Stags to rely on experience

SAN Beda College, unbeaten in 16 games going into Wednesday’s finals, is a formidable opponent with its size and depth.

But San Sebastian College hopes to neutralize the Red Lions’ advantages with the most reliable weapon they have on their arsenal—their championship experience—when they clash at the start of the men’s basketball finals tomorrow in the 86th National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball tournament at the Big Dome.

“It’s going to be really difficult playing San Beda because they’re not only big, they have a deep bench,” said Agustin, who is hoping to steer the Recto-based dribblers to their 13th title before he assumes the head coaching job at San Miguel Beer in the Philippine Basketball Association.

“The only way we can win this series is to play with a lot of heart and maybe get something out of our experience in last year’s championship,” Agustin added.

The Stags need a lot of catching up to do if they hope to stop the Lions’ rampage. They need to win thrice in a row to annex a second straight title—and their 13th overall—since the Lions already have a 1-0 edge after sweeping the double-round, 16-game eliminations.

The Lions need only to win twice to clinch their 15th title and move a crown short of matching Letran’s record of 16 crowns.

Calvin Abueva, a strong contender for the Most Valuable Player award, is expected to carry most of the load for San Sebastian.

Abueva leads the league under the boards with an average of 12.6 rebounds, while also scoring 16.3 points a game. He also normed 1.6 assists, a steal and a block a game.

The energetic Abueva is contesting the MVP plum against San Beda’s American center Sudan Daniel, who is best in blocked shots with 4.4, while averaging a second-best 11.4 boards and 10.9 points.

“Calvin is Calvin, he always plays hard,” said Agustin.

The Stags also need to get big numbers from John Raymundom, Ian Sangalang and Ronald Pascual,.

Raymundo, on his fifth and last season, poured in 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter to power the Stags to a 61-52 win over the Jose Rizal University Bombers in the final playoff game of the stepladder phase to catch the last finals bus.

The 6’6” Sangalang, who has struggled early in the season because of injuries, had 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Pascual, who was sidelined for five straight games, added eight points and should be in full form in Game 1.

Manila Standard Today