Heavily-depleted San Beda faces rookie-laden Arellano in title-defense opener
Ola Adeogun, the centerpiece of an ugly melee, gets the green light to suit up for the Red Lions this NCAA season following a four-game suspension. (FCF file photo)
GAME TODAY (June 24, 2012) – The Arena in San Juan City
2:00pm – Arellano University vs San Beda College
The road to San Beda College’s second NCAA seniors basketball “three-peat” in seven years will definitely be hard. Losing players like Garvo Lanete, Sudan Daniel, and Dave Marcelo, the Red Lions also lose mainstays who have been part of their system in their championship runs.
But their road to their defense just got a bit tougher.
Due to a well-documented melee that insued late last year that eventually meted heavy suspensions to the main protagonists of the incident — then-San Beda head coach Frankie Lim, Nigerian center Olaide Adeogun, and San Sebastian women’s volleyball head coach Roger Gorayeb.
Not only did the three get suspensions that extended from a minimum of four games (Adeogun) to two years (Lim and Gorayeb), but other players involved in the scuffle also got minor slaps on the wrists where the team will pay dearly in their opening match against Arellano University.
Originally, Adeogun was to sit for another year as a result of the investigation, but the NCAA policy board decided last Wednesday to allow the 6-foot-10 center to play for the season, provided that he were to serve a four-game suspension and to withdraw the case filed in the Commission of Human Rights.
Hence, the Red Lions will kick off their campaign with the now-infamously called “Super Six” today at the Arena in San Juan City at 2:00pm.
Part of the lineup for debuting rookie head coach Ronnie Magsanoc will compose of five former Red Cubs, including 2011 juniors finals MVP Francis Abarcar, center Jun Bonsubre, ex-Ateneo Blue Eagle Art dela Cruz, Yvan Ludovice, and Dave Moralde. Ritchie Villaruz, the last member of the six, was part of last year’s La Salle Greenhills squad that was defeated by Abarcar’s San Beda five in the juniors’ title showdown.
On the other side, Koy Banal makes his head coaching debut for the Chiefs and fittingly against the school that he led to the NCAA title back in 2006.
Banal steered the Red Lions first title-winning after 28 years, led by Nigerian behemoth Sam Ekwe, which led to a revitalization of the institution’s men’s basketball program and eventually to four more titles in five years.
With a new coach following the departure of Leo Isaac, the Chiefs are left with only Rocky Acidre and Vergel Zulueta as their remaining old reliables following the exit of the likes of Andrian Celada and Isiah Ciriacruz.
In their rookie-laden lineup, however, are promising diamonds in the rough that includes Canadian-born James Forrester and Davao standout John Pinto, who made waves in impressing pre-season tournament outputs.
