Despite clutch play, frustrated Nelle vows to get more involved for De La Salle (Sabong News)
Author
Carlo Anolin
Date
APRIL 11 2022
De La Salle guard Evan Nelle is far from satisfied with his performance but vowed to play better in the second round of the UAAP Season 84.
Nelle, who transferred from the NCAA under Season 95 first-runner up team San Beda, said he had adjusted to the league and the Green Archers’ system but it all boiled down mostly on the mental aspect of the game.
“Honestly, I’m playing bad,” said Nelle, who averaged 8.43 points, 2.57 assists, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.57 steals in seven games after the first round. “Like, I think putting too much pressure on myself, thinking too much. I should just like, you know, what just like coach (Derrick Pumaren) said, I should just let the game come to me. I shouldn’t force anything.”
As De La Salle’s playmaker, Nelle stressed that he needed to lessen turning the ball over and get himself more involved with the team’s rotation.
In an average of 25 minutes and 17 seconds of play, the 23-year-old court general listed 2.0 in turnovers.
Still, this is something that he wanted to work on come the second round as the Green Archers placed third with a 5-2 record.
Nelle and Justine Baltazar led the offense down the stretch as the former sank a huge three-pointer to take momentum.
But Keith Zalvidar answered back with a corner triple as the Soaring Falcons easily trailed by one point only, 59-58, with 10.4 ticks left. Baltazar then showed the way and blocked Zalvidar’s potential game-winning three.
Nelle, despite finishing with 12 points all coming from beyond the arc and missing only one attempt, said it “isn’t a good game” after all.
“I feel I got outplayed by Lastimosa — Jerome. So I don’t count this as a good game. I just made a big shot that’s why it looks like a good game. Thank you though,” he said.
That said, Nelle has all the minutes in the next seven games of the tournament to provide more for the Green Archers before settling for a Final Four finish.
