Since we are into this “All-Decade” thing, let us look back at the uniforms worn by the Green Archers from 2000 to present.
Fantastic 4
A carryover design from the 90s, the dark green look brought much success to the team in the early 2000s. Wearing these unis, Ren Ren Ritualo led the team to 4 championships and eventually had his “number 4” jersey retired.
Go Retro!
In the 2004 season, the Archers went back to the classic look worn by past teams during the 80s and most part of the 90s. Wearing this simple and clean design, Mac Mac Cardona established himself as a certified scoring machine. JV Casio on the other hand made his presence felt in the entire basketball scene with his clutch performance in the finals.
A Little Color Tweaking
Not much of a change here except that the dark uniform featured a bit darker shade of green as compared to the previous year. Joseph Yeo and Jun Jun Cabatu led the charge during the 2005 season with these duds.
We’re Back!..along with the stripes
In their return to the UAAP after a one-year layoff, the team unveiled a new design featuring the return of side stripes. Quite similar to the 4-peat era design but the stripes this time extended down the full length of the entire uniform. In their only season wearing this, TY Tang, Cholo Villanueva and friends capped off a successful return with a championship.
Brotherhood Era
The team came up with a slick look quite different from past uniform designs. JV Casio and Maierhofer became overnight poster boys flaunting these commercialized unis.
The Present
A more radical version from the previous year, the current season uniform showcases stylish side stripes and wide shoulders. Together with a highly regarded set of rookies, Hyram Bagatsing and Bader Malabes lead the current cast of Archers with these garb.
One that lost the game in the first half, when they allowed UE to have their way. One that meekly surrendered the paint to the inside forays of the Warriors. One that showed only token resistance at the perimeter, and conjured visions of another repeat blowout. One whose defensive stiffness had the consistency of tissue paper. One whose players only scored 1 point more than UE’s Llagas and Espiritu in first half. The same team that shot airballs off wide open jumpers from the side.
And the team that played classic Archer ball in the second half. Which held UE to 14 and 12 points in the last 2 quarters while scoring 37 points in the same periods. Which played fluid basketball for long stretches to overhaul the UE lead. Where the pressure defense forced UE into uncharacteristic turnovers, and only the inability of the Archers to convert their last attempts saved the day for UE.
What went right
The second half.
Where the Archers shook off their lethargy and outhustled the Warriors. For the first time in the last 4 games, the Archers showed some semblance of the aggressive, confident, smooth game that has been the trademark of past Archer teams. The defense stiffened considerably, forcing UE into 20 turnovers, which they converted into 24 turnover points. The Archers were also more active on the boards in the last 20 minutes, often limiting UE to a single attempt. Oh yeah, unnoticed was the significant improvement in our free throw shooting. The Archers made 12/15 for 80%, probably the best performance in the last 3 seasons. Joel made 5/6, and Joshua made 4/5. Now we know who should be on the floor when the opponents adopt “hack-an-Archer” tactics.
There were some bright spots coming from individual Archers. Joel showed that he deserves to spend more time as the primary pg option now that Simon is out for the season. Kish continued his heady play, contributing points off the most unexpected moves, showing great anticipation in cutting off the passing angles for interceptions, and grabbing 7 rebounds against the more athletic bigs of UE. Maui continued his aggressiveness on offense, attacking the lane and using his quickness and timing to score inside while pulling down 8 rebounds, the most on our team. Hyram showed why he is much more effective playing the 2 position, moving well without the ball to get the passes in the quartercourt where he drained those long treys. Joshua also continued to attack the rim from the perimeter, and alternated in trying to shackle Paul Lee.
What didn’t go well
The first half. Again, a slow start, as the Archers almost sleepwalked through the first few minutes, allowing UE to take a lead that they held for more than 3 quarters. It was obvious that the coaches had made specific plans to counteract the aggressive UE offense, yet the execution left much to be desired. Like UST, the Warriors tried to catch the Archers flatfooted after an Archer basket, and they were successful a few times, particularly with Lee on the break. The Archers almost seemed distracted, and a prime example was Arvie’s inattention in the last couple of seconds which allowed Llagas to score off a long pass.
