Rey Nambatac. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
Rey Nambatac has pleaded for help from Letran’s bench players after the Knights side lost three of their first four games in NCAA Season 93.
The latest blow was an 81-74 81-74 defeat to fierce rival San Beda where only six players from Letran contributed in scoring.
“The opponents know that our bench is shallow compared to the other teams, so it’s easy for them to scout us because they know who’s going to contribute,” the senior guard said in Filipino on Tuesday.
Most of the Knights’ offensive load have come from Nambatac, Bong Quinto, Jerrick Balanza, and JP Calvo, with big men Jeo Ambohot and Lance Vacaro churning out a few good games.
But that hasn’t been enough for Letran so far and Nambatac knows the team has to address that issue sooner than later.
“Hopefully, we get three or four players from our bench to step up because it’s going to be difficult for us go-to guys to play without getting any rest. Come second round or the crucial games, maybe that’s when we can’t help our team because of fatigue, so we really need our bench,” he said.
Nambatac also believes that the lack of support from the substitutes has been one of the factors why the Knights are failing to close out games down the stretch.
“That’s really our problem. We always lack the finishing kick. And the lack of support is a factor because our opponents know that they have to tire us out,” he said. “For me, it’s a big thing if we can get two or three bench guys who can step up and help us, where we can get at least three to four minutes to rest.”
Despite Letran’s struggles, Nambatac is keeping a positive attitude moving forward, trusting that the team and coach Jeff Napa will find a way to address this glaring issue in the games to come.
“I’m positive that we’ll find a way to fix that problem. We’re down, but that shouldn’t be a reason why we should lose focus on our season. We’re struggling, but we use this as a motivation to find a way to get through this. The season is still long, so we know we have to work and double the effort for us to get back up,” he said.
Letran springs back into action next Tuesday against Arellano.