Pregame Bullets: DLSU vs UP

July 21, 2009 | 1:02 pm | By |

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  • In the pre-season, UP was able to compete on even terms with the Archers, splitting their games in tournament play – winning once by a point, losing by the same margin, and finally battling to a draw in the last tuneup game
  • During the pre-season games, the Maroons fielded Mike Silungan, a tall deadshot who plays the wings, but were without Martin Reyes in the tuneup game. Silungan  is still establishing his residency. It will be interesting to see whether they can still compete on the same terms without him.
  • The Archers are still trying to establish some consistency in offense. Team play, a trademark of Archer basketball, must make its appearance. In the first 2 games, the Archers had just 16 assists in total. They must also cut down on their turnovers if they hope to pull off their first win – they turned the ball over 39 times in the first two games.
  • 3-point shooting will have to improve for the Archers hope to notch their first win. The team took 21 attempts in each of the first 2 games, making only 3 in game 1 and 4 against FEU. James is the most accurate long distance shooter with 2/5, followed by Sam Marata who is 3/9. Bader and Simon are the only other players to connect on 3pointers.
  • DNPs so far: Manguera-2 games, Mendoza-1 game, Andrada-1 game.
  • Interesting stat: the Archers have not yet blocked any shots after 2 games, yet the defense has held both UE and FEU, very strong teams with a lot of firepower, to 65 points.
  • The Archer defense can make the difference between the breakthrough win and the cellar. In the first 2 games, UP proved to be a turnover-prone team, with 37 against NU and 21 versus Adamson. In particular, their guards have a tendency to cough up the ball, with their usual ballhandlers (guards and forwards) committing at least a dozen turnovers per game. Against Adamson, Braganza committed a crucial error in the last few seconds that resulted in a basket by the Falcons. Padilla achieved a dubious distinction by logging 10 errors in the first game.


Tags: De La Salle Green Archers, UAAP Basketball, UAAP Season 72, UP Maroons


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  • andy

    if we lose to them, then it’s about time to face the facts that they don’t lack effort or spirit, they just lack talent. Sure they’re hand picked by the coaches, but can’t the coaches be wrong?I mean they’re human beings who makes mistakes. It’s plain and simple, they are not better than the quality teams in this league.

  • Nel

    Andy, I beg to disagree. The team is talented but inexperienced. The players still have to learn how to play together within the system.

    If they really lack talent, if their skills are truly maxed out already, then the team will not have the capacity to significantly improve their performance, and what we’ve seen so far as good as it will get. And we’ll not have anything to look forward to in a couple of years.

    Marata, Tolentino, Banal, Manguerra were members of the national youth team, while Bringas and Andrada were mainstays of the NCAA juniors champion SSC Staglets. There is no question that this is arguably the best crop of recruits in any college team this year.

    This team has lots of upside to their game. We haven’t seen the full potential yet, not after just 2 games. Wait till they get their act together. Then they’ll be something to watch.

  • ICJ

    I agree w/ nel, all the team needs is to pull its act together. hopefully in the next few games they do. hopefully by the time the team faces ateneo, the green archers are 4-2.

  • andy

    Nel,yes you have some valid points and I agree with them being good recruits but I’m really just being a realist here. Don’t get me wrong because win or lose I’ll still be watching and supporting this team BUT if you really think that they are one of the best rookies out there, why can’t they make an impact that say..Ryan Buenafe did with the ateneo blue birdies or somewhere within that range?I mean from the start Buenafe was dismantling opponents not with physicals strength but with high basketball I.Q.

    Also, U.E and FEU are quality teams (not necessarily the best team), I’m looking at the long term here, not just the eliminations but the final 4 already, If the archers will be outplayed like that, then it’s best to look ahead at UAAP SEASON 73…

  • lei

    does this mean that the dlsu-up game is the deciding game for the archers?

    up is currently win-less also.. and based on the pre-season evaluation, it seems like up is our current match.. so, if we gonna end up losing to up, then what could be our fate to ust, adamson, nu and most of all, ateneo?

    i’m not saying that if we lose to up, we already have 0% chance of beating the rest of the teams but up is the perfect team to test our fate in this season. both of us have 0-2 records and we had close fights before the uaap (pre-season games)starts.

    so, if we will win, we could, at least, be relaxed that we will not be on the bottom of the standings at the end of the tournament and we still have the chance to climb up. but if we lose, let’s accept the reality that we have a 20% chance of making it to the final four.

    mr. atayde’s 7-7 record prediction is the best record we could have this season, though it’s the best, it still has a 50-50 chance of making it to the final four..

    no doubt we have faith.. no doubt our players have the talent.. but, what seems to be the problem? or is there really a problem in our team or the other teams are just really better than us? hmmm… i really don’t know the exact answer.. as i’ve said, the dlsu-up game will be the deciding game for the green archers..

