Head coach: Andy de Guzman
Last season: 4-14
Key losses: Jan Jamon, Noube Happi, John Tayongtong, Jack Arquero
Key additions: Adoum Mbang, Hamadou Laminou, Emmanuel Bonleon
Key returnees: Sidney Onwubere, Remy Morada
Emilio Aguinaldo College head coach Andy de Guzman knows he doesn’t have a desirable lineup with a handful of rookies, undersized backcourt and raw imports.
But he feels the Generals line-up that he has is enough to go a long way.
“We’ll live and die with that 15-man roster,” said de Guzman, who will also have to get his feet wet in the coming NCAA Season 91 after being tapped to takeover the coaching reins from Gerry Esplana. “We’re not a strong team and we’re probably the weakest team compared to the other teams in the NCAA but I keep on reminding them that we can win.”
“Our goal is still to make the Final Four and I keep on telling them that we can make the Final Four.”
De Guzman, who was Esplana’s lead assistant for four years, said his team will bank on returnees forward Sidney Onwubere and guard Remy Morada, Cameroonian imports Hamadou Laminou and Adoum Mbang and a promising rookie in Emmanuel Bonleon.
But the Generals will go as far as their skipper Francis Munsayac will take them.
True leader
“As a leader, on and off the court, you see him (Munsayac) building the players’ camaraderie. Everybody responds with his leadership and that’s what’s good about this team,” de Guzman said of his 5-foot-5 guard, who didn’t suit up due last year due to a knee injury.
Munsayac’s leadership was on display on Saturday when the Generals played the Adamson Falcons in a tuneup game. He pulled his backup point guard aside during a dead-ball situation and gave him some instructions. He commended the 6-foot-9 Laminou after keeping his hands up and not leaving his feet on the defensive end.
De Guzman, too, had his work cut out for him while on the sidelines. He constantly pointed out his players’ mistakes, giving them an earful for every turnover, bad shot selection and blown defensive assignment. He yelled at Laminou to “hit back” at the Falcons’ hulking import Papi Sarr after getting a bloodied lower lip from an elbow.
“Don’t let him do that to you!” de Guzman shouted, teaching his player to hold his own and not back down but not engage in a fight.
“Almost everyone on this team is new so I really had to demonstrate what they need to do. I always tell them that ‘if I yell at you, it doesn’t mean that I’m angry at you. I’m just emphasizing the things that you should do.'”
“They understand me. When a player makes a mistake, he approaches me and says sorry. I, as well, try to understand them. Off the court, I’m just like one of their friends,” de Guzman added.
At the end of the game, de Guzman looked as tired as his players with his shirt covered in sweat. It was worth it, though, with the Generals winning on a last-second step back 3-pointer by Morada.
Better showing
Surpassing last season’s run where the Generals finished tied with the Mapua Cardinals for worst record at 4-14 can be done, according to de Guzman.
What’s worse about the Generals lowly mark is that their season will be remembered for the ugly brawl during their game against the Cardinals.
“We’ve learned from that lesson. We don’t want that to ever happen again and it’s not good for the school,” he said. “And I always tell my players to not let that happen again. Don’t retaliate if you know it will hurt the team and it also ruins their focus.”
The Generals, however, almost figured in yet another melee after Onwubere threw an elbow and hit an Adamson player in the fourth quarter and several players had to be separated from each other before the game ensued.
De Guzman was all over Onwubere during a timeout screaming at him for what he just did.
The Generals are still in a work in progress. De Guzman is realistic with the limitations of his team and the Generals will face reality right off the bat with their first game against the defending champions San Beda Red Lions.
“San Beda being our first game is good for us because they’re the strongest team and I’ve been telling my players that we’ll make a name for ourselves for beating them.” CFC