After winning NCR UCLAA, CdSL Gritty Griffins set sights on NAASCU crown
COACH Bonnie Garcia and the rest of the Colegio de San Lorenzo Gritty Griffins had just won their first major championship in the collegiate level.
Just recently, the Gritty Griffins led by eventual Most Valuable Player Jun Gabriel, captured the championship in the NCR UCLAA men’s basketball tournament, beating De Ocampo Memorial in the finals.
For Mr. Garcia, who had a brief stint coaching the Air 21 Express in the PBA and called the shots for the Sta. Lucia Realtors in their return to the commercial level in the Pilipinas Commercial Basketball League, the victory was a tribute for the team’s non-stop training and participation in different college tournaments.
“Basketball never stops for us,” Mr. Garcia told BusinessWorld in an interview. “We’ve been training whole year round, joining different leagues and continuously trained to keep us in tiptop shape. All the hard work bore fruits after winning this tournament.”
It was a long time coming for Mr. Garcia and the Griffins, whose years of frustration dated back up to the time when brothers Yancy and Ranidel de Ocampo were still playing for the St. Francis of Assisi Doves in the NCRAA.
“We’ve always been the runner up in the NCRAA, from the time when Yancy and Ranidel were leading St. Francis,” added Mr. Garcia. “Then a few years ago, we were defeated by Coach Nomar Isla’s Emilio Aguinaldo College. Finally, we hit the jackpot here in the merger of the NCRAA-UCLAA.”
Both CdSL and De Ocampo Memorial swept their group round matches.
In the quarterfinals, De Ocampo Memorial defeated La Salle-Dasmariñas then subdued PATTS in the semis.
Colegio de San Lorenzo, on the other hand, whipped Olivares College then routed Rizal Technological University in the semis, setting the stage for a bestof- three championship series with De Ocampo Memorial.
Now that they’ve won the NCR UCLAA championship, the Griffins are setting their sights on the coming NAASCU tournament and Garcia and his troop are aching to bounce back from their miserable showing last time around.
“We want to get the title in the NAASCU tournament,” said Garcia. “After NAASCU, the UCBL because Café France is there. We’re targeting those tournaments. We’ll give the players a short break then we will join pre-season tournaments to prepare for the coming NAASCU tournament.”
CdSL is brimming with confidence, especially now that its African import, Soulemane Chabi Yo, an athletic 6-foot-5 player, will be joining the squad.
“We like our chances because we have our African import on board for NAASCU,” added Mr. Garcia. “I think he’s a player in the mold of (incoming UP Maroons player) Bright Akhuetie.”