  • dis

    I’ve been following DLSU basketball ever since I was a kid, in the Limpot era. And I’ve never seen the team in a condition as bad as this. There could be some internal problems going on within the team that nobody else knows about.

  • Rektikano

    Everything starts with defense. The only reason why we weren’t blown out much more in our first two games was because of our defense. Holding two high octane offensive teams in UE and FEU to 65 points is not easy to do. Before, there was always this standard the team sets of holding the opponent to only 60 points per game. I think we are still achieving this. The only problem really is the offense. But credit should also be given to UE and FEU who are both very good defensive teams also. UE learned so much of their defense from coach Dindo Pumaren. FEU also have their own trap so it’s not easy scoring against them.

    I think our trap can work well against UP. Their point guards- Braganza, Reyes, Gamboa and Padilla will have to prove they can anchor the press break. For sure, coach Aboy Castro will prepare for the press break therefore our recovery should be very quick to react. Defense should also be quick to counteract screens and picks for Martin Reyes. Our frontline should also not be bullied by Woody Co.

    Just be patient on offense. James Mangahas and Peejay Barua can take on the UP defense. Hopefully, they will have breakout games.

    Interesting side note will be the UPIS boys (Maui Villanueva, Joel Tolentino and Sam Marata) versus the LSGH/DLSZ (Martin Reyes, Migs De Asia and Mikee Reyes) connection..

  • ck

    I don’t that our defense is the reason why UE and FEU were held to only 65 points. Sure we’ve limited their scoring in the first half of play. But by the third canto, we’ve been blown out. So the two teams built big leads in that is why when the 4th quarter comes, there isn’t a need to score more points.

  • seph

    i hope meron ng mag step-up na veterans or kahit na rookies who can carry the whole team. lets accept the fact na parang mas magaling pa ang rookies sa veterans, especially Marata compare to Malabes, wala talaga sya improvement, sorry to bader. we really missed the archers who dictates the tempo of each game.:-(. where is your ANGAS sa hard-court? beat UP! para sunod-sunod na ang panalo natin. make it a habit. let’s sweep all the remaining games in the elimination all the way to the finals to prove everyone WRONG! Prove them critics, haters, fake fans, and unfaithful ones wrong!!! Animo La Salle!!!

    PLAY LIKE THERE’S NO TOMORROW!!!

  • vince

    our current lineup really lacks in experience not talent, and ths is the reason why we lost in two games.. however what bothers me is that kish co still plays like a rookie after three playing years.. to be very honest, i think this is the guy who lacks talent. James Mangahas, Barua and Malabes will lead the attack in the upcoming game. i believe in these guys.. and it seems simon atkins and josh webb have some good connections on court, they are improving and i hope to see more of them this season.. have faith guys.. Animo La Salle! live jesus in our hearts forever…

  • veronica annette

    It is quite obvious that we have a very young team who played tough teams this past two games…it has been said that we were not the “favorite” this season, so i guess it is not right to say that we were already lowering our gear in terms of giving up our hopes in terms of winning a basket this season…Let us keep on hoping and start believing that we can make it. Good luck…Animo La Salle!!!

  • swingman

    I just want one thing: I want to see the nightmare press, full-on, and game long.

    No more selective pressing. None of that high school 2-2-1. None of that 75. I want the old school Coach Franz man to man alignment fullcourt pressure D, ballhawk and ball denial, from the inbounds to the frontcourt. I want our players to shoot when they’re open or find driving lanes when they’re covered and stop hesitating like they’re scared or something. We don’t teach “scared” at De la Salle.

    I don’t care if we lose. (God knows everyone is pressured enough from fair-weather La Sallians- can you imagine what those blokes would say if we lost again? Haha!) All I want is for the team to play like their predecessors played. We are Archers! We press and trap and pile-on points and fear no one! That zone D, that none-trap, that player’s second-guessing before shooting- that’s not our game.

