Games today:
Cebu City Sports Institute
5:30 p.m.
Malaysia vs UC
7 p.m.
Mapua vs USC
In spite of their glaring lack of height, the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters hope to display a fighting heart unlike any other when they take on Malaysia’s national basketball team at the start of the 2015 Cebu City Mayor’s Invitational Basketball Cup today at the Cebu City Sports Institute in barangay San Nicolas.
Nearly half a decade removed from their last championship in 2011, the Webmasters are steadily making progress in their rebuilding process with Atty. Baldomero Estenzo at the helm alongside Jover Samonte.
In fact, not even the loss of top scorer Jan Auditor in the off-season has dampened the Webmasters’ drive towards respectability, said Samonte.
“The team is slowly building its chemistry together. They’ve been playing well in several preseason games against the University of San Carlos and other commercial teams. We still have a long way to go but with the guidance of Atty. (Baldomero) Estenzo, I think we’re going to shock some teams in the Cesafi,” said Samonte.
The Webmasters are coming off an 87-90 loss to the Cesafi runners-up, USC Warriors in an exhibition game last Wednesday night in Balamban. It was a defeat that felt like a victory for the youngsters of UC, who have embraced the philosophy of Estenzo who believes that the lessons that are being taught today go well beyond the confines of the basketball court.
“This isn’t just about basketball anymore. We want to teach these kids values and virtues that they can use long after their basketball careers,” said Estenzo.
Today, they face off against a Malaysian squad that boasts of five players standing 6’4” and above. In contrast, UC’s tallest player Garciano Puerto stands at a mere 6’3”. Still, Samonte reported that his wards are up to the challenge ahead.
“The boys are excited. It’s not everyday that they’re going to get the chance to play a foreign team,” he said.
Tournament organizer and Cebu City Sports Commissioner Lorenzo “Chao” Sy promised Cebu’s rabid basketball fans a show especially with Malaysia looking to establish itself as a contender in Southeast Asia. They recently finished second in the Southeast Asian Basketball Association Championships, which garnered them a place in the Fiba Asia Championship in China later this year.
“This is their national team and not their youth team,” said Sy, a longtime sports patron of the city.
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