Inspired Knights thrive on defense, says coach

ROOKIE coach Aldin Ayo is only mildly surprised by Letran’s strong start in the 91st NCAA basketball tournament.

Playing with renewed confidence, the Knights hammered out a couple of convincing wins, including a 78-62 drubbing of title contender Jose Rizal U, in the first week of the season.

San Beda roared to two early wins, just like Perpetual Help, but Letran has been impressive with its play on the defensive end.

Ayo said he didn’t expect the results, but he was quick to point out that the inspired play can be seen even in the Knights’ practices.

“The way we’ve been practicing, you will feel that we will get results, but we did not expect to win right away,” said Ayo. “The way the team  works hard, we know we can compete.”

The Knights have been disruptive on defense, while playing what Ayo termed as “organized chaos” on the offensive end.

So good were the Knights’ defense that they forced St. Benilde to 33 turnovers in an 83-52 rout in their season-opener. The Heavy Bombers also felt the Knights’ wrath Friday night when Letran did the damage from afar, nailing 12 triples with four coming from Rey Nambatac.

As an incentive for their impressive win over JRU,  Saranggani Rep. Manny Pacquiao, the Knights’ new team manager, hosted dinner for the team as well as school athletic director Fr. Vic Calvo in his Forbes Park mansion  Friday. Ayo said Pacquiao’s presence has a huge impact on the team.

“It’s big for the team in terms of motivation,” he said. “But for the entire program, it’s important because we’re working on a tight budget compared to other schools and its good because we know that we can turn to him (Pacquiao) for the needs of the team.”