It took a trio of sophomores to lead the scoring: Hyram, Maui, and Joshua, with 8 points contributed by Kish, a 3rd year player. Of course, our rookie pg Joel scored his career high with 10. Our veterans James, Peejay, and Bader contributed a total of 4 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 assists. Unfortunately, they missed all 13 attempts from the 3point area and made only 1/11 of their 2point attempts. However, given their skills and the confidence of our coaches, I wouldn’t discount the possibility that any or all of them could make a positive impact in the remaining games. Of our players in uniform, Ferdinand again failed to see any action.
The rookie watch
This was Joel’s coming out game, and he showed that he is an able replacement for LA. His numbers in 15 minutes: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and a couple of turnovers. His adept ballhandling, passing, and overall aggressiveness allowed the Archers to pick up the pace noticeably whenever he was fielded in the game. Joel’s effective stint as pg allowed Hyram to move over to sg during which he sank 4 out of 7 attempts from beyond the arc for all his 12 points Arvie nailed another triple, but was not on court long enough in stretches to get any sort of rhythm. Yutien was tested by Llagas and Espiritu whenever he was tasked to guard them, and although failed to produce any stats except fouls, he made things difficult for the Warriors inside. Sam again made a field goal but did not attempt any triple. Jed and Gab saw action for a minute each, but both showed a lot of hustle during their limited time on the floor.
Moving forward
The Archers can only get to a 7-7 record at best; to do this, we must win our remaining games: UST, FEU, and NU. Since UST won over NU today, they are now at 6-5, and we play them on Thursday in a must-win game for us. If we win, our record will be 5-7, while UST’s will be 6-6. After us, UST still has to play Adamson and UE. If they win 2 of their last 3 games, we won’t be able to catch them and we’re out of the playoffs.
The team will have to play with the same intensity and emotion that they showed in the second half if they are to have a chance to win our remaining 3 games. The question is: what lineup will Franz use in these 3 games? Will the vets still see considerable playing time (James, Peejay and Bader saw action for 41 minutes out of the total of 200 minutes available in a regulation game), or will Franz try out his young ‘uns?
If you want the answer to this puzzler, come and watch our remaining games. There’s still a chance we can make the playoffs. How we do it will be interesting. And, who knows, against all the odds, we might just scrape it into the playoffs. Stranger things have happened.
Yet another loss, this time to playoff contender UE. The Archers are now entering uncharted territory, following an unprecedented 5th consecutive loss to fall to a 4-7 record. The best the Archers can finish is an even 7-7 IF they win their last 3 games against UST (Thu Sept 3), FEU (Sat Sept 5), and NU (Thu Sept 10).
Making the final 4 is no longer within the Archers’ control. UE has the inside track for the 3rd Final 4 slot, and the last slot will be contested by the Archers and the UST Growling Tigers. UST plays NU (Sun Aug 30), the Archers next Thursday, Adamson (Sun Sept 6), and UE (Thu Sept 10).
The first half was lackluster, to say the least. The Archers allowed UE to get off to a hot, 7-0, which UE built up to a 17 point lead before a spirited closing minute by the Archers cut it down to a 13 point deficit at the half, 27-40. A few of the UE points came because of a lack of concentration, as was the case with the Llagas field goal with less than 5 seconds to go. Arvie was so focused on watching Llagas that he neglected to keep an eye on the ball, didn’t see the fastbreak pass coming, and Llagas was able to catch and shoot just before the halftime buzzer sounded.
The second half was much more competitive, and the Archers’ stiffer defenses held UE to 26 points after yielding 40 in the first half. The aggressive defenses partially neutralized Paul Lee, who tallied only 13 points, but the UE inside players Llagas and Espiritu had their way, combining for 37 points. Only 5 UE players scored in the game.
With Simon out again, pg duties were shared by Bader, Hyram, and Joel. Joel played more minutes, and the offense was noticeably more fluid with him acting as the ball handler and distributor. Joel assisted on several baskets, and scored 10 points as he provided the quickness and competent ball distribution that has been lacking so far this season.
Several travelling errors were called against the Archers, notably Joshua, Hyram, and Peejay. While some of them were debatable, the Archers will need to practice their basic moves to avoid turning the ball over again.
