A championship moment is very special for any coach

CEBU, Philippines - Though one has achieved it again and again, it always feels like the first time around.

That exactly was the feeling of decorated basketball coach Van Halen Parmis after steering Team Samsam Gullas to back-to-back championships in the 9th Emil's Fresh Chicken Fiesta Cup just recently.

 The most latest triumph of Parmis wasn't served on a silver platter as they had to wade through rough waters first before grinding through a scappy 117-115 win over the gritty Abrenica Engineering side to successfully defend their title in the annual commercial tournament  witnessed by an overflowing crowd of over 10,000 that packed the Minglanila Sports Complex to the rafters last Thursday night.

"The boys gave their all, played their hearts out and above all, they desired it most. To the 10,000 spectators, I hope we were able to put up a show for you. Next to winning, the goal was to entertain you. To my players, thank you for never giving up and for sustaining," said Parmis, known as the 'Phil Jackson of Cebu' for his penchant in assembling a ragtag team and molding them into a strong contender.

Even though they're familiar with each other for the past seven years already, Parmis said it's always been a challenge for him handling a team replete with stars with vast championship experiences.

But he is just as happy to have plucked the strings together and play another championship melody for the Gullas team.

"It is very overwhelming, and sometimes challenging, to run a team full of champions and stars. In my case, they all made it very easy and manageable, even after seven years of partnership," said Parmis, who is undefeated in pocket tournaments he joined in the Vis-Min region.

Bannered by ex PBA cagers Eliud Poligrates, Reed Friar Juntilla and Hafer Mondragon, the Gullas team is also powered by commercial veterans in Fedinand Lusdoc, Jessie James Collados, John Abad, Mark Ababon and Alfred Belande.

They were up against a similarly formidable force of Abrenica manned by a mixture of commercial and collegiate standouts in Nat Cruz, Franklin Nailon, Eman Calo, Harold Cincoflores,Daryl Goloran, Raffy Oktubre, Joshua de la Cerna, Ralph Olivares and Wowie Escocio.

During their heart-pounding final match, the Gullas team wasted away a 20-point lead midway in the second half, enabling Abrenica to stage a daring comeback and eventually knot the count at 115-115 on a 3-pointer by Oktobre with only 5.8 seconds left to play.

In the ensuing sequence, Lusdoc was fouled, then calmy sank his pressure-packed free throws to seal the deal for the Gullas team. Lusdoc sparkled with 30 points, while Poligrates, the MVP, banged in 28 points followed by Collados and Juntilla with 22 and 13 markers, respectively.

"My sincere thank you to Congressman Samsam Gullas for the trust and support. I will forever be grateful for this opportunity to lead this commercial team. It is truly an honor. To God we give back all the glory," said Parmis. (FREEMAN)