EXPECT the Lyceum Pirates Pirates to be fighting again for the best spot that they can get in Season 100 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball when it kicks off this Saturday.
Their mainstays Greg Cunanan, JM Bravo, John Barba and Mclaude Guadaña have been around since their high school days.
Their presence will more than make up for the loss of senior players Enoch Valdez, Shawn Umali and Oman Omandac.
With only one new player added to the squad — Desmond Colian — the Pirates will seek to do better than their Season 99 record of 13 wins and 5 losses. This allowed the Pirates to claim a twice-to-beat berth in the Final Four against the San Beda University Red Lions.
But their opportunity to reach the finals slipped after the Red Lions beat them twice in a row.
The Pirates then lost to the College of Saint Benilde in the battle for third to end up in fourth place.
For coach Gilbert Malabanan, bouncing back this season will be the goal of the Pirates.
The Pirates are coming back with JM Bravo, one of the team’s top scorers last season.
The 24-year-old Bravo normed 10.11 points, 5.78 rebounds, 0.94 assists, and 0.72 steals last year, and will be a reliable offensive threat for the Pirates.
Guadaña, who has been around since high school, is again expected to shine, after he averaged 9.41 markers and 2.53 boards last year,
John Barba and Gyle Montaño are also expected to provide good numbers for the squad.
Colian, a Filipino-American 6’5” forward, is from the Desert Oasis High School in Las Vegas.
Completing the Pirates’ roster are holdovers Genesis Aviles, Simon Peñafiel, John Verzosa, and Renz Villegas, along with Khen Caduyac, Julian Culanay, Jonathan Daileg, Omar Gordon, Neil Moralejo, Lyon Pallingayan, John Panelo, and Dave Paulo.
