Letran will finally get the chance to defend their title with a new coach, and minus two of its leaders, while San Beda seek to regain the crown they lost last year without practically all their starters, as the two collide in a match to kick off the 92nd NCAA men’s basketball tournament at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
NCAA president and San Beda rector-president Rev. Fr. Aloysius Ma. Maranan, OSB, yesterday said the season will be formally ushered in with an opening number to remember that will be directed by Douglas Nierras at 12:30 p.m. with emphasis on the theme “Sports Builds Character: Achieving Breakthrough @ 92.”
“We’re expecting a very exciting NCAA season not just in basketball but in all our sports as well,” said Maranan, in the press conference held at the Coral Hallway of the MOA Arena that was also attended by presidents, owners, and rectors of all 10 participating schools, and top officials of television partner ABS-CBN and ABS-CBN Sports and Action.
NCAA Management Committee chair Jose Mari Lacson said the family of Loyzaga, known as the “The Big Difference” and considered the best basketball player this country has produced, including son Chito, will be present to witness the historic event.
“Caloy Loyzaga has made not just San Beda and NCAA but also the whole Philippines proud so it’s about time we return what he had done by honoring him with this,” said Lacson.
Loyzaga, who passed away early this year, won a pair of championships with San Beda in 1951 and 1952, helped the country win gold medals twice in the FIBA-Asia Championship (1960 and 1963) and four times in the Asian Games (1951, 1954, 1958 and 1962), and a bronze in the FIBA Worlds in 1954 in Rio de Janerio, Brazil. That bronze in Rio happens to be unmatched until today.
Chito will also declare the games open, according to Lacson.
The action will then unfold, with Letran and San Beda battling each other at 2:00 p.m. and Mapua and Jose Rizal, who both made it to the Final Four last season before losing the former two, clashing at 4:00 p.m.
The Knights will parade a new coach in Jeff Napa, a multi-titled high school school mentor from National University, in lieu of Aldin Ayo, who steered them to a championship last year before transferring to De La Salle University in the UAAP this season.
The defending champions will also have to make do in the absence of Kevin Racal and Mark Cruz, who have moved on to play pro ball. Rey Nambatac and McJour Luib have taken over the mantle of responsibility from Racal and Cruz, while Jerrick Balanza, Felix Apreku and Jomari Sollano should get bigger minutes this season.
“There were some changes. The only ones that didn’t change was our will to win,” said Napa.
For San Beda, they lost Nigerian Ola Adeogun, Baser Amer, Arthur dela Cruz and Ryusei Koga, who have graduated or moved on to the PBA, leaving team captain Dan Sara as the only remnant from last year’s squad.
In their place are Donald Tankoua, Jayvee Mocon, AC Soberano, and Robert Bolick, a transferee from La Salle. Fil-Am rookie Davon Potts and Cameroonian Arnold Noah have also come in to make an already-loaded bench deeper.
San Beda coach Jamike Jarin said they will rely on their speed to bolster their campaign. “We’re going to run as hard as we can you would mistake us for a track and field team,” said Jarin.
Games will be shown on ABS-CBN Sports + Action live on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. The Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City will host majority of the elimination round games with the marquee matches set at the MOA Arena.
