Rey Nambatac. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/ INQUIRER.net
Letran may have the inside track for the last Final Four spot in NCAA Season 93, but the path to the playoffs remains rocky as ever.
And the Knights’ first stumbling block is no less than fierce rival San Beda on Friday.
“It’s like David and Goliath,” compared Rey Nambatac, whose side will be underdog going into the tiff.
The 23-year-old guard acknowledges the tall task Letran at hand, but he’s confident that the Knights can pull off the upset.
“We’ll go through the eye of the needle again. But it’s a good thing that we’re used in this situation. It has happened to us numerous times before in my five years here and we’ll go through it again. But these hardships make our journey special if we can get through it,” he said.
The Knights were on a receiving end of an 81-74 loss to the Red Lions in their first round clash, but with stakes at an all-time high, Nambatac believes that his side is more than just motivated.
“San Beda is a tough team, but everything is possible if we believe on each other,” he said. “Even though how strong the opponent is, we’ll play as a team and we’ll believe that we can beat them.”
With Letran carrying an 8-8 card, all its hoping for is a sweep of its remaining games against San Beda and St. Benilde to clinch the last Final Four spot.
A loss in one of its games, however, opens the possibility of a playoff between San Sebastian or Arellano if they all end the eliminations carrying identical 9-9 records.
But coach Jeff Napa remains positive that the Knights will be able to achieve their set goals.
“We’ll just make some adjustments. We’re confident and we still believe that since we built this team, we can go a long way,” he said.