Baby Tamaraws fancied to add PSSBC cage title

MANILA, Philippines - Newly crowned UAAP juniors champion Far Eastern University shifts its sights on the Philippine Secondary Schools Basketball Championship (PSSBC), raring to snare the inaugural crown and cap a successful season.

Behind MVP winner Jerie Pingoy and Roger Domingo, the Baby Tamaraws wore down the National University Bullpups, 113-109, in triple overtime to end a 25-year title drought in the UAAP.

The Baby Tams also won the Fil-Chinese Basketball League early this year.

Pingoy is being billed as the next Johnny Abarrientos for his spectacular moves, awesome touch and court leadership, making him as one of the most-sought after collegiate rookies.

But before suiting up for the FEU Tamaraws or any other school next year, Pingoy is out to deliver another victory for FEU in the PSSBC which features the best teams in Metro Manila, including those from the UAAP, the NCAA and Metro Manila Tiong Lian Basketball Association (MMTLBA).

The Baby Tams will be up against NCAA’s San Beda College and San Sebastian College and multi-titled Chiang Kai Shek College and Xavier School from Tiong Lian.

Also invited to the tournament sponsored by Jumbo Plastic Linoleum, Wrangler, Dickies Underwear, MEC Networks,  Ironcon Builders, Blackwater Sports, Hapee Toothpaste, and Welcoat House Paints are many-time UAAP champion Ateneo, University of Santo Tomas, Letran,  Hope Christian High School and La Salle Greenhills.

The tournament kicks off Oct. 27 at The Arena in San Juan.

Aside from Pingoy and Finals MVP Domingo, FEU coach Mike Oliver also hopes to draw the best from Joshua Aguilon, Jeson Delfinado and JJ Domingo.

Meantime, league chairman Dr. Cecilio Pedro maintained that the prize money – P30,000 plus trophy and gift checks from Wrangler – won’t be the driving force for the players to excel, saying: “We’re staging this tournament to give the opportunity for the best high school players to compete. We’ll do it first inMetro Manila. Hopefully, we can do it nationwide.”

Meantime, league vice chairman Dioceldo Sy thanked Wrangler’s Edward Tio for initiating the tournament during the league’s formal launching.