Among the veterans, Hyram and Maui were the most active. Maui scored repeatedly on gutsy penetrations, and Hyram connected on 3 triples to fuel the rally. Joshua also scored 10, Kish pumped in 8 points. Peejay was a non-factor with 4 points, and James was practically invisible.
In hindsight, if the Archers had played the first half with the same intensity they exhibited in the final 2 quarters, the result would have most probably been different.
We don’t want to complain about the officiating, but a dubious call cost the team the opportunity to tie the game at 66-all. Hyram was fouled, sank the basket, and should have been awarded a bonus ft, but the referee insisted that the foul was before the shot. No continuation. And we thought that this season the officials would allow the players to decide the result of the game.
It’s still possible, but the Archers must now win all the games to have a chance to contend with UST for the last slot. Our stands were fairly well populated, showing that many faithful still KEEP THE FAITH!
It can’t get any tougher than this. With only 4 games remaining in the elimination round, the Green Archers will start the daunting task of overcoming three teams currently in the top 4 of the standings and 1 also-ran that has a history of playing the spoiler’s role. At this point, the team can control its fate, but one loss during this upcoming season homestretch could prove to be fatal.
In their first round encounter which happened on opening day, the Green Archers were blown out by the Red Warriors 65-46. I feel that UE is the most dangerous team among the next 4 opponents. They are currently on a 2 game winning streak and are coming off a morale boosting win against the Tamaraws. The Warriors are in solo 3rd, and they are gunning for the twice to beat edge.
Their bench may not be deep but the Warriors are enjoying such great performances as of late from Paul Lee, Pari Llagas and Elmer Espiritu. Iit will be very hard to contain these veterans most especially the high-flying Espiritu, who still manages to produce excellent numbers despite the bandaged forehead and all.
The Green Archers will face a Red Hot Team this Saturday. The long bumpy road to the Final4 starts this weekend. What we can only wish for is for the team to Play Like’s There’s No Tomorrow. Because there may not be if they lose this one.
Let’s hope the previous defensive problems are corrected for this game. Lee torched our perimeter defense repeatedly with his penetrations and dishes. UE’s arsenal includes several accurate shooters from the long court aside from their athletic bigs who are good inside operators.
In sports competitions, medals are awarded to the top 3 finishers. Gold, silver and bronze medals have been the standard rewards for a job well done.
As usual, the UAAP is a different situation. Being No. 4 is something that is being aspired for by 5 teams and if you look closely, there is a strong possibility that 4 out of the 5 teams have a chance to get it.
Ateneo, FEU and UE seem to have clinched the top 3 spots. By all indications, Ateneo and FEU will end up with the twice to beat advantage. UE is playing good enough and its record seems to be good enough to assure them of 3rd place.
It’s the battle for that 4th spot that is interesting. I cannot recall the last time that the teams yhat have a chance to make that last spot in the Final Four has been this close.
UP and Adamson have the hardest road ahead. The Falcons have to face FEU, Ateneo, UST and UP. With their 3-7 record, they have to win all their games to at least have a chance at a tie for that 4th spot. Adamson will have their work cut out for them. One loss and their chances are all but gone.
UP also has a tough series of games. With a 3- 7 record, they have to face FEU, UE, Ateneo and Adamson. It is actually that Adamson game that will be critical for both AdU and UP. One of them has to lose and that may just mean the end of the losing team’s Final Four hopes.
Though UP beat Ateneo in the first round, I don’t see it happening again in the 2nd round. FEU and UE will also definitely make their final push for the Final Four and UP is a team that they can both beat.
UST carries a 5 – 5 record and are in the best position to grab the last spot. They have the easiest schedule, having to play NU, Adamson, UE and La Salle. If they win at least 2 games, then their entry into the Final Four will be much stronger. However, it seems that only NU is a game that UST has almost a sure chance of winning. However, the Bulldogs have proven time and again to be the spoilers of the league. Adamson and UE will not be pushovers either.
La Salle who has a 4 – 6 record, still has a chance at the Final Four. Slim as it may be, they can still clinch a spot if they get their act together and play the kind of basketball that the Green Archers are known for. They have to play UE, FEU, NU and UST. They have to win at least 2 games to even have a remote chance of getting to the Final Four.
