Blazers: NCAA's comeback kids

MEM · Oct 13, 2000, 12:28 PM

Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/SPRT/2000-10/SP101304.asp

Blazers: NCAA's comeback kids

IN WINNING its first National Collegiate Athletic Association championship, College of St. Benilde may also go down as the biggest underdog to go all the way in the collegiate league.
Nobody thought the Blazers, one of two expansion teams accepted in 1998, would survive long enough to make the Final Four. They started the campaign at 0-3 and looked like goners while most of the attention was focused on heavy favorites University of Perpetual Help-Rizal and Jose Rizal College.

“After the 0-3 start, everybody was criticizing us,” said St. Benilde coach Dong Vergeire. “But we proved our detractors wrong.’’

Disheartening the start of the campaign may be, Vergeire persevered to get things right. He assessed the team’s performance to find out what was going wrong and took note of the weaknesses and strengths of his players, hoping to get it back on track.

He found one common denominator: defense.

“Hinanapan ko ng potensyal ang bawat isa, and the common denominator was defense. So I patterned a full-court trapping defense according to their individual potential,’’ related Vergeire.

“Then I talked to them and told them that if you believe in yourselves, nothing is impossible. I guess the key was when we started to believe in ourselves. They became eager to win and after that, we ourselves were surprised to be in the Final Four,’’ he added.

The Blazers ended the eliminations with eight straight wins to book a spot in the Final Four, where they knocked off the Perpetual Altas to forge the championship showdown with San Sebastian.

The odds, again, were not on St. Benilde’s side in the best-of-three finals. Afterall, it was up against a San Sebastian team that had won five of the league’s last six titles and was widely regarded as one of the most successful teams ever. But Vergeire, it turned out, liked it that way.

“The underdog tag really pushed the boys to prove themselves,” he said.

Like what they’ve done all campaign, the Blazers once again defied the odds in the title series. They opened with a 66-64 squeaker in Game One and took no chances in Game Two, wrapping up the championship with a lopsided 71-64 victory.

“It was a team effort. Everybody contributed well,’’ said Vergeire afterwards. “The boys proved they deserved to win the crown. They played a very good game and really showed their will and determination out there.”

Now, St. Benilde has established itself as one of the forces to reckon with in the league. And the Blazers intend to keep it that way next year, where they hope to return with an almost intact line-up. Only two players, Jose Manuel Diloy and John Eric Cruz, will be gone after this season.

“We don’t want to think about goodbyes for now,” Vergeire said. “What we want to do is savor this championship first — as one team.’’

***AltarBoy^_^*** · Oct 14, 2000, 09:15 AM

Thanks MEM for posting the articles of Benilde. We Benildeans are appreciating it a lot. I'm gonna make new threads and sana help us out in getting an NCAA forum in the next season na lang. PEace!

WE'RE THE COMEBACK KIDS OF THE NCAA!!!
ANIMO BENILDE!!!

MEM · Oct 14, 2000, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AltarBoy^_^
Thanks MEM for posting the articles of Benilde. We Benildeans are appreciating it a lot. I'm gonna make new threads and sana help us out in getting an NCAA forum in the next season na lang. PEace!

WE'RE THE COMEBACK KIDS OF THE NCAA!!!
ANIMO BENILDE!!!

NCAA forum? Edi puro Benildeans nalang ang magpopost dyan. Make it ano na lang, UAAP/NCAA forum combined, right? In short, irename nalang ni Ada from "UAAP GAMES" to "UAAP/NCAA GAMES" na lang.

***AltarBoy^_^*** · Oct 15, 2000, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MEM

Quote:

Originally posted by AltarBoy^_^
Thanks MEM for posting the articles of Benilde. We Benildeans are appreciating it a lot. I'm gonna make new threads and sana help us out in getting an NCAA forum in the next season na lang. PEace!

WE'RE THE COMEBACK KIDS OF THE NCAA!!!
ANIMO BENILDE!!!

NCAA forum? Edi puro Benildeans nalang ang magpopost dyan. Make it ano na lang, UAAP/NCAA forum combined, right? In short, irename nalang ni Ada from "UAAP GAMES" to "UAAP/NCAA GAMES" na lang.

Oo nga ano? You have a point there. Most pexers here come from San Beda and Benilde. Konting letranista and recoletos sa On Campus forum pa. Kapag nilagay kasi yan sa isang forum. Marami nanamang bashings niyan. Pati NCAA pexers will bear the grunt of these bashings besides UAAP itself. Since we're a minority, I think it would be ok. Peace!

