INQUIRER Sports

A COMBINED AVERAGE OF 30.1 points, 14.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.3 blocks.

Those are the statistics the La Salle Green Archers are going to miss with the departure of veteran guard JV Casio and athletic big man Rico Maierhofer from the UAAP men’s basketball competition this season.

“We’re in the process of rebuilding,” admitted La Salle coach Franz Pumaren. “If you lose your best scorer and you lose your best defensive player and rebounder, it’s going to be hard.”

With Casio using up his playing years and Maierhofer foregoing his final year of eligibility to join the PBA draft, the Archers are in for a tougher road back to the Finals, a season after securing a runner-up finish against fierce rival Ateneo.

“We still have talented veterans,” said Pumaren. “But that’s the beauty of college basketball. Players come and go and coaches just have to maximize the talent that they have.”

Expected to take charge are seniors James Mangahas and Peejay Barua.

By assembling the best freshman class this season, however, the Archers remain a favorite to reach the Final Four.

“Hopefully the younger guys and the rookies will be able to adjust right away to the college play,” said Pumaren.

Arvie Bringas, the 6-foot-5 center who helped San Sebastian clinch four straight NCAA juniors titles, leads the rookie cast that includes four national youth team players.

“He will bring in size, at least we have an option inside the paint,” said Pumaren of Bringas, last year’s NCAA juniors Finals MVP. “Arvie is a power-forward type. I think he can help us a lot.”