The key game in all these scenarios will be the La Salle – UST game. It may just boil down to the winner of this game going to the Final Four. La Salle won their first match-up and will be hoping to duplicate this.
Any upsets would definitely mess things up, especially for UST and La Salle. If NU for example comes out as the team that throws a monkey wrench into the fray, then it will make the UAAP homestretch even more interesting.
If by chance UST or La Salle get the number 4 spot, it will be interesting because that means they will be playing Ateneo. La Salle would definitely want to prove its detractors wrong while UST has shown that it can upset Ateneo as it did when they last won the championship.
It will be an exciting homestretch. Who will get that number 4 spot? Let’s sit back and enjoy it.
Very Opinionated. Very Green. Hate him. Love Him. It does not matter and he does not care. A Howard Stern in cyberspace. He bleeds Green, he is purely from La Salle, as a former writer and Assistant Vice President for Events of the DLSU Alumni Association. Played basketball and was on the track and field team for La Salle during the NCAA just don’t ask what year.
We present the 2009 De La Salle Lady Archers. As of this writing, the girls of coach Tyrone Bautista are tied for 2nd place together with Adamson as 7-2. They face league leader FEU tomorrow, 12:30 at the San Juan Arena.
Get to know them the members of the team by clicking on the link below
Sigh. Another loss. To a team we were expected to beat. Our 1st loss to UP since I-don’t-remember-when. In the 2nd round, our 3rd. Our 4th consecutive. After the weekend, we are firmly in 5th place. How do you like that? A 1-2-3-4-5 sequence.
Ok, the loss to UP dampened our chances of making the final 4. But we’re not out of it yet. We figure to be in a tussle with UST for the last final 4 slot, but need to stay ahead of our erstwhile conquerors Adamson and UP who are only 1 game behind. Not quite where we thought we’d be.
The loss was particularly painful because it hit right at the heart of the previous Archer strengths – the defense. UP, one of the offensively challenged teams which also was among the leaders in the turnover department, dropped 83 points on the Archers, while beating the Archers on the turnover statistics. And of all things, the prime contributor from the UP Maroons, Mikee Reyes, was in a green-and-white uniform of LSGH last year.
What went right
Again, very little. As in the previous losses, the Archers were outhustled, outshot, outrebounded when it mattered most, and generally outplayed. But the offense of the Archers showed some promise. Peejay showed that his shooting touch is back, again topscoring for the Archers with 18, after coming off a 16-point output against Ateneo. Four other Archers scored in double figures: James (15), Joshua (11), Maui (10), and Bader (10). Two point shooting was good for a change, with the Archers connecting on 50% of their attempts (29/58). Now, if only they took more attempts instead of dribbling around the perimeter . . .
Only Peejay had any success from the 3point area, hitting all 3 of the Archers’ 17 attempts from long distance. Bader played well, playing aggressive defense, getting 2 steals and 2 assists while making 5/7 of his field goal attempts. Jovet was particularly active on the boards, pulling down 10 rebounds, one of the highest numbers of an Archer this season. Oh yeah, Sam finally made his first 2point field goal in the tournament, but unfortunately he missed all his 3point attempts.
What didn’t work
Obviously, the defense. Anytime you allow a team like UP to score 83 points on you, the defense has to be the culprit. In fairness to the Maroons, though, they almost overcame a 31point UST lead in their last game, so they can score in bunches. They obviously brought over that momentum into our game. We continued to be vulnerable to good dribble penetrators from the perimeter. Mikee Reyes had a career game with 25points on 4/7 shooting from the 3point area, 6/11 from closer in, ½ from the free throw line, and dished out 6 assists, and collared 5 rebounds. He repeatedly found himself open for the long shots or blew by his guards. Mark Lopez, an athletic swingman, also punished the defense for 11 points on 5/10 shooting while grabbing 7 offensive rebounds. Woody Co also added to the woes by pumping in 13 points on 2/3 shooting from 3point land.
