THE departure of the University of San Jose-Recoletos Jaguars’ most prolific point guards has left many of their faithful asking, who will man the crucial position of court general? But never fear said veteran head coach Jun Noel who is set to bring in a player Cebuano fans are quite familiar with: Roy Villarias.
With all star guard James Regalado and his chief backup Raymund Catipay no longer with the squad after exhausting their eligibility, Noel has surmised to recruit Villarias back to Cebu to inherit the point guard slot and inject some veteran leadership to the youth brigade of the Jaguars.
Villarias’ name should ring a bell amongst Cebuano basketball fans as he was one of the vital cogs that turned the Cebu Eastern College Dragons from chumps to champions back in 2010.
After suffering through an embarrassing 2009 season, CEC brought in a host of recruits led by eventual Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. juniors MVP Nikee Montalvo, Mark Olayon, BJ Zosa and Villarias who was the engine that drove the Dragons to a scintillating sweep of the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles in the finals that netted the school their first and only title in the league so far.
After his stint with CEC, Villarias was recruited to join the University of the East Red Warriors and got to play in the UAAP during the 2013 season. That however, did not last long as Villarias eventually transferred back to his hometown of
Bacolod City and joined that city’s powerhouse, the West Negros University Mustangs.
According to Noel, Villarias will be arriving next week to start practicing with the squad in time for their campaign in the 2015 Filoil Flying V Preseason Premier Cup next month.