USC faces USJ-R in Cesafi season opener
THE much-awaited opening of the Cebu collegiate athletic wars takes place today with the centerpiece event taking off with two games at the Cebu Coliseum.
Bringing their skills in the season opening games are the University of San Carlos and University of San Jose-Recoletos teams, which will follow the announcement of this year’s Miss Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi).
The season will start with the parade of athletes at 1 p.m. and will be followed by a mass celebrated by Fr. Manuel Uy, SJ, of Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu.
Cesafi 2012-2013 school year president Rev. Fr. Enrico Peter Silab, OAR, of the USJ-R will give his message before he will formally open the season.
Aside from the oath of sports- manship and the ceremonial hand shake of all the athletes and officials, they will also have a Palabas from the member-schools that will showcase Cebuano dances.
The opening match between the Baby Warriors and the Baby Jaguars will start at 4 p.m. while the main game between the Warriors and the Jaguars will be held at 6 p.m.
However, aside from the start of the basketball tournament, Cesafi will also open the door for the other events.
Although the other events games will officially start on Aug. 18, five players from each event will join their schools’ basketball teams during the parade of teams while the rest and their coaches will be sitting at their designated areas in the upper and lower box seats inside the venue.
“This season means another good year of athletic competition and everybody is looking up to the basketball tournament because of the four foreign players that we have now. This would be the most exciting Cesafi season,” said Cesafi Commissioner Felix Tiukinhoy.
Last year’s runner-up Southwestern University Cobras has two – Cameroonian centers Justine Aboude and Benoit Mbala. Nine-time champion University of the Visayas Green Lancers has Steve Cedrick Akomo and USC has Fil-Chinese guard Stephen Que.
All eyes will be on the Warriors who will be coached by a legendary alumnus, Julian Macoy, whose scoring record of 126 points is yet to be broken.
The Warriors, however, will parade a smaller but fast line-up against a taller and equally fast Jaguars.
Only Dominic Adlawan, Jabby Bautista, June Michael Cantonao, Mel Steven Duran, Nilton John Otida, Chino Uy and Nico Magat remain of last year’s third-placing squad while the rest of the 14man team are new players.
In contrast, Jaguars coach Edito Salacut still has Renato Abing, Benjamin John Capilar, Kyle Anthony Lajato, Medjet de la Rama, Kyle Medalle, Jason Olbedado, James Earl Reagalado, Abulaiz Suliman, Ralph Christian Senining and Jose Miguel Tabaloc in his line-up.
All teams will play a single round robin elimination round. The top team after the elimination will get an automatic slot to the semifinals while the other will go through the playoffs to fight for the three remaining slots.