The interior defense failed to keep the Maroons at bay, and they crashed the boards for 20 offensive rebounds. The telling game statistics were the turnovers: 16 to 22 in UP’s favor. The numbers are usually the other way around, showing which team is able to bother their opponents more. Some of our turnovers were simple errors: Jovet’s costly passing error which Gingerich turned into a 3point play, Hyram’s crunch time dribble off his foot.
UP also out-assisted our team, 16-11. For a guard-oriented team, this is a telling statistic. Our pgs were not getting the job done. Granted, Simon was out due to injury, so primary pg duties fell to Bader and Hyram, with Joel only seeing 4 minutes. Bader played solidly at the point, but was out on 5 fouls by the 8th minute of the 4th quarter. UP also had more steals, 8-5, showing their aggressiveness and desire to win.
Joshua was his usual aggressive self, but misfired badly on his attempts, particularly when he received a pass underneath, but instead of going straight up, he elected to do a power dribble and was promptly blocked by the scrambling UP defense.
What cost the Archers the game was their uncharacteristic uncertainty in the end game. With less than a minute to go in the game and the Archers behind by 3, Hyram wasted too much time dribbling, until he decided to drive when no play materialized. The wasted time was devastating, because the Archers could have had a 2-for-1 possession situation if they had not wasted as much time. The uncertainty in the Archers’ game was shown in the turnover numbers. 8 players had 2 or more turnovers. Not usual for the Green Archers that we’ve known in the past. GAME HIGHLIGHTS
The rookie watch
Sam logged the most minutes at 9, but failed to make a major impact as he managed to contribute only 2 points. Yutien played 8 minutes, and showed that he will be a defensive headache for opponents in the future as he blocked 3 UP attempts. Arvie scored on his only fg attempt but played only 3 minutes in the first quarter. Joel was on the floor for only 4 minutes, and Gab and Jed played a minute each.
Moving forward
We play UE, UST, and FEU before closing out against NU. The Archers have to plug the holes in their defensive setup, in particular against good dribbler penetrators. UE and FEU have such players in Lee and Barroca, who can drive and score, or dish to waiting teammates. The Archers have to play to their strengths with confidence. While the effort has been there, there is a noticeable lack of fire in their game, except for Joshua and Maui.
The margin of error is now very slim. With a 4-6 record, the Archers now need to win all 4 remaining games to make it to the final 4. If they lose any, they will have to rely on a combination of wins and losses from the other teams like UST and UE, and even Adamson and UP which are only a game behind. It looks like it will be a mad scramble for the last slot. But that’s what makes the UAAP exciting.
The Archers can still make it. The coaches know what has to be done to tweak the Archers’ game. The players just have to want it badly enough to will it to happen. KEEP THE FAITH!
For years, the Archers have been known for their excellent guard corps. We’ve had players like Dino Aldeguer, Mac Cuan, Mike Cortez, Ty Tang, and even JV Casio. This year, paradoxically, the weakest spot in our rotation (the point guard), is turning out to be a critical element in our losing yesterday’s game, as it was for the games we lost earlier in the season.
Defensively, it was the same thing over and over again. Lester Alvarez, Eric Salamat, Paul Lee, Mark Barroca, and now, Mikee Reyes, all guards, were the key to beating us, using a combination of penetration and good outside shooting. Unfortunately, the Maroon who did the most damage was Mikee Reyes, who came from La Salle Greenhills. Even sadder that he did not sing his former school’s anthem, unlike Maui , Joel, and Sam did for us, and the way Migs and Martin Reyes did for UP. Something to prove, perhaps?
It was another guard who contributed to the Archers’ downfall, only this time it was one of ours. On the last offensive plays, Hyram Bagatsing made two crucial mistakes in the last minute. He wasted too much time on a play starting from 34 seconds down to 19 seconds, only to drive the ball, UP up by 3 pts. This should have been a two for one situation if a 2 pt. shot was the battle plan, or a three point shot was the play design with that much time left. As it turned out, neither happened, and he just split his charities. The second mistake was he dribbled off his foot with just seconds to go.
