Dethroning the Red Lions
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Some uninvited visitors have signified their intent to crash San Beda’s two-year party.
Despite being three months away from the start of the 84th Season of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Men’s Seniors Basketball tournament, the defending champion Red Lions are expectedly the primary targets of the chasing pack. Out to end their reign are the same two teams that came closest last season.
Season 83 runners-up Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights and third-placers Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers have enough reason to believe that this year will be a step forward. Both squads return with the same coaching staffs, relatively intact cores and arguably bigger dreams.
Sixteen-time NCAA champions Letran enter 2008 with the same mentality that’s seen them through five consecutive Final Four appearances. Defense and a primacy on shooting remain the trademarks of the Muralla-based squad. And while head coach Louie Alas feels his team’s attitude is “still quite far from that of his previous championship teams’,� he’s confident that his players will mature soon enough to realize their potential.
Some issues, however, need to be addressed by Alas and his coaching staff. Team captain Mikko Quinday was the only player expected to leave the team after 2007 due to age requirements, but the Knights lost two additional key cagers for various reasons. Last year’s second-leading scorer Bryan
Faundo is currently not with the team for academic reasons, and point guard Kirk del Rosario will likely sit out the year after undergoing shoulder surgery in the off-season.
In typical Letran fashion, however, Alas remains resolute. While Faundo’s loss is critical, given the fact that he’s able to pull opposing big men out of the interior due to his prolific perimeter game, Alas feels that some of his current players can pick up the slack. “I have John Foronda and Alvyn Cabonce, both of whom can shoot from the outside,� he said.
Cabonce, Foronda and Schubert Reposar are expected to complement Dino Daa, the team’s primary weapon in the paint. However, much of the team’s offense will be anchored on its perimeter players. RJ Jazul, arguably the league’s most dangerous shooter, high-flying Rey Guevarra and Reymar Gutilban form a dangerous troika that’s expected to shoulder about 60 percent of the Letran offense.
Over at Shaw Boulevard, the Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers are doing things just the way they like it. With not much attention paid to them, last year’s surprise package are quietly attempting to put the finishing touches on a three-year program that’s catapulted them to the upper echelons of the league after a dismal 2-12 record in 2005.
Heavy Bombers head coach Ariel Vanguardia still has the six-man core from his first year in charge. Incidentally, these six players – Marc Cagoco, Marvin Hayes, Jayson Nocom, Maui Pradas, JR Sena and John Wilson – are all playing in the Philippine Basketball League, a clear testament to their growth and maturity. “This year is boom or bust. It’s the final year where I’ll have all six together, so this is our best shot at winning,� Vanguardia said.
Gone from last year’s team are defensive specialists RJ Cunanan and Alvin Se, while big man Jerome Ramos will skip the season after being tapped by the Nokia RP Youth Team. Prospects looking to break into this year’s roster include Capiz-based recruit Jecster Apinan, point guard Nathaniel Matute (who was originally recruited by a top-caliber UAAP school), former JRU Light Bomber Derico Lopez, and Cameroonian Nchotu John.
Key for the Heavy Bombers this year is production from their second unit. John Agas, JR Bulangis and Raycon Kabigting need to step up on both ends of the floor to support JRU’s “Super Six.� In Season 83, JRU’s reliance on its core players pushed them to the limit, resulting in tired legs in the endgame.
In terms of maturity, Vanguardia feels that his team has finally acquired it. “They’re mature; they pass more and shoot less. They’re ready.�
The Knights and Bombers both know that there’s more to dethroning San Beda than mere talk. Should they do more, this year’s bash may not be around the hallowed grounds of Mendiola anymore.
