Colegio de San Juan de Letran head coach Bonnie Tan admitted that the suspension of veteran guard Fran Yu will affect the performance of the Knights in Game 3 of the NCAA Season 98 Finals set on Sunday.
In an interview on "24 Oras," Wednesday, Tan said Yu's leadership is a big loss in the do-or-die match.
"Bilang isang head coach, mawalan ka po ng isang leader sa loob ng court, nakakapanghinayang pero hindi lang naman po ito first time nangyari," Tan said, adding that the Intramuros-based squad also experienced player suspensions in the season.
"Ang biggest challenge is playing without a leader sa loob ng court, paano kami manalo, paano mag-close out ng games sa endgame. Alam naman natin anong binibigay ni Fran Yu bilang leader namin and sa court sa endgame," he added.
("As a head coach, it's unfortunate to lose one leader inside the court but this is not the first time this happened. The biggest challenge is playing without a leader inside the court, how we can win, how we can close it out in the endgame. We know what Fran Yu contributes as our leader and on the court in the endgame.
Yu was slapped with a disqualifying foul last Sunday after an incident with De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde's Mark Sangco. Letran appealed Yu's suspension, but the NCAA Management Committee denied their request.
Game 3 of the Finals will be played at 3 pm on Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. Games will be aired live on GMA and GTV and will be streamed on the social media platforms of NCAA Philippines and GMA Sports.
—Justin Kenneth Carandang/MGP, GMA Integrated News
