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Cresta Verde Mountaineers Filipino-style basketball defeats USA BASKETBALL 104-84

USA Arena, Philippines -- With the allstar break looming and both teams are looking to advance in the National Tournament, there is no rest between the two. USA BASKETBALL put a tough act as they open the first quarter leading 28-23.

However, they were stomped in the second quarter as the Mountaineers charged 29-10 to end the half leading 14, 52-38. The Mountaineers continued in the third as they scored 27 compared to USAs 20 leading 21 by then 79-58.

The starters did not play in the fourth led by Benigno Besa's 23 points and 27 rebounds. Frontmate Rhyan Tersol had 12 points and 21 rebounds to compliment him.

From then, Fillmore Sabangan came off the bench scoring 24 points to lead the Mountaineers to a 104-84 victory over USA BASKETBALL.

"Great win! Our team is clicking and their chemistry is working!" GM Nicolo Maro exclaimed.

Uzi Alfasi fired 25 points for USA while Itzik Schum and David Brown chipped in 24 and 23 points respectively. Despite their bad shape, it is very much evident that these guys are 'gunners' as they scored 72 of their 84 points!

The Mountaineers dominated the boards with Besa and Tersol having 20+ rebounds each with 71 compared to USAs 38; same with assists as they passed the ball more with 15 compared to 5 while protecting the rim with 7 blocks compared to none.

The Mountaineers[35] will face Rim Crashers[179] in the National Tournament while USA Basketball[45] will go against EL DE BANYO[182].

Player of the game: B. Besa - 23 points and 27 rebounds.
X-factor: R. Tersol - 12 points and 21 rebounds.
Best player on the losing team: I. Schum - 24 points and 9 rebounds.

Notes:
Benigno Besa gave his all and thought it was enough to secure an allstar spot. However, the Mountaineers felt slighted as he was last in the voting having 13,321 when the results came in after the game.

Despite averaging 19 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal and a block in 39 minutes on 51% shooting, he played 3 fewer league games that may have been a factor in his selection.

Besa was unavailable for comment but he vowed to 'destroy' the league in the coming games. Such strong words from him but with no representative, the Mountaineers will just play each game as if its their last.

Cresta Verde Mountaineers weekly recap: eliminated by Marine Admirals in NT.
Vulcan Arena, Quezon City.


Rim Crashers at Cresta Verde Mountaineers, 87-150.
The Mountaineers started the week right by trashing division III Rim Crashers as they ultimately trashed their National Tournament opponent 150-87 towards a 63-point lead.

Both teams were even in the first quarter as they scored 23-apiece before the Mountaineers scored a whooping 48* points compared to Crashers 18 in the second quarter.

The Mountaineers dominated in every aspect led by Teodosio Amante with 46 points, 14 assists and 7 rebounds with no turnovers. Santos Verano anchored the defense with 26 points, 18 rebounds and 6 blocks. Tomas Lacave led the Crashers with 35 points.

Mountaineers eliminated by Admirals 107-102 in National Tournament thriller!
It was the closest game in the 16-game matchup of the National Tournament. Two teams with history, one has got to give. The Marine Admirals ended Cresta Verde Mountaineers bid as they nip them 107-102.

It was a hotly contested matchup until the Admirals pulled away in the second quarter scoring 9 points more that ultimately proves to be the difference quarter of the game. The Mountaineers outrebounded the Admirals 52-39 but they turned the ball over 13 compared to their 5.

Fillmore Sabangan led the Mountaineers with 36 points while Teodosio Amante gave his team an encore with 26 points. Benigno Besa had a double-double with 15 points and 16 rebounds but they were outperformed by the stellar performance of Zhuang Guangkai carrying Admirals by himself scoring 53 points.

"He was unconscious" GM Nicolo Maro said.

Cresta Verde Mountaineers destroys M R G AngelZ 146-40.
With the lingering effect of the defeat, the Mountaineers turned their focus against AngelZ and destroyed them 146-40. They jumped out of the gym early scoring 41 points (against 10) in the first quarter and 38-12 in the second quarter.

They were even better to start the second half limiting them to 4 points in the third and continued their torrid pace in the fourth with 36 points as they cruised to a 146-40 victory.

Jimeno Tamban led the Mountaineers with 27 points and 16 rebounds in 11-11 field goal shooting. Regis Basque led AngelZ with 17 points, the only Angelz to score in double figures.

