, I wasn’t recruited and I wasn’t a sure spot on the team. I was a walk-on tryout. Now, three years later, I’m the captain of one of the best teams in the Philippines, of the greatest school.”
I’m the captain of one of the best teams in the Philippines, of the greatest school.” — Ben Phillips
“I didn’t think that I would even make the team, and now I have the chance to lead them to our first championship in a long time. I just want to do my best to send Evan off on his last year, to send Joaqui, Escandor, and Nonoy. It’s really for them.”
Brotherly love is also an undeniable part of the Green Archers’ culture. Ben shared that being away from family was challenging, but the numerous bonding experiences he shared with the team over the last three years allowed each other to form lifelong relationships. “I’m looking at CJ Austria, Josh David, and Francis Escandor walk right in front of me, I never thought that I’d be friends with these guys all my life and now we’re best friends for life.”
Ben concluded by inviting the community to enjoy the Green Archers’ Season 86 run, which he promised would have a lot of fun, high energy, and everything else in between. “Hopefully we can bring you guys through that journey, you guys can ride with us as we hoist that championship, that crown, right before Christmas.”
“Championship? Championship.”
