Jalalon greeted by his Arellano teammates. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Head coach: Jerry Codiñera
Last season: 12-6 (5th place)
Key holdovers: Jiovani Jalalon, Kent Salado, Dioncee Holts
Key losses: Nico Bangga
Key additions: Lervin Flores, Michael Canete
With Arellano emerging as one of the clear-cut favorites to win the title this season, coach Jerry Codinera believes that this year’s lineup truly has the capacity to exceed last season’s finish.
“Nag-improve sila from last year. Based on what we accomplished sa mga buildup, I can say na we’re on the right track,” he said.
The Chiefs surprisingly bowed out of the Final Four last season despite a 12-6 record, losing to Mapua in their fourth-seed playoff.
Codinera is putting his faith on the the leadership of Jiovani Jalalon, arguably the best collegiate playmaker today, saying Arellano goes wherever the Cagayan de Oro native takes them.
“Si Jiovani ang number one guard namin and the team looks up to him as their leader. He’s a big factor for us at kailangang kailangan namin yung maturity, consistency, and stability from him,” he said.
Jalalon isn’t alone in the task, though, as guards Kent Salado and Donald Gumaru, shooter Zach Nicholls, forward Allen Enriquez, and big man Dioncee Holts are all coming back for the Chiefs.
While Codinera is expecting solid showing from his rookies after forwards Lervin Flores and Michael Canete showed potential during their preseason buildup, he is giving them time to adjust.
“May transition period pa ang mga rookies. They were impressive, but kailangang hindi sila mag-iba ng laro dito sa NCAA,” he said.
With this roster, Codinera believes that the Chiefs can earn a return trip to the Finals since that feat two years ago.
“It’s a brand new tournament and brand new work for us. But I know na mas maraming makakapag-provide ng quality games para sa amin,” he said.