THE University of Cebu-Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue campus (UCLM) high school basketball team is getting ready for its debut in the 2019 season of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi).
UC athletic director Jessica Honoridez confirmed to SunStar Cebu the participation of UCLM in high school basketball and volleyball, just a year after the start of UCLM’s athletic program.
“Yes we are expanding to team sports this year. We start with basketball and volleyball,” she said in a telephone interview Friday.
UCLM created a sports program last year focused on individual events like track and field, swimming, chess, table tennis, badminton, karatedo and taekwondo.
Being a new basketball team, Honoridez believes the success of the team depends on the people behind the sports program.
“Coach Reggie (Licanda) has been focused on the basketball program. I trust him because he has been in the basketball scene for years. He also got help from the coaches of UC main,” she said.
Licanda said the team’s roster was completed on April 30 after a series of tryouts and trainings that date back from October last year.
“The team is a rookie in Cesafi basketball, but we will work hard and do our best to compete,” he said. “As a new team, our target is to make it to the quarterfinals. It will be great if we can make it to the semis.”
Honoridez said that what makes her happy is the scholarship opportunity given to the students after the creation of the UCLM varsity teams.
“Both UCLM and UC-Main are doing summer training. All sports. We do this so that the load of training during the regular school year will be lessened and the student-athletes can focus more on academics,” said the bemedalled tennis coach Honoridez. (RSC)