INQUIRER Sports

HARD AS IT IS TO IMAGINE NOW, Paul Lee was once a gun-shy rookie who opted to get his teammates more involved rather than take the big shots.

That’s not going to be the case this season when the Warriors try to discard their tag as underachievers.

A sensational rookie season in the PBL, where he displayed his deft outside shooting and drives, makes Lee a player to watch.

Lee epitomizes the mental toughness that coach Lawrence Chongson said his team needs to win a record 19th cage crown.

“If we don’t win the championship, I’ll be very disappointed,” said coach Lawrence Chongson whose confident demeanor belied his status as the only greenhorn in the group of coaches this year.

Lee will team up with Rudy Lingganay in the backcourt, while veterans Elmer Espiritu and Pari Llagas form one of the league’s most experienced frontcourt pairs.

For the first time, the Warriors joined the Joe Abunassar Impact Basketball Camp in California, where the Ateneo Eagles have also trained the past few years.

The core of the UE squad saw action for the Cobra Energy Warriors in the PBL after their campaign in the Ming Dao Cup tournament in Taipei, where they placed second last February.

But the Warriors’ biggest achievement came in April when they ruled the Las Vegas Easter Showcase, where reed-thin forward Val Acuña was named MVP.