Overall, the defense was NOT THERE, PERIOD. It was another shootout at the OK Corral. Losing is forgivable. Giving up 81 points to UP is not. Offense will NOT win any games for us. Except for Bader’s back-to-back steals off the box press, and the 6 turnovers we forced on Mikee Reyes, our press defense seemed to have come out from the laundry, soft like fabric with Downy instead of from the dug-out. UP, on the other hand, had a much stronger triple team press on the ball carrier, which forced some turnovers and anxious ball carrying moments.
Remember, our system thrives on our guard rotation. The press is the first step. Coming into the half court, the primary defense on the guard penetration is the second. This is where we are lacking this season. Unfortunately, our first string pg Simon, was out due to injury.
We were not beaten by UP plays mind you. This was a double barreled shoot-out by cross-over moving Mikee and the steady Woody Co, a much improved three point shooter this year. Also effective for UP was Mark Lopez, an athletic swingman who was aggressive on both ends of the court.
Now, on the positive side, Peejay Barua has regained his shooter’s touch. James Mangahas, Maui Villanueva, Joshua Webb, and Bader Malabes played good offensive games. Of the four, however, only Bader played a very good defensive game. Joshua still showed that he has a lot to learn on defense, as he was mostly out of defensive position. The three point shot of Migs De Asis from the left side was his responsibility. Webb should also focus on the game rather than on getting into the head of the opponent. Yesterday, he spent most of his time on the court trash talking. That is a double edged sword which can either take your opponent out of his game or pump him up even more.
A bright spot for us defensively was Yutien Andrada, whose gives us some shot blocking ability on the post. His back to back post blocks were made at a crucial time to keep us in the game.
Mark Lopez of UP also had a monster defensive game. His block shot on James Mangahas was “right down his throat”. He also was able to get rebounds from behind, another defensive weakness I see in our defensive rebounding game – the box out.
We now have to win ALL our remaining games if we want to make it to the playoffs. Anything less, and our track record of making the final 4 every year will be at risk. It’s an issue of “if we want it this year, or lay down and die and try again next year.”
Can we beat the teams we were supposed to lose to??? The attitude should always be YES!!!!!! Now, it’s up to the team to make it happen.
The Green Archers are slowly digging a hole so deep that if they do not get their act soon, it would be extremely hard for them to get out and target the last final 4 slot.
This was another first, a 4-game losing streak. The Archers’ record is now a 4-6. For them to make the final 4, they will now have to sweep the remaining 4 games. This is going to be a difficult task, because 3 of the next opponents are FEU, UE, and UST.
Missing in action in today’s disappointing loss were Simon Atkins, who was nursing an injury, and the team’s defense. UP had a field day especially from the perimeter where they shot a 31% from beyond the arc. The Maroons just had too many good looks at the basket.
Again, an opponent exploited their knowledge of the Archer defense to find the open shooter on the perimeter. Former Zobel player de Asis was the recipient of a couple of open looks which he sank, to the dismay of the green supporters. The vulnerability of the Archer defense to good ballhandlers was also very evident, with Reyes, Padilla, and Lopez penetrating from the outside, and they either managed to get a free layup because the secondary defense was a step slow, or if the post defender switched, the open man underneath would get the drop pass.
To add insult to injury, it was a former La Salle high school standout that did most of the damage to the Archers. Mikee Reyes, who played for LSGH in the NCAA had a monster game with 25 points and 6 assists. He was like a blur running past his defenders and was hot from the outside. How unfortunate that his breakout game had to be at our expense. His performance reminded some observers of a young Iverson.
Of UP’s “lost boys”, only Maui performed well today. Joel and Sam saw limited action today.
Get to experience food that is affordable yet delicious at Food Locker. This sports-themed restaurant/bar is located at the Mezzanine floor of Burgundy Transpacific Tower along Taft Avenue. It is owned and managed by the coaching staff of the La Salle Men’s Basketball team along with other partners.
“We want to give our customers a grand dining experience by serving good food at very reasonable prices.” said assistant coach Tonichi Ytturi. “The place is very much La Salle-inspired as we want our customers, especially the students from DLSU and CSB to come here and feel at home. Everywhere here is green” he added.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgWasSt0ULo
So if you want to sit back, relax and enjoy good food while watching the UAAP, NCAA and other sporting events on TV, Food Locker is the place to be.
For party reservations and deliveries please call 515-7747