Tags: Ariel-Vanguardia, dethroning-san-beda, Heavy-Bombers, JRU, Knights, letran, Louie-Alas, ncaa, Petron, Postgame, red-lions, San-Beda, SprintRelated posts
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animo
+0
Tuesday, 18 March 2008 at 5:10 pm
mr. christian soler, pwde ka po bang gumawa ng article about naman sa preparation ng red lions para sa season 84? tnx
BedanRoar
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Tuesday, 18 March 2008 at 4:42 pm
@WOW: Under the UAAP Rule yes, 2 foreigner in the court at the same time is not allowed. But, in the NCAA no such rules exist unless the MANCOM would come up with a new ruling before S84. I would not want to see Ekwe & Udo in the court at the same time either, I would rather give more playing time to othe RL players.
wow
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Tuesday, 18 March 2008 at 3:26 pm
2 foreigners at the same time is not allowed I think only 1 foreigner can play in the 5 line up so if that is the case I think Udo will become only a substitute player for ekwe
blackmamba
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Tuesday, 18 March 2008 at 3:22 pm
siguro dapat muna problemahin ng jru at letran ang isa’t isa bago nila tutukan ang red lions…. for sure, makakapasok naman ang red lions sa finals…. ewan ko lang kung sino sa letran at jru….
The_Big_Cat
+0
Tuesday, 18 March 2008 at 11:30 am
I don’t like to see Ekwe and Udo play simultaneously. It gives a bad precedent to filipino college basketball. Let EKWE & MARCELO start and have UDO and PASCUAL come off the bench.
The Red Lions roster for 84th season is by far most talented than the previous 2 seasons in my opinion. This is a big task for Coach Frankie Lim to map out substitution patterns.
The Red Lions are deep and talented. They will surely tear up any team that comes in their way!
bedan
+0
Tuesday, 18 March 2008 at 11:09 am
im pretty confident that we will do good even without adding another foreign player.although its allowed ill stick to my point of having only ekwe. lets give the old roster a chance and award the slot vacated by aljamal to a rookie with filipino roots like elvin pascual. after all he’s is loaded with potential.
bedan
+0
Tuesday, 18 March 2008 at 11:05 am
i am a bedan alumnus and im not in favor in fielding in udo. i think with the stars intact (ekwe,escobal,hermida,gamalinda,menor) and role players ready to develop (lanete,marcelo) and a super rookie in pascual, we dont need another foreign player. infact it may hinder to the maturity of marcelo.
BedanRoar
+0
Tuesday, 18 March 2008 at 9:51 am
I see that it would be, more of a fierce battle between the Bombers and the Knights for the right to “Dethrone” the current champiom. The Red lions are entering S84 with a stronger team in terms of current & new talents, hardcourt experience, school pride & championship exposure. The Knights remains to be a contender but with the loss of Faundo, perhaps a same scenario last season of losing steam in the crucial 4th QTR. While the Bombers keeping intact 6 veterans in the line-up,they may have problems for their lack of a finals game experience. This is just my opinion, after all “Bilog pa rin ang Bola” ika nga.
oca
+0
Tuesday, 18 March 2008 at 9:16 am
Other teams just stare too much at the ceiling when they assess the Red Lions’ line-up.
That team can be beaten by a good 2-3 zone.
Employ a good transition defense. Clog the lane. Dare them to take the outside shots.
Yes, they are numero uno in my list right now and mostly likely to win and do a 3-peat.
But if I were the opposing team, I wouldn’t ask or think about match-ups. For I don’t think that team can beaten if you simply go that way.
Play zone. Or should I say…
LEARN to play zone.
Christian Soler
+0
Monday, 17 March 2008 at 7:50 pm
Pending any rule changes on the number of foreigners who can be fielded at the same time, I see Hermida,Escobal,Menor,Udo and Ekwe as Beda’s first five. Gamalinda is a 4-way player, but I project him to be some kind of a perimeter stopper on defense.
