3 July 2018
By Niel Victory Masoy
With the San Beda Red Lions retaining their last year’s championship core of Robert Bolick, Javee Mocon, and Finals MVP Donald Tankoua, the Mendiola-based squad is easily favored to win the NCAA Season 94 Men’s Basketball Tournament which is set to unfold on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Not only did the team kept its core intact, the two-time defending champions have also acquired top-notch rookie recruit in Evan Nelle from San Beda-Taytay High School to further strengthen their bid of pulling out a three-peat.
San Beda head coach Boyet Fernandez, though, was quick to neutralize expectations for his team, noting that it will be a competitive season ahead as all the other squads have beefed up as well.
“Well, unang-una salamat, at least team to beat nanaman ang San Beda but again added pressure po yan (sa amin), for me all teams have improved,” Fernandez told sports media men Tuesday in the NCAA opening press conference held at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“You saw Saint Benilde in the Filoil, Perpetual now with coach Frankie (Lim), Letran will still be there, San Sebastian, JRU, and EAC is also a team to watch for.”
Indeed, all teams have improved and no squad is considered a pushover entering season 94 as even last season’s cellar dweller in Saint Benilde turned heads during the Filoil preseason cup after reaching the semifinals of the 19-team tournament (10 NCAA teams, 8 UAAP teams, and the Gilas cadets).
With that in mind, Fernandez can’t assure anything but insisted that the Red Lions will surely fight.
“All teams in the NCAA have improved, wala akong pipiliin na (team to beat) basta sisiguraduhin ko na lang sa inyo na lalaban ang San Beda.”
San Beda collides with this year’s host Perpetual Help in the season opener with the Altas parading a new head coach in Frankie Lim who used to be a champion coach for San Beda.
Lim weighed in on the ‘exciting game’ against his former team and said that Perpetual is ready to take on the mighty Red Lions.
“It’s an exciting game to watch, ‘yun lang ang masasabi ko,” he said. “And my players, the team is well prepared na lumaban sa isang malakas na team,” Lim added.
With coach Lim at the helm and the Atlas players have improved, San Beda coach Fernandez predicted their matchup against Perpetual would be a ‘tough’ one.
“Mahirap kalabanin si coach Frankie, kasi he’s from San Beda and he’s a champion coach so it’s gonna be a tough one especially his players have improved a lot,” Fernandez said. “Basta sisiguraduhin lang namin na lalaban kami every game especially in the opening.”
The opening day of the tournament will also feature the last year’s runner-up LPU Pirates going up against the San Sebastian Golden Stags.
All games of the season will be shown live on ABS-CBN S+A and S+A HD with livestreaming on sports.abs-cbn.com featuring a broadcast panel of Andrei Felix, Anton Roxas, Martin Antonio, Martin Javier, Migs Bustos, and PBA star L.A Tenorio.
Meanwhile, the courtside reporters for the season are Roxanne Montealegre, Angelique Manto, Aya de Quiroz, Chase Orozco, and Ceej Tantengco.
NCAA Season 94 Press Conference Photo Gallery at https://www.facebook.com/burnsports
Follow the writer on Twitter: @mambaniel24
