Waiting in the wings: DLSU Team B

One of the nation’s most popular college teams, the DLSU Green Archers gear up for the upcoming UAAP Season and they are often in the limelight. However, another DLSU team is beginning their own preparations away from the spotlight. The bright lights and the roaring crowd of the UAAP may not surround them, but the Green Archers’ Team B is a different yet exciting ball game as well, and it serves as a gradual stepping stone towards the bigger stage of collegiate hoops.

“Team B is like a secondary team,” says mainstay Kiko Velhagen, adding that Team B focuses more on player development.

Who they are 

Different from the big names of the likes of Jeron Teng, Almond Vosotros, Jason Perkins, and Arnold van Opstal, members of Team B aren’t well known to the general Lasallian community. Their names are not those regularly written in the sports sections of various newspapers or often making rounds in online sports news, with only hints seen in some sports forums. However, the gap in terms of fame and popularity didn’t seem to be a concern for the players of Team B as they felt that being part of the team is a very big privilege and will help them to become the great players they wanted to be.

Aside from aspirants from the college level, the Team B unit also houses several high school varsity players who wish to be in the same team and play in the UAAP in a year or two.

“[Team B is also a] transition stage for the players na galing high school tapos hindi makaka-Team A kaagad. They go to Team B first then see first what they can do,” shares Team B player Adrian Partosa.

Names aside, Team B is no different from its UAAP counterpart. They practice at the Enrique Razon Sports Center at night and in these practices they do what any team would do when they are preparing for a grinding season, which for Team B is dominated by the Fr. Martin Cup.

“Well [we] usually [have] the typical practice like cardio, shooting drills,” says aspirant Joel Dimayuga with regards to what they do in the team.

While the UAAP is the major battleground of the main roster of the Green Archers, the Fr. Martin Cup tournament is what keeps the Team B unit busy almost every year. But most of the time, Team B focuses on practice games in order to further nurture their skills and keep them in good shape.

“It’s usually held mid first term to mid second term. It’s like the UAAP of the Team B,” explains Partosa on how the tournament is regarded.

A door to a dream 

With all the glory that comes with being a part of Team A, Team B provides an opportunity for its players to be one step closer to that dream. Through a combination of patience and hard work, coupled with determination and the will to learn, that dream may be just knocking earlier than expected. Former Team B players and now Team A members, Terence Mustre, Julian Sargent, and Abu Tratter are living proof that Team B could be a ground where one can dare to make that ambition possible.

“I guess for some of us, it’s like a dream come true playing in college especially in La Salle,” Dimayuga adds.

For these players, the dream is achieved through pocket tournaments like the aforementioned Fr. Martin Cup, wherein other players from other teams serving out their residencies play their trade. The likes of NU’s Alfred Aroga and Ateneo’s Jerie Pingoy have been playing in this tournament while they wait for their time to suit up for the UAAP, proof that the quality of the Fr. Martin Cup is not one to underestimate.

With the attention focused on the UAAP and the players that comprise it, many don’t observe that players from both the Green Archers and the other UAAP schools owe their success to their respective Team B’s. From player development to simple tune-up games, Team B’s are the testament to why champions are made when no one is watching. At the end of the day, the players, especially those suiting up for Team B are in it because of a dream that is still alive; thanks to the burning passion that they have for the game.