With the National Tournament behind them, the Mountaineers will turn their attention in their league games with the ultimate goal of making the playoffs!

Blades turn to freethrows to fend off furious comeback; beats Bugo HeadCrackers

League III.13 Elimination Round
Bugo HeadCrackers @ Bacoor Blades
13:11

In yet another thrilling encounter against a familiar rival, the Bacoor Blades thwart a late-game comeback to upend Big 8 top-seeds Bugo HeadCrackers, 105-103, at The Bacoor Forum.

In what could serve as a preview of a possible Big 8 Conference Semifinal tie-up between the two squads, the Blades and the HeadCrackers provided nothing short of a stellar game, with exchanges scintillating the crowd as they watched the two foes outscore one another.

The opening quarter provided the blueprint of how the rest of the game would end up being, with the home squad leading by only a single point, 24-23, thanks to the incursions underneath by Antoine Fauvel and Boris Buzhan. The second quarter proved to be more of the same, with the Blades barely edging out Bugo to snag a five-point halftime lead, 50-45.

The third saw the Blades try to blow the game wide open, with double-digit leads in multiple occasions, but just as they looked to enjoy a 12-point spread entering the fourth quarter, a near-halfcourt heave by Bugo's reserve forward Demeterio Solo brought the lead down to nine, 84-75, opening the curtains for a furious comeback.

The first few minutes of the fourth quarter were ungrateful to the Cavite-based squad, allowing the Big 8 leaders to battle back in the game. Opening the period with a Homero Moreno three-point play off a Kelly Paul foul, the HeadCrackers went on a 12-2 run capped off by a Mickael Tarrade three pointer to wrest the lead from Bacoor, 87-86. This would begin a slew of breath-taking plays by both teams as they clawed their way to a 95-93 score entering the last two minutes, with the Blades at the helm.

Just a few ticks after the warning was sounded, Buzhan knocked in a jumper to give the Blades a 97-93 lead, this was immediately followed by a Diego Gorrieri lay-in to make it 97-95. Buzhan and Eugenio Genco connected on an alley-oop play plus a Buzhan charity split again established a four point edge, 100-95. The HeadCrackers would play the foul game from there. After a Bugo timeout, Gorrieri finds Vicente Diaz for a 100-97 tally. Fauvel was fouled and would split his freebies to make it 101-97. The HeadCrackers once again called for a ceasefire with just over 20 ticks remaining.

The play off of the timeout was read by the Blades that forced Bugo to shoot an impossible heave from downtown. As he was fouled off the rebound, Boris Buzhan knocked down both freebies to make it 103-97. Bugo with another timeout, but this time, Tarrade nails the triple off a second chance opportunity to make it 103-100 with six seconds remaining. Buzhan was again fouled and again made two free throws to peg them at 105-100. This proved to be crucial as on the final play of the game, Gorrieri nail a triple to notch the final scoreline.

"That was a whilrwind of a game. We knew they'd come back and the came back hard on us." said team manager TheDogMan. "We were winded entering the final moments but those free throws down the stretch was key in preserving this victory." he further added.

"I just wanted to take charge at the end and make the right plays down the stretch." said Buzhan. "That was a lot of pressure, especially since we were at home and wanted to give the Blades community a crucial win." he added.

The win puts them at 9-7 for the season, solidifying their #4 seeding in the Big 8 bracket so far. They face JibangEr on the 19th of November on the road.

"Last Chance... Again"

Zebu Mayas are on a 7 game winning streak after a very slow start this season and now is sitting on the 4th spot in the Big 8 conference of League 2.4. But bad news hit the team after as starting SG Prince Nalzaro is out for two weeks after getting injured during the last game. A double whammy was given when the COO of Zebu Mayas informed team owner Lolo Smithz that by next week the team will be in bankrupt territory.

Lolo Smithz had to make a very hard decision to put in the transfer list two bigmen in order to save the team from bankruptcy. "This is our last and final chance to get to the finals again for another push for promotion to PPL or we go into the process of another few seasons of rebuilding. We pride ourselves for having a team with players that even the 2nd 5 are good enough to start but now it seems we are in the brink of bankruptcy because of high salary cost. Hopefully we can weather this hump in the road even without lesser players."

