Nope, Juami Tiongson went straight to the Hail Mary Squad/Team A after graduating HS in 2008. I also actually stand corrected in a previous post, Oping had a stint with Glory Be in his first year (2006). I had thought he came to Loyola in 2007.
I'm saying this with all due respect sir, I'm not speaking for anyone else but myself in this thread. I'm not trying to get into an argument with you either, because clearly you are more in the loop than I am. I'm just trying to put myself in Mark Jayven's shoes to better understand why he/his folks came to the decision to leave (because I really don't want to believe that NU or some other school was trying to "submarine" him).
I'm not disputing that Ateneo had plans for Mark Jayven. I'm pretty sure he figured in Coach Norman's grand scheme of things for the future. I also agree that he isn't as ready as Kiefer is to deserve the same minutes. But then again, like I mentioned in a previous post, it was never about becoming an instant star. I want to believe that it was his being BOLTED to the bench that did things in. He never saw any time on the court. Even a very jittery and perhaps un-ready Chris Tiu back in his first season was sent in occasionally, even had a very memorable play where he bungled a wide-open fastbreak lay-up. That's how players gain confidence. I agree that the way he reacted may have been premature and juvenile considering it was only the pre-season, but more often than not the pre-season lineups used are the ones Coach Norman will usually utilize during the actual course of the UAAP. If a guy isn't seeing action even in the pre-season (where no one takes things seriously), how much more in the actual season where the stakes are at its highest? I think had Mark Jayven been given even a quarter of the quality minutes being given to some of the regulars he wouldn't have elected to leave. His asking for PT has been greatly misconstrued as wanting to be a main cog immediately, and that's why I pity the guy. Again, the Tallos could've handled it in a more professional manner, but the damage has been done. We can only hope they patch things up eventually.
I'm not disputing the fact that Manila is really where the action is, what I am pining for is that the Cebu leagues will be just as competitive. I totally agree with the idea of sending Cebu teams to join the FMC or the Fil-Oil tourneys. And I was not suggesting a "shortcut benefactor". What I meant was that it'd be a big difference if, say USC had a rich patron like Ateneo has in MVP who is willing to fund the basketball team. Maybe they can send the coaching staff to camps to try to get better and acquire new skills, send the team to train in the US, improve the facilities, etc. If that happened, they could even compete with the big universities here in Manila in the recruitment wars. It'd be great to see Cebu basketball on the same plane as it is here in Manila. Again, a pipe dream, but it'd be nice if it happened.