By: Miguel Caramoan
When College of Saint Benilde clinched a quarterfinal berth in the NCAA Season 101 Seniors Basketball Tournament, Charles Tiu and the Blazers thought they were in for a smoother road.
Under the league’s October schedule, the second-seeded team from Group B was supposed to face the third-ranked squad from Group A. The winner of that matchup would then take on the victor between the top seed in Group A and the survivor of the Group B play-in.
“Honestly, I didn’t even know the season format,” Tiu shared. “We thought it would be crossover all the way because that’s what we were told.
“I was telling the team we might escape Mapua, San Beda, and Letran until the finals.”
But after taking out Mapua University in the quarterfinals, the Blazers now face a far tougher obstacle — a best-of-three series against top-seeded San Beda.
“We’ve beaten Mapua, now we have San Beda. I hope this time it’s us,” he added.
Despite dropping four games so far — including two to the Red Lions — CSB has yet to lose back-to-back outings.
And this group is as deep as any Benilde team in recent years, led by Allen Liwag, Justine Sanchez, Tony Ynot, Shawn Umali, Ian Torres, Jhomel Ancheta, and Raffy Celis.
San Beda, however, is just as stacked.
The Red Lions boast a lineup featuring Janti Miller, Bryan Sajonia, Yukien Andrada, Bismarck Lina, Nygel Gonzales, Jimmy Reyes, and Joe Celzo — a mix of blue-chip recruits and former UAAP standouts.
“This year, San Beda seemed like the best team from the start, so it’s fitting we have to go through them to make it to the finals or win the championship. It doesn’t matter if it’s the finals or earlier — they’re the team we have to face. It just came a bit earlier than we would have wanted,” said Tiu.
“We have to bring our A-game, but I’m confident in our team. With the right preparation, we can compete and maybe even upset San Beda.”
History, for now, leans toward Benilde.
In their last two Final Four meetings post-pandemic, the Blazers eliminated the Red Lions in both Season 98 and Season 100, each time armed with a twice-to-beat edge.
This year, though, the setup is different — a full race-to-two series.
“This is my fourth Final Four appearance. How different is this experience? Well, first, it’s a best-of-three. Three of the four times, we had the twice-to-beat advantage, and we took care of business. One time, we lost to Mapua,” he said.
“Being a best-of-three now might actually be good because if it were the old format, San Beda would have had the twice-to-beat advantage. So maybe it’s a blessing for us.
“It’s a series, though. We’re going up against great coaches: my good friend Yuri Escueta, Norman Black on the other side, Coach Boyet Fernandez, and even Coach Andre (Santos). Their coaching staff is solid. We’re expecting a chess match, but we’ll come prepared, make adjustments based on our two games against them, and hopefully, our boys will respond,” he added.
“It’s been very emotional games against San Beda both times before, but we’ll be ready. I’m confident in our team.”
Tiu also understands that this postseason run carries weight beyond another Final Four appearance.
Nothing short of a championship will disappoint not only the community but also Strong Group Athletics — the school’s steadfast patron.
“That’s the NCAA, man. It’s so tough to win, and I don’t think people fully realize that. But we wanted to show character. It’s our fourth straight Final Four, and that’s something we can be proud of,” said Tiu, now in his fifth year at the helm.
“Still, the job’s not done. Our goal is to win the championship. Anything short would still be a disappointment for me and our team.”
