by rick olivares
In the 31 years of the Seaoil-Metro Manila Basketball
League, the country’s third oldest high school basketball competition, the San
Beda Red Cubs have dominated the tournament. In all previous 30 tournaments
dating back to 1983 when Benjie Paras powered the Red Cubs to the title, San Beda
has always made the semifinals cast.
When the semifinals gets going in one week’s time,
not one of the four San Beda teams competing across four divisions will be
suiting up on their home court, the venue of Seaoil-MMBL play.
The Red Cubs who recently won their fifth consecutive
NCAA Juniors title and their 21st overall was eliminated last
weekend by National University, 81-70, dropping them to 2-3. They were put on
the brink with a crushing 75-71 loss to Chiang Kai Shek in the previous week.
The loss means that they will not be able to
defending the Seaoil-National National Basketball Training Center championship
that they won last year over Hope Christian High School.
The champion of the Seaoil MMBL goes to the finals of
the Seaoil-NBTC that is a championship for the top high school programs all
over the Philippines.
Former San Beda juniors head coach and Seaoil-MMBL
Commissioner Ato Badolato attributed to other schools’ rapid improvement. “You
cannot stay on top forever,” explained Badolato. “Teams are coached much
better. Recruitment is much better. It’s also good for the league that other
schools are stepping up.”
The loss to NU also means that will be the last game
of blue chip player Arvin Tolentino in a Red Cubs jersey as he moves to Ateneo
de Manila University for college.
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