SHS-Ateneo de Cebu trio to fly with Blue Eagles in UAAP

CEBU, Philippines — The Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu trio of Jelomar Rota, Alden Cainglet, and Lars Fjellvang will embark on a new chapter of their budding careers after they officially committed to play for the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles in the next UAAP cage wars.

Rota, Cainglet and Fjellvang are part of the Magis Eagles that won a historic four-peat in the recently concluded Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) Season 24 basketball tournament.

They played a key role when the Magis Eagles swept the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Baby Jaguars in their best-of-three finals to become the first high school team to grab four consecutive crowns in the CESAFI.

With that, the Magis Eagles also claimed the record as the winningest juniors squad in the league’s 24-year history with eight championship trophies since their breakthrough success in 2012.

“It’s an honor for me and my family to be given the chance to play for Ateneo in the UAAP,” said Rota, a promising 6-foot-6 forward who gained valuable experience at the 2023 NBA Basketball Without Borders Asia camp. “I never imagined that an island boy from Bantayan would be able to reach this far. What was once a dream has now become a reality.”

The 6-foot-7 Fjellvang looks forward to playing under the guidance of coach Tab Baldwin with zest and enthusiasm.

“I’m thrilled to join the Ateneo Blue Eagles for my college journey,” said the Filipino-Norwegian big man. “It’s been my dream to play in the UAAP, especially under Coach Tab.”

Cainglet is similarly ecstatic.

“Playing in the UAAP has been my dream since I started playing basketball, and I’m very excited for this new journey, especially since I’ll be part of the Ateneo Blue Eagles,” said the 6-foot-3 team captain of the Magis Eagjes. — (FREEMAN)