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San Beda coach Yuri Escueta.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—San Beda coach Yuri Escueta lauded Mapua after winning the NCAA Season 99 men’s basketball championship.
Despite coming away with a 10-point victory, Escueta tipped his hat to counterpart Randy Alcantara and the Cardinals’ backcourt duo of Clint Escamis and Paolo Hernandez.
Escueta and his coaching staff, nevertheless, knew just what to do to decelerate the Cardinals’ one-two punch.
“Well, I even have to present it to educate Randy and his coaching staff, they know methods to put Pao and Clint at the proper spots but as I said, they could have Hernandez and Escamis but we have now 4 guys behind our players,” said Escueta after their 76-66 win in Game 3 of the Finals at Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.
“Pay(osing) was defending Hernandez and we told him we have now 4 guys behind you, whatever happens do your best to contain him and the 4 other guys are behind you, assistance is there for you.”
Escamis, the Rookie-MVP, was limited to only 13 points, five rebounds and 4 assists while Hernandez struggled mightily with only six points on 2-of-12 shooting from the sector.
Escueta credited his boys’ “demon-like” defense in shutting down the Cardinals’ offensive options.
“I told them to play defense like demons. Defense will likely be the thing that may make us win here and that’s what I told them. Now we have pride in our defense. Defense wins the championship.”
San Beda star Jacob Cortez also relished the experience of going up against Escamis on the NCAA’s biggest stage.
“I had a tough time, as you possibly can see I even had cramps. He’s very talented and he gave it his all. It’s all the time good going up against that caliber of players,” Cortez said.
