Cebu basketball wrap-up
The past week was a great way to wrap up the Cebu Basketball season for the first semester of the school-year as it brought out good news, good vibes and a refreshing signal that it’s stable and strong (despite all the criticism that it gets). It wasn’t set purposely but this past week saw basketball celebrate the championships of three major programs. Southwestern University-PHINMA won the CESAFI college division championship. Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu regained the CESAFI high school division championship; and the University of the Visayas scored a historical feat by bagging its first national championship of the Small Basketeers Philippines division (Under 12) of the SBP Passerelle Twin Tournament backed by Milo. And the noteworthy component of all championships has been the different ways these teams won their titles.
For the SWU-PHINMA Cobras, this title is a fitting tribute and reward to and for the affable Coach Mike Reyes. He’s one of the most respected coaches in Cebu who had never won a CESAFI championship in his career after making the decision to make Cebu his base for coaching. Ironically, he is not from Cebu and didn’t play basketball here. He is always known for being the brother of Coach Chot, Jun and Billy Reyes, all of who made their mark on the sport in one way or another. But among all, Coach Mike has stood out the longest and has stuck to basketball all his life, and we in Cebu are fortunate to have him here. He was always known as co-head coach along with Jay Ramirez at USC, and was an assistant to Yayoy Alocesba at SWU-PHINMA. But the basketball circle knew how much impact he had on both teams despite not being officially the head coach. With Coach Yayoy transferring to UC, it was Reyes’s time to step to the plate and hit that homerun. I always learn each time I watch a SWU-PHINMA game, even if they lose. And when they win, one can’t help but notice the influence that Coach Mike has on his team, i.e. how they execute their offense with patience, their ball rotation and how they find the best shot. Kudos Coach Mike and the rest of the Cobra family.
The Magis Eagles of Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu weren’t expected to win the CESAFI championship as all eyes were on pre-season champions USJR, defending champion UC and perennial powerhouse UV, all loaded with more athletic, talented and gifted athletes. I actually picked USJR to win the title. Moreover, the current team (on paper) wasn’t as strong as the previous SHS-Ateneo champion teams of 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016. The logical target for this season was a final four appearance after missing the semifinals of last year. But this is where Coach Rommel Rasmo and his staff wove their magic and found a way to win. After a first game loss to UV, they won a series of games before being humbled by USPF. The loss to USPF set the stage for character wins over USJR and UC, giving them the much-needed momentum and confidence heading to the semifinals and championships series which they swept. I had then thought that if the team didn’t lose to USPF, they might not have been able to hurdle USJR and UC in their last two games of the elimination round. What a difference a loss can do for a team, I concluded. This championship was one that should be charged to hard work, determination, stepping up and the team working together as a unit when it mattered most. For honorable mention, the other title that was up for grabs in the Cebu Basketball season was the Passerelle division (Under 15) of the SBP Passerelle tournament which SHS-Ateneo de Cebu won for a second straight year. They later placed second in the Visayas Regional Finals.
And now for the last, literally the least, but actually the biggest. UV won its first national championship in the SBP division (Under 12) of the BEST Center’s SBP Passerelle Twin Tournament backed by Milo. UV ousted 4-peat defending champion and pre-tournament La Salle Greenhills, 62-58, in a game for the ages. Losing also by four points at last year’s national finals title game, UV made sure that the result would be reversed this year. And so Coach Ronald Bucao came up with what I’d like to call the UV version of Aldin Ayo’s mayhem defense. They never gave La Salle easy looks at the basket, let alone opportunities to bring the ball up court or to execute their offense. By controlling the second and third periods after a close first period, UV weathered the anticipated La Salle rally in the end-game to hang on for the historical championship. While UV has won a national championship in the collegiate, high school and Passerelle ranks, it has never won a national championship in the Under 12 age group. This completes the “basketball grand slam” of national championships for UV.
So who said that Cebu Basketball was dying and fading away? While it’s true that fans stayed away from the CESAFI games during the elimination round, the crowds picked up at the semifinals and the championship games. The SWU-PHINMA vs. UV rivalry was renewed through a thrilling three game series and the high school division welcomed the return of a champion. And with three different school programs winning the three major age groups of basketball, it sure looks like Cebu Basketball is very much alive, kicking and looking to last a long time.
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