Push Admin

Ayo brings Mayhem to Taft: 'We're going to trap everyone'

Article (news)

Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2016/sports2/09/01/aldin-ayo.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">New La Salle head coach Aldin Ayo. <em>Richard Esguerra, <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/uaap/photos">ABS-CBN Sports</a></em></div></figcaption></figure></div><div><span style="line-height:1.6">MANILA, Philippines – By now, Aldin Ayo&#x27;s basketball philosophy is known to everyone: he favors a frenetic, fast-paced game in which his team pressures ball-handlers and forces turnovers, then rushes to the other end for high-percentage shots.</span></div><p>Ayo ran this system to perfection with Colegio de San Juan de Letran in the NCAA&#x27;s 91st season, and with players like Mark Cruz, Kevin Racal, and Rey Nambatac flourishing, the Knights pressed and trapped and forced turnovers all the way to the championship, where they broke archrivals San Beda College&#x27;s five-year stranglehold on the league.</p><p>The very same &quot;Mayhem&quot; system is now in place in Taft Avenue, with the De La Salle University Green Archers looking to use it to claim their first UAAP title since Season 76.</p><p>&quot;There will be no surprise factor,&quot; Ayo told reporters on Tuesday at a press conference. &quot;Everybody is going to prepare for us.&quot;</p><p>Last season in the NCAA, the Knights reeled off seven straight wins to open their season as opposing teams were caught off-guard by their chaotic style of playing basketball. Ayo knows full well that his system has been well-scouted by other coaches now, but he has no intentions of changing it.</p><p>&quot;Your system is always influenced by your personality, and kung saan ka nasanay,&quot; said Ayo. &quot;So same identity – mayhem. We&#x27;re going to trap everyone.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Kung pwede nga lang na pagbaba nila sa venue, pagbaba sa bus, gagwin namin &#x27;yan eh,&quot; he added. &quot;Hindi kami kakalas doon sa sistema namin.&quot;</p><p>&quot;We&#x27;re going to trap all the way.&quot;</p><p>READ: <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/uaap/news/2016/08/30/no-thrice-beat-advantage-uaap-season-79-15004"><strong>No more thrice-to-beat advantage for UAAP Season 79</strong></a></p><div><strong>EARLY FAVORITES</strong></div><p>Ayo and La Salle right now are in a situation wherein the idiom &quot;if it isn&#x27;t broken, don&#x27;t fix it,&quot; applies. He has already won an NCAA championship with his system, and the Green Archers demolished their opponents en route to the FilOil title in the preseason using the same style.</p><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2016/sports2/09/01/la-sallle.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">The De La Salle Green Archers won the FilOil tournament in dominant fashion. <em>Photo by <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/uaap/photos">ABS-CBN Sports</a></em></div></figcaption></figure></div><div><span style="line-height:1.6">At the time, La Salle was still learning how to execute Ayo&#x27;s defense perfectly, but nevertheless won games by an average margin of over 15 points. Big man Ben Mbala more than lived up to the hype, Jeron Teng looked to be in UAAP form already, and Abu Tratter showed great improvement on both ends of the floor.</span></div><p>Given their dominance of the preseason, as well as the strength of their line-up, it is no surprise that La Salle was the consensus pick by the UAAP coaches to win the tournament this year.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s totally the opposite when I was in Letran,&quot; Ayo mused. &quot;When I was in Letran, nobody&#x27;s expecting us to achieve something – or anything.&quot;</p><p>&quot;But here in La Salle, they are expecting us to win it all,&quot; he added. &quot;So, different. Totally the opposite. Pero, same thing – it&#x27;s just basketball, and every time you coach or play basketball, the first thing that comes in your mind is to win.&quot;</p><p>The La Salle players, for their part, have completely bought into Ayo&#x27;s system, and spent the preseason preparing themselves physically and mentally for what should be an exhausting tournament.</p><p>&quot;Trap talaga kami buong laro,&quot; Teng said. &quot;Nagpapakundisyon talaga kami.&quot;</p><p>&quot;There&#x27;s a lot of running, up and down, and I cannot complain because I love running,&quot; said Mbala.</p><p>Ayo, for his part, has full trust in his players. &quot;These are the hardest working guys,&quot; he said. &quot;Isa lang ang objective nila – manalo. And for us naman, lahat ng suporta ay andoon. Everything is provided.&quot;</p><p>La Salle&#x27;s line-up is far more stacked than the one that Ayo worked with in Letran – the Knights won the NCAA championship with an all-Filipino crew, after all, while the Green Archers will heavily feature the powerful Mbala.</p><p>&quot;I can say that we have everything,&quot; Ayo said matter-of-factly, when asked about the strengths of his team inside the court. &quot;We can go to the post, we can go to the small guys.&quot;</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s just a matter of willingness to win, because in terms of the materials that we have, I believe andoon lahat eh. Pero ang importante doon ay &#x27;yung approach sa laro,&quot; he added.</p><div><strong>&#x27;PRESSURE IS AN OPPORTUNITY&#x27;</strong></div><div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2016/sports2/09/01/uaap.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">The coaches of other UAAP teams unanimously picked La Salle as the favorites to win the Season 79 crown.<em> Arvin Lim, <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/uaap/photos">ABS-CBN Sports</a></em></div></figcaption></figure></div><div><span style="line-height:1.6">It is traditional in the press conference ahead of the UAAP season for each team&#x27;s coach to be asked who they believe is the top team for that season.</span></div><p>On Tuesday at Novotel, it was unanimous – all seven coaches outside of Ayo declared La Salle as the team to beat. In recent years, there were perhaps two or even three teams who were named as title contenders, but ahead of Season 79, everyone agreed that it was La Salle.</p><p>&quot;Parang it&#x27;s a two-group thing eh,&quot; National University coach Eric Altamirano later explained to reporters. &quot;La Salle, and then the rest.&quot;</p><p>The tremendous pressure – and the huge target on their backs – barely fazed Ayo.</p><p>&quot;We have the pressure to win,&quot; he told reporters. &quot;Hindi naman maiiwasan &#x27;yun.&quot;</p><p>&quot;I see pressure as an opportunity,&quot; he declared. &quot;If you handle it (pressure) well, then maybe it will open up a lot of opportunities.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Pressure is what motivates us.&quot;</p><p>For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/"><em><strong>ABS-CBN Sports website</strong></em></a>.</p>

<p>Aldin Ayo has already won an NCAA championship with his "Mayhem" system, and the Green Archers demolished their opponents en route to the FilOil title in the preseason using the same style.</p>

Aldin Ayo has already won an NCAA championship with his "Mayhem" system, and the Green Archers demolished their opponents en route to the FilOil title in the preseason using the same style.

Ayo brings Mayhem to Taft: 'We're going to trap everyone'

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Sports

Ayo brings Mayhem to Taft: 'We're going to trap everyone'

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 01, 2016 02:05 PM PHT

Read More:

UAAP

basketball

De La Salle Green Archers

Aldin Ayo

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2025 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.