INQUIRER Sports

FOR A CHANGE, UNIVERSITY OF SANTO Tomas’ offense will not revolve inside the paint this season.

Such is life without banger Jervy Cruz, the MVP two years ago, who spearheaded the Tigers’ improbable title run in 2006.

But the Tigers remain a darkhorse, thanks in large part to versatile Dylan Ababou, tipped as one of the finest amateur swingmen today.

“Dylan will be the cornerstone of the team,” coach Pido Jarencio said of Ababou, who played for the national developmental pool in the Fiba-Asia Champions Cup in the summer.

“We will be more of a running team this year. We played a more deliberate style the past two years because of Jervy.”

Jarencio infused eight rookies into the lineup with former Xavier School star Jeric Teng and former Letran Squire Darrel Green as the most notable prospects.

“He’s really a big help for us,” Jarencio said of the 6-foot-1 Teng, whose father, Alvin, was a PBA star in the 1990s. “He’s a physical player and I think that’s what our team needs.”

Though the Tigers boast one of the tallest swingmen combinations in the league in 6--4 Khasim Mirza and the 6-3 Ababou, their lack of ceiling in the frontline seems to be a concern for Jarencio, who is expected to make the burly 6-3 Green his starting center.

But Jarencio said his team’s deficiencies have given the Tigers more reason to embrace his tested “3 Ps” formula—“pride, puso, palaban (heart, fighting spirit).”