The times I was able to watch a Red Lions’ game were very few since I graduated from San Beda way, way back. Those few games, however, were very memorable. Like the time when Sam Ekwe and company won the NCAA men’s championship in 2006 to end a 28-year title drought. Eventually, it was the start of a three-peat for the Red Lions.
It was a memorable day not only because the heartbreak kids of Mendiola finally ended decades of futility, but it also galvanized a community – the Bedans, the Benedictine monks and the alumni – long suffering for a title that last came in the late 70s and came tantalizingly close during the late Boybits Victoria’s finals hurrah against the Benny Cheng led-Cardinals in 1991. The Red Lions then lost the game and the title in the last five seconds of the game. San Beda managed to return to the finals twice, in 1996 and 1997, but lost both to the San Sebastian Stags.
Fast forward to that fateful day in 2006, I took the MRT on my way to Cubao then. The coaches were filled with passengers in red, hoping, praying that day will be the V-day. The coaches were quiet.
On my way back to Pasig, the scene was different. Everyone in red was hugging each other. Regardless of batch or from which college they were from, the atmosphere was electric, joyful and at the same time thankful and grateful after the Red Lions won the title, defeating the PCU Dolphins.
It was also the day that I probably set a personal best for most people hugged in a single day, and most of them were complete strangers to me individually, but as a whole, we belong to the same red and white community that was San Beda College.
The Red Lions went on to become the most dominant team in the 2000s. They were able to book a seat in the finals for 14 consecutive years. Aside from 2006 to 2008, the Red Lions won the title in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. After Ekwe, the Red Lions were bannered by a slew of foreign student-players such as Ola Adeogun, Daniel Sudan, Donald Tankoua and Nunu Noah, to mention a few.
Winning came so easy for the Red Lions then that it was almost expected that the men’s basketball trophy would never leave Mendiola. Bedans who were so adamant in watching the games live became too lazy to attend the games to a fault because they knew then what would be the results. Moreover, the Red Lions got so used to winning until season 95 came. It was then the NCAA implemented a change that ultimately impacted the fortunes of the Red Lions and other teams in the league. It was the last season where foreign student-athletes were allowed to play in the tournament.
Since 2019, the Red Lions have not won the title again.
Fast forward to Thursday last week. The Designated Kit Man was able to watch Game 1 of the best of three title series of the 2023 PBA D-League Aspirant’s Cup Finals between EcoOil La Salle and Marinerong Pilipino-San Beda at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig with fellow alumni Raul Roque, Ched Aragon and many more.
And after covering so many football games in the last decade, it was an opportunity for me to see the current Red Lions and to watch a basketball live for a change.
The opening sequences of the game were lit with the Archers and the Red Lions exchanging threes. Then it was downhill from there as La Salle stepped on the pedal and never let go. Getting the most of a deep lineup, good motion offense and stifling defense, La Salle made the Red Lions look like an inter-barangay team.
The defending champions took the fight out of San Beda after the first quarter. By the time the first half ended, La Salle was way ahead, 59-33. They eventually took Game 1, at 108-82.
The Red Lions were listless during the game. They can’t execute plays, missing point blank shots on the rare times they have the opportunity to do so and heck, they can’t even bring the ball to their court due to the Green Archers’ defense. For context San Beda was caught violating the eight-second clock at least twice.
Four days later, La Salle completed the sweep, routing the Red Lions, 89-74, in the second game to win the title.
The Red Lions’ woes didn’t end there, though. Two days later, San Beda was beaten black and blue by the UP Fighting Maroons, 99-62, at the SBP Invitational Games. The Red Lions fell behind as much as 38 points against State U in the game.
Good thing though is the fact that this is just the pre-season for the forthcoming NCAA tournament. The downside is, if this is the line-up that will contend for the NCAA title in the next few weeks or months, then we have to temper our expectations. The Red Lions need to play better, defend harder and most especially, communicate with each other on the court. Against the defending champion Letran Knights and the emerging CSB Blazers and the rest of the competition, San Beda can’t win on just hopes and prayers.
During my college days in Mendiola, I never saw the Red Lions win a single game in the NCAA. The team was weak, so we resorted to winning the heckling game against perennial rivals such as Mapua, Letran and even San Sebastian just to make the trip to the games worthwhile. Despite this, the Red Lions then played with all their hearts and guts and were just happy to get rewarded with free meals at the canteen, and of course, the undying support of Bedans trying to go through calculus, statistics, accounting, economics, Jean Paul Sartre, Nietzche and Albrt Camus. Our generation then was used to losing. But we had fun losing then.
The current Bedans, however, are not used to seeing their Red Lions lose. More importantly, they are not used to seeing the men’s team lose by embarrassing margins.
Like they say, it’s better to lose the games during the preseason rather than during games when they actually matter. But then again.
I just hope the current coaching staff led by Yuri Escueta can make the needed adjustments to make the Red Lions a better team soon. I also pray that the Red Lions will also rediscover their mighty roar and pride once the tournament that matters begins.
Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!