(From Manila Standard)
The son of a retired Philippine Basketball Association great will be among the three newcomers expected to shine for defending champion Ateneo in the 73rd season of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament.
Seventeen-year-old Arthur de la Cruz, one of two key players who carried the San Beda Red Cubs to the 17th junior crown in the 85th National Collegiate Athletic Association last season, is expected to provide support from inside the paint when collegiate action begins on July 10.
The 6’5” Dela Cruz, whose father Art is the assistant coach of Barangay Ginebra, will join Team B player Jason Escueta in helping main man Nikko Salva protect the slot for the Eagles. He left the Red Cubs after he graduated from high school last March.
Blue Eagles coach Norman Black talked about the changes the team underwent at the close of two pre-season tournaments, the FilOil-Flying V cagefest and the Fr. Martin Cup competitions, over the weekend.
The presence of Dela Cruz and Escueta will make up for the absence of three veterans who have graduated – 6’8” Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Severino “Nonoy” Baclao and Jai Reyes.
“I’m playing a lot of new guys because we lost Noy and Rabeh. Salva will probably be our big guy in the paint. He’s our productive big guy. He’ll be the one whom we’ll expect a lot in offense,” said Black, who has made up his mind on the team’s final lineup.
The 6’5” Escueta, who just came out of residency after studying at the John Marshall High School in Los Angeles, California, proved his worth Saturday when he shot 14 game-high points for the Blue Eagles as they beat the Mapua Cardinals, 68-64, in the finals of the 16th Fr. Martin Summer at the San Beda St. Placid gym in Mendiola.
John Paul Eram of Cagayan de Oro City also made the cut this season, and was among the three rookies who joined the remaining members of Ateneo, which went to the United States last month for a three-week training camp of Joe Abunassar’s Impact Basketball in Las Vegas.
The son of a retired Philippine Basketball Association great will be among the three newcomers expected to shine for defending champion Ateneo in the 73rd season of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament.
Seventeen-year-old Arthur de la Cruz, one of two key players who carried the San Beda Red Cubs to the 17th junior crown in the 85th National Collegiate Athletic Association last season, is expected to provide support from inside the paint when collegiate action begins on July 10.
The 6’5” Dela Cruz, whose father Art is the assistant coach of Barangay Ginebra, will join Team B player Jason Escueta in helping main man Nikko Salva protect the slot for the Eagles. He left the Red Cubs after he graduated from high school last March.
Blue Eagles coach Norman Black talked about the changes the team underwent at the close of two pre-season tournaments, the FilOil-Flying V cagefest and the Fr. Martin Cup competitions, over the weekend.
The presence of Dela Cruz and Escueta will make up for the absence of three veterans who have graduated – 6’8” Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Severino “Nonoy” Baclao and Jai Reyes.
“I’m playing a lot of new guys because we lost Noy and Rabeh. Salva will probably be our big guy in the paint. He’s our productive big guy. He’ll be the one whom we’ll expect a lot in offense,” said Black, who has made up his mind on the team’s final lineup.
The 6’5” Escueta, who just came out of residency after studying at the John Marshall High School in Los Angeles, California, proved his worth Saturday when he shot 14 game-high points for the Blue Eagles as they beat the Mapua Cardinals, 68-64, in the finals of the 16th Fr. Martin Summer at the San Beda St. Placid gym in Mendiola.
John Paul Eram of Cagayan de Oro City also made the cut this season, and was among the three rookies who joined the remaining members of Ateneo, which went to the United States last month for a three-week training camp of Joe Abunassar’s Impact Basketball in Las Vegas.
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