Go for Gold-Benilde sees rough sailing in D-League title defense

MANILA, Philippines — Go for Gold-College of Saint Benilde braces for a tough road ahead as it kicks off its bid for a second straight title in the PBA D-League beginning Thursday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.

The Scratchers will be ranged against 19 other squads as they look to hold on to the crown which they snared after besting only five other teams in the Foundation Cup last year.

“It will be a tough climb for us to win the championship again,” said Go for Gold coach Charles Tiu.

Injuries troubled the Scratchers in their preparation but Tiu remained optimistic about their campaign as they will be fielding in an intact roster built on the core of the Saint Benilde Blazers headed by Justin Gutang.

Fil-Am Roosevelt Adams will also bolster the squad.

“We ve been getting injured a lot, players are getting sick and it hurt our preparation,” said Tiu. 

“The fact that we have a whole team intact, I think malaking bagay ‘yun. We’re looking at this as a stepping stone for the NCAA.”

Go for Gold will test its mettle against the Thirdy Ravena-led Cignal-Ateneo on opening day at 2 p.m.

“I know a lot of teams are counting us out and don’t even expect us to be playoff contenders, but we’re gonna do our best,” said Tiu.