MANILA, Philippines—San Beda may have found its newest star in the form of rookie Bryan Sajonia.
Sajonia, the former Far Eastern University player, made his debut in NCAA Season 100 and he did it in a stellar way leading the Red Lions’ demolition of Lyceum, 79-63.
“For one, this helps me build confidence in the upcoming games. I have to give thanks as well to the trust given by my coaches and teammates,” said the shifty guard in Filipino at Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday.
However, Sajonia deflected all the credit to his coaches and teammates.
READ: NCAA: San Beda opens title defense with masterful win over Lyceum
“It’s all because we listened to coach Yuri (Escueta). I don’t really care about what my score is… All of us are capable of scoring,” said Sajonia.
Sajonia finished with 18 points, five rebounds and two assists to match.
Escueta had nothing but praise for Sajonia, whose defensive effort was also commended.
“Knowing Bryan, whatever he can do, rebound, assist, shoot or score, he’ll do it but the biggest thing we saw in him was his defense, guarding the shooters of Lyceum,” said Escueta.
Despite his stellar debut, Sajonia knows he and the Red Lions still have a lot of work to do.
“This isn’t over, we still need to fix a lot of things with coach Yuri and the other players. Our chemistry was there but we still have a lot of things to work on,” Sajonia said.