On the heels of Letran’s Semifinals Game 1 victory against Perpetual on Tuesday, Jimboy Estrada lauded what he described as a well-oiled Letran roster at full strength.

Five straight wins and one away from being back in the NCAA finals, Estrada attributes Letran's rise to a reorganized lineup with common but differentiated responsibilities.

“Ang pinagbago kasi hindi na lang ako ang gagawa ng play, maga-assist, o re-rebound– ngayon kumpleto na kami ng bala,” Estrada said in a post-game interview after dropping 15 points to co-lead the Knights to a 77-73 win against Perpetual.

Between last season and this year’s rosters, Estrada has undoubtedly been the most impactful common denominator for Letran.

Despite their sixth-place finish and an early exit in Season 100, the former NAASCU Rookie-MVP had himself an outstanding rookie year that put the league on notice with team-high tallies of 16.7 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 5.8 APG. 

He led the NCAA in assists per game, and was third overall in both points and rebounds, among many other statistical fields he dominated. Amid all these achievements, Letran missed the Final Four for the second straight season (Season 99 and 100).

While these are all a testament to Estrada’s individual prowess, they also pointed to the fact that Letran was in need of more firepower. 

Fast forward to Season 101, the Knights beefed up their roster with key additions bannered by rookie phenom Jonathan ‘Titing’ Manalili.

“Nadagdagan din kami ng bigs, guwardiya, at wings na kapalitan ko,” he said, pertaining to a Letran bench made significantly deeper by the arrival of transferees coming off residency in Denver Omega, Jun Roque, AJ Buensalida, Luiz Tapenio and Peter Rosilio. 

NCAA Juniors standouts Syrex Silorio, Lex Gazzingan, and Elijah Yusi, as well as youngster Chad Gammad, are also part of Coach Allen Ricardo’s personnel in the ongoing season, joining Estrada and fellow veterans Deo Cuajao, Kevin Santos, and Nath Montecillo. 

As such, Letran’s rejigged squad has seen tangible improvements from top to bottom. 

Estrada still is Letran’s best scorer with a 14.53 average, and his rebounding and assist numbers (4.2 RPG, 3.6 APG) have reasonably declined but for the better. 

Unlike last season where he had to take charge in the major departments, Letran's playmaking duties is now being manned primarily by the league's undisputed best passer in Titing Manalili, while graduating center Kevin Santos has turned into the team's most reliable rebounder. 

Manalili’s 9.06 assist-average leads the NCAA by a mile, while Santos’ 7.81 rebounds per contest ranks third overall. 

Outside Estrada, three Knights are also posting double-digit scoring averages: Manalili (13.5 PPG), Santos (11.56), and Cuajao (11.57). 

Speaking about his backcourt duo dynamics with Manalili, Estrada deflected praise and gave the credit instead to Letran head coach Allen Ricardo for orchestrating the partnership. 

“Di naman samin ni Titing [Manalili] eh. Sinasabihan lang kami ni Coach Allen na kapag kaya mo ibigay kay Jimboy, ibigay mo, pwede sya mag ISO, pwede sya gumawa ng play. Eh si Titing, playmaker talaga yan eh so nag-uusap lang kami sa loob, kasama palagi si Coach,” he explained.

He earned the best player of the game honors in their Game 1 win against Group A leaders Perpetual, moving closer to a much-desired return to the NCAA finals. 

But Estrada wants to take it one game at a time.

“Itong game na ‘to, di pa naman tapos diba? Best of three to, kailangan maka-dalawang panalo. Kung panalo kami ngayon, pahinga kami, practice ulit bukas, tapos game sa Friday,” he said.

Game 2 of the Letran-Perpetual semifinals duel goes down on Friday, December 5, at the Mall of Asia Arena.