JRU building good foundation for NCAA bid starting from preseason

Assistant coach Alex Callueng and he JRU Heavy Bombers. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Getting there, but not quite yet. That’s been the case for Jose Rizal University during the Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup.

So when the Heavy Bombers notched their third straight win at the expense of San Beda, 80-72, assistant coach Alex Callueng was pleasantly surprised.

“I can see that we’re building a good thing here. Our expectations for some of the players are being met. Although we still want to implement some other systems, we still want the team to be fluid moving forward,” Callueng said in Filipino at San Juan Arena.

“Heading into the new season, this preseason helps us a lot to see where we need to go as a whole team both offensively and defensively.”

The Heavy Bombers looked better on offense, tallying more team assists than the Red Lions, 23-17.

JRU also showed brilliance on the defensive end, registering eight team steals while forcing San Beda to 14 turnovers.

Shawn Argente puts up a shot against San Beda Red Lions defenders. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Callueng’s squad also forced the short-handed San Beda team to just six made triples from 26 tries.

Still, Callueng believes that the preseason is just a precursor to what the Heavy Bombers may look like in the real start of the NCAA’s 99th men’s basketball tournament.

“We’re not settling for less, we really want our team to be almost perfect. Though we can’t really do that [right away], the boys did their jobs today.”

Shawn Argente spearheaded the Heavy Bombers in the scoring department with 18 points, built on four buckets made from beyond the arc.

Ry Dela Rosa also contributed 14 markers and six rebounds for JRU, which improved to a 4-4 record.