Cafe France Bakers. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
If there were players who should be the most thankful for CafeFrance’s PBA D-League title conquest, it should be the CEU Scorpions coach Egay Macaraya took under his wing.
The school-based squad’s Foundation Cup win gave players like Mon Abundo, Joseph Sedurifa, and Samboy de Leon a chance to show the public their wares.
Staples in the Scorpions’ NAASCU title reigns, the trio are still unknown commodities to the mainstream basketball fans. However, they believe that their PBA D-League stint gave them enough exposure to at least crack the scouting report of the PBA teams come draft day.
“Ito na rin siguro yung time namin. Mas maganda kasi para sa coaches dahil gusto nila yung mga players na may winning attitude,” said Abundo, CafeFrance’s feisty guard.
(This might be our time. It’s better for us because the coaches like players who have the winning attitude.)
De Leon, one of the Bakers’ sharpshooters, is hopeful that the title would increase their chances in the draft.
“Champion team kami sa D-League kaya siguro mas may chance kami makuha. (We’re champions in the D-League so we think we have a bigger chance to get picked),” he said.
Sedurifa, the 2013 NAASCU Most Valuable Player, said that the championship gave all of them the confidence to declare for the 2015 PBA Rookie Draft, set on August 23.
“We’ll take this opportunity that we’re in top right now,” he said.
It also proved that despite playing in a league with less exposure like NAASCU, CEU can stand toe-to-toe with the best of UAAP and NCAA schools.
“Parang na-earn namin yung respect ng ibang manlalaro. Napatunayan namin na kaya din namin makipagsabayan sa kanila. (We feel like we earned the respect of the other players. We showed them that we can compete with them),” said De Leon.
Abundo, meanwhile, took the challenge at heart, and said that the championship win was much sweeter knowing that upended other famed collegiate players just to get to the top.
“Even though we’re not in the NCAA or UAAP, we’re still players who have the talent and knows how to play the game. We showed them that even though we’re from the underground leagues, we have what it takes to win because of our hardwork,” he said.
It still begs to be seen, though, if they have done enough to spark the interest of the PBA teams. CFC