The NCAA: a Knights tale?

The 80th season of the National Collegiate Athletic Association opens today at the Araneta Coliseum, with veteran director Bert de Leon given the big job of directing an opening spectacle with only Michelle Bayle and the schools’ stars as his talents. But the big question will really be if anyone has the chutzpah to unseat the still-underrated Letran Knights. This year’s theme is "Mighty at 80," a fitting scenario for the father of all basketball leagues in the Philippines. Long-time observers feel that this may be the year the league jumps in prestige, credibility and parity what with six of the eight coaches carrying PBA experience.

Last season, Louie Alas guided Colegio de San Juan de Letran to the title, even though they had not made the Final Four the previous three years. With only 6-4 centers to contend with the league’s giants, Alas leaned heavily on the devil-may-care shooting of Ronjay Enrile to bail them out repeatedly. This season, their team is virtually intact, with a season in the PBL as added muscle.

"Ateneo played in the PBL and won a championship. FEU played in the PBL and won a championship. The experience cannot be measured, and now, we’re also a target," Alas told The STAR.

Runner-up San Sebastian Stags are virtually in the same boat, except that Turo Valenzona’s boys did not play in the PBL as a unit. Aside from MVP Leo Najorda, the two wild cards would be point guard Mike Gonzales and center Pep Moore. Gonzales will be the lead point guard for the first time, and the question of pressure in winning the school’s 12th title has been raised. Moore, meanwhile, disappeared during last year’s finals, and they hope a season in the PBL will have solved those big-game problems.

Every year, it seems that Jose Rizal University is not given much of a chance to win. But for five years running, they’ve made the Final Four. With new coach Cris Calilan in lieu of Boy de Vera, they have someone with pro coaching experience. The core of Wynsjohn Te, Ken Coyiukang Marco Fajardo, MacDonald Santos are strong enough to compete with any, but the question will be how much control they can maintain in pressure situations. Also, they have a tendency to get into foul trouble, something they cannot afford against the more experienced teams. But, given an open-court game, the Heavy Bombers live up to their moniker.

The Mapua Cardinals will be the riddle of the NCAA. They’ve always had the talent, size and depth to compete, but seem erratic in stretches. Despite their massive frontline, they finished with a 7-7 record, though they still cracked the Final Four. With 10 second-year players in this year’s line-up, they lack the veteran leadership that will keep them in tight games. And with the transfer of big man Nat Cruz to the UAAP, the younger players will really have to play beyond their years. The good news for the College of St. Benilde is that they won six of their last seven games. The bad news is that they went blank in the first round. With Mythical team members Al Magpayo and Ron Capati gone, Tonichi Yturri is going to need to squeeze as much as he can from the veterans like Vewman Reyes and Paolo Orbeta, and a platoon of sophomores, not to mention rookie Edgar Tanuan, son of the last PBA and MBA veteran Jack. This is a team that go down fighting, but they may take a few other teams down with them.

The Philippine Christian University Dolphins were the bad boys of the NCAA. They had the muscle and toughness to challenge anybody. With Loreto Tolentino taking over from Jimmy Mariano, they hope to have the discipline to win close games, as well. Though they aren’t as big as in past seasons, the Dolphins have always battled to the last. If they win a few games early, they could conceivably crack the Final Four.

The San Beda Red Lions are the sleeping giants of the league, or so they say. At the end of the first round in 2003, the three front-runners for MVP were all Red Lions. In the second round, they dropped like a rock, and fell from contention altogether. New coach Nash Racela carries with him a winning tradition from the MBA’s Batangas Blades and the PBA’s Coca-Cola Tigers. And this is the last season of do-it-all forward Arjun Cordero. The only setback is the fractured hand to big man Jerome Paterno, who will be out for at least three games. But, when healthy, they are a powerhouse combination with a lot of weapons.

Lastly, host University of Perpetual Help Dalta System’s Altas have a lean team that provides a good mix of talent and experience. Big man Robert Barnson Vladimir Joe showed a lot of spunk last year, and coach Bai Cristobal has had more time to prepare for this season. The question mark for the Altas will be the consistency of the guard rotation, which can be spectacular one day and mediocre the next. Cristobal runs a tight ship, and they were considered legitimate contenders last year. They still are this season.

This year’s NCAA should prove to be very exciting, if for the simple fact that the schools are throwing all their weight behind the competition. The teams are colorful, deep in experience, and more than anything, fiery. It should be a blast.

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Catch this week’s episode of The Basketball Show on ABC 5 at 3 p.m.