Perpetual eyes QF berth in tough Group A of NCAA Season 101

After a 7–11 finish in Season 100 (5th place), the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA ALTAs head into Season 101 with renewed energy and ambition. 

Following Olsen Racela’s debut campaign as head coach, the ALTAs are beefing up their roster and aiming to bridge the gap between hopeful and contender.

The ALTAs will be without Christian Pagaran, but retain returning contributors John Abis, JP Boral, and Mark Gojo Cruz, who bring experience and stability to the lineup.

To complement them, Perpetual has brought in fresh blood: Patrick Sleat, one of Racela’s former standouts from FEU, arrives with both confidence and familiarity with the system. 

Promising junior standouts JD Pagulayan and Jan Roluna, both crowned champions in the High School ALTAs program, step up to the collegiate level and aim to carry forward their winning culture. 

Additional names, Josiah Alcantara, Aries Borja, Kenji Duremdes, Angelo Gelsano, Kevin Guibao, Kyle Magdangal, Ray Allen Maglupay, Jearico Nuñez, Shawn Orgo, Emmanuel Pizzaro, and JM Tulabut, round out the depth chart, each adding dimension or potential to the squad.

With this mix, the ALTAs hope to become deeper, more versatile, and better equipped to navigate a more unforgiving competitive landscape.

The Perpetual ALTAs find themselves in a tough NCAA Season 101 Group A bracket alongside Arellano, LPU, Mapúa, and San Sebastian, where only three teams will advance to the crossover quarterfinals. 

This means that consistency and timely wins will be crucial for their campaign. To keep pace, head coach Olsen Racela is banking on a mix of veteran leadership and fresh talent. 

Veterans like John Abis, JP Boral, and Mark Gojo Cruz are expected to provide stability and experience, while newcomers such as Patrick Sleat, JD Pagulayan, and Jan Roluna must quickly adjust to the collegiate level and deliver meaningful contributions. 

The ALTAs will need to balance their offense and defense, take advantage of their deeper bench, and secure victories in winnable games to avoid falling behind. 

However, the challenges are clear—losing a key player in Christian Pagaran, integrating new faces into the system, and facing heavyweights like defending champion Mapúa and perennial contender LPU makes their path to the crown difficult. For the ALTAs to contend, they must display mental toughness, adaptability, and collective growth throughout the season.

If Perpetual can stay healthy, rotate talent smartly, and pull off meaningful upsets in the elimination round, a deep run is not out of the question. 

Their path is steeper than many. Winning the title will demand more than flashes of brilliance. Yet with Racela learning from year one and an influx of talent, the ALTAs have reason for cautious optimism.