NCAA Season 91 preview: No less than final 4 stint for JRU | Inquirer Sports

NCAA Season 91 preview: No less than final 4 stint for JRU

/ 10:33 AM June 26, 2015

Head Coach: Vergel Meneses
Last season: 12-6 (Final Four)
Key losses: Philip Paniamogan, Michael Mabulac, Jaycee Asuncion
Key returnees: Tey Teodoro, Dave Sanchez, Abdulwahab Abdulrazak
Key additions: Paolo Pontejos, Abdel Poutouochi, Darius Estrella

Returning to the Final Four last season, Jose Rizal University believed that it had its best chance of ending the over four decades of title drought in the men’s basketball.

ADVERTISEMENT

For coach Vergel Meneses believes that there’s no reason for his wards to set the bar any lower for this NCAA season 91.

FEATURED STORIES

“With this lineup, we need to aim high,” he said. “Last year, everybody counted us out but we made it to the Final Four. We surprised everybody. Now, there’s no reason for us not to be in the Final Four.”

Losing old reliables in Philip Paniamogan and Michael Mabulac, Meneses is still confident with the experience his crew got from last year.

“Tey Teodoro’s improvement has been great. Jordan (Dela Paz) and Gio (Lasquety) are still there. Dave (Sanchez) is playing very well and he is understanding and accepting his role and that’s the reason why he has adjusted well to our system. And there are new guys coming in who can fill the roles left by the guys who left,” he said.

JRU will get a big boost with the return of Paolo Pontejos, the entry of Cameroonian big man Abdel Pouotouochi, and the ascent of juniors MVP Darius Estrella to the senior team.

Paolo Pontejos. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Paolo Pontejos. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

“They went to the Final Four last season so that’s our goal. This team is aiming for the championship and I think it’s possible,” said Pontejos.

With that being said, experts believe the Heavy Bombers will leave a mark this year.

ADVERTISEMENT

However, Meneses is wary of his team getting overconfident.

“I’m not afraid of our opponents. I’m more afraid for my boys because I don’t know when will I see their aggressiveness. They have to be consistent because we know that if we work hard on defense, we’ll get positive results,” he said.

“As Rizalians, we’ll take it one game at a time. We don’t want to get pressured, just play our usual game, and we’ll see what will happen.” CFC

RELATED STORIES
NCAA Season 91 preview: EAC Generals looking to get out of cellar

NCAA Season 91 preview: Mapua eyes Final Four spot

NCAA Season 91 preview: Young Stags ready to prove they can compete

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

NCAA Season 91 preview: Little-known Pirates hoping to thrive under new system

NCAA Season 91 preview: Undersized Knights banking on new system

NCAA Season 91 preview: Blazers eye Final 4 despite key losses

For the complete collegiate sports coverage including scores, schedules and stories, visit Inquirer Varsity.

TAGS: Basketball, Final Four, JRU Heavy Bombers, NCAA, NCAA season 91, Sports, Vergel Meneses

© Copyright 1997-2024 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. By continuing, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. To find out more, please click this link.