AFTER pulling off one of the most improbable title victories in the PBA D-League, Café France and Centro Escolar University head coach Edgar “Egay” Macaraya praised his Cebuano players for showing tremendous composure in the face of tough odds in the Foundation Cup finals against the mighty Hapee Fresh Fighters.
Unbeknownst to young basketball fans, Macaraya is a proud alumnus of the University of San Jose-Recoletos where he suited up for the Jaguars from 1981 to 1982, winning a title along the way.
In an exclusive interview with Cebu Daily News yesterday, the dead-eye shooter who also played with former PBA greats Bong Alvarez and Eugene Quilban at San Sebastian, said the experience that his Cebuano aces got while playing in the National Athletic Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (NAASCU) paid off when it mattered most.
“My Cebuano players, they’re very experienced from winning the championship in the NAASCU. That’s why they never got rattled during the finals which was big advantage for us,” proudly shared Macaraya.
The Café France Bakers were built on the core of the CEU Pink Scorpions, the two-time NAASCU champions. Among the Scorpions that played on the Bakers squad were one-time NAASCU MVP and former University of Southern Philippines Foundation gunner Joseph Sedurifa, ex-University of Cebu big man Alfred Batino and former pro and Southwestern University standout Eliud Poligrates.
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