One adjustment JRU might want to make is to run more. The Bombers profess to be a running team, but they didn’t do much of that last year. Coach Vanguardia has promised to make changes, and I think that’ll help JRU against teams like SBC, where the only way to win is to run and run a lot.
blackmamba
+0
Monday, 17 March 2008 at 6:00 pm
sa tingin ko, malakeng adjustment ang dapat gawin ni coach frankie…. another challenge na naman ulit ito para mag 3peat ang red lions…
The_Big_Cat
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Monday, 17 March 2008 at 9:59 am
My RED LIONS prospective starting five would be : Hermida, Escobal, Ekwe, Marcelo & Menor. Or Coach Frankie Lim could put Gamalinda at the 4 spot. He did that last season and it enabled them to run. Udo & Pascual played with great chemistry with Team B so expect them to come off the bench together. Definitely JRU, is the main contender. I like what Coach Vanguardia has did for the team this past two seasons. JRU is the solid favorites to challenge the mighty RED LIONS.
big boy
+0
Sunday, 16 March 2008 at 11:26 pm
ah ok… pero sa tingin ko, mahirap pa rin talga talunan ang red lions…. andun pa rin yung mga magagaling na players tulad ni menor, escobal at ekwe,… plus yung mga posible pang gumaling tulad ni gamalinda, marcelo at lanete…. and yung 2 top rookies na sila udo at pascual… kung maganda lang ang chemistry nila posible pa rin maging unbeatable ang red lions…
mike
+0
Sunday, 16 March 2008 at 8:55 pm
The big problem with most teams when they face the Red Lions is that any player you put on the floor till 9 to 10 deep can score. Help defense has been a problem for most teams, they may have a chance from 1st up until the 3rd or early 4th quarter but how long could they hold on? With the massive arms build up by the Red Lions, even if you consider the Red Lions fanstasy bets like Isiah Thomas used to do, SBC is still the team to beat.
Christian Soler
+0
Sunday, 16 March 2008 at 7:31 pm
@ Big Boy: Among all the teams this year, I feel JRU is the most well-equipped to beat the Red Lions. They’ve got a big man who can shoot (Nocom), a legit post presence (Sena) and a deadly shooter (Wilson). The problem last year was their point guards. Cagoco and Bulangis caved in during endgame stretches. Coach Vanguardia says he’s addressed this, so it’ll be interesting to see how the point guard scenario plays out.
As for the new recruits, let’s watch out for Apinan and Matute. Apinan is a 6′3″ 3-4 who can slash and break down defenses, while Matute is a point guard who’ll be a matchup problem for guys like Hermida and even Gamalinda of SBC. If they make the team, I think they’ll be given the chance to contribute.
All in all, JRU will be much better this year. But as I said, being better is one thing, beating Beda is another.
big boy
+0
Sunday, 16 March 2008 at 5:42 pm
pero sa tingin mo mr soler, anu ang bago sa jru? kapag po ba naglaban na redlions at jru, makakasabay na kaya jru?
Christian Soler
+0
Sunday, 16 March 2008 at 1:21 am
@ Thirdy D Fourth: That’s a sentiment a lot of Bedans share. I happen to have a different opinion in the sense that I’d love to see foreigners come and play in the country. But you have a point too…there’s something surreal with having two foreigners on the floor at the same time. Perpertual Help did it last year, but Lee and Frebyan weren’t and won’t be as dominant as Ekwe and Udo.
Christian Soler
+0
Sunday, 16 March 2008 at 1:18 am
@ Big Boy and Get_Blazed: Faundo’s loss will hurt a lot. Letran’s looking for a perimeter big man who’ll be able to step back, attract opposing big men and hit a 15-foot jumper. The problem I see with Letran is their size; they’re quite small compared to JRU and even SSC-R.
@ Macky: Having said that, however, I still feel that Letran will be in the thick of things. Five straight Final Fours plus Louie Alas at the helm equals pride and grit.
@ Big Bro: We are hoping we can preview SSC-R next week. Franz Delgado and Francis de Leon are the only players (to my knowledge) who aren’t coming back from last year’s team. With Viray, Ballesteros, Bulawan and Aquino, they’ll be very potent. But there are still question marks. Can Ballesteros be an effective post presence? Is Viray capable of upping his scoring? Can anyone legitimately be a number 2 option behind Viray?