    Our game is built on fire and passion and the deep belief that when we strike that balance between great teamwork and reckless abandon, there is no other team like us. Our game is organized chaos on defense and arrogant confidence on offense.

    Like I said, I don’t care if we lose. The kids are young and they will learn. The fact is, if we lose tomorrow, the world does not stop turning, La Sallians everywhere will not go hungry, life will go on. As cliche as it might be, for me, it really is not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game.

    And I want to play the La Sallian way. If we can do that, if we can lat it all on the line, no matter what the score says, NEVER SHALL WE FAIL!

    Let’s go, Archers. Forget the past 2 games. We have the chance to begin anew. The season starts TODAY! ANIMO!

  • James G

    When I coach basketball, I have two basic rules: limit the other team to one shot on defense and don’t turn it over on offense! Everything else stems from those two rules I use! You see, the psychology of basketball is shooting and scoring. I mean, how many times have you taken the basketball in your hands, gone on the court and simulated playing defense? Of course, never! Offense can be instinctual for many players but defense has to be taught and it has to be learned! If you, as a team, focus on playing good defense and not turning over the ball on offense, the odds are in your favor of doing well! Why? Because by doing those things well, you force the other team to press and they will make mistakes! From my experience, turnovers typically result from being sloppy and unsound on offense so it’s key that everyone on the floor pay attention otherwise you have nothing but headaches! You have to pay attention on offense not to turn it over and you have to pay attention on defense to limit them to one shot so concentration is key and young teams like La Salle usually have short attention spans and they get sloppy. If they can be tough on defense and not give turn it over on offense, there’s absolutely no reason why this team can’t win! Good luck to the boys against UP… I’ll be pulling for them!

  • TheBlueOne

    How can we manage to beat teams in the long-run(FINAL FOUR) if our team can’t even make across the 60 point-margin? we kept on losing because our team kept on struggle during the end-game (4th quarter).

    There’s no doubt that I still believe and support the team but please, the players should step-up to the challenges and prove that their slot in the team is trully worthy for them

  • swingman

    ^ NOBODY has to prove anything! They just have to play.

    This is exactly the kind of unnecessary pressure the team doesn’t need. What are we gonna do if they we lose? revoke their scholarships? Of course not!

    La Sallians stand by the Archers, no matter what.

  • John

    Actually, the way I see it, this is now the result of the 1 year suspension. We are now experiencing the effects of the cruelty of suspension. The players we expected to be recruited was stolen by other schools, save for atkins. By now for sure the schools who voted for our suspension must be very happy..good job montinola!!!!!!

  • Rektikano

    Swingman,

    I think selective pressing at different points in the game is more effective. Our press has been studied and broken down (with the right personnel) by different coaches the past few years. Plus, the past years, we lacked specific players that could do the type of press that coach Franz wanted. These players are in the mold of Calijohn Orfrecio, Mon Jose and MacMac Cardona. That’s why if you noticed, nowadays, coach Franz uses variations of the press.

    If we go man to man full court trap, our guys are not athletic or fast enough to stop the Barrocas, Paul Lees and even the Canadas from breaking the press all by themselves.

    But just like you, all I want is for our team to give it their all. No giving up. I don’t care about the score at the end of the game as long as I know they gave the opponent 40 minutes of hell, or more if the game went to overtime..hehe

  • sandalwood

    for one, UE and FEU players mostly are with the PBL, in short, semi-professional players, vs the archers who have lost a lot of good players who are now making names in the PBA/PBL…but it doesn’t make me less an archer fanatic, two of my kids were alumni of the dlsu and since then have been an avid fan of the archers….from the very serene ren-ren until the very agressive yeo, name it i watched all of it…other teams have gone through that dilemma too of finding the right mix for a game, as in macmac and yeo tandem and jv/maierhoffer, but neverrrrrrr in the history of uaap have ever been a team with five or six straight wins….i admire franz for bringing out the best in every player and his kind of motivation is really beyond compare…i know every archer is always eyeing for a win, remember they are playing for the school and i want to credit all of them for the effort of having to win each game……win or lose ANIMO LA SALLE!!!!!!!