5th San Remigio Properties Invitational Cup gets underway today

CEBU, Philippines — A total of eight teams will vie for hardcourt supremacy as the 5th San Remigio Properties Basketball Tournament Invitational Cup blasts off today (Thursday, August 1) at the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) Magis Eagles Arena in Barangay Canduman, Mandaue City.

Four of the contenders are from the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) bannered by two-time defending champions SHS-AdC Magis Eagles of coach Rommel Rasmo, who are fielding in two teams - the Magis and the Lux Oriens.

The others are University of the Visayas (UV) Baby Lancers of coach Jun Pepito, University of Cebu (UC) Junior Webmasters of coach Joever “Brad” Samonte, and the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Baby Panthers of coach Alan Cabatingan.

They are very thankful to event organizer Mark Anthony Ynoc for giving them a platform to test their preparedness for the upcoming CESAFI Season 24 set to start on September 21 at the Cebu Coliseum.

The CESAFI squads will clash with the two visiting forces from Taiwan’s National Yi-Lan Seniors High School.

“Last year, we had the chance to engage with many Cebu teams, and we found them to be both smart and strong. This tournament is a great opportunity for us to learn and become even more competitive,” said Yi Lan’s head coach Lin Te-Chi.

Also in the mix for the coveted title is the St. John’s Institute (SJI)-Hua Ming of Bacolod City.

“Facing off against the top teams from Cebu and Taiwan will be an incredible learning experience for our players,” said St. John’s chief strategist Ronnie Panaguiton.

In the opening games set at 5:30 p.m., the Lux Oriens will tackle the Baby Panthers, while Yi-Lan 1 will lock horns with the Baby Lancers.

At 7 p.m, the Magis will take on SJI-Bacolod while Yi-Lan 2 will collide against the Baby Webmasters.