UAAP Season 79 will be a season of redemption for the DLSU Lady Archers after being upset in last season’s semi-finals. Widely expected to face undefeated National University in the finals last year, La Salle crumbled in the semi-finals to rival Ateneo. Entering the playoffs with a 12-2 record in the elimination round, their early exit is definitely something the Lady Archers will look to avenge this season.
Loss of key pieces
The Lady Archers enter the season with a team that is lacking many names the fan base has gotten used to, highlighted by Season 78 Mythical 5 member, Ara Abaca. The forward, who led the team in points and rebounds will be a hard piece to replace. Another key piece who will be missed is the leadership of last year’s team captain, Alyanna Ong.
Aside from the stability she provided in the starting line-up, it is her leadership that will require veterans, like Camille Claro and Snow Penaranda, to step up and take on the role of Ong last year. As Claro explains, “They are all such big losses, so we will have to adjust.” She further elaborates that even though the team is lacking an inside presence, the team does not plan to use that as an excuse. “We still play our game but this time, with extra effort. Each one of us should step up for those members we lost; this [process] started the first day we trained without our seniors,” says the point guard.
Pre-season preparation
The Lady Archers were keen on improving after the disheartening end to Season 78. During the offseason, they joined various tournaments to further prepare themselves for Season 79. This included the Philippine Chinese Amateur Basketball League (PCABL), where La Salle was able to dominate in the tournament but ultimately fell to the NU Lady Bulldogs in the Finals. Later on, the Lady Archers faced the Lady Eagles in the 3rd Ateneo de Davao Women’s Basketball Invitational (AWBI) where they would take their revenge on their rivals by defeating them in the finals. Furthermore, La Salle also took home the Philippine Collegiate League title after defeating the UP Lady Maroons, 64-52.
The team trained harder than ever for the upcoming season, fueled by last year’s heartbreak. As Claro says, “We used the pain we felt last season as our motivation. I think all of our opponents are also looking forward to playing against us, knowing that we’ve won some of our pre season leagues.” Also, with this just being the second season under Coach Cholo Villanueva, the team knows it still has much room for improvement.
Season expectations
Being a few years removed from their Season 76 championship, and with a successful elimination round last season, the Lady Archers have the talent to win it all this year. While missing the aforementioned graduates, the team still has high hopes for the upcoming UAAP season. With a few adjustments and better luck on the injury side, the team believes it is a strong contender for the trophy.
“The team wants to correct its mistakes from last season, and I also want to improve my weaknesses, like my outside shooting,” Claro explains.
The team is as determined as ever, to take the title back home to Taft. Claro concludes, saying, “[My goal is for the entire team] to get an award, which is to be champion. [Now, we will fight and give our best] each and every practice and game. [We will take it] one game at a time until we reach our ultimate goal.”
The team will start off its Season 79 campaign against the FEU Lady Tamaraws in the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday, September 7, at 10 am.
