Thursday, May 24, 2007 American cagers v. UNO-R Rams at Celine Homes By Henry C. Villalva
THE visiting William Jessup University collegiate men’s basketball team will probably face serious opposition this weekend when they take on two of the top college squads in Bacolod to complete their Negros Occidental summer tour this year.
The American cagers from California are scheduled to take on the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos Rams, mentored by Pol Morales on May 26, 6:30 p.m. at the Celine Homes basketball court.
They will clash against reigning Negros Occidental Private Schools Sports Cultural and Educational Association (NOPSSCEA) champion West Negros College Mustangs on May 27, 6:30 p.m., at the Fortune Towne basketball court, according to coordinator Pastor Renato Bravo of Sports Ventures Ministries and Lifegate Community Baptist Church.
The WJU cagers, mentored by Aaron Muhic, have so far played against local selections in Silay City and Manapla as well as in Cadiz City and Escalante City and will complete their northern Negros itinerary with similar swings in Calatrava, Toboso and San Carlos city. At every stop the team conducts a basketball clinic the whole day and plays goodwill matches in the evening while at the same time sharing their Christian faith to the local communities they visit.
For their part, both the WNC and UNO-R teams look at playing against the WJU squad as an opportunity to do tuneups in preparation for the coming NOPSSCEA season, which is scheduled to kick off in September.
The Mustangs, the 2006 National Inter-Collegiate Champions and 2005 National University Games titlists, will be sorely missing their twin towers—Siverino Baclao and Sunny Abaring—when they face the Americans
this Sunday. Baclao and Abaring, who helped WNC win its two national crowns, are now playing for Ateneo de Manila University and Far Eastern University, respectively, in Manila and are expected to see action in the UAAP this school year after having completed their residency requirement.
WJU is composed of Ryan Swarts (6’1"), Nate Holt (6’8"), Max Botner (6’3"), Tyler Leuning (6’5"), Torben Seikowsky (6’1"), Matt Kristoff (6’9"), Michael Yamamoto (6’0"), John Florance (6’3") and Calvin Tang (5’8").
