San Beda coach Yuri Escueta maps out plays during a timeout during a game against Lyceum in the Filoil Preseason Cup. Photo from Filoil
MANILA, Philippines—After falling short in the NCAA Season 97 Final Four, San Beda is striving to become a more cohesive unit as it goes for a bounce-back campaign in the upcoming season which tips off on September 10.
Hoping for a deeper rotation, Red Lions head coach Yuri Escueta fielded all of his players in a 79-71 win over Lyceum in the Filoil Preseason Cup on Saturday.
“They’re really going to play big roles in the upcoming NCAA. Justine (Sanchez) and JB (Bahio) can’t do it alone,” Escueta said.
Escueta referred to his young second unit composed of Jacob Cortez, Yukien Andrada, Gab Cometa and Cyrus Llarena among others.
Starter JB Bahio was limited to only 17 minutes in the game to give way for Andrada and Cometa as Escueta aimed to draw contributions from everybody and not just rely heavily on the veterans like James Kwekuteye.
The Lions’ second and third stringers rose to the occasion as they finished with combined 34 points. Escueta, however, knows his team still has a lot of work to do.
“Their work ethic is something we’re monitoring so they would get used to the responsibility in the games itself.”
San Beda, which missed the quarterfinals of the preseason tournament with a 3-4 record, eyes to reclaim its NCAA glory in Season 98 after it got bounced by Mapua in the semifinals last season.