If you were in San Beda College during the early 90s, you would probably understand how important a win, much more a championship, in the basketball tournament of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) was.
It was normal then for us to see our beloved Red Lions lose game after game in the tournament. What we lacked in wins, we made up in giving the best heckling possible to our opponents in the usual Bedan humor of old.
Going back to the 1991 NCAA Finals, I watched along with my Philosophy and Letters ‘92 classmates how the Red Lions then lost the much-coveted title to the MIT Cardinals in the last five seconds of the game, courtesy of a clutch bucket by Benny Cheng. The last time San Beda won the NCAA basketball title was in the late 70s, courtesy of the Loyzaga brothers, Chito and Joey and the Red Lions of ‘77 and ‘78.
Since then the pain was never extinguished. In fact, it was in my bucket list, longer than my wish for a daughter, among the oldest when bucket lists were not yet in vogue. Someday, we will get our revenge.
The Red Lions finally ended a 28-year-title drought in 2006. Since then, it has become one of the most successful basketball programs in the NCAA. San Beda won back-to-back-to-back in 2006-2008 and strung a 5-peat from 2010 to 2015. Overall, San Beda has won 11 titles since 2006 until the start of this season. The loss in 1991, however, remained to be settled because despite the Red Lions establishing some sort of dynasty since the mid 2000, it never faced the Cardinals in the finals again.
Until this year, 32 years after the historic and unforgettable loss in ULTRA, the first finals between the boys of Mendiola and their rivals from Muralla had been set. The Red Lions upended the Lyceum Pirates twice in the semis to book the finals slot against the heavily-favored and top-seeded Cardinals. Aside from only losing three games before the finals, the team also has two players in the Mythical Five. The Red Lions had no one in the elite team, but then again, basketball is a team sport.
So it was also expected that after Mapua won the first game, 68-63 in the best-of-three title series that the Red Lions were already written off. Some even wrote that Mapua will sweep San Beda in the finals. A Mapua bus was even reportedly decorated with a banner saying it was the home of champions prior to the second game. Which was understandable.
For me then, my main concern was to secure a ticket for Game 3 because I was so sure that the Red Lions would force a rubber match for the title and that sweet payback more than three decades in the making. Luckily, the Red Lions used the same playbook that Mapua employed in the first game to win the second game, 71-65 and extend their season.
A few hours before Game 3, I still didn’t have a ticket and was resigned to go to our radio program, Larong Pilipino, and monitor the game online. But as always, my classmates, Resty Ancheta and Garry Domingo came clutch. Got the ticket plus one, literally some five minutes before the start of the rubber match.
Despite decades away from “NC” basketball and into football for an equally long time, the sea of Red at the Smart Araneta Coliseum was always a sight to behold. The Bedan Yell and Go San Beda Fight never get old. And the old man in me was forgotten in a moment and I was back in my 90s self. The only downside was I didn’t have a signal to join my Kuyang Chino, via zoom, in our program. Moral lesson: Don’t use Globe while inside or near Smart Araneta or run the risk of having a heart attack.
The Red Lions stormed to a good start taking the first quarter and despite a strong show by the Cardinals in the second canto, they were up by a point, 36-35.
The third period saw the Cardinals firing on all cylinders, making their three-points shot fall. Moreover, they made the Red Lions play their “physical” game. They eventually took the lead and the third quarter, 57-53. Worse, San Beda’s King Lion and spitfire Jacob Cortez limped off the court.
Despite this, Coach Yuri Escueta and the Red Lions didn’t panic. Yukien Andrada came up with massive three pointers to create the much-needed separation between the two teams, while his teammates clamped on their opponents to limit the Cardinals to just nine points in the final period. Cortez also came back in the game and even came up with a “too small” gesture after scoring a clutch basket to settle the outcome of the game beyond any doubt.
And just like that, the ghosts of ‘91 have been exorcised. The curse has ended. The payback was at hand and completed. The Red Lions were again, the Kings of NCAA basketball. My Bedan brother Joey Gabrillo when he said, all the way from Bakersfield, CA that “it was the sweetest of all championships San Beda has won since 2006.” And I couldn’t agree more.
The win also laid to rest the claim, among many nasty comments, that San Beda can’t win a championship without an import.
But kidding aside, it was a vindication, too, of a program that was hit hard by a massive exodus of blue-chip players to another school. For us Bedans in the early 90s, it was simply a closure to a sad, long-running chapter.
There are many unfolding storylines after the title run, including a rumored transfer of our King Lion and more are expected in the coming weeks. Comments made by losing fans are expected, but most arguments should have been settled with the Red Lions’ resounding and emphatic win, to which I urge my fellow alumnus to be on the high morale ground and not be bothered by these trolls and mema lang. Personally, I will celebrate it on my own, on a loop even, in my own peace. After all, I waited for this to happen for more than half of my life.
This is for you Boybits, Vince, Coach Orly Castelo, Red Lions of 1991 Tony Valeriano, Merwin Castelo, Teddy “Bagwis” Alamarez, Ronald Dionisio, Ares Salud, Sonny Manucat, Ato Morano, Edwin Manabat, Ricardo Zepeda, Jomil Espina, Rommel Saga, Alan Giron, Paul Garcia and to all Bedans, who had to leave ULTRA then with so much pain and sorrows in their hearts.
Nakabawi na tayo, Garry, Resty, Jose aka James, Bert, Raymund V, Raymund A, Peter, Ming, Jun, Rennet, Rod, Roger, Jong, Rex, Joel V., Red, Patrinel, Percy, Bullit, Aris, Ferdie, Ian D., Ian C, Jed, Joel C., Johnny, Jordan, Jun Gab, Larry, Porfie, Jomar, Alvin, Sirs Cadz and Honor.
Ut in Omnibus Glorificetur Deus.
Merry Christmas everyone!
Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!
For comments or questions, you can reach The Designated Kit Man at [email protected] or follow his account at Twitter: @erelcabatbat