Belief made ‘Mayhem’ system work for La Salle

De La Salle Green Archers. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

When Aldin Ayo got the coaching reigns in De La Salle, he knew he had to employ the same tactic he used when in his title run with Letran.

Ayo had his “House of Chaos” when he was with the Knights and with the Green Archers he created “Mayhem.”

But for the frantic defensive scheme to work, it needed everyone to buy into the system.

“It takes belief. The first time the Mayhem program was instilled in us, we had to sacrifice,” said Abu Tratter Wednesday after shooting down Ateneo 79-72 to claim the Season 79 basketball title.

Tratter, imposing 6-foot-7 big man, had to specialize on being a scrappy post player to complement the offensive gifts of center Ben Mbala.

He also had to run the whole 94 feet of the parquet floor to become an asset both offensively and defensively.

“We had to sacrifice our own objectives, we had to believe in the system because after a defensive stop there’s always a reward,” said Tratter. “In the end we started getting along, and we started adjusting to the Mayhem.”