Lions boast of solid cast for Filoil tilt

MANILA, Philippines - San Beda hopes to draw the best from its talent-laden crew as it slugs it out with the best of the best in the 2011 Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Premier Cup unfolding April 9 at the Filoil Flying Arena in San Juan.

The Red Lions, who swept last year’s NCAA crown via a record 18-game sweep, welcome the pre-season with an almost intact roster, losing only Borgie Hermida to graduation.

‘’We’re basically an intact team and we hope to capitalize on it and continue winning,’’ said San Beda coach Frankie Lim.

Hermida’s absence will be hardly felt, though, if rookie Baser Amer, a member of the RP Youth 18-under squad, plays true to form.

“Baser Amer will take over from where Borgie (Hermida) left off. We’re excited for him,” said Lim.

Amer, however, will have a lot of catching up to do, but with veterans Garvo Lanete, Rome dela Rosa, Jake Pascual, Dave Marcelo, Anthony Semarad and last year’s MVP awardee Sudan Daniel around, the rookie should have no problem fitting in the system.

Last year, the Lions missed the Final Four of the Filoil Flying V tournament, but with a solid roster, the Mendiola-based squad is tipped to contend for this year’s crown.

Meanwhile, University of the Philippines is a team on a mission.

Winless in last year’s UAAP cage wars, the Maroons quickly made key adjustments during the off-season, starting off with the men on the bench.

Ricky Dandan, a no-nonsense tactician in the mold of former UP coach Joe Lipa, has been tasked to turn the State U’s fortunes around starting this season.

But Dandan will be burdened by the loss of some key players in Woody Co, Martin Reyes and former Smart Gilas mainstay Magi Sison.

The Maroons, however, still have veteran and prolific scorer Mike Silungan along with rising stars Alvin Padilla, Mark Juruena and Carlo Gomez.

But Dandan can only hope to instill some toughness on his new team and again, hope for the best.

‘’We are still in the process of rebuilding our team right now. We just hope we can somewhat move forward,’’ said Dandan.

Cameroonian Joe Etame, who was dropped by Jose Rizal University after violating team rules, was tapped by UP but will have to sit out for one more year to be eligible, and with him around, Dandan will have something to hope for in the future.

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