Past heartaches spur Letran coach Ayo

Letran coach Aldin Ayo. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

IN FRONT of a delirious Letran gallery, Knights rookie coach Aldin Ayo let out a loud roar as the final buzzer sounded of Game 1 of the NCAA Season 91 finals.

It was a rare public show of emotion from the youthful mentor, but something he felt he needed to do after the Knights bested defending champion San Beda Red Lions, 94-90, in an enthralling shootout at Mall of Asia Arena Friday night.

“I just wanted to let that pressure out so I won’t feel it in Game 2,” Ayo later said as the Knights moved within a victory of ending San Beda’s reign and also claiming their first crown since 2005.

Ayo’s desire to end this decades-long title drought for Letran has helped lead to strong performances from the Knights, whose all-Filipino roster is a rarity in a league, where all but two of the 12 teams have tapped a foreign reinforcement.

A two-time champion as a player in the late 1990s, Ayo has seen enough heartbreak the past 10 years that he’s taken it upon himself to pilot this squad to a championship.

“All the veterans [in this team] have suffered enough,” said the Sorsogon-based Ayo, a virtual unknown in the coaching circles before he was hired by Letran before the start of the season.

Kevin Racal and Mark Cruz, who were part of the Letran teams that bowed to San Beda in 2011 and 2013, combined for 45 points in the Game 1 victory.

“The past few series I was watching in Sorsogon and I could feel the heartbreak within the Letran community with every loss,” said Ayo.