Overtime

Knights welcome former growling tigers Abando, Paraiso, Bataller

From UAAP to NCAA, the three Growling Tigers, Rhenz Abando, Brent Paraiso, Ira Bataller affirm their transfer to Colegio de San Juan de Letran and settles with NCAA reigning champion, Letran Knights, sources confirmed on Tuesday.

/ 9 September 2020

Following the controversy on the Sorsogon Bubble, head coach Bonnie Tan, together with the Letran’s assistant to the rector for sports development and San Miguel Corporation sports director, Alfrancis Chua, formally welcomed the trio after leaving the embattled lair of the University of Santo Thomas to the join the line-up of the Knights.

The three have been looking for a new home, and Tan confessed that he and the rest of the team’s management and staff did not hesitate to accept them when they came knocking at the house of the knights.

For the past year, Letran has been collecting blue-chip recruits from UAAP, some of which are UE Red Warriors’ Fran Yu and Bonbon Batiller, who carried Letran in an epic finale with San Beda last NCAA Season 95. 

“Their addition is certainly a huge boost to our program,” Tan construed in his interview with spin.ph.

“After all, Letran and UST are sister schools.”

After playing one season with UST, the 22-year-old, six-foot-two Abando wowed the crowed last UAAP Season 82 with an average stat line of 11.71 points, 5.29 rebounds, and 1.29 blocks per game.

On the other hand, Paraiso and Battaler are both starters for the Growling Tigers, each normed at 7.2 points and 1.9 points per game respectively. Paraiso also won a championship with DLSU’s Green Archer last UAAP Season 79. 

To start afresh, the trio doesn’t have to sit out for residency if NCAA pushes its opening for the next season to September 2021. 

However, if NCAA Season 96 starts the first quarter of 2021 the trio will have to sit out until Season 97 in 2022.

Regardless of the residency, Tan is enthusiastic to see what the trio can bring to the court, “We definitely can’t wait to work with them once we can return to the gym. But for now, we will guide them to becoming true Letranistas.”