As the Red Lions of San Beda College gear up for the coming NCAA’s 84th season, seven other squads are out to prevent them from capturing a third straight title. With still a powerhouse roster this year, headed by 2006 MVP and Rookie of the Year Samuel Ekwe, last year’s Finals MVP Ogie Menor and John Paul Escobal, SBC is heavily favored to run away with the 2008 men’s basketball plum. Many say that this coming NCAA wars will be a walk in the park for the Lions, and that no other team even poses a challenge.

While I agree that San Beda will most likely get its three-peat this year, I also believe that it will be a tougher journey this time, and that more teams can give the Bedans a run for their money.

I expect that new teams will emerge as the biggest challengers to the champs. Letran College and Jose Rizal University had their chances last year. They both gave the Lions some scary moments. But I think this year, the Knights and the Heavy Bombers will have to take a backseat to the Mapua Cardinals and San Sebastian Stags. These two teams have been very impressive during the pre-season tournaments, even scoring wins against top UAAP schools. The Stags even managed to beat the Lions in extra period during a recent Fil-Oil Cup game.

San Sebastian has the biggest motivation of putting a halt in SBC’s title haul. The Stags hold the record of five straight championships in the 90’s with players like Rommel Adducul, Rodney Santos, Brixter Encarnacion, Banjo Calpito, Ulysses Tanigue and Japer Ocampo to name a few. Although still a long way from duplicating this feat, San Beda’s awesome recruitment program and incomparable alumni backing put the Mendiola-based squad in the right track of even surpassing SSC’s exploit.

But not if the Stags can repeat over the Red Lions this year. Multi-titled PBL coach George Gallent has done a masterful job in honing the skills of the Stags and turning them into a ferocious running machine. They now have a balance of excellent shooters and quick post players to build a potent offensive crew. Jim Viray remains the Stags’ main man with his deadly outside sniping and rich playing experience in the NCAA and PBL. But he also has a dexterous supporting cast in Pamboy Raymundo, John Semira and Jimbo Aquino who can all connect from beyond the arc.
Of course, the Stags also boast of having one of the best frontline in the field with 6’8” Jason Ballesteros, Dave Najorda and Gilbert Bulawan, all of whom are quick and athletic. Defensively, the Recto-based squad is no pushover as well. It has the ability to pressure well and force turnovers to fuel a vaunted fastbreak attack. I can see the Stags making a comeback in the Final Four this year after missing the boat the last two seasons.

Even more determined and dangerous this year is the Mapua Institute of Technology, which I suspect to be the main challenger for the title. Under the leadership of coach Leo Isaac, another accomplished tactician, the Cardinals looked like a much different team from last year during the recent pre-season jousts. They have become deeper and meaner with new faces that certainly boosted Mapua’s roster.

New recruits Allan Mangahas and Mark Sarangay, transferees from La Salle and San Beda respectively, gave the Cards the bench depth that might just be their main weapon this season. Mangahas is an outstanding scorer who can share in the scoring pie with last year’s MVP Kelvin Dela Pena and sensational guard Jonathan Banal. Sarangay adds muscle to the fearful frontline of the Cardinals, which is composed of Neil Pascual, Jason Pascual and Ian Mazo. Another recruit Kevin Espinosa, a pure shooter and member of San Beda’s 2006 champion roster, adds to MIT’s firepower. Then of course I’m sure all teams are wary of the Cardinals’ dreadful zone defenses.

Letran will still be there fighting with veterans RJ Jazul, Rey Guevarra, Kojack Melegrito, Reymar Gutilban and Dino Daa. The Knights are always a force to reckon with mostly because of their stifling defense. Of course, Louie Alas has proven to be one of the best coaches in the history of the NCAA (he holds three titles with Letran) and he will find ways to win. But the exodus of Bryan Faundo has left a big void in the Knights’ frontline, and Alvyn Cabonce and the Foronda brothers John and Clarence must step up big time.

