SHSJ on a Mission
Bleacher Talk
November 11, 2007
SHSJ on a Mission
As most of us were enjoying the luxury of a double whammy long weekend last week, two teams of the Sacred Heart School-Jesuit (SHSJ) quietly slipped out of Cebu and headed to Bacolod to compete in the Visayas Regional Finals of the Milo BEST Basketball Tournament.
The minor surprise that might have jolted students and the local Cebu basketball world enjoying the sem break was the fact that the Eagles were the ones representing Cebu at the Milo BEST Visayas Finals. SHSJ going to the regional finals hasn’t been the norm and has in fact been a first for the school. University of San Carlos (USC) North and South have always been Cebu’s representatives to this tournament as they’ve dominated the Cebu scene for the Pasarelle (13-14 years old) and SBP (12 & under) age groups for the past decade.
But could there be a changing of the guard? Is it SHSJ’s time to shine? For the first time after seven years, SHSJ scored a double championship in the Milo BEST Cebu tournament by bagging the championship of both the Pasarelle and SBP age groups. This was the school’s ticket to go to Bacolod last weekend, and they came home last Monday with wide grins on their faces. The SBP team won the Visayas championship while the Pasarelle team took second place despite playing with a one-man handicap.
The SBP championship gives the Eagles a second trip outside Cebu, this time to the Milo BEST Basketball Tournament national finals which will be held in Iloilo from November 16-18 (next weekend). After years of being a nobody in the youth basketball scene, SHSJ is suddenly going to the national finals to face off against the best of the other regions. While winning the Cebu tournament was already an achievement, the Visayas championships and the trip to the national finals is turning out to be a most welcome icing on the cake for a school that has never been known to be a basketball power. It was the “wishful thinking” scenario that many (including this writer) were looking for when USC stretched UV to a rubber match in the recent CESAFI finals.
The Visayas championship may not totally erase SHSJ’s being a nobody in the basketball scene, but it at least pulls the school out of local basketball’s shadows. This will also create a ripple effect that will have an impact not only on SHSJ, but also on other schools whose basketball programs are not yet that fully-developed. Schools will now think that if SHSJ can do it, they can do it, too.
But doing it has not been exactly an easy task. The key success factor that produced this championship was the team effort that the school, coaches and parents put into the basketball program. The commitment of all sides was crucial in ensuring that SHSJ’s basketball program would succeed. Under the leadership of businessman Perry Lim, the team’s parents committed to provide the team with the crucial logistical needs and resources that the school couldn’t provide.
After parents took care of their part of the program, the coaching staff led by Rommel Rasmo and Von Rosito did their share by whipping the players into championship caliber squads. Practice was hard. Kids were stretched to the limits. And some parents may not have understood why all this had to be done. But in the end, the fruits of all the hardships have been produced. SHSJ’s trip to the national finals is already an over-achievement and any win next weekend will be an added bonus to this year’s achievements.
But what happens next? This achievement is going to do two things. First, you can expect basketball activity to pick up in SHSJ. Championships always bring out the interest of kids who never thought much about their school’s basketball program. The school’s other sports programs will also learn from basketball’s achievements and will find ways to duplicate the feat.
The other ripple effect that will be wider in terms of impact will be the re-charging of interest of the other schools that were beaten by SHSJ. You can bet that USC North, USC South, UC, USPF and Don Bosco will go out and prove that SHSJ is just a one-hit wonder. And the longer and more productive impact of all these is that Cebu Basketball’s future is secure and sure to improve. Not many people are aware that many of today’s top players at both the local and national level are products of the BEST tournaments and clinics.
You might think that SHSJ’s win is just a minor beep on Cebu’s basketball radar. I see it making an ever bigger impact on the basketball scene. And it’s all positive. The Jesuits might not even be aware of it, but as the school scores this achievement, they’re already doing something big for others.
***
Time-out: Happy birthday to Delo Mingo who just turned 25. Wishing you all the best! >>> You can reach me at bleachertalk@yahoo.com.
