UV’s 6th = # 3

Bleacher Talk
Sept. 24, 2006

UV’s 6th = # 3

It isn’t even fair anymore! Each time one talks about the CESAFI basketball tournament, it’s already a given to say that UV will win it even before the season starts. The real battle is actually for second place. True enough, UV won its sixth straight CESAFI championship when it nipped USC, 88-83, in overtime in Game 2 of the best of three championship series. It has now become an annual tradition for the Lancers of Coach Boy Cabahug to have an early Christmas celebration since the first season of the CESAFI. Congratulations and pats of ‘good job” are in store for Coach Boy, his coaching staff and the hard-working crew of Lancers.

But this is where I’ll have to come in and take the killjoy role of a fan and a concerned follower who wants to challenge the way UV approaches Cebu Basketball. After winning a sixth straight, what’s next? Is UV satisfied with just winning the CESAFI every year? Are these their only goals as a ballclub? Shouldn’t there be any bigger goals in the horizon? I think it’s pretty obvious that it’s time to start thinking about making it big beyond the Vismin and start dreaming about a national championship. While there’s no doubt that UV is the top collegiate team in the south, they’ll continue to be a big fish in a small pond.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure that the UV family has set their eyes on a national championship. As a matter fact, they played in the first three editions of the Collegiate Champions’ League and the last national collegiate tournament hosted by the Philippine Basketball Federation. Their best achievements here were a couple of third place finishes = # 3. Not bad, di ba? But are we also ok with this? Third Place? Does anyone remember # 3? If UV can get that close to #1, isn’t it high time to truly work for that top spot.

It all starts with a dream, a vision. And I’m sure UV has these. The dream is then chased. And at the end of last four attempts to chase the dream, #3 has been the best showing. # 3 again or # 3 no more?

After following the Lancers for the past two decades, we all know that UV has the basic talents needed to win a national championship. But why haven’t they made that breakthrough to a Top 2 finish? I really hope the UV management has gone back to the drawing boards to analyze the key stumbling blocks that have prevented them from going beyond # 3.

I don’t think there’s a question about talent. Cebu has the best talents in the south even if there has been a trend of Vismin high school prospects moving on the big city. Cebu’s exports its have reached the PBL and PBA while the others are in the NBC and MVBA.

But there’s something beyond talent that UV and the rest of Cebu must have, especially when having to face the best of the best. It’s all about the intangibles. As a benchmark, it’s something that the top UAAP and NCAA teams have, and that that we don’t. In the end, it becomes the x-factor that plays a major role in winning championships.

In the absence of a word that best describes this, I’d like to refer to this as the lack of mental toughness that is so crucial when playing in a pressure-packed game. This mental toughness also needs to be enhanced further if they have to play in front of a national TV audience. While talents will take care of the applying strategy and game plans, mental toughness provides the heart, courage and no fear attitude to win it all. Local players and coaches might say that’s there’s no difference between a CESAFI and a UAAP or NCAA game, but look at who cracks first under pressure in a must-win game.

Did you watch Game 3 of the NCAA championship between San Beda and PCU? Or have you watched any UAAP or NCAA game lately? The exposure to tough competition in these leagues have made the players mentally tougher and stronger. Playing 12 elimination round games (14 in the NCAA) plus crucial sudden death and Final Four games have made the likes of San Beda, PCU, UST and Ateneo as tough as steel. Don’t be surprised if UST pulls a surprise in Game 1 of the UAAP Finals today against Ateneo. The Tigers were never expected to make it to the Final Four in the pre-season forecasts and a mediocre first round justified such an analysis. But look at where they are now. They’ve defeated Ateneo, UE and Adamson at least once in must-win situations despite the lack of an underrated but talented squad.

On the local side, I’d like to believe that USC’s march to the CESAFI finals was a result of a team that was prepared with a belief that they could beat UV, and they nearly did. They overcame their “mismatch” in talent in almost taking Game 2.

The big must-do thing now is to prepare Cebu’s players for this kind of situations. We’ve got to find ways to build that mental toughness in all players. And this doesn’t come overnight. It’ll come from a combination of exposure to tougher competition and more games (in general) of different atmospheres, situations (and venues). Lessons or workshops on mental toughness (sports psychology) will also help. But all these should be just a part of a long-term program.

Is UV thus ready to hit the jackpot? Celebrate CESAFI 6, but quickly set this aside. It’s the # 3 that needs to be checked now.

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Time-out: We are requesting our readers to pray for the soul of the late Diego C. Mendoza Jr. who passed away recently. >>> You can reach me at bleachertalk@yahoo.com.