"Team Jopau Comebacks looks like the team to beat this season. We need every player we can muster again a very dangerous lineup he has. One last push hopefully this will really be the season we finally break the curse of forever 2.4."

Cresta Verde Mountaineers recap: 2 wins, 1 loss

Cresta Verde Mountaineers at Edeno Uno, 87-101.
The Garden of Eden, Philippines -- Edeno Uno went off to a hot start as they scored 35 of their 101 points in the first quarter to open an 18-point lead and never looked back as they defeated the Cresta Verde Mountaineers, 101-87.

They led by as much as 28 points leading 62-34 at the end of the 1st half.

"Well, I think it is just expected as we, coming off the elimination games in National Tournament, are tired," GM Nicolo Maro said. "the game against MRG was no-brainer."

Nicola Sciarabba led Uno with 29 points andd 15 rebounds while Rizalino Ismael had 20 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. As a team, they shot 48% from the field and had +10 in rebounding with 51 boards.

Surprisingly, Rhyan Tersol led the Mountaineers with 23 points and 11 rebounds and Benigno Besa notched a double-double with 14 points and 12 boards.

Cresta Verde Mountaineers at CleMeNZas Spaghetti Sauce, 105-100.
Im a Capo, Philippines -- The Cresta Verde Mountaineers survived a nailbiter as they defeated CleMeNZas Spaghetti Sauce, 105-100.

Getting outrebounded in their previous game, they made sure to dominate this one as they have +22 in the rebounding category.

Fillmore Sabangan led the Mountaineers with 38 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists while Benigno Besa had a double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Ananias Capuyan almost had a triple-double with 14 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds.

Sauce actually started the opening quarter strong with 37 points, leading 13 to end the first. Slowly but surely, Mountaineers chipped in 27 points apiece in the succeeding quarters to upend Sauce in a hotly contested outing.

Not to be outdone, Marion Sedigo led the Sauce with 34 points in a 'duel' against Fillmore. "Just great game" GM Nicolo Maro said.

Balawis Elite at Cresta Verde Mountaineers, 59-114.
Vulcan Arena, Q.C. -- "Seek and destroy" GM Nicolo Maro said. The Mountaineers were unrelenting as they 'destroyed' Balawis Elite in a 55 points drubbing.

Basically the Elite were overwhelmed joining Division II that they resigned themselves this season.

After notching 38 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists in his previous game; Fillmore Sabangan led the Mountaineers with 37 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists - one shy of a triple-double.

"Amazing performance," GM Nicolo Maro said. "I hope he always performs like this."

Coming off the bench, Santos Verano scored 19 points in 17 minutes. Rhyan Tersol and Teodosio Amanted had a double-double contributing 15 points and 19 rebounds and 12 points and 13 rebounds with 5 blocks each, respectively.

Spitfire-guard Marko Andelkovic had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds while Kerry Octaviano had 19 points and 16 caroms.

The Mountaineers left their mark with 16 blocks in the game.

"Great win!" GM Nicolo maro said.

Battle for 4th spot: Cresta Verde Mountaineers vs So Awkward Players
The Cube, Philippines -- The game is set, two teams vying for a spot in the playoffs, So Awkward Players trying to create a separation while the Cresta Verde Mountaineers trying to grab that 4th spot. Who prevailed?

Mountaineers grabbed an early lead scoring 11-4 but Players catched up to end the 1st with 20-apiece. In the second quarter, they traded baskets with Players leading by 1, 42-41 to enter the half with Hung Chieh's breakway dunk.

Players breakaway in the third as they scored 32 points compared to Mountaineers 19 that ultimately led to their 96-87 victory in front of 15,263 fans.

Florante Neri led the Players with 24 points and 15 rebounds but it was Arcadio Silva's all around effort of 23 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists that puts them over the top.

Ananias Capuyan led the Mountaineers with 25 points while Benigno Besa had 20 points and 12 rebounds; Rhyan Tersol added 17 points and 15 boards.

"Getting unplayed is not the correct word, but they sure made our bigs work as Besa and Tersol collected 5 and 4 fouls in the game," GM Nicolo Maro said. "they were in foul-trouble the whole time."

