What's up with La Salle's Mark Nonoy?

MANILA, Philippines – Is the grass always greener on the other side?

The De La Salle Green Archers have an 8-5 record in the men’s basketball tournament of UAAP Season 84. That’s good for third in the league behind Ateneo and the University of the Philippines respectively, and in the Final Four or a spot in the potential step-ladder format. 

Not bad at all. 

In 12 games for the Green Archers, Nonoy is averaging 7.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists in just a little over 17 minutes a game.

During his rookie year with the UST Growling Tigers, Nonoy averaged 11.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists in over 21 minutes a game. 

The highest he has tallied this Season 84 is 17 points against FEU in the first round. 

Nonoy was a non-factor in DLSU’s 64-51 win over Adamson, going scoreless. Coincidentally, he also did not score during the first round match against Adamson.

In eight of the 12 matches he has played (he missed the first game of the season), Nonoy has scored below double digits eight times (twice against UST, Adamson and UP, and once each against Ateneo and FEU). 

Is it because he has struggled to fit into La Salle’s system, which is more of a half-court game than the full-court run-and-gun game he played with UST during his high school and first year college days?

Or is it because teams have scouted him well?

It should be noted, however, that Nonoy’s efficiency rating with UST was bad — a minus-21. With La Salle, Nonoy is a plus-2. Furthermore, La Salle is in a much better spot than Nonoy’s old squad, which is second to the last with a 3-10 record. So, he is also in a good place.

No doubt, UST is reeling from all the departures of its key players after the controversy of their controversial bubble in Sorsogon in 2020.

Despite Nonoy’s struggles on the offensive end, it is a matter of time when the former UAAP Rookie of the Year finds his comfort zone with his new team. He is too good a player to be kept down like this.