WITH a new era dawning in Intramuros, coach Rensy Bajar of reigning three-time champion Letran has set his sights on the future.
For good measure, the Knights got the commitment of six rookies for their four-peat drive in the 99th NCAA basketball tournament later this year.
Jonas Napalang, James Jumao-as, Shad Chang, Paolo Galvez, Ira Mañas, and Nathaniel Montecillo have linked up with Letran.
“Masaya kami sa mga additions na ito. Importante sa amin na may mga bata kaming handang tumulong at makipaglaban para mag-contend pa rin kami dito sa Letran,” Bajar said.
Napalang, the 24th-ranked NBTC high school prospect, is a 5-foot-11 playmaker who was the second-leading scorer for University of the Philippines Integrated School with averages of 16.71 points in the last juniors’ cage wars.
He also normed 4.29 rebounds, 3.14 assists, and 1.29 steals in 35 minutes for the Junior Maroons.
Jumao-as is a versatile 6-foot wingman who was a key cog for University of Santo Tomas in its Final Four stint last season.
Jumao-as, 18, posted 13.18 points, 4.09 boards, 1.91 assists, and 1.09 steals in 22 minutes for the Tiger Cubs.
Chang, also 18, is a 5-foot-11 guard who started 11 of 14 games for La Salle Zobel despite only scoring 3.93 points, 2.5 assists, and 1.43 rebounds in 22 minutes.
Galvez saw action for St. Jerome School of Novaliches who burst into the scene after leading GameChanger Novaliches to the NCR Division Finals of the Ballout Founder’s Cup.
The 6-foot-3 Mañas played for Homegrown Australia in the 2023 Smart-NBTC National Finals, averaging 9.8 points, 4.8 boards, and 1.0 steal en route to a Division 2 semifinals appearance.
All five are eligible to play next season.
Montecillo wallowed in La Salle’s Team B, with the 5-foot-10 guard averaging 3.0 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in last year’s Filoil EcoOil Pre-season Cup.
He can play for the Knights in the 100th season and still has his full five years of eligibility.
