eddieGIL
Sep 22, 2004, 11:59 PM
PCU Dolphins bag first NCAA crown
Updated 11:29pm (Mla time) Sept 22, 2004
By Jasmine Payo
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A23 of the Sept. 23, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
TEN minutes from the final buzzer the Philippine Christian University Dolphins were already whooping it up.
The Dolphins delivered the best first half they could play and just stayed fabulous as they swept the University of Perpetual Help Altas, 72-60, at the Araneta Coliseum yesterday to bag their first ever crown in the 80th NCAA senior basketball tournament.
"When I came to this team, I didn't know the situation. And I told them my only reason in accepting this job is to give them the championship. It sounded mayabang (a boast) at that time. And I know that they think I was too strict, pero sinasabi ko sa kanila na magbubunga ito (but I told them we will be rewarded)," said new PCU coach Loreto Tolentino, who steered one of the most amazing turnarounds the league has ever seen.
And the spartan training worked wonders for the former whipping boys Tolentino inherited from Jimmy Mariano.
"Our coach said we had the talent. He was able to develop our
confidence in our abilities," said Finals MVP Robert Sanz, who finished with 17 points and nine rebounds.
Most Improved Player Ian Garrido added: "Yung discipline ni coach ang nagpanalo. Hanggang sa pagtulog sa dorm, binabantayan niya kami (His discipline led us to this win. Even at bedtime, he was watching us)."
PCU, which joined the league eight years ago, set the tone for a big game early on, posting a double-digit lead right from the first quarter, 20-9.
Perhaps the biggest contribution of Tolentino, who was serving a one-game suspension when the Dolphins won the title series opener by two points last Friday, was producing the first player to win the Most Valuable and Rookie of the Year awards in Gabby Espinas.
In junior play, the Letran College Squires forged a winner-take-all showdown with the San Beda College Cubs after nipping the defending champions, 81-76.
The scores:
Finals-Game Two (Srs)
PCU 72 -- Sanz 17, Espinas 14, Castro 11, Garrido 9, Retaga 7, Gementiza 5, Solis 4, Belga 3, Cecilia 2.
PERPETUAL 60 -- Bauzon 17, Barnson 9, Javier 9, Cuenco 8, Misa 6, Refuerzo 2, Mendoza 0.
Quarters: 20-9, 37-25, 63-45, 72-60.
Updated 11:29pm (Mla time) Sept 22, 2004
By Jasmine Payo
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A23 of the Sept. 23, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
TEN minutes from the final buzzer the Philippine Christian University Dolphins were already whooping it up.
The Dolphins delivered the best first half they could play and just stayed fabulous as they swept the University of Perpetual Help Altas, 72-60, at the Araneta Coliseum yesterday to bag their first ever crown in the 80th NCAA senior basketball tournament.
"When I came to this team, I didn't know the situation. And I told them my only reason in accepting this job is to give them the championship. It sounded mayabang (a boast) at that time. And I know that they think I was too strict, pero sinasabi ko sa kanila na magbubunga ito (but I told them we will be rewarded)," said new PCU coach Loreto Tolentino, who steered one of the most amazing turnarounds the league has ever seen.
And the spartan training worked wonders for the former whipping boys Tolentino inherited from Jimmy Mariano.
"Our coach said we had the talent. He was able to develop our
confidence in our abilities," said Finals MVP Robert Sanz, who finished with 17 points and nine rebounds.
Most Improved Player Ian Garrido added: "Yung discipline ni coach ang nagpanalo. Hanggang sa pagtulog sa dorm, binabantayan niya kami (His discipline led us to this win. Even at bedtime, he was watching us)."
PCU, which joined the league eight years ago, set the tone for a big game early on, posting a double-digit lead right from the first quarter, 20-9.
Perhaps the biggest contribution of Tolentino, who was serving a one-game suspension when the Dolphins won the title series opener by two points last Friday, was producing the first player to win the Most Valuable and Rookie of the Year awards in Gabby Espinas.
In junior play, the Letran College Squires forged a winner-take-all showdown with the San Beda College Cubs after nipping the defending champions, 81-76.
The scores:
Finals-Game Two (Srs)
PCU 72 -- Sanz 17, Espinas 14, Castro 11, Garrido 9, Retaga 7, Gementiza 5, Solis 4, Belga 3, Cecilia 2.
PERPETUAL 60 -- Bauzon 17, Barnson 9, Javier 9, Cuenco 8, Misa 6, Refuerzo 2, Mendoza 0.
Quarters: 20-9, 37-25, 63-45, 72-60.