Eagles start hunt; Lyceum tests mettle

MANILA, Philippines - To say that Ateneo will be one of the teams to beat in the 2011 Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Cup is at best, an understatement.

This is because the Blue Eagles, UAAP’s three-time champions, have practically retained their core from last season, except for Eric Salamat and Jason Escueta, who will graduate this March. 

That’s scary. But it just got scarier.

By now, every basketball fanatic knows that Kiefer Ravena, perhaps the most-sought rookie among his batch, has joined the Eagles’ lair. 

Ravena, son of former PBA superstar Bong Ravena, has built his credentials as a Blue Eaglet, leading the team to two championships. He also emerged as one of the key players of the RP 18-under squad under its former coach Eric Altamirano.

“Of course Kiefer will be a big part of our line-up this year. We’re lucky that he stayed in Ateneo and I’m looking forward to coaching him since we need a guy like him with the departure of Eric Salamat. He’ll definitely be a big asset to the team,” said Ateneo coach Norman Black, who also has three other talented rookies on his roster, namely Gwynne Capacio, Mark Tallo and 6-9 Greg Slaughter.

For the past four seasons, the Filoil Flying V tournament has emerged as the pre-season event for college basketball, with practically all teams from the UAAP and the NCAA joining the fray. Last year, it guested the RP Youth Under 18-squad, which made head turns by shocking a few established teams.

This year, the 2011 Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Premier Cup, presented by Mighty Bond, continues that tradition by inviting Lyceum of the Philippines University as its lone guest squad.

“We may have the weakest team on paper, but we’ll definitely try our best every game,” said Lyceum Pirates coach Boni Tan.

The Pirates became the first college team to be invited in the tourney by virtue of their impressive performances in the Philippine Collegiate Champions League, where they become the only non-NCAA and non-UAAP team to advance to the Sweet 16 for three consecutive seasons (2008-2010)

The feat earned for the Pirates the Grinder Award, in recognition of their never-say-die attitude.