CEBU, Philippines — Since he took the coaching reins of the University of the Visayas (UV) basketball three years ago, Gary Cortes absolutely performed beyond expectations when he piloted the Green Lancers to four straight finals appearances.
He faltered in his first shot at the championship but bounced back in style, towing the Lancers to grandslam glory.
Interestingly, the Lancers upstaged different rivals in dominating the league for three consecutive years.
They dethroned the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors in 2016, downed the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters last season, then outlasted the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars three nights ago to complete a rare three-peat.
Cortes, himself a champion Lancer during his prime, said never in his wildest dreams that he would be able to pull off such monumental feat in just his fourth year as coach of the winningest collegiate ballclub in this side of the archipelago.
“Playing four championships in four years with a grandslam finish is an awesome experience. Even in my wildest dreams, it never came into my mind that I would become a coach. It just came accidentally,” said Cortes.
What makes their triumph sweeter and extra special is that they had been through a lot of trials and tribulations before scaling the summit of success.
Even before the season started, the Lancers lost top playmaker Sheldon Gahi due to a fractured foot.
Compounding their woes, back-to-back setbacks greeted the Lancers in the first round of elimination where they finished with a dismal 3-3 record, their worst ever since the league’s inception in 2000.
The Lancers, however, came back to life on the way to scoring a clean 6-0 sweep in the second round and in the process emerge as the No.2 qualifier that earned them a twice-to-beat advantage over the Webmasters in the crossover semifinals.
After finishing off the Webmasters, the Lancers have to deal with one last obstacle in their road to grandslam glory, the USJ-R Jaguars.
They drew first blood in the opener of the best-of-three finals series, but the Jaguars roared back with savvy in Game 2 to forge a rubbermatch.
In the deciding Game 3 last Monday night, the Lancers quelled a spirited endgame resistance by the Jaguars, then turned to the hot hands of Jafet Claridad whose two consecutive 3-point bombs vaulted them to a series-clinching 74-61 victory.
“I’m just glad I have these guys with me. We struggled from the start, got the momentum slowly, and then finished strong,” said Cortes. “We made it this season with our faith, determination and cooperation, and the players are true to their commitment towards the organization.”