After hitting the ground running at the get-go and winning their first five games, the DLSU Green Archers followed up their streak by losing two out of their last three games of the Fil-Oil Flying V Preseason Premiere Cup group stage. La Salle ended up with a 6-2 record, a one game improvement from 2012, and have often looked like legitimate contenders for the upcoming UAAP Season.
The Green Archers decided to forgo their annual training in Chicago and instead stayed put for the summer, hitting the courts in the ninth floor of the Enrique Razon Sports Complex on a daily basis. It remains to be seen whether this strategic move will pay dividends come October, the month of the UAAP Championship, but based on what we have seen during the preseason, the Green and White are poised to give all of their opponents a run for their money.
The LaSallian brings you 10 interesting figures that will help analyze the Green Archers’ preseason campaign from a more detailed and extensive perspective.
62.3
Perennially known to be a poor free throw shooting team, coach Gee Abanilla’s squad hit just 62.35% of their free throws on average. Coincidentally, star forward Jeron Teng shot just a shade higher per game at 62.5 percent.
45.5
The average number of rebounds grabbed by La Salle collectively per game during the Fil-Oil Cup, led by the troika of Norbert Torres, Arnold van Opstal and Jason Perkins. Together, the three big men have been a consistent force on the glass for the Green Archers, but they have also been aided by the surprisingly high rebound totals of guards Almond Vosotros and Thomas Torres.
36.5
La Salle’s lack of offensive efficiency led to its demise and it shot an average of just 36.5 percent from the field in their two losses against ADMU and UE, compared to a norm of 44.17 percent in their six wins.
20
The 20-point plateau was only reached once by a Green Archer in the group stage, an indicator of the team’s balanced attack and unselfish play. Jason Perkins was the sole La Salle player to surpass the mark, scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in a win against the EAC Generals.
18.6
The average winning margin of the Green Archers during their 5-game winning streak to start the season. They topped UST, SSCR, SWU, LPU and EAC, averaging 84.4 points per game while limiting their opponents to just 65.8 points a contest. Their highest scoring output came against Cebu-based SWU and they scored 98 points after 40 minutes of play.
9
Sophomore guard Gabby Reyes recently switched his jersey number to nine, his number in DLSZ, after using number 22 last season as a rookie. Coincidentally, the 6-foot-3 Reyes is having a breakout campaign and he averaged 10.8 points per contest over the first four games of the preseason. The lanky Reyes’ mix of athleticism and skills will be an essential tool for the Green Archers. His development will be a key factor in determining how far La Salle can go this coming UAAP Season 76.
6
It has been six years since the Green Archers last won the Fil-Oil Championship and back then in 2007, they built on their momentum in the preseason tilt to claim their most recent UAAP Championship.
5
Five rookies, namely Jason Perkins, Kib Montalbo, Robert Bolick, Yankie Haruna and Matt Salem have suited up for the Green and White during the preseason. Perkins mans the starting power forward spot, Montalbo and Bolick have taken turns as the alternate point guard in the rotation, and the tandem of Haruna and Salem have been used sparingly but have shown promise both during their limited time on the court and during the Green Archers’ practice sessions.
3
Rookie forward Jason Perkins from Minnesota has been a consistent force in the post and he recorded three double-doubles in the preseason. The left-handed Perkins averaged 10.3 points and 10.8 rebounds per game during the group stage for the Green Archers.
2
The total number of championships of the Green Archers in the Fil-Oil Cup. They won the first two editions of the tourney back in 2006 and 2007 behind the efforts of current PBA stalwarts JVee Casio, TY Tang and Rico Maeirhofer. La Salle also finished in third place in 2008 and brought home the silver medal last year after falling to the NU Bulldogs in the finals. They failed to make the semifinal round from 2009 to 2011.
