NCAA Season 88 Preview: San Beda Red Lions

Defending champion San Beda is entering the 88th Edition of the NCAA a very different team.  Many of the key figures in SBC’s conquest of four of the last five NCAA titles are no longer around.  Although still among the top contenders for this year, the Red Lions will certainly not have it easy this season.  For the first time since 2006, the 16-time champions won’t be coming in as heavy favorites to win this year’s title.  That distinction now belongs to San Sebastian.

Key Losses:

The Red Lions lost the core of their squad that claimed back-to-back crowns in 2010 and 2011, namely top gunner Garvo Lanete, the bull-strong Dave Marcelo, dynamic twins Anthony and David Semerad, and former MVP Sudan Daniel.  Add to that list Lanete’s main back-up Mar Villahermosa. Looking at these names, it’s hard to imagine the Red Lions being as competitive as last year without such players.  Lanete alone produced 17.3 points per game for SBC.  Add another 23.5 points coming from Marcelo, Villahermosa and the Semerads, the Red Lions will be missing 40.8 points per game, which is almost half of their league-leading average output of 82.5 points.

Michole Sorela will skip this season due to insufficient grades, while Paolo Pontejos transferred to another school.  But an even bigger loss for the team was the resignation of head coach Frankie Lim, who was the architect of the four titles (2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011).  He was named Coach of the Year in all championship seasons.  Lim resigned after the league slapped him with a two-year ban for his involvement in a brawl with San Sebastian volleyball coach Roger Gorayeb.

Without Lim, the team must now adopt a new system under its new mentor, Ronnie Magsanoc.  Whether the new system will work just as well as the old remains to be seen even when the Red Lions made a good account of themselves in the pre-season Fil Oil Cup tournament under Magsanoc.

Key Additions:

The biggest addition to the team is undoubtedly the 6’8” powerhouse Olaide Adeogun of Nigeria.  Ola is a quicker and slightly better skilled version of Samuel Ekwe.  Ekwe, of course, is the stronger and more intimidating one, and was responsible for San Beda’s three-peat in 2006, 2007 and 2008.  But Adeogun seems to be the more charismatic one who blends well with the rest of the Red Lions.  He was highly recommended to former coach Lim by renowned American college tactician Bill Bayno.  Adeogun should be the main source of inside strength for the Red Lions now.

He is a rebounding monster with respectable post moves and perimeter shot.  In the pre-season tournament Fil-Oil Cup, Adeogun posted norms of 10.6 points on a 56% shooting clip, 9.6 boards and 1.3 blocks.  Another important addition is former Red Cub Arthur De la Cruz, who transferred from Ateneo.  He will surely bolster the power forward position, as he is one who can penetrate and bury the short and medium range jumpers.

Also joining the Red Lions are marquee players from the junior division led by Jun Bonsubre (5.3 points, 6.3 rebounds) and finals MVP Francis Abarcar (13.2 points) from the 2011 NCAA high school champs Red Cubs, and Ritchie Villaruz (11.6 points) from runner-up La Salle Greenhills.  Returning to the roster are former Cub Dave Moralde, and JP Mendoza, who both can contribute in outside sniping.  The point guard rotation becomes much deeper as well with the addition of ex-NU playmaker Yvan Ludovice.

Holdovers:

Last year’s sensational rookie Baser Amer (7 points, 4.5 assists) will now need to take charge more.  With the departure of Lanete and Anthony Semerad, he now becomes the most proficient scorer in the team, even when he is a natural point guard.  Veteran forward Rome Dela Rosa (9.7 points) has to step up as well.

Skipper Jake Pascual (7.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.9 blocks) now takes the leader’s role in this team and should be the main man in defense.  Kyle Pascual is expected to up his numbers last year of 7.1 markers and 6.4 caroms per outing.  Anjo Caram (6.1 points, 3.1 assists) should still be the starting point guard for SBC after an impressive season in 2011.  Melo Lim and Ryusei Koga bring their run-and-gun expertise into San Beda’s offensive thrust.

Season Outlook, Strengths and Weaknesses:

Without a doubt, SBC remains a contender for the title this season.  But unlike in recent years, the Stags now enter the tournament as the favorites with an almost intact line-up.  With the exodus of key players and coach Lim, the Red Lions face a tough challenge they have never encountered before.  How quickly they can adapt to Magsanoc’s system will be a crucial factor.  But the Red Lions remain the deepest team in the tournament and this alone could propel them to the finals.  Reclaiming the crown is another matter however.  The Stags should now have the upper hand in experience and firepower.  It’s very unlikely that SBC will maintain its scoring leadership that it has enjoyed in the last five years.  The Red Lions now lack legitimate scorers and shooters.  They would have had a high scoring freshman by the name of Julius Armon, who top-scored for the team in the Fil Oil Cup with 12.4 markers per game.  The 6’3” Fil-Am was being groomed as Lanete’s successor as the team’s go-to-guy.  But during the Red Lions’ annual summer training in the US, Armon decided to stay in his home country, reportedly to try out in the NBA D-League.  But one thing that has noticeably improved is their defense, which could now be their main weapon.  The team ranked first in defense in the Fil Oil Cup, limiting opponents to just 57 points per game.

Prognosis:

Now more than ever, the Red Lions must work as a team to keep the NCAA plum in Mendiola.  With a remarkably deep bench, they can apply a relentless pressure defense the whole game without wonting in stamina and energy.  Adeogun will be a huge plus in defending the basket.  Offensively, the absence of an apparent go-to-guy can be turned into an advantage if they employ a more balanced offense.  After all, the roster is still teeming with talent.  But the likes of Dela Rosa, Amer, Lim, Koga and Moralde will have to polish their outside artillery to make up for the departure of Lanete and Co.

source: Inboundpass