Red Lions prepare for life after imports

MANILA, Philippines — It will be the last NCAA basketball season with imports this year and defending champion San Beda is now preparing for the future. For years, the Lions benefited from the presence of dominant imports like Sam Ekwe, Ola Adeogun and Sudan Daniel. But coach Boyet Fernandez is upbeat that even without foreign reinforcements, the Mendiola squad will remain competitive.

“We’ve got 6-7 Damie Cuntapay from San Sebastian and 6-9 Kenmark Carino from Ateneo so we’re ready with our bigs,” said Fernandez, looking for a four-peat in the coming campaign which opens July 7. “After this season, we’ll lose Donald (Tankoua), Arnaud (Noah), Clint (Doliguez) and AC (Soberano) but we still have James (Kwekuteye), Calvin (Oftana), Ralph (Penuela), JB (Bahio) and Evan (Nelle) plus young guys like Peter (Alfaro), Prince (Etrata), Franz (Abuda), Alex (Visser), Resty (Fornis) and Ain (Obenza). Last year, we lost several key players, including Robert (Bolick) and Javee (Mocon). That’s why we incorporated James and Evan early so they’ll be prepared to take charge this season.”

Fernandez said it won’t be easy nailing a fourth straight NCAA crown with other teams just as determined to win. Lyceum, for instance, will be a tough challenger with coach Topex Robinson. 

Fernandez’ magic touch was evident in the way the Lions roared to a 10-0 record in the Filoil Flying V Cup that ended last Sunday. Despite losing vital cogs Bolick and Mocon, San Beda was as cohesive as ever. Doliguez, who came from Ateneo, emerged as a cornerstone of the Lions’ re-energized frontline. Fernandez has a knack for bringing out a player’s talents that were previously untapped. A perfect example is Bolick who languished on La Salle’s bench, moved to Mendiola, became an NCAA All-Star and is now a PBA super rookie with NorthPort.

“I’ve always liked Clint even when he was with Hope Christian,” said Fernandez. “We tried to bring him from Hope but couldn’t compete with other schools recruiting top high school players. Luckily, Clint ended up with us. Our approach is to give our players a free wheel for as long as they play within the system. We want our players to showcase their skills, to exhibit their talents. As a coach, it’s my job to give them the opportunity to excel. With Clint, there’s no question about his ability.”

Fernandez said coaching college players is fulfilling. “It’s different in the PBA which is more like a business because for players, it’s their living,” he explained. “They’re at the top of their game. In college, it’s not just basketball. We want our student athletes to go to class, to finish their education. College players want to learn, they accept what you teach. In the pros, players already know what to do.  It’s fulfilling for a coach to develop college players into highly-skilled professionals. It’s rewarding for me to see my players like Robert, Javee and Baser (Amer) excelling in the PBA. I’m happy doing my work at San Beda. But I leave my future up to Boss MVP (Manny V. Pangilinan). I’ll follow what he wants me to do.”

In the Filoil final last Sunday, San Beda was down by a point at the half then detonated a crippling 24-7 bomb in the third period to breeze to a 74-57 win over La Salle for the Lions’ third preseason title. “La Salle’s strength is in the backcourt with Aljun Melecio, Andrei Caracut, Joel Cagulangan, Encho Serrano, Kurt Lojera and Jordan Bartlett,” said Fernandez. “In the first half, we allowed their guards to dictate the pace which was up and down. We took forced shots, had turnovers and didn’t attack inside. So at the half, I told the guys to settle their emotions, to play our game, not theirs. We tightened our defense. We went to Donald for offense. Because we didn’t need to double the post, we stayed home on their shooters. They started to take bad shots, we were able to get long rebounds, score in transition and we took control of the game. Evan and James did a great job in the backcourt.”

With Fernandez at the helm, San Beda will always be tough to beat with or without imports.