Kib in La Salle’s sights

There’s a big vacuum in the guards corps of the La Salle senior men’s basketball varsity and 16-year-old Kib Montalbo of St. John’s Institute in Bacolod City is at the top of the Archers list to fill the gap.

Last week, the missing link became conspicuous as La Salle struggled without starting point guard L. A. Revilla and back-up Thomas Torres in losing a 63-56 decision to Adamson in the PCCL eliminations in Cebu. Revilla is due to undergo ankle surgery and the healing process may eat into the next UAAP season because of his diabetic condition. Orthopedic surgeon Dr. George Canlas is awaiting results of Revilla’s latest blood tests to determine if he’s ready for the procedure. Torres suffered a sprain in practice and didn’t suit up. The Archers got off to a hot 8-0 start and were in the driver’s seat for most of the way until the Falcons wrested the lead, 49-48, for good with 3:41 left. Taking over at point guard in the absence of Revilla and Torres were Oda Tampus and Almond Vosotros who played out of position in an emergency measure.

The day after La Salle lost, the Archers entire coaching staff and chief recruiter Dave Dichupa flew to Bacolod to reconnect with Montalbo. Head coach Gee Abanilla headed the visiting party. Assistants Juno Sauler, Jun Limpot and Mac Cuan made the trip, too, along with skills and conditioning coach Joe Ward. That’s how serious La Salle is in trying to enroll Montalbo.

Ward, who has an eye for spotting undiscovered talent, was smitten by Montalbo whom he observed at a St. John’s practice. “There’s no question Kib will be an impact player for La Salle,” said Ward. “I see him developing into a combo guard. He’s a talented player who can play multiple positions. At La Salle, we’ve got the capability to bring out the best of every player. And it isn’t just on the basketball court. We also want our players to take their education seriously.”

Dichupa said Montalbo is the Archers’ priority. “Kib is very young but has great basketball sense for his age,” said Dichupa. “He’s an honor student at St. John’s and he plays the point for his school team which is coached by Dexter Dy, a La Salle alumnus. Kib’s father Roger helps out the team as an assistant coach. Kib is very close to his mother Marizel and I feel he’ll be right at home with La Salle because we work and play like a family from the Brothers, Mr. (Eduardo) Cojuangco, the managers to the last man on the bench.”

Dichupa said Montalbo will easily shine in Abanilla’s system. “Coach Dexter, being a La Salle alumnus, wants Kib to go to La Salle of course and rightly so,” he said. “We feel that he’s a perfect fit for the team, a pass-first point guard. We’ve kept in constant touch with Kib the past many years and even Mr. Cojuangco saw him at practice in Bacolod a few weeks ago. We’re hopeful that Kib will be in Green and White next season. Kib’s father played for La Salle Bacolod so the Animo is present in the family.”

With still several months away from graduation day, schools are heatedly recruiting high school players to fill their senior varsity rosters. Scouts are checking out players from far-flung towns, hoping to find a raw gem that could become a polished jewel. La Salle isn’t the only school in the race for Montalbo. Wherever Montalbo finally decides to enroll, the hope is it will be the school to make a difference in his life.

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Without fanfare, former POC president Celso Dayrit was reelected president of the Fencing Confederation of Asia (FCA) during its General Assembly meeting held recently in Bali, Indonesia.

Dayrit assumed the FCA presidency in 2004 and has been unopposed for three terms. During his watch, fencing in Asia has grown in terms of number of federations, gained popularity and improved performance in competitions. Asian fencers claimed four of the 10 gold medals at stake in the London Summer Games, the continent’s best finish ever in the Olympics. “Asia has now emerged as the strongest fencing continent after Europe, overtaking the Americas,” said Dayrit who was conferred an honorary doctorate degree by Incheon University in Korea for his accomplishments as a global sports leader.

Not too many people know that aside from being the only Filipino president of an Asian sports federation today, Dayrit is a member of the International Fencing Federation Executive Board. He was also the only Filipino elected vice president of the Olympic Council of Asia and the only Filipino accredited international course director by the IOC Olympic Solidarity. Dayrit was president of the Southeast Asian Games Federation and POC and once a PSC commissioner. One of his milestone achievements was creating the Philippine National Games.

While local sports leaders are gearing up for the POC elections on Nov. 30, Dayrit has quietly earned another international distinction for the country. His reelection as FCA president is an unqualified recognition of his leadership and accomplishments at the helm of the fencing body.