One Knight Stand: Unfazed Letran up for another crack at San Beda

Kevin Alas

MANILA, Philippines—Just as Letran’s blows were finally cracking San Beda’s stonewall defense, Anthony Semerad knifes a dagger of a triple from the left corner that doused whatever fire the Knights had left in them Friday night.

This has been the story of somehow the forgotten rivalry in the NCAA that is San Beda-Letran—buried under a pile of the Red Lions’ string of lopsided wins for the past four years.

Louie Alas, who has become a permanent fixture at the Letran sidelines, admits—it is frustrating to yield to another rout again, especially against San Beda, a squad which the Knights will need to beat if they ever want to win it all this season.

“There are frustrations. [I asked them] why can’t we bounce back when San Beda takes the lead, when we have been doing that against any other team,” Alas told INQUIRER.net in Filipino in the aftermath of Letran’s 68-84 loss.

It was evident: the Knights, who have been letting out claims—though not verbally, but through dominating wins—that they’re one of the teams to beat this season, were simply befuddled that night.

How puzzled? The Knights couldn’t even step foot in the paint. The burly forward Junjun Alas, used to banging bodies, was taken out of his comfort zone and had to take lower percentage jump shots, while his brother Kevin, the squad’s star, failed to shake off an awful start and was held to 14 points.

And as Letran struggled, San Beda thrived. Garvo Lanete exploded with 28 points, while the ever-reliable second stringers of the Lions maintained the starters’ energy and gave them a whopping 20-point lead.

Which led Alas into stating the obvious: “Are we intimidated?,” he confronted his team.

For Alas it wasn’t the lack of physical preparation which screwed them over anew, although his squad did look clueless on both ends.

How to stop, and not be stopped on its tracks, by San Beda?—it was about what was going through the players’ heads.

“They said they weren’t intimidated, but I really believe the problem’s in the mental preparation,” said Alas. “We prepared the hardest for this game, we dissected everything, but during the game—we couldn’t do it,” Alas said in disappointment.

Alas continued: “Kevin [Alas] felt that he didn’t have room for mistakes. When he commits a mistake, he can’t wait to make it right the next possession. Nangigigil, then he makes another mistake instead.”

And if Kevin Alas’ name doesn’t come up on top of the score sheet, it doesn’t usually bode well for Letran’s cause.

“Kevin’s making his teammates better. He’s really matured from last year,” lauded Alas. “Before, just one miss from his teammate, he’d already take things into his own hands.”

But the Knights—a team with only a renewed confidence and swag making the difference this season—are far from stopping their rise to the top, even if takes them into stepping foot inside the Red Lions’ den.

Which isn’t far from happening.

“We will prepare in a general way [because we could face either San Beda or San Sebastian] in the Final Four. We’ll just take this as a learning experience.”

“At first we were wondering if we’re going to win against the tougher teams. And if we do win, we think we might have just been lucky,” said Alas. “But now—it’s different. Our confidence is still up. We might have lost our chance to make it to the top two, but we have acquired a good attitude over the season.”

And if you ask coach Louie Alas who he wants to face next, here’s the thing: a twenty-something setback paired with a 12-game losing skid are things he doesn’t forget.

“San Beda because of pride. Pero hindi ako sa Red Lions gigil, kundi sa talo. Gusto ko makabawi ulit,” Alas emphasized.