November 11, 2007
SHSJ on a Mission
As most of us were enjoying the luxury of a double whammy long weekend last week, two teams of the Sacred Heart School-Jesuit (SHSJ) quietly slipped out of Cebu and headed to Bacolod to compete in the Visayas Regional Finals of the Milo BEST Basketball Tournament.
The minor surprise that might have jolted students and the local Cebu basketball world enjoying the sem break was the fact that the Eagles were the ones representing Cebu at the Milo BEST Visayas Finals. SHSJ going to the regional finals hasn’t been the norm and has in fact been a first for the school. University of San Carlos (USC) North and South have always been Cebu’s representatives to this tournament as they’ve dominated the Cebu scene for the Pasarelle (13-14 years old) and SBP (12 & under) age groups for the past decade.
But could there be a changing of the guard? Is it SHSJ’s time to shine? For the first time after seven years, SHSJ scored a double championship in the Milo BEST Cebu tournament by bagging the championship of both the Pasarelle and SBP age groups. This was the school’s ticket to go to Bacolod last weekend, and they came home last Monday with wide grins on their faces. The SBP team won the Visayas championship while the Pasarelle team took second place despite playing with a one-man handicap.
The SBP championship gives the Eagles a second trip outside Cebu, this time to the Milo BEST Basketball Tournament national finals which will be held in Iloilo from November 16-18 (next weekend). After years of being a nobody in the youth basketball scene, SHSJ is suddenly going to the national finals to face off against the best of the other regions. While winning the Cebu tournament was already an achievement, the Visayas championships and the trip to the national finals is turning out to be a most welcome icing on the cake for a school that has never been known to be a basketball power. It was the “wishful thinking” scenario that many (including this writer) were looking for when USC stretched UV to a rubber match in the recent CESAFI finals.
The Visayas championship may not totally erase SHSJ’s being a nobody in the basketball scene, but it at least pulls the school out of local basketball’s shadows. This will also create a ripple effect that will have an impact not only on SHSJ, but also on other schools whose basketball programs are not yet that fully-developed. Schools will now think that if SHSJ can do it, they can do it, too.
But doing it has not been exactly an easy task. The key success factor that produced this championship was the team effort that the school, coaches and parents put into the basketball program. The commitment of all sides was crucial in ensuring that SHSJ’s basketball program would succeed. Under the leadership of businessman Perry Lim, the team’s parents committed to provide the team with the crucial logistical needs and resources that the school couldn’t provide.
After parents took care of their part of the program, the coaching staff led by Rommel Rasmo and Von Rosito did their share by whipping the players into championship caliber squads. Practice was hard. Kids were stretched to the limits. And some parents may not have understood why all this had to be done. But in the end, the fruits of all the hardships have been produced. SHSJ’s trip to the national finals is already an over-achievement and any win next weekend will be an added bonus to this year’s achievements.
But what happens next? This achievement is going to do two things. First, you can expect basketball activity to pick up in SHSJ. Championships always bring out the interest of kids who never thought much about their school’s basketball program. The school’s other sports programs will also learn from basketball’s achievements and will find ways to duplicate the feat.
The other ripple effect that will be wider in terms of impact will be the re-charging of interest of the other schools that were beaten by SHSJ. You can bet that USC North, USC South, UC, USPF and Don Bosco will go out and prove that SHSJ is just a one-hit wonder. And the longer and more productive impact of all these is that Cebu Basketball’s future is secure and sure to improve. Not many people are aware that many of today’s top players at both the local and national level are products of the BEST tournaments and clinics.
You might think that SHSJ’s win is just a minor beep on Cebu’s basketball radar. I see it making an ever bigger impact on the basketball scene. And it’s all positive. The Jesuits might not even be aware of it, but as the school scores this achievement, they’re already doing something big for others.
***
Time-out: Happy birthday to Delo Mingo who just turned 25. Wishing you all the best! >>> You can reach me at bleachertalk@yahoo.com.
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