If you use the last 10 years to predict the Letran Squires’ chances of winning the championship in this year’s NCAA Junior Tournament, the odds seem outlandish.
The last time a Letran team took home the NCAA Juniors Division basketball championship, Gloria Arroyo was a newly installed Philippine president.
Since the Squires’ last championship in 2001, the NCAA Juniors basketball landscape has been dominated by the perennial champions San Sebastian Staglets and the San Beda Red Cubs.
Despite that, Squires forward Iván Villanueva believes Letrán is a top contender for the championship in the upcoming NCAA Junior Basketball Tournament.
“Our chances of winning the Junior Crown are high this year,” said Villanueva, the wide-bodied Lateran senior who is currently averaging 17.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.3 assists in the FilOil Flying V Preseason Tournament.
As of this writing, the Squires just handed the Staglets a 57-51 loss and are atop the standings in Group C with five wins and no losses.
Villanueva, however, is quick to point out the caveats: “In order for us to do that, we have four things to do: One, we have to play as a team and share basketball. Two, we need to play tough defense. Three, our players from bank must be productive and, finally, we must all be on the same page.
However, he does not speak alone.
The 6-1 high school senior, a natural forward who occasionally plays center for the Squires, backs up his call for teamwork with action.
His 5.3 assist average ranks second in the FilOil tournament and he ranks 12th among high school players in steals with two per game.
He is also ranked as the third best performing player in the preseason with a Player Efficiency Rating of 22.5, just behind teammate Bong Quinto and Mapua center Jeric Diego.
However, Villanueva, a member of last season’s NCAA Juniors Mythical team, believes teammate Rey Nambatac, LSGH’s Mario Bonleon, San Beda’s Arvin Tolentino and FEU’s Jeremy Pingoy, the reigning UAAP Juniors MVP, are currently the best high school players.
Villanueva, who hopes to join the Knights of Letran in the Senior Division after graduation, counts the LSGH Red Cubs and Greenies as tough obstacles to winning the NCAA Juniors championship.
He is not alone.
His teammates Kenneth Alas, Bong Quinto and Nambatac, among others, are expected to help him break the trend of the past decade and deliver a championship to the Squires in his final season in high school.
Nambatac is currently the FilOil tournament leader in assists at 7.5 per game, while Quinto is the Squires’ leading scorer (10th overall) at 17.0 per game.
Alas is not far behind with 13.7 points per game.
Whether the Squires will go far this season remains to be seen. But one thing is certain, Villanueva and the rest of the Squires couldn’t care less about the odds.
The Squires go for it all.
