MANILA – Following their near miss at the championship last season, the College of Saint Benilde Blazers embarked on an extensive overhaul in preparation for the upcoming NCAA 99th season and beyond.
Blazers’ head coach Charles Tiu expressed gratitude to the team’s boosters for ensuring that the school possesses the necessary resources to compete in the upcoming NCAA seasons.
“I am extremely grateful to our boosters and managers who have made the dedicated decision to fully invest in our team and program for the upcoming NCAA seasons,” said Tiu.
Rejoining the Blazers’ lineup for another season are Negrenses Miggy Corteza and Chris Flores, reigning NCAA MVP Will Gozum, Prince Carlos, Robi Nayve and Felipe Marasigan.
New additions to the team’s roster include Negrense Irele Galas of Elite Lab, Immaculada Concepcion College standouts Roger Ondoa and Ian Torres, Matthew Oli from San Joaquin Delta College, Tahjae Ordonio from Gavilan College, and Jeric Canete from Cagayan de Oro.
Players currently in residency include transferees Allen Liwag, Jhomel Ancheta, Nathan Victoria, Gab Cometa and former Iloilo United Royals players Winston Ynot and Justine Sanchez.
“It’s a challenge we’ve never encountered before, where there is now an abundance of players vying for the same position,” said Tiu, who will have a boost in his coaching staff in team consultant Rajko Toroman.
“It’s a favorable challenge to have these many recruits, actually better than lacking options. They will need to compete for their spots, as we also have a surplus of players,” he added.
However, the immediate focus of the team remains on ending the decades-long championship drought of the Blazers, which last hoisted an NCAA men’s basketball championship in 2001.
“Our primary focus remains on the upcoming season that is about to commence in a month or so. We still have a substantial amount of work to accomplish, and our consistency remains an issue,” said Tiu./PN
