UC Webmasters head coach Atty. Kern Sesante (in blue shirt) talks to his player during one of their Cesafi games. | Photo from the UC Webmasters Facebook page.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters gun for their first-ever 7-0 start in Cesafi men’s basketball on Saturday against the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors at the Cebu Coliseum.
If the Webmasters beat the Warriors tomorrow, it will be a team milestone since joining Cebu’s premier inter-school basketball league.
Even UC’s head coach, Atty. Kern Sesante is quite surprised by his team’s unprecedented early success.
“All I can say is I’m surprised that we have a great 6-0 start. It’s because we really didn’t think about this achievement even at the onset of the season. I just told my players that our goal is to take one game at a time,” Sesante told CDN Digital.
“I also told the guys that we mustn’t be contented with our great start because the most important goal is how we finish the season. Also, I always reminded my players to remain focused and hungry to win. I want them to stay humble.”
Last season, the Webmasters finished as runners-up in the men’s basketball after forcing eventual champions, the University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers into a rubber match of their three-game finals series.
READ: Webmasters win by 74 points vs Wildcats in Cesafi college hoop wars
Before that, they started the season with a 3-4 (win-loss) slate and lost their opening game against the University of Southern Philippines-Foundation (USP-F) Panthers.
The Webmasters-Warriors duel tomorrow is slated at 3:30 p.m.
Sesante added that the major changes they did with the team this season were ball movement and rebounding.
Also, Sesante added that everyone in his team contributed to their 6-0 start and admitted that he could not point to a single player who stood out from the rest.
“I cannot single out any player because I believe that it is the team as a whole who has matured a bit. Really, it is difficult for me to identify a single player because I believe everybody has contributed and done their part. If you observed in the 6 games that we played, we almost had different players named player of the game with only Leonard being named twice,” Sesante explained.
They earned their sixth straight win by manhandling the Southwestern University (SWU)-Phinma Cobras, 73-57, last October 30.
Despite all their early success, Sesante made it clear that his team also needs to improve on certain aspects of their game like minimizing turnovers by passing the ball more accurately, minimizing unnecessary dribbles, and taking care of the ball consistently.
READ: Cesafi: Webmasters continues dominance, routs UP-Cebu
Also playing tomorrow are the Felipe R. Verallo Foundation College Dragons versus the Benedicto College Cheetahs at 5:00 p.m.
In the high school division, the USC Baby Warriors take on the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) Wildkittens at 12:30 p.m.
In the other high school game, the USP-F Baby Panthers square off with the City of Bogo Science and Arts Academy (CBSAA) Trailblazers at 2:00 p.m.
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