KCS-Mandaue thrives sans support toward historic feat

CEBU, Philippines —  Theirs is an inspiring “Cinderella story” worth telling for.

From the very beginning, no one talked much about the KCS Computer Specialist-Mandaue City, moreso on their title chances.

They only drew attention when they reached the Visayas leg finals of the inaugural Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas Vismin Super Cup season where they clashed with the powerhouse MJAS Zenith-Talisay City Aquastars.

Against all odds, the Computer Specialists fought until their last breath to complete their stunning conquest of their heavily favored rivals via a lopsided 89-75 decision in the deciding match of their best-of-three finals to emerge as the first ever Visayas champions of the upstart league last Sunday night at the Alcantara Civic Center in Alcantara, Cebu.

It was KCS-Mandaue’s fifth game in six days but it seemed that the Aquastars were the ones who ran out of gas.

After surging ahead by seven points, 36-43, early in the second half, MJAS-Talisay suffered a monumental collapse in the face of an incredible 18-1 scoring splurge by KCS-Mandaue.

Overall in the third period, the Computer Specialists punished the Aquastars, 27-11, setting up the stage for a one-sided outcome where KCS led by as much as 22 points, 88-66, before cruising to a 14-point rout.

Indeed, it was a heart-rending loss for the Aquastars, who advanced to the finals outright after sealing a clean 10-0 sweep in the double round elimination that included two straight victories over their eventual tormentors.

“They (MJAS) beat us twice in the elimination round and that really motivated us to make a lot of adjustments especially on how to deal with their key players. Thankfully it worked out,” said 2019 CESAFI Most Valuable Player Shaq Imperial, whose 3-point dagger lifted KCS to a 67-66 cliffhanger in the series opener.

Aside from pocketing P500,000 cash prize, KCS-Mandaue also advanced to the Vismin Super Cup Grand Finals this August where they will take on the champion in the Mindanao leg, which will kick off on May 30.

KCS-Mandaue may have made history but unbeknownst to many, they fought a hard and lonely battle before scaling the summit of success.

Though they carry the name of Mandaue, they don’t get any support from the city they are representing.

Despite that, team owner Ricky Verdida carried on with their mission being a proud Mandauehanon.

“First thing first is the Lord who gives us strength inside the court,” said Verdida, a silent but constant supporter of Cebu basketball.

“We are nobody in this league. Even the LGU did not support us,” he added. “But I take all the risk especially on the financial aspect because unlike other teams who have 3-5 co-owners, I only have boss Renan Agudo of GDSM Marketing to support me along the way.”

Nevertheless, Verdida basked in the glow of their glorious moment with pride and joy in their hearts.

“The only thing that made us win is the discipline of players toward our coaches. They listened and absorb what our coaches told them. They followed to the letter the culture that we are trying to build that is why we play as a team. There are no superstars, everybody worked hard,” Verdida shared.

“To my team, just continue to work hard and keep the discipline that you have. Above all, always keep your heart near to the Lord our savior. To all those who have supported us, in one way or another, thank you from the bottom of our hearts,” Verdida ended.