Louie Sangalang Letran NCAA Finals
MANILA, Philippines—Letran big man Louie Sangalang felt the Knights needed to overcome “unfair” treatment to win the NCAA Season 98 men’s basketball championship.
Letran toppled No. 1 College of St. Benilde in a three-game finals series after an 81-67 victory on Sunday.
“For me, personally, since the season’s already done, there are lots of times that the competition was unfair to us,” Sangalang said in Filipino.
“All season long there were lots of unfair moments so we’re blessed we got this championship even without our captain . This championship is for him and the whole Letran community,” he explained further.
The Knights were dealt with a plethora of suspensions throughout the season, including the deciding Game 3 where they missed the services of star guard and captain Fran Yu for elbowing the Blazers’ Mark Sangco.
Kyle Tolentino and Kobe Monje were also suspended in Game 2.
When the buzzer sounded signaling Letran’s third straight crown, Sangalang hoisted the title and repeatedly screamed “Letran laban sa lahat (Letran against everyone!)”
Sangalang contributed eight points and four rebounds after back-to-back double-double outings in Games 1 and 2. For the series, he averaged 14.3 points and eight rebounds per outing.
Sangalang could’ve made a strong case for Finals MVP had it not been for his suspension in the elimination round that made him ineligible for any individual award. King Caralipio took home the Finals MVP plum.
The 6-foot-4 Sangalang still has a year left of eligibility but he was still non-committal when asked about his plans.
“I don’t know yet for now, but all I know is I’ll be drunk later,” he said in jest.