CEBU, Philippines - A 20-man delegation including 12 players from the University of the Philippines (UP) Maroons men's basketball team will visit Cebu this Saturday for a series of tune-up games against the top four teams that will advance to the semifinals of the ongoing 5th CESAFI Partner's Cup at the Cebu Coliseum.
The semifinals, which will start on Sunday, will be played nightly but since the Maroons are only participating as guest team, all their victories are not officially counted rather it would be forfeited in favor of their opponent in that particular playing date.
The coming of the Maroons is a sort of preparation for the upcoming UAAP season in July with the hope that the three foreign players in their line-up would jell and will provide them the much-needed offensive firepower they have longed for since they became champion in 1983 bannered by such prominent players who eventually made waves in the PBA in the likes of Benjie Paras, Ronnie Magsanoc, Joey Guanio and Eric Altamirano then under veteran coach Joe Lipa.
The UP Maroons is manned by Mike Gamboa, Robby Wierzba, Jett Manuel, Alinko Mbah, Miggy Maniego, Jelo Montecastro, Vergel Evangelista, Moriah Gingerich, Carlo Gomez, Mark Juruena, Julius Wong, and Mike Silungan. They will be accompanied by their student manager Julio Silvestre.
The Maroons coaching staff is composed of head coach Ricky Dandan, Joey Mendoza and Mark Dandan.
Also accompanying the Maroons are UP school officials led by their Athletics Director Ariel Juliano along with alumni managers Burt Mendoza, Chitong Rivera and Rey Madrid.
Semifinal schedules will be released soon after the last two playing dates of the Partner's Cup. (FREEMAN)