GAMES SATURDAY
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
4 p.m.—Opening ceremony
5 p.m.—Letran vs San Sebastian
7 p.m.—Jose Rizal vs Mapua
WITH defending champion San Beda crippled by a suspension on its key players in its first four games and teams strengthening rosters, a wide open title race looms in the 88th NCAA basketball tournament starting this Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Host Letran, with a near intact roster from last season, clashes with San Sebastian in the inaugural game of the season after a colorful opening ceremony that will highlight the Intramuros-based school’s history and achievements in the league at 4 p.m.
The duel between Jose Rizal U and Mapua completes the opening double-header which also marks the start of the country’s oldest collegiate league’s switch from ABS-CBN to TV5 sports channel AKTV.
“Our games will be given primetime exposure this season and that I think will motivate our teams to really show their mettle,” said NCAA Policy Board president Tamerlane Lana at the press conference launching the league’s 88th season at the Gateway Suites.
San Beda, seeking a third crown under new coach Ronnie Magsanoc, won’t be playing until Sunday when the Lions face the Arellano Chiefs with only six players—mostly third stringers—eligible to play.
The nine other players in the San Beda squad have been suspended for their role in the melee during a women’s NCAA volleyball match at the San Beda Gym last December.
The stiffest sanction was meted on Nigerian center Ola Adeogun, whose six-game ban was reduced to four by the NCAA Policy Board yesterday after an appeal from San Beda.
The incident that also led to suspensions on fighting coaches Roger Gorayeb and Frankie Lim stemmed from Adeogun complaining of what he said were racial slurs from the San Sebastian volleyball team, triggering the melee while an NCAA women’s volleyball game was being played.
San Beda and San Sebastian have been favorites the past three years, but with the Lions’ preseason woes and some teams remaining intact, the coaches believe this season’s tournament can be one of the most balanced in recent years.
“This is going to be a very competitive season,” said Letran coach Louie Alas, whose team would have to deal with the San Sebastian trio of last season’s Most Valuable Player Calvin Abueva, big man Ian Sangalang and Ronald Pascual in the first game of the season.
“Even those teams at the bottom from last season have a good chance,” said new Perpetual Help coach Aric Del Rosario, who is coming out of a long coaching hiatus to call the shots for the Altas.