As if Cebu has not already entrenched itself as the country’s hoops hotbed, this past year gave many more reasons that further emboldened the city’s reputation.
Without a shadow of a doubt though, at the top of the list is the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors’ glorious run to the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) that put an end to their 57-year title drought.
After a forgettable run of both mediocrity and heartbreak since the league’s inception in 2001, the Warriors finally broke through to claim their very first championship in over half a century, taking down powerhouse University of the Visayas (UV) in what was a thrilling five-game finale that saw the Warriors ride the broad shoulders of Cameroonian powerhouse Shooster Olago all the way to the promised land.
With the series tied at 2-2, USC trailed by as much as 12 in the deciding Game 5 before Olago, Kiefer Lim, Mythical Five forward and skipper Nico Magat came alive in the fourth period to finally put away the plucky Green Lancers – who were led by Finals revelation Jun Manzo – and emerge victorious, 64-53. Olago also brought home some more hardware as he was eventually named league MVP.
USC capped off their triumphant year by placing second in the annual Philippine Collegiate Champions League after they were bested by the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, 82-77, in the tournament’s co-championship game.
Several Cesafi products also proved their mettle under the brightest of spotlights as Letran’s Jomari Sollano and FEU’s Roger Ray Pogoy buoyed their respective squads to the crowns in the NCAA and UAAP, respectively.
Sollano, a former ace of the University of Southern Philippines Foundation, canned the baseline jumper with just seconds remaining in overtime that lifted the Knights past the vaunted San Beda Red Lions in Game 3 of the pulse-pounding NCAA Finals. The 6-foot-4 Sollano also added a free-throw to finish the match with 19 points.
Meanwhile, Pogoy, a proud son of Talisay City, hit several killer shots down the stretch to lead the Tamaraws past the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, 67-62, in Game 3 of the UAAP Finals. Down six in the fourth period of a game they once led by 10, Pogoy saved the day as he came up with the biggest play of his storied collegiate career – a three-pointer over the outstretched arms of Kevin Ferrer – to put FEU in the driver’s seat for good en route to capturing their first UAAP crown in 10 years.
Several Cebuanos also made their mark in the professional ranks with Sonny Thoss, Terrence Romeo and the ageless Dondon Hontiveros getting selected to don the country’s colors for the Gilas Pilipinas squad that finished second in the 2015 Fiba Asia Men’s Championship that was held in China.
Former University of Cebu behemoth and current San Miguel Beermen pivot June Mar Fajardo won his second Most Valuable Player award, further validating his reputation as the future of Philippine basketball.
Ex-University of the Visayas ace Greg Slaughter also capped his dominant 2015 season by being named to the league’s First Mythical Team.