NC South Season 15 under way Aug. 16
LIPA CITY—St. Francis of Assisi College-Las Piñas hopes to defend its men’s basketball crown even with a new roster when Season 15 of the NCAA South unfolds on Aug. 16 here.
“Most of our players from last year have graduated so the challenge for us this season is how these new players will perform,” said St. Francis president Dr. Arturo Orosco Jr.
The Doves surprisingly captured the crown on their maiden run last year where they downed the Don Bosco-Mandaluyong Grey Wolves in the title series.
“We’re better this year,” said Br. Joselito dela Cruz SDB, Don Bosco representative to the policy board. “We fell short last year but we started rebuilding last summer.”
Making the competition tougher is the addition of Emilio Aguinaldo College-Cavite as the 11th team this season.
“EAC aready has experience in collegiate basketball,” Orosco added during a press conference yesterday at Sen. Diokno Hall in La Salle Lipa.
“Every team has a good opportunity to make it to the top,” added Dr. Fe Medina of Lyceum-Batangas, defending champion in women’s basketball. “We’ve also been training since summer. We’re hopeful we can retain the crown.”
A city motorcade kicks off the opening celebration, which will be participated in by over 2,000 students of season host La Salle Lipa.
“The school members aim to promote excellence,” said La Salle Lipa president and chancellor Br. Joaquin Martinez FSC, the policy board chair. “Excellence is simply not in the classroom. Schools look at excellence in every field of endeavor, and sports is definitely a hallmark of any good school.”
San Pablo College returns this season, while University of Batangas, First Asia Institute of Technology and Humanities (Faith)-Tanauan, Perpetual Laguna, Letran-Calamba and San Beda College-Alabang round out the field. Volleyball and chess also fires off in the first semester.
