Pacquiao-backed Letran relishes controlled madness

Nothing short on motivation, Letran blazed to its second straight win in the NCAA Season 91, beating favored JRU, 78-62, on Friday.

The man at the helm, coach Aldin Ayo, is happy with what he’s seeing with his boys, more so that the squad is following his orders to a tee.

“We really worked hard for it,” he said, as Letran seemingly thrived on what he called “larong magulo.”

The Knights have choked their opponents with their relentless full court press on defense and by employing a run-and-gun scheme on offense, which resulted to an early 2-0 start for the Intramuros squad.

But Ayo said there’s a method to Letran’s madness.

“Before we go doon sa sinasabi naming magulo, we put order first, (Before we go to that madness that we’ve been preaching, we put order first),” he said.

’Pag responsible na ’yung mga bata at pwede na pakawalan, doon na ’yung magulo (When the guys are already responsible enough and ready to be let loose, that’s when we unleash that madness).”

The win also signaled the first victory for Letran with Manny Pacquiao as the team manager.

Ayo said that the team’s morale was obviously uplifted with the school’s recent acquisition, and the fighting congressman has really been a big inspiration for the team.

“Manny Pacquiao ’yun eh. Pangalan pa lang, motivation na ’yun. Malaking bagay ’yun sa amin (That’s Manny Pacquiao. Just the name brings us motivation. It’s a big boost for us),” he said.

Ayo also told the media that Pacquiao, who failed to show up in the game at San Juan Arena, invited them for a post-game celebration in his mansion.

That will drive the Knights more to strive this NCAA season, hoping that the dinner with the eight-division boxing champ will be followed by grander toasts in the future.