Learning from Manila
Bleacher Talk
November 30, 2008
Learning from Manila
The original headline for today’s column should’ve been “Losing to Manila,” but then this might be misleading and send a wrong signal to local sports fans especially those diehard followers of Cebu Basketball. The past week hasn’t been a kind one to Cebu Basketball as four school-based teams fell to Manila-based opponents in crucial games that would’ve taken us up a level in terms of basketball supremacy in the country.
For starters, the Sacred Heart School-Jesuit bowed to La Salle Greenhills in the championship game of the Passerelle division in the national finals of the BEST Center SBP/Passerelle twin basketball tournament sponsored by Milo in Iloilo City. Next to follow were the top three teams of the CESAFI that lost to Manila teams one after another in the Philippine Collegiate Champions’ League (PCCL). The University of San Jose Recoletos (USJR) fell to NCAA champions San Beda. The University of San Carlos (USC) bowed to 2007 UAAP champs De La Salle University and the University of the Visayas (UV) succumbed to the University of the East.
The SHSJ loss to La Salle snapped a 14-game winning streak that the Eagles established, dating back to the Cebu leg of the tournament. After topping the Cebu leg, SHSJ won the Visayas Regional Finals to earn the right to represent the region in the national finals. After stretching the streak to two more wins, the Eagles bowed to the NCR champions, something that has gotten to become a habit in each time a Cebu team faces a team from Manila.
For the SHSJ program, the loss may be a bitter pill to swallow, but they should look at this as a positive development in their slow and arduous task of reviving what was once a dormant basketball program. SHSJ was never known to be a force in youth basketball in the past. Its participation in the CAAA (predecessor of the CESAFI) produced more losses than wins, and its participation in the Milo-sponsored BEST tournaments has produced Cebu and regional championships only as late as last year. The SHSJ SBP team won the Visayas finals last year and placed second to Ateneo de Manila in the national finals. Last year’s Passerelle team also won the Cebu BEST tournament, but was only a runner-up in the Visayas finals after having to play with a one-man handicap. The Passerelle team’s recovery this year led to a Visayas championship and the eventual loss to La Salle in the national finals. From the bigger picture, this hasn’t been such bad year (or past two years) after all.
For the CESAFI, all previous trips to the PCCL have been heart-breaking. UV’s best finish was placing second to Ateneo in 2007, and finishing third a couple of more times in the past. But losing to UE in the first round this year has to be the toughest loss for the Lancers in the history of the PCCL. It may not have been as heartbreaking for USJR and USC who drew powerhouses San Beda and DLSU as opening round assignments after having gone through the Regional Qualifiers. But the bottom line is clear. Manila has once again exerted its dominance over the rest of the country, and Cebu, which has always been touted to being able to put up a good fight against Manila teams, has been outplayed.
Taking it a step higher and winning a national championship is going to be one of the longer and tougher missions not only for SHSJ and the CESAFI, but the entire Cebu basketball family. Manila teams are already three to four steps ahead of us and they’re on a momentum to pull away even further. By simply watching the Manila teams play, one can see how they’re well-founded and grounded in the basics of the sport. They have superiority in ball-handling, control and passing. They play thinking/percentage basketball, playing tough defense, minimizing errors, and going to the player with the best look at the basket for points. They’re also in better shape and can play full-court defense all game long. One of the biggest edges that they have is the presence of so many players trying out for their respective school teams and so many teams fighting it out against each other, thus raising the level of competition in Manila.
Cynics will also say that Manila teams aren’t afraid to spend for their teams, something for which Cebu isn’t known. But this shouldn’t be an excuse for us. A quick look at the football scene will destroy the money theory. Iloilo is known as the home of football in the country, and they surely aren’t richer than Manila, are they?
For Cebu to catch up, we’ll really have to work together as a basketball family and go back to the basics. We have the talents, skills and tools among our current crop of players. We just haven’t been able to maximize their full potential. We have the tendency to rely on our individual skills and forget that basketball is a team game played by five players on the floor working together as a unit. In the end, it’s a simple case of Manila teams playing better basic basketball than us. They’re just playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played.
Losing will always be tough to accept. But it’s also an excellent opportunity for learning. Only if we learn will we be able to discover the things that need to be done to finally get over that hump.
