AT the end of the last NCAA season, the Perpetual Altas Men’s Basketball team took a long hard look at the lessons they learned and trained harder, fiercer than ever.
With the start of Season 99 just around the corner, Perpetual Altas head coach Michael ‘Myk’ Saguiguit said his wards are itching to hit the hardcourt and start their redemption run for the upcoming campaign.
“One thing is for sure, the team will be more competitive this season,” Saguiguit said.
With their mantra “Puso at Dugong Perpetual ALTAS,” Saguguit said they have set their sights on conquering the NCAA Season 99 and capturing the first Perpetual ALTAS men’s basketball crown.
Perpetual, which is eyeing an end to years of frustration, improved its ranking with a 7-11 win-loss record from the last season.
In fact, during the off-season, the team joined several tournaments, such as the Philippine University Basketball League, where they won the championship, the PBA D-League, the FilOil Ecooil Pre-season Basketball Tournament, the Asia Basket Tournament, and tune-up games with different teams in the collegiate league and MPBL.
Saguiguit believes that the team has gained a lot of experience from these tournaments.
“With the lessons learned from the tune-up tournaments and the last NCAA season, our players are hungrier. The Perpetualite community can expect our boys to play hard for the university and its community,” he said.
With the exit of four players who finished their playing years, namely Kim Aurin, Lean Martel, Jef Egan, and Steven Flores, Saguiguit will rely on 14 holdovers and four rookies.
Returning are Perpetual ALTAS seasoned player and team captain Jielo Razon, Jasper Cuevas, Season 98 Defensive Team member Mark Denver Omega, FilOil Ecooil 2023 pre-season mythical team member Arthur Roque II, Cyrus Nitura, Carlo Ferreras, Joey Barcuma, John Cedric Abis, JP Boral.
Their backcourt will be manned by Nathaniel Sevilla, Jearico Nuñez, Christian Pagaran, Shawn Orgo and Richard Movida.
Meanwhile, rookies are Angelo Gelsano, Junior Altas alumni Justin Thompson and Bryle Mascariñas, and Joshua Ramirez coming from FEU are expected to come off the bench and contribute to the team’s effort.
As team captain, Jelo Razon is very optimistic that they can bounce back and start winning games this season.
“We trained with the objective of not just winning games but to train like champions. We feel we are stronger physically and mentally than before,” he said.
With the continued support of team owner, Chairman of the Board and CEO, Dr./BGen. Antonio “Tony” Tamayo and his son and team manager Anton Tamayo, morale in the team is high with the team playing with a new system.
“We have a better system now. We want the first five, and even the second and third stringers to come off the bench to score and to play good defense,” Saguiguit added.
With their physical and mental preparation and the support of the school administration and community, the team hopes they would be able to lift the championship trophy for the first time in the upcoming NCAA Season 99.