The Heavy Bombers of JRU are also on a mission to end a 36-year skid, especially with several key players playing their last tour of duty. Coach Ariel Vanguardia has whipped up a fighting crew that is also quick and physical. But the Mandaluyong-based school needs more scoring options if you ask me. JRU has a tremendous starting cast with Mark Cagoco, John Wilson, James Sena and Marvin Hayes. These “fantastic four” can measure swords with the best of the NCAA. But they cannot carry the scoring load all by themselves. They will need more support from the bench. The younger guys must step up soon for the Bombers to go far this year.

The Perpetual Help Altas and St. Benilde Blazers will make life difficult for other teams this year but making it to the Final Four is highly unlikely for both squads after losing several key players. The Altas will once more rely on the steady hands of Mike Kong and Ronald Reyes, and the experience of Rommel Balboa. But unless more Altas make their presence felt in the game, UPHDS will have a tough time staying afloat, even with the coaching savvy of Bai Cristobal.

On the other hand, the Blazers have gone through a major revamp with Gie Abanilla taking over the coaching cudgels for CSB. Gie is very familiar with the collegiate cage battles, having been a champion player and assistant coach of DLSU. But the Taft-based squad will need to rely heavily on the experience of William Johnston, Harvey Porras and Jeffrey Morial, and the intensity of Angelo Montecastro to score some wins this year. Most of last year’s key players are no longer around and so the Blazers will be parading several neophytes.

The return of the PCU Dolphins should be very interesting. The last time they saw action in the NCAA was in a championship game in 2006. After coveting their first NCAA crown in 2004, the Dolphins became bridesmaids in 2005 and 2006. Last year’s suspension however has cast doubts on PCU’s competitiveness this year. But coach Joel Dualan knows his basketball and has kept his boys working hard even without competing in major tournaments. There are reports that Beau Belga, arguably the best amateur center today, will be suiting up for the Dolphins one last time this year. If so, PCU could just make a strong comeback this year, especially with old reliables Lisztian Amparado, Lei Mar Navarro and Kervin McCoy still around, and rookie sensation Lee More Boliver raring to strut his stuff.

San Beda still enjoys the deepest bench this season despite losing last year’s skipper Yousif Aljamal to the pros. Coach Frankie Lim has done a stellar job in converting the Lions into the most proficient running team in college basketball today. And even if you slow them down, the Lions can kill you in many ways – the post game of Ekwe, the barreling drives of Menor and Borgie Hermida, and the outside sniping of Escobal, Bam Bam Gamalinda, JR Tecson and Garvo Lanete. Their zone press is likewise among the most feared today. Weeks into the opening of the NCAA however, the SBC camp suffered some major blows after losing 6’6” Nigerian Kevin Imeka Udo, Ekwe’s able back-up at the center slot. Udo would have been as dominant as Ekwe in the paint with his unbelievable athleticism and speed. But after the Red Lions training in the United States last month at the prestigious Abunassar Basketball Camp in Los Angeles, some US schools reportedly took interest in Udo and convinced him to stay in LA.

Without Udo, Ekwe will have to work harder and longer, and back-ups JR Taganas and Dave Marcelo will need to revive their A-games from their stints with the Red Cubs. Another doubtful campaigner this season is Jake Pascual, the former NCAA Juniors MVP from PCU High. Pascual was among the players whose eligibility had been questioned in 2006 after some members of the Baby Dolphins were found to have submitted falsified documents, which eventually led to PCU’s suspension last year. There are reports that the NCAA will not allow Jake to play until the issue involving him and his teammates in the 2006 PCU Juniors team is resolved. Pascual could have been the replacement of Aljamal at the power forward position. Aljamal played a key role in SBC’s offense last year mainly because he could shoot from long distance, even at the four spot. Pascual was fast becoming the perfect clone to Yousif. And with his impending suspension, the Lions will need to fill up the void he left fast.

The way I see it, it won’t be easy sailing for the Lions this year without Udo and Pascual, and with more teams getting better. At least four teams will be hunting the Lions with hopes of caging them in the 2008 season. But SBC should still be on top when the smoke clears, with Mapua and San Sebastian contesting the second and third spots, and Letran and JRU jockeying for the last semis ticket.