Arellano Chiefs. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Arellano University head coach Jerry Codiñera wanted to shuffle his players as much as he could to look for the right combinations.
But no matter how often Codiñera mixed and match during the Chiefs’ debut in the Filoil Flying V Preseason Premier Cup on Wednesday, he would always go back to his best player Jio Jalalon.
Jalalon scored a game-high 18 points as Arellano beat Emilio Aguinaldo College, 79-72. But more than Jalalon’s numbers, what the Chiefs needed more was his leadership.
“Our chemistry is still not there,” Codiñera told reporters in Filipino. “The integration between the new players and our holdovers is still lacking.”
“It’s still Jiovani. Every time we have the ball they still look at Jiovani. They’re still unsure of where they should be on the floor,” Codiñera said.
Codiñera would’ve wanted to see his team do more with Jalalon doing less than usual.
But with the Generals trailing close behind, Jalalon had to stay on the floor as the Chiefs leaned on their captain in the fourth quarter to sustain their lead.
Jalalon got some support with Zach Nichols adding 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting from the three-point area. Arellano also drew contributions from Michael Canete and Donald Gumaru, who combined for 17 points.
Hamadou Laminou paced the Generals, who won only two games and wound up in last place in the 91st NCAA Season, with 16 points in 36 minutes.