The presence of Rosauro dela Cruz is surely missed as the Mountaineers had difficulty distributing the ball with -10 assists compared to Players 26. It didn't help as Fillmore Sabangan didn't fill the stat-sheet missing 17 of his 20 shots.

With four games left, can the Mountaineers make the playoffs?

Notes:
- Bandar Garganera of Players got injured in the game. He will miss two weeks.
- The Mountaineers organization are contemplating of having a news blackout by next season.

New Oagas Society dash Cresta Verde Mountaineers playoff hopes

Vulcan Arena, Quezon City -- The Cresta Verde Mountaineers started hot scoring 34 points in the first quarter but their defense was equally unimpressive and they could not sustain their scorching start as they were outscored 25-19, 25-21 and 43-38 in the next three quarters losing 122-112 in a high-scoring affair against New Oagas Society.

With playoff implications, the Mountaineers are now three games behind 4th seed So Awkward Players and it would take a major collapse for the Players to lose straight games to be out of playoff contention.

"Our core is our strength," GM Nicolo Maro said. "with Dela Cruz sidelined with his injury at the most inappropriate time, it is really difficult to win games."

According to GM Nicolo, the game was going well until midway through the third when he had to take a phone call. Upon return, it was already in the fourth and the game was already decided.

"Bad break, I guess they noticed my absence" he added.

The inside-out combo of Carmelo Maciano and Bobby Montealto led Society with 35 and 29 points, respectively. Bienvenido Enojo had a double-double with 19 and 10 while starting point guard Allan Genzola almost had a triple-double with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. They were all efficient from the field.

Fillmore Sabangan led the Mountaineers with 29 points while Rhyan Tersol and Benigno Besa notched a double-double with 18 and 15, and 14 points and 12 rebounds, respectively.

Although the Mountaineers had +12 in rebounding, Society was able to take care of the ball committing six turnovers less. They were able to make five more shots with the same 95 field goals attempt.

*Breaking news*
In uncharacteristic fashion, the Mountaineers put their 'core' players on the market..

Youth movement: Cresta Verde Mountaineers lost to Kurizo Hoopers 92-109

Vulcan Arena, Quezon City -- Just like that, the Cresta Verde Mountaineers went from contenders to pretenders as they unveiled their end of season lineup following the departure of core players Rhyan Tersol, Rosauro Dela Cruz, Ananias Capuyan and Benigno Besa.

"First of all, I would like to say that the decision is not instant (referring to the transfer of their players that other managers felt that the Mountaineers will leave the league soon)," GM Nicolo Maro said. "we've been pondering for the longest time to rebuild but up to that point, we havent."

"Our team can compete. But because of injuries, we could not reach our potential. We felt that it's the best time to try something different and we are excited with what we are trying to achieve."

The Mountaineers started hot as Fillmore Sabangan scored 9 of their 13 points in 3 minutes that forced Hoopers to call the first timeout. Martin Cabugwason answered scoring five straight at one point to end the first 28-24 in favor of Hoopers.

In the second quarter, they traded baskets with June Soguilon and Fillmore scoring five straight and Amante started to make his presence felt as Hoopers ended the half leading 54-48.

The Mountaineers still managed to compete in the third as they only trail a point with Hoopers leading 80-73 entering the fourth. The Mountaineers inexperience gave-in as they were outscored 29-19 in the final quarter to a 109-92 defeat.

"With the whole world watching, we want to compete," GM Nicolo said. "we did in the first three quarters but couldn't hold up in the fourth."

Teodosio Amante led all scorers with 34 points as he asserted himself especially in the second half. Sabangan scored 31 but cooled off after scoring 22 in the first half. Santos Verano had a double-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists for the Mountaineers.

Alessandro Diversi led Hoopers with 28 points while Soguilon had a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Bernardo Nava also had a double-double with 15 points and 11 assists while Moises Mora notched 14 points and 10 rebounds.

"Nothing to be ashamed of, we will ride with Valle and Regala from now on."

Buzhan fires 41 as Blades make playoffs for the first time in two seasons

League III.13 Elimination Round
Bacoor Blades @ NuRSing_AvENgeRS
1:09

And they're back in the postseason.

Riding the shoulders of top-scorer Boris Buzhan, the Bacoor Blades thwarted NuRSing_AvENgeRS, 129-120, in their second straight road game in front of nearly 5000 fans in attendance as well as a national television audience.

