Though Kent Salado will return to the Arellano University Chiefs, the squad will miss the two players who took the cudgels while he recuperated from an ACL tear.
Ian Alban and Levi Dela Cruz – two of the top three scoring leaders of the Chiefs in the NCAA Season 94 Seniors Basketball tournament – will not be part of Cholo Martin’s rebuild.
Alban, a 5-foot-10 combo guard, averaged 11.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game last year; meanwhile, Dela Cruz, a 5-foot-7 floor general, had norms of 10.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per contest.
However, the duo had different reasons for leaving Arellano.
Dela Cruz decided to join Nueva Ecija-MiGuard in the MPBL. On the other hand, Alban had a bigger calling.
“Kinailangan ko kasi mag-focus sa trucking business ko,” the 24-year-old shared, as he has taken over JLVA Trucking Services.
“Kasi talagang kailangan ko na tignan yung future ko outside of basketball.”
And both Alban and Dela Cruz will carry the experiences they gained from both schools for the rest of their lives.
“Napapangiti ako tuwing binabalikan ko yung collegiate experience ko,” said the native of Tondo Alban, who played for Lyceum before moving to Arellano. “Sobrang thankful at grateful ako kasi naranasan ko maglaro sa NCAA.
“Sobrang sarap at saya talaga na experience yun, na hindi ko makakalimutan sa buong buhay ko.”
“Sobrang grateful po ako na nabigyan ako ng chance to play for Arellano. Isa siya sa pinaka-hindi ko makakalimutan na experience throughout my basketball career,” expressed Dela Cruz, who also played for UST. “Grabe din kasi yung tiwala, kumpyansa, at support na binigay ng coaches, management, at ng buong Arellanites sa amin.
“Kaya I will always be grateful for the experience.”
Though he is not closing his door on playing in either the MPBL or the PBA D-League, Alban is dead set on growing his start-up business first.
“Ang importante sa akin ngayon ay yung pagpapatakbo sa business ko kasi nung naglalaro pa ako, papa ko ang may hawak nito,” he shared, as his dad had just recovered from an angioplasty surgery a few months ago.
“So ngayon na wala na ako sa school, ako na ang hahawak nito para matulungan si papa.”
