MANILA, Philippines – For De La Salle University (DLSU)  head coach Louie Gonzalez, the Green Archers have yet to prove their worth even after back-to-back wins in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament. 

“We’re still far from comfort,” said Gonzalez after the Green Archers picked up their second win against University of East on Sunday, September 23. 

“I guess the flashes of brilliance for the whole 40 minutes, if I’m gonna break it down in the tape siguro ‘yung collection noon nasa six minutes pa lang eh (I guess the collection is just at 6 minutes only.) It’s not yet there.” 

Aljun Melecio’s hot hand kickstarted the Green Archers’ offense with 4 triples in the first half. The Taft-based squad managed to pull away by 20 points in the 3rd quarter, but they didn’t get to close out the game the way they wanted as UE’s Alvin Pasaol singlehandedly challenged them by dropping 17 of his game-high 22 points in the payoff period. 

“My lineup right now is a 12-man lineup. All the pieces are really important. I’m not gonna stop working on every individual that is part of my team,” added Gonzalez. 

With this mentality, the Green Archers mentor gave new members Encho Serrano and Mark Dyke the chance to shine. 

“’Di ko lang binigo si coach. Nung sinabi niya sa’kin na umpisahan mo sa depensa, kailangan ko mag-go hard sa defense ko, kunin ko sa depensa hanggang sa ma-open ako at makakuha ako ng kumpiyansa,” said rookie Encho Serrano, the Adamson Baby Falcons’ breakout star in 2016. 

(I didn’t let coach down. When he told me to start on defense, I had to go hard on my defense. I  focused on it until I got my momentum and offense going.) 

The former high school standout finished with his first double-digit output of 11 points off a 50% field goal shooting against the Red Warriors. 

As Gonzalez waits for his players to jell into his system perfectly, the Green Archers will have a week off before diving into three straight games against University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas and rival Ateneo Blue Eagles. – Rappler.com