The return of Yutien Andrada

Who says that you can’t have another low-post man? As UAAP Season 77 continues, the DLSU Green Archers are again competing with veteran power forward, Yutien Andrada.

Due to an ACL tear injury which occurred during the FilOil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup in May of last year, the Green Archers lost one of their key players in Andrada. Andrada is famous for his phenomenal post-moves and devastating blocks, but due to the unfortunate injury, he missed the rest of the preseason tournament as well as the entire UAAP 76. In spite of this, Andrada remained helpful to his team by contributing his time and experience as the team’s statistician. After going through physical therapy making the recovery, he went back to training and was able to secure a spot in the lineup for the 2014 FilOil Flying V preseason tournament.

Without a doubt, being able to play again was one of Andrada’s main goals this year. A year without playing could really make a player yearn for it. For the La Salle big man, he felt the itch to don the Green Archers uniform once again. “Happy and excited kasi sobrang tagal na hindi [ako] nakalaro kaya sobrang excited [ako] na makakalaro ako [ulit] ng basketball,” Andrada says when asked how he felt after getting back to the court. After a year without competing, Andrada seemed very motivated and determined to make the most of everything especially now that he is playing his final year as a Green Archer.

One of the main concerns of athletes who return from an injury such as this is that will they be the same player as they were. They tend to develop a sense of caution that most often than not, will change the way they play. This is due to either physical incapabilities or mental trauma, but for Andrada, it was something that he chooses to ignore. “Actually, wala akong naging problema sa injury ko at hindi ko siya iniisip,” says Andrada who focuses more on what truly matters which is to get back.

Having returned from his long absence, he is still trying to get back into his playing form. Compared to his previous seasons, his numbers have gone down due to his reduced playing time. He has also adjusted from becoming a member of the first five to an off-the-bench scorer. Even as a bench player, signs of life especially in offense is clearly seen in Andrada.

It is evident that his moves under the ring have not deteriorated and that he is still able to dish some punishment in the paint. Despite this, he is still on the road to get back to his scoring form. Andrada expressed that he is uncertain about his current playing form and that he doubts that he is back.”Hindi ako sure. Hindi ko alam kung back in form na ako pero sa tingin ko, wala pa siguro,”  Andrada shares.

Now with Andrada back, the Green Archers have become an even more formidable foe for their opponents to deal with. Their visible large lineup has grown even more with Andrada’s return, providing them with another big gun in the paint. Because of his presence in the lineup, the Green Archers can now have an effective rotation system, giving their big men opportunities to rest in between quarters.

When asked about what people can expect from his return, he simply replied, ”Siguro same lang.” Based on his improvements in this year’s preseason tournament, the Lasallian community can expect that he will only get better as the UAAP season continues, he will be ready to lead his team once again to victory.

Editor’s Note: Andrada has appeared in all seven games so far in UAAP Season 77 for the Green Archers and has averaged 2.4 points and 2.1 rebounds per game in just 7.6 minutes per game. His contributions, however, go beyond the box score and his knack for collecting loose balls, making smart passes and tapping rebounds to his teammates have been invaluable in La Salle’s 5-2 start.