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Wong Yuk Han, Huawei Technical Engineer (left), and Mark Brian Suano, Globe Solutions Architect, during the pilot test of 50GPON (50 Gigabit Passive Optical Network) technology.
Cesafi alumni continue to fill up rosters of both UAAP and NCAA teams and this year is no different.
Notable names that can be found on these teams include Far Eastern University’s Roger Pogoy (University of Cebu), Raymar Jose (Cebu Eastern College), Ron Dennison (University of the Visayas) and Joel Lee Yu (University of San Carlos; Adamson’s Dawn Ochea (Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu), University of Santo Tomas’ Pipoy Marata (UV), the University of the East’s Ralf Olivares (UV) and the University of the Philippines’ Henry Asium (SHS-AdC) and Paul Desiderio (UV).
Before the hostilities start, we take a look at the different teams that will be doing battle and the prospects that will be looked out for in this season:
Southwestern University
The country was properly introduced to the reigning champions Southwestern University Cobras during last year’s Philippine Collegiate Champions League where they made it all the way to the Final Four behind the talents of Cameroonian, Ben Mbala. They made their presence felt on the national stage even more during their stint in this year’s Filoil Flying V Hanes Preseason Cup, where they showcased a retooled squad now bannered by two new imports in 6-foot-7 energizer Landry Sanjo and the hulking 6-foot-11 Fabrice Siewe. Before bowing out of the competition with a 3-5 (win-loss) record, the Cobras made sure to leave an impression as they upset UST, 64-63.
This year, SWU appears to be the odds-on favorite to win it all again as they shored up their lineup with the acquisitions of veterans Mark Panerio, Jabby Bautista and NJ Otida from the University of San Carlos. In addition, they added some much-needed backcourt help with the recruitment of Fil-foreigners such as Francis Ortega, Adams Mohammad and Melvin Holper, the brother of former PBA player, Mike Holper. The holdovers are a solid bunch as well led by Mythical Five member Monbert Arong and reliable forwards Bernie Bregondo and Daryl Goloran.
Player to watch – Mark Jayven Tallo
Arguably, the Cobras made the biggest splash of the offseason with their recruitment of former Ateneo and La Salle point guard, Mark Jayven Tallo. Back at his old stomping grounds where he was named as the MVP of the juniors ranks while leading the unheralded Cebu Institute of Technology Wildkittens to the crown in 2009, Tallo hopes to revive a collegiate career that started with so much promise but has stalled in recent years.
University of the Visayas
Understandably so, the wounds run deep. After all, losing an 18-point lead with seven minutes left in the deciding Game Five of a championship series is something that you don’t get over overnight. But for the University of the Visayas Green Lancers, they continue to stand resolute in the face of such ominous setbacks and are actually eager to scale the mountaintop once again and end a three-year title drought.
Though several veterans have moved on from their collegiate careers, namely Eman Calo, Jerome Silva, Andrew Avillanoza, Rene Saycon and Phil Mercader, six neophytes have been called to replace their stead in the face of Christian Fajardo, Alfred Codilla, Miko Marquez, Leonard Santillan, Venhur Villamor and rookie import, Mike Harry.
Head coach Felix Belano has the utmost confidence in his rookies, especially after they proved their worth in the Cesafi Partner’s Cup and the Summer Universiade in Kazan, Russia.
“I trust the new players because they have heart and character and have shown that they can respond to challenges,” the man credited with the only quadruple-double in local professional basketball history said.
Still, the bulk of the lifting is expected to be put on the shoulders of last year’s Rookie of the Year-Most Valuable Player Wowie Escosio and the Partner’s Cup MVP, John Abad. They are expected to be backed up by an able cast led by Chris Perolino, Rhaffy Octobre, Franciso Arong, Vincent Mendoza, Angelo Babia and athletic 6-foot-8 import, Steve Akomo.
Player to watch: John Abad
They say good things come in small packages. Well, for the Lancers, they certainly don’t come any better than John Abad – their fiery backcourt general who was adjudged as the MVP of the league’s preseason tournament. Tough, scrappy and built like a rock, Abad – all 5-foot-6 of him – defied the odds and scored 30 points, and added 11 rebounds and six steals against Mongolia in the Summer Universiade in Kazan, Russia, underscoring his lethal scoring ability.
University of San Carlos
After making it to the finals in back to back years in 2006 and 2007, the University of San Carlos Warriors have failed to deliver in recent years, including last year, where they failed to make it past the quarterfinals.
