UV, UC kick off title hunt in PCCL Sweet 16 today

CEBU, Philippines - After ruling the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) for the ninth straight year, the University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers will embark on a tougher challenge as they open their title bid against the Mapua Institute of Technology Cardinals in the Sweet 16 of the Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL) today at the San Juan Arena.

The Univesity of Cebu (UC) Webmasters are in for the same mission as they go up against the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors at 2 pm, right before the UV-Mapua tussle scheduled at 4 pm.

6-foot-11 Fil-Am giant Gregory Slaughter, who have long prepared for the games while practicing with the Smart Gilas-RP Team, will reunite with the Lancers when they meet MIT Cardinals. With his heft and towering height, Slaughter will surely be the center of attraction and the man to watch out for.

Slaughter will be joined in the starting five by Harold Cincoflores, Ritchum Dennison, Chris Victor Diputado and either Edrian Lao or Mark Manigque depending on the behest coach Elmer “Boy” Cabahug.

For the Cardinals, they will bank on former “Rookie of the Year” Allan Mangahas, Macky Acosta and Jason Pascual to name a few.

A win by the Lancers will give them a slot to the Elite Eight against the San Beda Red Lions.

Armed with pride and great determination, the Lancers are bearing a lighter assignment than the Webmasters, who are hoping to stave off outright elimination when they test the more potent Red Warriors, the UAAP losing finalists to back-to-back champion Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles.

The Webmasters do not advance into the PCCL more often than the Lancers did and their off-and-on exhibition of raw collegiate talents against the Manila teams does not really raise an eyebrow nor ring a bell except perhaps this time that the 6-foot-9 June Mar Fajardo is fast becoming a hot commodity.

Too bad, Fajardo will be having his baptism of fire against the UAAP’s number one shotblocker in Elmer Espiritu.

Fajardo is no super human to the Webmasters’ camp and therefore, he is not expecting anything if his teammates do not contribute.

Aside from Fajardo, the Webmasters will pin their hopes on Moncrief Rogado, Rommel Lucene, Kevin Quilantang, Keith Cayanong and Kelvin Juliane.

The Webmasters will have to deal with the UE top guns in the likes of deadshot 3-pointer Val Acuna, burly forward Pare Llagas, speedy guard Paul Lee and productive offguards Raffy Reys and Paul Zamar, son of former UE coach David “Boyzie” Zamar.

Should the Webmasters survive against UE, they are facing another tough UAAP rival in Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws.   (FREEMAN NEWS)