FilOil: DLSU begins back-to-back FilOil Cup bid against San Beda

The DLSU Green Archers look to begin their 2015 campaign on a high note when they face off against reigning NCAA champions San Beda Red Lions on the opening day of the FilOil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup this Saturday, April 25. Entering the tournament as the defending champions, the Green Archers look to build a head of steam with around four months left before the start of UAAP Season 78.

Both DLSU and San Beda are in Group B, where they are joined by NCAA teams CEU, Mapua, Lyceum, UAAP teams UE, UP, UST, and CESAFI champion SWU. Group A, on the other hand, is made up of UAAP champion NU, Adamson, EAC, FEU, JRU, Letran, Perpetual Help, CSB and USJR. The members of each group will face each other in a round-robin format before the top four teams in both groups advance onto a single-elimination crossover postseason round.

Fresh legs, new faces

Aside from veterans Jeron Teng, Jason Perkins, and Arnold van Opstal, DLSU will also parade its rookies for the season. NCAA Juniors Finals MVP Andrei Caracut, Hope Christian’s Jollo Go, San Sebastian’s Lorenzo Navarro, and LSGH center John Gob will be making their collegiate debuts this weekend, while Joshua Torralba, Daryl Pascual, and Larry Muyang will move up from their stints in Team B.

New faces aren’t the only ones that intend to utilize the FilOil tourney; many of the Green Archers who had solid campaigns in UAAP Season 77 aim to get themselves going as well. Julian Sargent, who shot 34.6 percent from behind the three point line last season, will look to build on his impressive rookie campaign along with Prince Rivero, whose late-season push led not only to him being included in the UAAP Rookie of the Year conversation but also to his inclusion into the SEABA and Sea Games pool.

The Green Archers can use this tournament to give their younger roster more experience as well, given the graduation of veterans Almond Vosotros, Norbert Torres, and Yutien Andrada, and the departures of Robert Bolick, Terrence Mustre, and Matt Salem.

Battle of the best

The last time the Green Archers played in an official tournament was in December, when they fell to the Red Lions in the PCCL championship in two games. Coincidentally, the last edition of the FilOil Cup had DLSU and San Beda squaring off in the finals, with the former winning by five, 71-66. Vosotros led the Green Archers with 18 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals while Teng had 14 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks. Baser Amer and Arthur Dela Cruz had game-highs of 23 points and 15 rebounds respectively but it wasn’t enough to stop Vosotros and the rest of the Green Archers.

With nearly half of the Green Archers’ 15-man roster having not played a single UAAP game and the San Beda fresh off another training stint in Las Vegas, expect DLSU to experiment with different lineups in hopes of looking for the right combination, while the Red Lions will rely on the steady play of Amer and Ola Adeogun.

DLSU and San Beda will face off at 4 pm, right after the match between UE and UST, in the San Juan Arena.