Battle of the Giants

UV, UC, Slaughter, Fajardo, Cabahug/Solis, Gomez. Put all these names together and what do you have? Cebu’s deadliest concoction in basketball. If this were a cocktail drink, you’d be drunk after only one shot. It’s the CESAFI 2009 finals and nothing can get any better for the CESAFI this year after a “rough” season both on and off the court. Although the 2009 season will be remembered for isolated problems off the court, it should also be remembered for the battle of the giants. And we’re not talking only about the Slaughter-Fajardo showdown.

For starters, we have to give credit to both UV and UC for establishing basketball programs that other schools could only drool at. There’s a lot of talk about the Slaughter-Fajardo battle, but already being established behind the scenes and even bigger from a total view is the battle between the two biggest school-based programs outside Metro Manila. The finals is also going to be a reflection of the successful programs of both powerhouses whose domination is expected to last for a long time. On one side is the tradition of basketball excellence started by the Gullas family in UV. It has produced numerous championships and players through history and is determined to maintain its perch. Winning eight straight CESAFI championships is no big joke, and winning a ninth is definitely a realistic goal. UC, on the other hand, is slowly but surely getting more recognized for crafting its basketball program. With the support of UC President Atty. Augusto “Gus” Go, UC basketball program manager Atty. Baldomero Estenzo has launched a comprehensive program never seen in UC before. If there’s a team that should be considered as a real threat to UV’s dominance, UC would be it. After all, didn’t it give UV its first taste of defeat in the CESAFI, doing this on UV’s home court?

Programs will have its managers and also its good coaches. Without them, a team will never win games consistently. UV has the tag team of Boy Cabahug and Al Solis. Called to action after UV slipped in performance in the late 90s, the two ex-Lancers stepped up to take the task with a determined will to bring UV back to the top. BoyCabs and Solis have become an inseparable pair since the start of the decade and the fruits of their efforts are clear for all to see. Nine straight CESAFI titles and a two Final Four finishes in the Champions’ League is already a benchmark for any collegiate team today with no other team being able to match it. The tough part for the pair is how they’re questioned if UV loses even only once. They’ve raised the bar too “high” for themselves that any mistake or UV loss is seen as a big thing. Let’s give credit where it’s due. For the record, they’re still the eight-time defending champs and haven’t been toppled (yet). Roehl Gomez is another alumnus who’s giving back to his alma mater. Known as a role player in his PBA days with Alaska, Gomez’s is no longer a role player but THE leader of the UC basketball team. Although he hasn’t had as much success as his other colleagues, he has done a good job of squeezing the best out of his team, much in the same that role players deliver when their number is called. Now that the UC program has made inroads in recruitment and over-all management support, Gomez has led UC to the finals and now has the task to dislodge UV from its eight-year old throne.

And then you have Greg Slaughter and Junemar Fajardo. They’re two tallest college players in the country and are expected to lead their respective teams to a championship. One is a Fil-am while the other is a pure Pinoy. Both were recruited to their teams with tons of upside and a bright future up ahead. In terms of achievements, Slaughter has been on course, having been part of two CESAFI championship teams. Fajardo, the more agile and athletic of the two, is still without a CESAFI title, with many people saying that he’s already ripe to win it all this year. Both have also been tapped to join the Philippine-Smart Gilas national team that was set up by the SBP. Slaughter is already on board and will join the team after the CESAFI season, while it is reported that Fajardo is still being wooed by the SBP. No confirmation has been given by the UC management if Fajardo is indeed set to join the team being prepared for the country’s bid to make it to the Olympics. Each of their battles is always a classic, with Slaughter using his height and heft to score down low, while Fajardo mixes it up with medium range jumpers, putbacks from offensive rebounds and running jumpers.

With all these giants also come the little giants who will be called upon to support their team leaders. On paper, Slaughter’s support crew is a bit deeper than that of UC, but Gomez, being the role player that he is, has an uncanny way of bringing the best out his crew. UV’s backcourt is solid. Chris Diputado, Ritchum Dennison, Phil Mercader and Harold Cincoflores have been a consistent crew who can step up and take over even without a Slaughter on board. UC’s reply is in through Moncrief Rogado, Janssen Abella and Kelvin Juliane. The three have proven that if and when Fajardo has to sit in the bench due to foul trouble or an injury, they can easily fill in the vacuum through the outside shooting of Fajardo and Abella and the wily playmaking of Juliane. It’s just about even across the line-up with a slight edge for UV with their frontcourt that includes Edrian Lao and Mark Manigque. The biggest edge that UV is enjoying is its eight years of championship experience

So far, UV is up 1-0, but it’s a best-of-five affair and anything can still happen. But one thing’s for sure. It’s a battle of the giants.

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Time-out: Happy birthday to my sister, Dra. Naomi Navarro Poca! >>> You can reach me at [email protected]