The 7th staging of the Filoil Flying V Premier Cup will have a new participant this year, as Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. champions Southwestern University will be joining the tournament as a guest team alongside the NCAA and UAAP teams that normally participate in this competition.
The Cobras made it to the Final Four of the Philippine Collegiate Champions League late last year, thanks mainly to the efforts of Ben Mbala. With the 6'7" center from Cameroon transferring to La Salle during the break, it is up to the 6'10" Siewe Armel to fill in those big shoes.
In addition to a new entrant in SWU, the cyclical nature of collegiate basketball ensures that new faces are produced yearly, who are tasked to replace the graduating players from the previous season. The Premier Cup was established to be a testbed for the different NCAA and UAAP schools to allow these new faces to jell before said leagues start their respective seasons.
These new faces include JJ Alejandro and Alfred Arogo for the reigning Premier Cup champions, National University, Kib Montalbo for La Salle, Joseph "Tata" Marata for the University of the Philippines, Rey Nambatac of Letran, Axel Iñigo of Adamson and Christopher Newsome for Ateneo.
For some schools like Far Eastern University and Letran, it is an opportunity for fans to get to see their new coaches at work, with Nash Racela and Caloy Garcia taking the reins of the Tamaraws and the Knights, respectively. In Caloy's case, it'll be familiar waters, as he previously held the reins for College of Saint Benilde during the mid-00s.
This will also be the scenario for the reigning champions of their respective leagues, as both Ateneo and San Beda will have new tacticians taking over the incumbent dynasties. Bo Perasol will have the unenviable task of replacing Norman Black at Loyola Heights, while Boyet Fernandez seeks to continue what Ronnie Magsanoc was able to accomplish in the lone year that he had at Mendiola.
On the other hand, making his return to San Sebastian is Topex Robinson, who left the program abruptly during the 88th season of the NCAA due to some issues with team management.
The 18 teams are divided into two groups, with Bracket A containing San Beda, University of Perpetual Help-Dalta System, National University, Far Eastern University, University of the Philippines, Arellano, College of Saint Benilde, Jose Rizal University, and Adamson. Bracket B, on the other hand, will have Ateneo de Manila, La Salle, University of Santo Tomas, University of the East, San Sebastian College-Recoletos, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Lyceum, Emilio Aguinaldo College, and Southwestern University.
The tournament is set to begin on April 13 at the Filoil Flying Arena in San Juan, with the quarterfinals to take place on June 3 and the finals on June 12.
No comments:
Post a Comment