HUBERT Cani and Arvin Tolentino, two players undergoing residency, could make it to Team A of the Far Eastern University Tamaraws.
But another aspiring cager could make it to the main roster of the team for Season 80 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament.
That is if prolific Cebuano guard Rendell Senining is chosen by incoming coach Olsen Racela and the new coaching staff of the FEU Tamaraws to step forward and show how good he is.
Senining, a 5’8” guard, who can score big just like Tolentino and Cani, has been proving himself in Team B events.
He transferred to FEU after helping the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles to the Cesafi juniors’ title in 2012, before trying to make the National University Bulldogs’ main lineup after playing for its developmental team in different tournaments since 2013.
After spending three years on NU’s Team B, Senining has since moved over to the FEU camp late last year.
Racela said he has watched Cani and Tolentino play before, adding he liked what he saw and felt that the two could make an impact on the initial changes that could take place in the roster of the Tams.
“Cani and Tolentino could make it. But I have not seen the others (in Team B),” said Racela, who will begin running practices for the Tams in the second week of January.
The 5’10” Cani, a former star cager of the National University Bullpups in high school, is spending a year in residency alongside Tolentino for the Tams after he sat out following two years of residency with Ateneo’s Team B.
He and Tolentino are expected to fill up voids in the team, now that two veterans, Raymar Jose and Monbert Arong, are graduating by March.
Racela will be working on making the Tams competitive with their former coach Nash– Racela’s brother–who will stay on as consultant.
“Nash started a program, and I hope to continue what he started,” added the 46-year-old Racela, who played for 18 years in the PBA, helping win nine titles with Purefoods and San Miguel.