MANILA, Philippines—UAAP teams De La Salle University and Ateneo and NCAA squads Jose Rizal University and San Beda College make their debut at the start of the 2nd Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Invitational Cup on Sunday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

The Blue Eagles take on the Red Lions at 2 p.m. while the Green Archers, the tournament’s defending champions, take on the Heavy Bombers at 4 p.m.

La Salle and San Beda battled in the finals last year and coincidentally, both teams went on to rule their respective collegiate leagues.

Organizers, sponsors and co-presentor LSGH Batch 84 Foundation, have set aside prizes in terms of scholarships for both the basketball and the cheering competition.

The two-month long tournament backed by Total Metro Oil, Canopy Homes, Flying V Biodiesel Premium, Smart, Boysen, Bayo, Metathione, Mr. Softy, CDO, Reyes Barbecue, Chowking, Ecology Marine Transport Specialist, Inc. and Diamond Purified Drinking Water serves as an “acid test” for rookies, who will test their skills against the league veterans.

Of the four teams seeing action Sunday, Ateneo and La Salle will parade the most number of rookies with five each.

But it is the Blue Eagles who will generate a lot of interest after managing to recruit two prized high school players in Ryan Clarence Buenafe and Justin Shaun Chua.

San Beda’s rookie corps will be led by Emeka Udo, a Nigerian like Ekwe. La Salle’s newbie batch will be led by UAAP juniors standout David Webb.

“This is a good opportunity for the rookies to get their feet wet, so by the time the regular season comes along, they would have gained enough experience,” said Filoil Flying V League chair Dave Dualan.

Tickets are available at the Araneta Coliseum Ticketnet booths and at all Ticketnet outlets at SM Malls. For reservations, call 9115555.