November 30, 2008
Learning from Manila
The original headline for today’s column should’ve been “Losing to Manila,” but then this might be misleading and send a wrong signal to local sports fans especially those diehard followers of Cebu Basketball. The past week hasn’t been a kind one to Cebu Basketball as four school-based teams fell to Manila-based opponents in crucial games that would’ve taken us up a level in terms of basketball supremacy in the country.
For starters, the Sacred Heart School-Jesuit bowed to La Salle Greenhills in the championship game of the Passerelle division in the national finals of the BEST Center SBP/Passerelle twin basketball tournament sponsored by Milo in Iloilo City. Next to follow were the top three teams of the CESAFI that lost to Manila teams one after another in the Philippine Collegiate Champions’ League (PCCL). The University of San Jose Recoletos (USJR) fell to NCAA champions San Beda. The University of San Carlos (USC) bowed to 2007 UAAP champs De La Salle University and the University of the Visayas (UV) succumbed to the University of the East.
The SHSJ loss to La Salle snapped a 14-game winning streak that the Eagles established, dating back to the Cebu leg of the tournament. After topping the Cebu leg, SHSJ won the Visayas Regional Finals to earn the right to represent the region in the national finals. After stretching the streak to two more wins, the Eagles bowed to the NCR champions, something that has gotten to become a habit in each time a Cebu team faces a team from Manila.
For the SHSJ program, the loss may be a bitter pill to swallow, but they should look at this as a positive development in their slow and arduous task of reviving what was once a dormant basketball program. SHSJ was never known to be a force in youth basketball in the past. Its participation in the CAAA (predecessor of the CESAFI) produced more losses than wins, and its participation in the Milo-sponsored BEST tournaments has produced Cebu and regional championships only as late as last year. The SHSJ SBP team won the Visayas finals last year and placed second to Ateneo de Manila in the national finals. Last year’s Passerelle team also won the Cebu BEST tournament, but was only a runner-up in the Visayas finals after having to play with a one-man handicap. The Passerelle team’s recovery this year led to a Visayas championship and the eventual loss to La Salle in the national finals. From the bigger picture, this hasn’t been such bad year (or past two years) after all.
For the CESAFI, all previous trips to the PCCL have been heart-breaking. UV’s best finish was placing second to Ateneo in 2007, and finishing third a couple of more times in the past. But losing to UE in the first round this year has to be the toughest loss for the Lancers in the history of the PCCL. It may not have been as heartbreaking for USJR and USC who drew powerhouses San Beda and DLSU as opening round assignments after having gone through the Regional Qualifiers. But the bottom line is clear. Manila has once again exerted its dominance over the rest of the country, and Cebu, which has always been touted to being able to put up a good fight against Manila teams, has been outplayed.
Taking it a step higher and winning a national championship is going to be one of the longer and tougher missions not only for SHSJ and the CESAFI, but the entire Cebu basketball family. Manila teams are already three to four steps ahead of us and they’re on a momentum to pull away even further. By simply watching the Manila teams play, one can see how they’re well-founded and grounded in the basics of the sport. They have superiority in ball-handling, control and passing. They play thinking/percentage basketball, playing tough defense, minimizing errors, and going to the player with the best look at the basket for points. They’re also in better shape and can play full-court defense all game long. One of the biggest edges that they have is the presence of so many players trying out for their respective school teams and so many teams fighting it out against each other, thus raising the level of competition in Manila.
Cynics will also say that Manila teams aren’t afraid to spend for their teams, something for which Cebu isn’t known. But this shouldn’t be an excuse for us. A quick look at the football scene will destroy the money theory. Iloilo is known as the home of football in the country, and they surely aren’t richer than Manila, are they?
For Cebu to catch up, we’ll really have to work together as a basketball family and go back to the basics. We have the talents, skills and tools among our current crop of players. We just haven’t been able to maximize their full potential. We have the tendency to rely on our individual skills and forget that basketball is a team game played by five players on the floor working together as a unit. In the end, it’s a simple case of Manila teams playing better basic basketball than us. They’re just playing the game the way it’s supposed to be played.
Losing will always be tough to accept. But it’s also an excellent opportunity for learning. Only if we learn will we be able to discover the things that need to be done to finally get over that hump.
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