NCAA 87 Preview: San Beda Still Favored
Suddenly, it's wide open. The San Beda Red Lions were dominant last season, but after a graduation and a key injury, plus the emergence of new and improved players from other schools, what once was a sure thing has turned into a more level playing field.
Season 87 of the NCAA kicks off on Saturday with an assortment of contenders and long-shots. Which college or university falls under which category? The ten competing schools are ranked below into tiers, based on their chances of lifting the trophy when the dust has settles.
Tier One: The Favorite
It’s sports cliché to wave one’s hand and say, “They’re the defending champs until someone takes that away from them.” But in the case of San Beda, there’s nothing wrong with that, seeing as how they have the most talented roster from top to bottom. Odds are good that the Red Lions will repeat, but two key player losses -- Borgie Hermida to graduation and Sudan Daniel to a knee injury -- means that unlike last year, they won’t go through the season without at least one defeat, and they could be in for a real fight against certain teams.
San Beda College (Season 86: 1st place, 16-0)Head Coach: Frankie Lim
Additions: Baser Amer, Ryusei Koga, Paolo PontejosSubtractions: Borgie Hermida, Jaypee Mendoza, Dave MoraldeHoldovers: Anjo Caram, Sudan Daniel*, Rome Dela Rosa, Garvo Lanete, Melo Lim, Dave Marcelo, Jake Pascual, Kyle Pascual, Anthony Semerad, David Semerad, Mychole Sorela, Mar Villahermosa
The reigning NCAA champions swept their way through the field last season, and seemed poised for another title run until news broke that "Superman" Sudan Daniel had torn an ACL in their April 9 preseason encounter against Ateneo. Losing Season 86’s Defensive Player of the Year is a huge blow, but with guys like Dave Marcelo, Jake Pascual, and the Semerad twins on tap, the big man play of San Beda will still be formidable; the main difference will be that the Lions won’t shut down the painted area automatically like last year.
The other issue the Red Lions will have to deal with is at the opposite end of the center position, the point guard spot. Losing Borgie Hermida to graduation is a big deal, and the fact that the team rostered four guys at that same position this season is a sign that the team isn’t quite sure who’ll be taking the minutes at the one spot. The presumptive favorite is rookie Baser Amer, but so-so performances during the summer showed that he still has some ways to go in learning Coach Lim’s system. That means veteran Anjo Caram might get the nod, or even dark horse candidate Paolo Pontejos, who had multiple four-assist games in the preseason.
Source: InterAksyon
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