ANIMO LASALLE SYSTEM!!!

april14 · Oct 15, 2000, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AltarBoy^_^

Quote:

Originally posted by MEM

Quote:

Originally posted by AltarBoy^_^
Thanks MEM for posting the articles of Benilde. We Benildeans are appreciating it a lot. I'm gonna make new threads and sana help us out in getting an NCAA forum in the next season na lang. PEace!

WE'RE THE COMEBACK KIDS OF THE NCAA!!!
ANIMO BENILDE!!!

NCAA forum? Edi puro Benildeans nalang ang magpopost dyan. Make it ano na lang, UAAP/NCAA forum combined, right? In short, irename nalang ni Ada from "UAAP GAMES" to "UAAP/NCAA GAMES" na lang.

Oo nga ano? You have a point there. Most pexers here come from San Beda and Benilde. Konting letranista and recoletos sa On Campus forum pa. Kapag nilagay kasi yan sa isang forum. Marami nanamang bashings niyan. Pati NCAA pexers will bear the grunt of these bashings besides UAAP itself. Since we're a minority, I think it would be ok. Peace!

ANIMO LASALLE SYSTEM!!!

TAMA KA!

MEM · Oct 16, 2000, 08:18 AM

So, can we suggest Ada na irename yung UAAP FORUM to UAAP/NCAA forum para masaya!!!

***AltarBoy^_^*** · Oct 18, 2000, 01:37 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by MEM
So, can we suggest Ada na irename yung UAAP FORUM to UAAP/NCAA forum para masaya!!!

Pwede rin pero I think it's too late for that since the basketball season is over. Make it the PYBL forum na lang since every collegiate school wants to be in the PBL. Peace!

ANIMO BENILDE!!!

MEM · Oct 18, 2000, 09:08 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by AltarBoy^_^

Quote:

Originally posted by MEM
So, can we suggest Ada na irename yung UAAP FORUM to UAAP/NCAA forum para masaya!!!

Pwede rin pero I think it's too late for that since the basketball season is over. Make it the PYBL forum na lang since every collegiate school wants to be in the PBL. Peace!

ANIMO BENILDE!!!

UAAP is not all basketball. 1st half palang ang UAAP.

***AltarBoy^_^*** · Oct 18, 2000, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by MEM

Quote:

Originally posted by AltarBoy^_^

Quote:

Originally posted by MEM
So, can we suggest Ada na irename yung UAAP FORUM to UAAP/NCAA forum para masaya!!!

Pwede rin pero I think it's too late for that since the basketball season is over. Make it the PYBL forum na lang since every collegiate school wants to be in the PBL. Peace!

ANIMO BENILDE!!!

UAAP is not all basketball. 1st half palang ang UAAP.

Ok, football season pa pala, my mistake.

ANIMO BENILDE!!!

MEM · Oct 19, 2000, 08:27 AM

Kamusta na ba ang UAAP/NCAA football team standings? any info?

***AltarBoy^_^*** · Oct 20, 2000, 01:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by MEM
Kamusta na ba ang UAAP/NCAA football team standings? any info?

I have no idea. Calling the attention of football fanatics in here! Updates po!

ANIMO BENILDE!!!
ANIMO LASALLE!!!

MEM · Oct 20, 2000, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AltarBoy^_^

Quote:

Originally posted by MEM
Kamusta na ba ang UAAP/NCAA football team standings? any info?

I have no idea. Calling the attention of football fanatics in here! Updates po!

ANIMO BENILDE!!!
ANIMO LASALLE!!!

Asa pa tayo!!! Sa Pinas lang naman hindi uso ang football eh. But in the other countries, baliw na baliw sila dito!

***AltarBoy^_^*** · Oct 21, 2000, 06:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by MEM

Quote:

Originally posted by AltarBoy^_^

Quote:

Originally posted by MEM
Kamusta na ba ang UAAP/NCAA football team standings? any info?

I have no idea. Calling the attention of football fanatics in here! Updates po!

ANIMO BENILDE!!!
ANIMO LASALLE!!!

Asa pa tayo!!! Sa Pinas lang naman hindi uso ang football eh. But in the other countries, baliw na baliw sila dito!

Oo nga eh. to the point of wrecking havoc beyond the football stadiums mga fans magwala! dito eh parang nilalangaw!

MEM · Oct 23, 2000, 10:10 AM

By the way, sino ba yung football champ last year?

***AltarBoy^_^*** · Oct 24, 2000, 03:54 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by MEM
By the way, sino ba yung football champ last year?

PCU. The Blazer Booters were on the cellar last season. Hope they improved this year! January pa start ng NCAA football.

ANIMO BENILDE!!!

MEM · Oct 24, 2000, 08:16 AM

Sorry, I mean sino ba yung UAAP football champs last year?

Holier than thou · Oct 24, 2000, 09:17 AM

I believe.

