Filoil Flying V Premier Cup tips off April 18

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Filoil Flying V Premier Cup tips off April 18

by rick olivares

The ninth edition of the Filoil Flying V Pre-season Premier Cup tips off on April 18, 2015 at the San Juan Arena.

Eighteen college teams from the Metro Manila-based NCAA, UAAP, and NAASCU as well as from CESAFI will participate in the eagerly awaited summer basketball tournament that is seen as a preview to each team’s respective league. For many, it also provides as first look at the incoming rookies and transferees.

De La Salle University will be defending their title against revamped squads from San Beda, National University, and Adamson to name a few. Squads like Far Eastern University and the University of the East will retain a seasoned veteran core.

La Salle will parade rookies Andrei Caracut from San Beda and Jolo Go from Hope Christian High School.

San Beda will have a pair of transferees in Andre Paras who last suited up for UP and Josh Reyes, the former Ateneo Blue Eaglet. Should Kenneth Alas no move up from the Juniors ranks, this will be the first time since 2002 Red Cubs batch of Ford Arao, JVee Casio, and Yuri Escueta that no Red Cub will become a Red Lion.

The UE Red Warriors, with a full year under second year coach Derrick Pumaren, tabbed two former Chiang Kai Shek College Blue Dragons in point guard Fran Yu and forward Shannon Gagate.

The CEU Scorpions waylaid many a team en route to a third place finish that they parlayed into a successful title defense in NAASCU are back.

Making their Filoil debut are the University of San Jose-Recoletos Jaguars out of CESAFI. They will be joining Southwestern University that will be making its third appearance in the league. Last year, the University of Visayas and University of San Carlos participated in the tournament alongside Holy Trinity College of General Santos City.

Bracketed in Group A are Adamson, Emilio Aguinaldo College, FEU, Jose Rizal University, Letran, NU, University of Perpetual Help, College of St. Benilde, and USJ-R.

In Group B, touted as the Group of Death, lined up are CEU, DLSU, Mapua, Lyceum, San Beda, UE, University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas, and SWU.

Ten squads will be competing in the Juniors Division including recently crowned UAAP champions Ateneo Blue Eaglets and NCAA six-peat squad San Beda Red Cubs. Other teams include De La Salle Zobel, JRU, Letran, Adamson, FEU, La Salle Greenhills, Mapua, and NU.