This season, with a full year under the belt of head coach Julian Macoy and with a stellar recruitment class bannered by two foreign imports, Macoy has boldly declared, “We’re clearly a better team than we were last year.”
Refusing to be left behind in the race for league supremacy, USC took in their own foreign reinforcements in the high-leaping Ahmed Salihou and bruiser Barry Amin, who will be joining a squad led by veterans Nico Magat, Dominic Adlawan and sophomore shooter, Stephen Que, who is expected to offset the team’s lack of viable options at point guard by spending time doing the quarterbacking duty.
“He was hesitant at first but we’ve finally convinced him to play that role given our lack of leadership at the point guard position,” explained Macoy. USC has a bevy of guards at their disposal, but craftiness and savvy are virtues that Dave Guardiario, Anthony Romaguerra, Jerry Seno, Victor Rabat, Kevin Oleado, Ian Ortega and former Ateneo Team B member, Kiefer Lim are expected to gain with steady game experience this season.
The team’s frontcourt, a sore point for the Warriors in seasons past, has improved by leaps and bounds with the recruitment of two Cameroonians. The two figure to bolster USC’s interior presence along with incumbent center Charles Pepito, athletic Christian Laude, Miguel Plata and the aforementioned Magat, a former Mapua Cardinal.
Player to watch: Nico Magat
With the graduation of top gunner, Mike Cantonao, this former San Beda Red Cub and Mapua Cardinal inherits the leadership mantle for the Warriors. A forward with above-average ball-handling skills and the unique ability to score from both outside the three-point arc and inside it, Magat is expected to be the barometer by which USC’s chances hinge on this season.
Cebu Institute of Technology-University Wildcats
Asked about his prognosis of the team for this year, the Cebu Institute of Technology-University Wildcats’ outspoken athletic director Alex dela Torre exclaimed that it was a case of “bad news, good news.”
Let’s start with the bad news: Out for this season is the team’s most potent offensive force, Allan Dimco, who was declared ineligible by the screening committee because of academic issues.
Now the good news courtesy of dela Torre: “Dimco’s absence this season will give him another year with the team and by next year, his presence along with the maturity of our prospects, namely forwards Joshua dela Cerna and Vincent Menguito will certainly make us a team to be reckoned with.”
However, the focus remains on this season and making the most of what remains. That job belongs to former PBA great, Gilbert Demape, who has transformed this team into his likeness: scrappy, hard-nosed and no-nonsense.
With Dimco gone, the bulk of the scoring load is expected to be shouldered by veteran guard, Floyd Taboada along with spot contributions from the aforementioned Menguito and dela Cerna, two players who proved their worth in the Partner’s Cup preseason tournament wherein the Wildcats finished in second place behind eventual champions, UV.
Player to watch: Floyd Taboada
Taboada is as fiery as they come in Cebu’s collegiate basketball scene. It is both a gift and a curse for the talented two-guard, who has endured his share of skirmishes due to his short-fuse. But Taboada’s offensive feistiness is just what the doctor ordered for this version of the Wildcats as his scoring will be crucial for a team that is expected to bleed for points.
University of Cebu Webmasters
Two years after getting their last taste of the championship, the University of Cebu Webmasters is still struggling to adapt to life without Junemar Fajardo. And the search for a distinct identity continues with this season.
UC team manager Atty. Baldomero “Merong” Estenzo, bared that the squad might be years off from making it back to the league’s elite in the wake of the departure of not just Fajardo, who eventually became the PBA’s top draft pick last year, but also star guard, Brian Heruela, who has already exhausted his playing eligibility and is now showcasing his skills in the PBA D-League with the Big Chill Superchargers.
Still, in spite of a largely-inexperienced and unproven line-up, Estenzo remains confident that his squad will compete to the best of their abilities with Jan Auditor and the comebacking Kim Gomez, UC’s last two vital links to their championship years in 2010 and 2011, when the 6-foot-10 Fajardo still patrolled the shaded lanes of the Cebu Coliseum.
As has been their staple during the post Fajardo-era, the Webmasters will be looking to overwhelm their opponents with their accurate perimeter shooting, something that UC has loads of weapons for in Gomez, Auditor, sophomore Kido Cabrera and rookies Noel Villanueva and Christian Tanparong.