***AltarBoy^_^*** · Oct 25, 2000, 03:16 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by MEM
Sorry, I mean sino ba yung UAAP football champs last year?

Oh i dunno eh! I think it was UST yata. Oh well! Hope Lasalle does better this season!

Jackal · Oct 25, 2000, 12:09 PM

lang ya wala akong alam!!!!!

MEM · Oct 25, 2000, 02:08 PM

Let's ask Kaboom! if he knows.

Kaboom! Any info about UAAP FOOTBALL?


Oct 13, 2000, 12:28 PM	#1
MEM Banned by Admin Join Date: Aug 1999 Location: Manila, Philipp	Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/SPRT/2000-10/SP101304.asp Blazers: NCAA's comeback kids IN WINNING its first National Collegiate Athletic Association championship, College of St. Benilde may also go down as the biggest underdog to go all the way in the collegiate league. Nobody thought the Blazers, one of two expansion teams accepted in 1998, would survive long enough to make the Final Four. They started the campaign at 0-3 and looked like goners while most of the attention was focused on heavy favorites University of Perpetual Help-Rizal and Jose Rizal College. “After the 0-3 start, everybody was criticizing us,” said St. Benilde coach Dong Vergeire. “But we proved our detractors wrong.’’ Disheartening the start of the campaign may be, Vergeire persevered to get things right. He assessed the team’s performance to find out what was going wrong and took note of the weaknesses and strengths of his players, hoping to get it back on track. He found one common denominator: defense. “Hinanapan ko ng potensyal ang bawat isa, and the common denominator was defense. So I patterned a full-court trapping defense according to their individual potential,’’ related Vergeire. “Then I talked to them and told them that if you believe in yourselves, nothing is impossible. I guess the key was when we started to believe in ourselves. They became eager to win and after that, we ourselves were surprised to be in the Final Four,’’ he added. The Blazers ended the eliminations with eight straight wins to book a spot in the Final Four, where they knocked off the Perpetual Altas to forge the championship showdown with San Sebastian. The odds, again, were not on St. Benilde’s side in the best-of-three finals. Afterall, it was up against a San Sebastian team that had won five of the league’s last six titles and was widely regarded as one of the most successful teams ever. But Vergeire, it turned out, liked it that way. “The underdog tag really pushed the boys to prove themselves,” he said. Like what they’ve done all campaign, the Blazers once again defied the odds in the title series. They opened with a 66-64 squeaker in Game One and took no chances in Game Two, wrapping up the championship with a lopsided 71-64 victory. “It was a team effort. Everybody contributed well,’’ said Vergeire afterwards. “The boys proved they deserved to win the crown. They played a very good game and really showed their will and determination out there.” Now, St. Benilde has established itself as one of the forces to reckon with in the league. And the Blazers intend to keep it that way next year, where they hope to return with an almost intact line-up. Only two players, Jose Manuel Diloy and John Eric Cruz, will be gone after this season. “We don’t want to think about goodbyes for now,” Vergeire said. “What we want to do is savor this championship first — as one team.’’


Oct 14, 2000, 09:15 AM	#2
*AltarBoy^_^* Moderator Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Sanitation Room	Thanks MEM for posting the articles of Benilde. We Benildeans are appreciating it a lot. I'm gonna make new threads and sana help us out in getting an NCAA forum in the next season na lang. PEace! WE'RE THE COMEBACK KIDS OF THE NCAA!!! ANIMO BENILDE!!!


Oct 16, 2000, 08:18 AM	#6
MEM Banned by Admin Join Date: Aug 1999 Location: Manila, Philipp	So, can we suggest Ada na irename yung UAAP FORUM to UAAP/NCAA forum para masaya!!!


Oct 19, 2000, 08:27 AM	#10
MEM Banned by Admin Join Date: Aug 1999 Location: Manila, Philipp	Kamusta na ba ang UAAP/NCAA football team standings? any info?


Oct 23, 2000, 10:10 AM	#14
MEM Banned by Admin Join Date: Aug 1999 Location: Manila, Philipp	By the way, sino ba yung football champ last year?


Oct 24, 2000, 08:16 AM	#16
MEM Banned by Admin Join Date: Aug 1999 Location: Manila, Philipp	Sorry, I mean sino ba yung UAAP football champs last year?


Oct 24, 2000, 09:17 AM	#17
Holier than thou Hell Yeah!!! Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Metro_Manila	I believe.


Oct 25, 2000, 12:09 PM	#19
Jackal Virgin Pa si Lola Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Unknown	lang ya wala akong alam!!!!!


Oct 25, 2000, 02:08 PM	#20
MEM Banned by Admin Join Date: Aug 1999 Location: Manila, Philipp	Let's ask Kaboom! if he knows. Kaboom! Any info about UAAP FOOTBALL?