Big Bro
+0
Sunday, 16 March 2008 at 12:47 am
We seem to over look. If we’re talking about who among the squad in the NCAA can have a potential to dethrone the power house Red Lions, I think San Sebastian has a big chance. I have big respect to Letran & JRU, they are really doing their homework. But personally the Stags are more equipped this year compared to the two other teams that I mentioned. No major lost in their line up. Their veteran players have matured a lot especially those playing in the PBL and the same can be said also with both Letran & JRU. But the clear advantage of the Stags from them is that the latter can match up the ceiling of the Red Lions. Ballesteros is as tall as the tallest player of San Beda, Ekwe.
macky
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Sunday, 16 March 2008 at 12:31 am
i think next NCAA season will be much more exciting then the previous year…
more maturity on both squad of san beda and my school letran but like we letranites always say .. “Somos Primeros Arriba Letran!!” hehehe
thirdy d fourth
+0
Saturday, 15 March 2008 at 10:20 pm
m a bedan but m a bit disappointed wid my skul for fielding 2 foreogn players. having them will surely tilt the balance in favor of SBC. i was then a student n sbc wen the likes of jb yango, chito loyzaga and present coach frankie lim made mincemeat of the ateneo blue eagles. m not saying that we shud not field foreign players but having two of them is too much.
big boy
+0
Saturday, 15 March 2008 at 9:35 pm
mukhang mahihirapan letran nyan,, kung kulang na line up nila next season.. sa jru, siguro magkakaroon na sila ng kaunting chance manalo redlions..
Get_Blazed
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Saturday, 15 March 2008 at 8:34 pm
I see Letran’s potential as a whole, but they seem to have a hard time closing games against SBC. And now that Quinday and Faundo is gone(allegedly), the Knights might have a hard time keeping up with the Lions’ bigs. Though Daa seem to have upped his game even more.
Christian Soler
+0
Saturday, 15 March 2008 at 7:25 pm
The issue here, however, isn’t necessarily whether or not Pascual will suit up for the Lions. Technically, there’s only one player from last year’s team who isn’t eligible anymore (Yousif Aljamal). If you do the math, that slot will belong to Kevin Udo, the 6′8″ Nigerian. Of course, the Lions may open up other roster slots by cutting a player or two from last year’s team.
What matters to me, personally, is San Beda’s title defense. Both Letran and JRU are much stronger than they were last year, and hopefully you guys could give your two cents worth on it, as well as other squads’ title aspirations.
The_Big_Cat
+0
Saturday, 15 March 2008 at 1:36 pm
Elvin Jake Pascual was not only the MVP of the Juniors Division in 2006 but he was also the 2006 NCAA Rookie of the Year and 2006 NCAA Defensive Player of the Year. What Sam Ekwe did in the 2006 Seniors division, Pascual did it in the 2006 Juniors division. I dont see Pascual being penalized for PCU’s blunder.
Christian Soler
+0
Saturday, 15 March 2008 at 10:27 am
Yes he’s the one, the 2006 NCAA Juniors MVP from PCU.
Blazer (Get_Blazed)
+0
Saturday, 15 March 2008 at 7:06 am
Pascual? alam ko siya yung isa sa may controversy from PCU, ingat lang, baka pati SBC madamay..
kobe24
+0
Friday, 14 March 2008 at 9:32 pm
well, malakas pa rin ang red lions this coming season… andun pa rin sina escobal, menor,ekwe, gamalinda, taganas, lanete at marcelo… plus 2 top rokies na sina emeka at pascual…. kaya medyo ayos lang kahit wala na si aljamal…. excited na rin ako makita sila maglaro…
Christian Soler
+0
Friday, 14 March 2008 at 5:34 pm
Lanete will help carry the load for the Lions this season. Bedans understandably expect more from Marcelo, but it would be rash to call him a fluke should he fail to produce this year. Also, let’s not forget Gamalinda. He’s lanky and athletic, he should help out especially on defense.
Letran and JRU will give San Beda a run for its money. This year will be a lot closer than last.
The_Big_Cat
+0
Friday, 14 March 2008 at 5:31 pm
San Beda is still the team to beat. I expect them to bag again the crown this coming season. The Red Lions are really loaded. JRU is the most dangerous team to challenge the Lions. The core of its players are playing in the PBL right now and that will help their maturity.
I expect a breakout season for San Beda’s Lanete and 6′5″ Marcelo.
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