A REBUILDING De La Salle side squares off against a highly-touted University of the Philippines (UP) squad on opening day of the Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Cup this Saturday at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.
The De La Salle-UP tussle is set at 4:30 p.m.
Reigning University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s champion Ateneo, meanwhile, tests the mettle of Gilas Pilipinas Cadets in the 6:30 p.m. match. The opening ceremony for the league’s 12th season begins at 12 noon and will be shown live on ESPN 5, according to Tournament Director Bennett Palad and consultant Joey Guillermo, who were guests in Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Tapa King Restaurant at the Farmers Plaza in Cubao, Quezon City.
“The Premier Cup will help the Gilas Cadets bond together, which is an important factor for their training toward the 2023 Fiba World Cup, which the country is hosting,” Palad told the forum presented by San Miguel Corp., Tapa King and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.
Including Gilas, a total of 19 teams divided into two groups will be competing in the men’s side, while there will be eight entries in the juniors division. The Green Archers, who figured in the UAAP finals the last two seasons, will be without key players from their title runs.
Gone are two-time league Most Valuable Player Ben Mbala, who is now playing professional basketball in Mexico; Abu Tratter, who is with Marinerong Pilipino in the Philippine Basketball Association D-League; and brothers Ricci and Prince Rivero and Brent Paraiso, who have since left the team for different reasons.
De La Salle will also be parading a new coach, Louie Gonzales, after Aldin Ayo moved to University of Santo Tomas.
Gonzales has yet to confirm his new lineup, but he would most likely have holdovers Kib Montalbo, Aljun Melecio, Andrei Caracut, Leonard Santillan, Jolo Go and Justine Baltazar. Gonzales previously worked as Ayo’s chief lieutenant at De La Salle and Letran. He also coached Kia in the Philippine Basketball Association three seasons ago.
Image credits: Nonoy Lacza