TIU HOPES RETURNING OCZON FINDS RANGE ANEW

College of St. Benilde saw the return of one of its versatile shooters in Saturday’s game against Emilio Aguinaldo College in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

But head coach Charles Tiu has mixed emotions about it.

For one, Tiu is elated to have Migs Oczon back in the lineup and out from under health and safety protocols, but the Blazers head tactician believes he could do better.

“He couldn’t shoot. I’m not happy with the way he played. He had so many open looks which I know he can make. He just needs to make shots,” Tiu said after St. Benilde’s 7361 rout of the Generals in San Juan City.

Oczon scored a team-high 14 points but shot only 30.8 percent from the field, missing nine out of his 13 attempts.

Oczon was ruled out in St. Benilde’s loss to Letran. Tiu said the playmaker was ready to compete in the Blazers’ last game against Arellano but had to sit out due to league protocols.

Still, the top coach will continue to rely on the sharpshooter to deliver the goods for the Blazers, who currently lead the league with a 5-1 record.

“For me, we always trust our players. They can shoot as many times as they want as long as it looks good, we’ll give them that,” he said.

Migs Corteza, who also had a big game for Benilde with 12 points and eight rebounds, lauded the returning guard.

“I really think Migs is a big help to our team, especially on offense. He’s our main guy when it comes to shooting,” he said.