For a college selection playing against a professional basketball team, the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) All Stars showed the future looks good for the top sport in the country.
San Miguel Beer won, that was a given, but not by much, 90-86. The Cesafi players showed they were no pushovers, making Beermen work for the win in a charity match played before an overflowing Cebu Coliseum.
All through the first three periods, the Beermen were struck dumbfounded when they came face to face with a gritty and talented lineup.
In the first period, the Cesafi team went on a 14-7 run, banking on two triples by Southwestern University’s Eric Zanoria, to turn an 11-17 deficit into a 25-24 lead by the end of the period.
In the second period, the Cebuanos leaned on a scorching 13-0 rally behind University of the Visayas’ Ariel Mepaña, University of Southern Philippines Foundation’s Moncrief Rogado, to build a nine-point lead, which they kept throughout the period.
Everything unraveled for the Cesafi squad, however, in the third period. The bigger Beermen started chipping on the lead, coming to just a point behind, 67-66, by the end of the quarter.
In the final quarter, the Cesafi All Stars were silenced for good as Chris Calaguio scored all of his points at this juncture to help San Miguel snatch the driver’s seat, 75-69.
With the help of Cebuano Dondon Hontiveros and Danny Espina, San Miguel took over the game. What Cesafi did for the last three quarters, Hontiveros and his squad did in just a short while eye as they took over the lead and held on to it until the game ended.
Hontiveros, a former University of Cebu player, was the star in yesterday’s game, proving that he still has a loyal following in the city.
“I went to the game to watch Dondon,” said one spectator yesterday.
Every move by the Cebuano basketball star was received with booming cheers from the crowd.
Hontiveros led SMB with 17 markers while Larry Fonacier and Enrico Villanueva added 12 each.
The game, which Hontiveros organized, will benefit under-privileged but deserving students of Cebu.
Mepaña starred for Cesafi, leading the team with 16 points. His school teammate, Gregory Slaughter, who is another crowd favorite, contributed 12 points.
The scores:
San Miguel (90) – Hontiveros 17, Villanueva 12, Fonacier 12, Espinas 9, Wilson 8, Eman 7, Calaguio 7, Tugade 7, Ildefonso 6, Gonzales 3, Tenorio 2.
Cesafi All-Stars (86) - Mepana 16, Slaughter 12, Zanoria 9, Llanto 8, Dip**ado 7, Berame 6, Abellanosa 6, Abobo 5, Lanete 4, Luga 4, Ramirez 3, Rogado 2, Gudez 2, Malinao 2. (MCB)
Sunday, September 16, 2007
CESAFI Earning Respect
Bleacher Talk
August 5, 2007
The local basketball scene couldn’t have picked a better time to wake up from a long nap with the opening of the seventh season of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation (CESAFI) yesterday.
When one talks about Cebu Basketball and its impact or contribution to the bigger picture, the CESAFI and/or the local collegiate scene will always be tops in terms of heritage, history and prominence. And no other local league, personality or establishment can claim to be bigger or richer in history.
Although the CESAFI is only seven years old, it traces its roots to the long history of the Cebu Amateur Athletic Association (CAAA) and all the collegiate leagues of the past. Through the years, many leagues have come and gone, but none has lasted as long as the local collegiate family. This link to the past makes it the longest running local league in the land today. The CESAFI and all its predecessor-leagues in the past have thus made local collegiate basketball an institution in Cebu hoops history.
As I salute the CESAFI and its member-schools for being what it is today, I would also like to throw a challenge to the league and ask it what exactly it wants to become in the future. What is the CESAFI today, and what is its vision for the future? And what is the league doing to get there?
True, the CESAFI is a pillar of local basketball, but neither can we help but also ask how it is compared to the “other” bigger collegiate leagues in Manila. Let’s face it, the UAAP and NCAA have grown by leaps and bounds through time, and we must admit that it looks like they’re leaving us behind. When you talk about college ball, the UAAP and NCAA are easily the top-of-mind answers as the most prestigious and most respected leagues in the land today.
Respect. May be we should start with that. Is the CESAFI now gaining the respect from basketball fans nationwide? Who or what is the CESAFI to a basketball fan in Manila or Davao? Let’s not even talk about Cebu basketball fans. I’m pretty sure they’re very much aware of the CESAFI as the only big Cebu-based league today. For the record, gone are the commercial leagues of the past as the “in” thing today for them is the regional league set-up.
What kind of respect would the CESAFI like to earn from the basketball family nationwide? What is the league’s score in terms of “respect”? Is the CESAFI happy with this or should it always be on a drive to become better or more respected every year? Can it match the respect that the UAAP has earned through these years? I ask these questions with the goal of having the league take a close look at the mirror and assess how far it has gone ever since its birth in 2000. And where does it want to be as it approaches its first decade and beyond?