UC also shored up their backcourt rotation with the transfer of former University of Southern Philippines guard, Junas Misa and the recruitment of former University of the Visayas Baby Lancer, Carlos Tabaquero, who is fresh off his stint with the La Salle-Dasmarinas Patriots. The heavy lifting inside meanwhile, is expected to be carried out by Johnny Sigasig, Kenneth Niones and Thirdy Miranda.
For a minute, UC toyed with the idea of recruiting a foreigner to keep up with the likes of Southwestern University, University of the Visayas and the University of San Carlos, all of whom have two imports each. They tried it out during the preseason’s Partner’s Cup when they fielded Arnaud Noah. However, that experiment eventually did not pan out.
“The team owner, Mr. (Augusto) Go suggested that we get an import to keep up with the other teams. But I’m really against that since it is my belief that for every roster spot that we give to an import, we are depriving one Filipino of a chance at a good education. After all, the players we have aren’t well-off and they really rely on their scholarships,” added Estenzo.
Player to watch: Jan Auditor
In spite of their pessimistic chances for this season, Auditor gamely returned for his last year of eligibility to lead a rag-tag squad aiming for respectability rather than titles. A 6-foot-2 wingman with a decent shooting touch and explosive driving ability, Auditor just might be the lone bright spot in what is expected to be a fledgling campaign.
University of San Jose-Recoletos Jaguars
After suffering through what team skipper James Regalado described as “the worst preseason performance” they’ve ever had, the University of San Jose-Recoletos Jaguars are looking forward to better days as they aim to bounce back when the new season starts.
Regalado, a crafty point guard who once donned the jersey of the University of the East Red Warriors in the UAAP, said that brighter days are coming for the Recoletos school, which placed third in last year’s tournament. In spite of their lack of height, the Jaguars of fiery head coach Edito Salacut aim to make up for it with blazing speed.
“We don’t have the height to match up with the bigger teams so we’ll just have to play aggressive defense, force turnovers and play a fast-paced game,” assessed Regalado, who had to endure a rough and tough showing in the Partner’s Cup where they managed to win just one out of their 11 outings in that tournament.
The Jaguars come in to this season with optimism owing to their successful recruitment of arguably, one of the top catches from last year’s juniors class, Rendell Senining, from the juniors champions Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles. Senining’s addition is expected to cushion the blow from the departure of MVP-candidate Abulaiz Sulaiman and old reliable Renato Abing and Banjo Capilar.
Senining will also be joined on the Jaguars team with another juniors teammate of his in Fletcher Galvez, a breakout star for the Magis Eagles especially during the finals against the UV Baby Lancers. The lanky forward is expected to provide an inside presence alongside veteran forward Jose Tabaloc, Kyle Lajato and the broad-shouldered yet fleet-footed Matthew Parker.
Player to watch: Rendell Senining
Senining’s decision to stay home raised eyebrows all over the basketball cognoscenti especially when several top-flight schools were literally banging on their door to lure the 5-foot-7 speedster to their stead. However, the choice came as a no-brainer for Senining as his father, the sports patron Raffy Senining, remains as the team manager while his older brother, Christian, is also playing out his final season.
Senining himself, took the time to explain his choice. “I chose USJR because I think it’s the team that fits me. I mean I get a lot of exposure thanks to the team. Yes, everyone is questioning why I didn’t go to Manila. I had to be honest to myself that I wasn’t completely ready and that Ii needed to train more and improve on my weaknesses so that when I do go to Manila, I’ll be fully prepared,” the youngster said.
Though officially a rookie, Senining certainly did not play the part as he debuted in the Partner’s Cup with 20 points. And the former Jr. NBA national team member is expected to do more come the Cesafi season.
University of Southern Philippines-Foundation
These are tough times for the Panthers especially after losing top guard, James Ferraren, to an ACL injury during the offseason as well as ace forward, Fritz Dajalos, who chose to not return to the team for reasons unknown. And with a lineup filled from top to bottom with literal unknowns, head coach Raul Latonio expects to worst possible outcome this season.
But that doesn’t mean that they will just roll over in defeat every time out, not with the energetic play of Art Camello and Jomari Sollano. But apart from the aforementioned two, there are far too many holes to be filled on this ship. Sink or swim times for these Panthers.
Player to watch: Art Camello
Nicknamed “Boy Bato,” Camello has definitely earned the moniker for his rugged style of play and the propensity to plow through any and all defenders to get either a basket or a rebound. Fearless in spite of his lack of size for the power forward spot, Camello will be looked upon to be the rock on this very shaky Panthers team.
Jonas Rey N. Panerio
Editor- Sports & Lifestyle
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