Fernandez gets headstart on Red Lions’ preps with D-League team

San Beda Red Lions. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Returning to San Beda just last Sunday, coach Boyet Fernandez is putting a lot of pressure on himself to live up to the expectations following the Red Lions’ conquest last season.

Fortunately for him, he gets an early start for his preparation for NCAA Season 93 by handling Cignal-San Beda in the upcoming 2017 PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup which starts January 19.

“I’m really excited to return to the Lions’ den, but there’s really pressure on us because this team I inherited from coach Jamike (Jarin) is a champion team,” he said on Tuesday.

“I have big shoes to fill. We know how big the disappointment will be if San Beda can’t get back-to-back titles, so it will really be the objective for my coaching staff and for me to lead San Beda to another
championship.”

Admittedly unfamiliar with the core after two years of being away from Mendiola, Fernandez is looking at this stint as a chance for him to know his players better and build the same relationship Jarin had with the holdovers.

Our transition will be fast tracked with San Beda playing in the D-League, so it will be easier for me to know the players more in preparation for the NCAA. It’s hard to replace coach Jamike because he spent a lot of time with these players, almost two years. So of course, I have to also establish my relationship with the players,” he said.

Fortunately for Fernandez, he will enjoy a solid core led by Davon Potts, Javee Mocon, Robert Bolick, AC Soberano, and Ben Adamos in this D-League stint, while still on the lookout for potential talents springing from the school’s Team B.

“There’s a lot of players in San Beda that are capable to be in the D-League. We’ll see, when we start our practices, that’s when we’ll decide who will make it to our lineup,” he said.