My personal dream is that the CESAFI become the UAAP of the South with the whole of Vismin looking up to us as THE place for college ball. I’d like to see national TV coverage, tons of sponsors, wild fans, excellent PBA-potential talents and full-house crowds. But can we get there? Or maybe the question should be: Do we want to get there?
On the side, as we dwell on the topic of “respect,” I couldn’t ignore the fact that the Cebu Basketball scene has just been souped up with the appointments of four local sportsmen to various positions. BAP-SBP Executive Director Pato Gregorio has appointed Michel Lhuillier as the BAP-SBP’s Head for Visayas. Councilor (and Coach) Yayoy Alcoseba is the Head for Region 7, while sportsman Lorenzo “Chao” Sy is in charge of the Cebu province. Ramon Fernandez is in charge of the BAP-SBP National Training Center for the Visayas. While I feel there are already too many sports leaders for our small basketball family, let’s give them the benefit of the doubt with regard to their plans in developing the sport in Cebu.
And as they go on with their projects, what will the CESAFI’s role be in this crowded lot? I’d like to believe that Yayoy, Chao and El Presidente will be able to work on each his own specific programs that won’t conflict with each other. And I’m sure they’ll respect the CESAFI as the collegiate league of Cebu.
August 5, 2007
The local basketball scene couldn’t have picked a better time to wake up from a long nap with the opening of the seventh season of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation (CESAFI) yesterday.
When one talks about Cebu Basketball and its impact or contribution to the bigger picture, the CESAFI and/or the local collegiate scene will always be tops in terms of heritage, history and prominence. And no other local league, personality or establishment can claim to be bigger or richer in history.
Although the CESAFI is only seven years old, it traces its roots to the long history of the Cebu Amateur Athletic Association (CAAA) and all the collegiate leagues of the past. Through the years, many leagues have come and gone, but none has lasted as long as the local collegiate family. This link to the past makes it the longest running local league in the land today. The CESAFI and all its predecessor-leagues in the past have thus made local collegiate basketball an institution in Cebu hoops history.
As I salute the CESAFI and its member-schools for being what it is today, I would also like to throw a challenge to the league and ask it what exactly it wants to become in the future. What is the CESAFI today, and what is its vision for the future? And what is the league doing to get there?
True, the CESAFI is a pillar of local basketball, but neither can we help but also ask how it is compared to the “other” bigger collegiate leagues in Manila. Let’s face it, the UAAP and NCAA have grown by leaps and bounds through time, and we must admit that it looks like they’re leaving us behind. When you talk about college ball, the UAAP and NCAA are easily the top-of-mind answers as the most prestigious and most respected leagues in the land today.
Respect. May be we should start with that. Is the CESAFI now gaining the respect from basketball fans nationwide? Who or what is the CESAFI to a basketball fan in Manila or Davao? Let’s not even talk about Cebu basketball fans. I’m pretty sure they’re very much aware of the CESAFI as the only big Cebu-based league today. For the record, gone are the commercial leagues of the past as the “in” thing today for them is the regional league set-up.
What kind of respect would the CESAFI like to earn from the basketball family nationwide? What is the league’s score in terms of “respect”? Is the CESAFI happy with this or should it always be on a drive to become better or more respected every year? Can it match the respect that the UAAP has earned through these years? I ask these questions with the goal of having the league take a close look at the mirror and assess how far it has gone ever since its birth in 2000. And where does it want to be as it approaches its first decade and beyond?
My personal dream is that the CESAFI become the UAAP of the South with the whole of Vismin looking up to us as THE place for college ball. I’d like to see national TV coverage, tons of sponsors, wild fans, excellent PBA-potential talents and full-house crowds. But can we get there? Or maybe the question should be: Do we want to get there?
On the side, as we dwell on the topic of “respect,” I couldn’t ignore the fact that the Cebu Basketball scene has just been souped up with the appointments of four local sportsmen to various positions. BAP-SBP Executive Director Pato Gregorio has appointed Michel Lhuillier as the BAP-SBP’s Head for Visayas. Councilor (and Coach) Yayoy Alcoseba is the Head for Region 7, while sportsman Lorenzo “Chao” Sy is in charge of the Cebu province. Ramon Fernandez is in charge of the BAP-SBP National Training Center for the Visayas. While I feel there are already too many sports leaders for our small basketball family, let’s give them the benefit of the doubt with regard to their plans in developing the sport in Cebu.
And as they go on with their projects, what will the CESAFI’s role be in this crowded lot? I’d like to believe that Yayoy, Chao and El Presidente will be able to work on each his own specific programs that won’t conflict with each other. And I’m sure they’ll respect the CESAFI as the collegiate league of Cebu.
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