At the very least, the victory could boost their chances of making the playoffs. But with chasing team Luna Thunders dropping their game against Theory of increased risK, 117-102, the Blades were given a free pass to the Big 8 Conference Semifinals facing a possible matchup with either JibangEr or Bugo HeadCrackers.

The Blades took control for most of the game, leading 32-24 in the first as well as being able to post a double-digit lead at the half, 65-54. But NuRSing_AvENgeRS bounced back in the third quarter through a newly-found well-balanced attack led by Anatoly Labutin and Baltras Batvinskas, the hosts kept the game close, 91-85, to set up a thrilling final quarter.

Labutin and Cyril Esmeralda connived to bring the home side back in the game. Their efforts paid off as they were able to tie the game at 96-all off of a Labutin jam. Blades center Antoine Fauvel shot a jumper to break the deadlock immediately, but a Batvinskas jumper tied them up once again at 98-all. This is where the Blades showed their late-game poise.

With the suddenly-hot hands of Regan Elizaga, the Bacoor Blades embarked on a 10-0 run to wrest the lead and the game for good from NuRSing_AvENgeRS, with Elizaga scoring seven of those 10. But just as the game looked to have been decided, NuRSing_AvENgeRS tried to mount a comeback, starting with a layup by Esmeralda just before the 2 minute warning sounded. They were able to trim the lead down to just five, 122-117, but they could not close in any further, even while playing the foul game, as Buzhan piled up his points from the freethrow line, scoring seven points off charities during the critical period.

"We were impressive tonight. We showed that we can still win games like these and that our poise late in the game is still as solid as ever." said team manager TheDogMan. "We will need this composure as well as all our key elements in our playoff run." he further added.

"We weren't rattled when they made runs at the start of the fourth quarter and at the last two minutes." said Buzhan, who finished with 41 points, silencing belief that his scoring touch is fading, along with 10 rebounds and five assists. "We stuck with each other. I was getting fouled since my teammates gave me the ball after the repossession and with time running out, they fouled the first man possible."

"Solid victory beating a team of this caliber." said Kelly Paul. "It doesn't show with their record. But it's obvious that their team has moved on from one era to another. They'll improve next season, no doubt." said the 6'9" American, who had 13 points and 11 rebounds in the game.

The Blades will face Theory of increased risK up next in their final home game of the Elimination round at The Bacoor Forum this coming December 3.

Blades eliminated by JibangEr in epic encounter

League III.13 Playoffs
Big 8 Conference Semifinals
#3 Bacoor Blades @ #2 JibangEr
(originally posted at) 13:37

Unfortunately for the Bacoor Blades, in a game where one mistake could cost the game, the blinked first.

JibangEr defeated the Cavite five in an overtime thriller, 129-126, at jibang in front of a sold out crowd of 11,232 to determine which team advances to the Conference Final for the right to book a seat in the League Championship round.

The game looked like it would be blown wide open by the home side as early as the first quarter, as the preliminary spirited attack overwhelmed Bacoor, 31-19. But the Blades battled back in the second quarter despite the resident frontcourt of the Blades yet to hit the mark consistently, effectively cutting the deficit to just five at halftime, 56-51.

The third period saw an aggressive Blades push early on. With Boris Buzhan at the helm facilitating, the Blades tore down the JibangEr defense, who were missing the services of second-leading scorer Pablo Zayas and reserve bigman Michaël Thirion due to an injury. The Blades finally won the lead entering the final minutes, notching an 83-79 lead, with Martin Federico Gancedo, who made his debut in the game along with Fryderyk Zima, nailing a triple before the third quarter horn sounded.

JibangEr opened the final quarter with an immediate 4-0 blast over a span of 30 seconds to tie the game at 83-all. By this time, Rafael Urigarri, JibangEr's top scorer for the game, picked up his sixth foul and had to leave the game. A high-octane exchange occurred throughout the fourth quarter, but despite the efforts of Regan Elizaga, Antoine Fauvel and Buzhan, JibangEr kept fighting back in the game. Finally a three pointer by McKinley Mann, the replacement for Urigarri, with 12 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter tied the game up and forced overtime as Genco cannot convert the inside incursion for a possible game-winner. 113-all it ended after regulation.

