By Nikole Javier 

College of St. Benilde head coach Charles Tiu has tempered expectations after the Blazers took their third straight win at the expense of Perpetual, 81-64, on Tuesday, Sept. 20, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City. 

With Will Gozum, Miguel Corteza, and Robi Nayve behind the convincing win, Tiu handed out the credit to the players for eventually making shots in the third quarter, overcoming the Altas who knocked them out of the Final Four last season. 

“Still a long way to go for us. But ‘yon nga, at least we’re playing better. Of course, it’s in the back of our minds that this team eliminated us last season, so we wanted to kind of get that bad taste out of our mouths,” said Tiu.

Gozum, who recorded a double-double performance of 16 points and 12 rebounds, was likewise delighted with the win and also having his teammates to collaborate with inside the court which made his role easier. 

“Happy ako. Pero gaya nga ng sinasabi ni coach Charles sa amin, gusto niya mag-contend for championship. ‘Yon din naman, same page kami doon and laban lang talaga. For me, mas napapadali sa akin kasi andoon ‘yong mga shooters ko, mga teammates ko and mas pinapadali ‘yong work ko. Magsasabi ako na hindi lang ako, trabaho to ng lahat,” Gozum said. 

Tiu, however, doesn’t want the Blazers to fall into complacency as the only unbeaten squad.

On the road to getting better as a team, Tiu has expressed enough trust in his players to give them opportunities inside the court, starting with Gozum. 

“I think our players know that, I’ve repeated time and time again, that we trust them that they will be given opportunities. Every game, we don’t know who will play well. I’m hoping Will will play great every game. But I don’t know if that’s realistic. I demanded from him no doubt that’s what I expect but if not, other guys have to be ready to step up. We’re happy (about) the guys who played well,” added Tiu.