Gary Cortes. | Photo from Sugbuanong Kodaker
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Despite their championship pedigree, the University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers are finding their bid to retain the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (Cesafi) title more challenging than anticipated.
Although the Green Lancers remain the favorites, this season has tested their resilience in unexpected ways.
UV’s once smooth campaign took a surprising turn on October 31, when they suffered a nail-biting 55-57 loss to their fierce rivals, the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters.
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This marked their first elimination-round defeat in three seasons, intensifying their storied rivalry and shedding light to the vulnerabilities that seemed unthinkable just a season ago.
For Gary Cortes, the five-time Cesafi champion coach at the helm of UV, the recent struggles reveal a deeper struggle within the team.
In an interview with CDN Digital, Cortes acknowledged that his team faces a tougher path this season, a far cry from last year’s dominant, undefeated elimination round campaign that brought UV its 15th Cesafi championship after an intense three-game finals series against UC.
“This season, the team is really struggling. Everyone needs to step up,” said Cortes.
A key factor behind UV’s challenges has been the absence of their starting center, King Orcullo, sidelined for the season due to injury.
Orcullo’s absence has decreased UV’s size in the shaded area and added pressure to UV’s core players to fill the void.
Still, Cortes remains optimistic, trusting his team’s depth and experience to prevail.
In a recent close-call victory over the Benedicto College Cheetahs (71-68), UV showed glimpses of resilience, managing to secure their No. 2 position in the standings with a 6-1 record.
However, Cortes made it clear that his focus is now on positioning for the Final Four, where a twice-to-beat advantage could prove crucial.
“With our place in the top four secured, our main concern now is positioning. Even with our previous loss, we’ve secured the No. 2 spot, giving us the twice-to-beat edge. We still have one more game against USPF,” Cortes said.
Biggest what if
Their loss to UC, however, remains a contentious topic.
Cortes believes UV’s defeat was marred by an officiating controversy after UC’s Steven Ursal scored on a put-back that many argue should have been ruled a shot-clock violation.
Ursal’s basket followed a missed shot by UC’s Luther Leonard that failed to touch the rim as the shot clock expired, casting a shadow over the result.
“That loss to UC—there’s still some pride left in us because of that crucial putback by Ursal, which should have been a shot-clock violation,” Cortes remarked.
“If that shot hadn’t counted, we could’ve had another chance, maybe forced overtime. With just a two-point lead, those extra five minutes could’ve turned the game around.”
Cortes also wants Cesafi officials to establish an “Instant Replay System” (IRS) to challenge the officials missed calls that could overturn a game’s momentum.
Rallying the team
In the wake of these challenges, Cortes expects more from his players, particularly reigning Finals MVP Kent Ivo Salarda and ace scorer Raul Gentallan, whose recent performances have, at times, lacked the intensity UV fans are accustomed to seeing.
“Yes, we’re hoping they will step up and reach their peak performance,” Cortes concluded, expressing his belief that his team will rise to the occasion as they march toward the Final Four.