In the overtime period, the two teams basically exchanged the first 15 points, with JibangEr getting the extra point until they connected on two straight baskets to establish a three point edge, 123-120. Fauvel jams home a basket to make it 123-122. But with over a minute left, Oszkar Leindler fouled Leszlaw Bulski, who knocked his two charities to make it 125-122. Genco nailed a jumper to put them a point behind again. Then the Blades called for time after JibangEr missed a chance on the ensuing play.

Fauvel nailed a jumper with over 48 seconds remaining to wrest the lead at 126-125. That would end up being the Blades' last hurrah as they went scoreless the rest of the way. Beginning with Bulski's two foul shots followed by Mann's split, JibangEr held a 128-126 lead with 13 ticks remaining. After a full ceasefire, Bacoor went to Boris Buzhan, but the usually-clutch guard failed to convert on the jumper to tie the game. Bulski was fouled and only managed a split, which prompted team manager TheDogMan to call for a 30 second timeout with just two seconds remaining.

The play was supposedly a three pointer to tie the game and force a second overtime, but the play did not materialize as Gancedo turned the ball over, gifting the victory to the home side.

"This one's going to leave a mark." said the Blades' executive. "We wanted to win so badly, but I guess they wanted it more."

"It's a sad day for the Bacoor community, but it was a battle well-fought and a battle worth fighting for." said Kelly Paul, who had 16 points and 11 boards.

Fauvel had 24 points and 11 rebounds while Elizaga had 22. Genco had 20 and 14 boards.

The loss officially ends the Bacoor Blades' Season 25. Managing to win 14 games, they nabbed the #3 seed in the Big 8 for their first playoff appearance in Division III.

Season 26: Cresta Verde Mountaineers preview


Vulcan Arena, Quezon City -- Every new season is an exciting time for the fans, players and management as they look forward to winning games in their league.

However, things will be different as they don't have a clear-cut franchise star but instead will be bannered by promising guards Steve Valle and Claudio Regala.

Last season the Mountaineers were on pace to make the playoffs but were derailed by injuries midway that ultimately led to their decision to rebuild to a fifth place finish.

"The time is now to showcase the talent and unleash the potential of Steve and Claude," GM Nicolo Maro said. "we will support them to be the best they possibly can."

According to Maro, it was a 'bold' move on their part to feature the two as there will be "growing pains by giving them the keys to lead us to promise land." He added that they will give not less than two seasons to develop them and 'go from there.'

The two admitted that it will be a challenging year "as the fans are used to Sepu's and Besa's" but they will do their best and work hard to keep the buzz on their team.

They may not have been originally drafted by them but the management is committed in making them the premier guard in the league, if not the Philippines.

Holdover from the remade team are Teodosio Amante, Santos Verano, Melanie Gabo and Fillmore Sabangan.

The first two have played their entire career for the Mountaineers and experienced the winning tradition and culture of the team. In their prime, they have no qualms in supporting the management as its always for the 'best interest of the players.'

Saba is their de-facto 'top gun' that looks to finish his career on the team while Gabo is a good locker room guy overall.

They will be supported by Jimeno Tamban, Abelardo Lambatan and Wenresti Gravoso. 'JT' has all the potential but it looks like his window is closing in while Lambatan and Gravoso are two lottery picks from last season.

Plucked this offseason were veterans Renald Geonanga, Erben Maranon and Thaddeus Villacin. Thin from upfront, they decided to pick up experienced guys to 'hold their own.'

Maranon is expected to provide defense while Ren and Thad to contribute with their overall style of play -- all are to provide mentorship especially to Valle and Regala.

They 'scrambled' in this seasons draft and picked Eladio Calvez (9th overall), Gavienne Hamoy (25th) and Mitchell Oberas (41st).

Just like their sudden decision to rebuild - with some fans asking whether they will leave the league - their picks were questioned as they drafted three guards. GM Nicolo Maro was quick to point that they don't have something at their disposal that led to their acquisition.

As they open the season at home less than 24 hours against Zennings, all can't wait to see how this perennial contender fair with their new-look line-up.

Projected Starting Five:
C - Erben Maranon
PF - Jimeno Tamban
SF - Fillmore Sabangan
SG - Claudio Regala
PG - Steve Valle

Key reserves:
G/F - Teodosio Amante
F - Renald Geonanga
F - Thaddeus Villacin
F - Santos Verano