San Beda Red Cubs Win ASEAN Basketball Championship 2011: A Gold Medal for The Philippines Courtesy of The Red Cubs

Photo from San Beda College Facebook page.

The San Beda Red Cubs, the team that represented the Philippines in the 3rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Basketball Tournament which was held from July 1 up to July 7, 2011 in Singapore has finally bagged the Philippines' first ever juniors' basketball title in the aforementioned tournament at the expense of the defending champion Malaysia. The final score will tell you that the Red Cubs dominated the Malaysian. It was 73-47.

The game was a lopsided one right from the get go. It was in the third quarter that the Red Cubs were able to establish a whopping 34 point lead which was their biggest lead. From then on they never looked back to the Malaysians until the final buzzer.

The Red Cubs played an inspired ball game because they want to make their family, school, and ultimately their country proud of them.

Their parents, their relatives and some of the Overseas Filipino Workers based in Singapore flocked into the venue of the game just to support the Red Cubs.

The Red Cubs responded with the call of their country as they win the championship game. They are looking to defend the most coveted ASEAN Juniors' title in the years to come. That's what the team manager of the Red Cubs, Edilberto Abalos, who was filled with high spirits because of this win, said in an interview. He said that:

“Our victory is for the Filipino people, country and flag. The bigger challenge now is to defend the crown and how to maintain the team since some players will be graduating this school year. And not to discount the process of hurdling the lower meets and the Palarong Pambansa. Sometimes being at the top is not easy, it carries a lot of responsibilities.”

Here are the names of the players who represented the Philippines. Remember their names because they will be the future of Philippine Basketball.

Players are Francis Abarcar (#4), Van Abatayo (#5), Limuel Patenio (#6), Antonio Bonsubre, Jr. (#7), Ranbill Tongco (#8), Boden Miranda (#9), Louis Macapayag (#10), Mikhail Tee (#11), Arvin Tolentino (#12), Francis Munsayac (#13), Daryl Nazareno (#14), and Gideon Babilonia (#15). They were joined by their head coach Britt Carlo Reroma, assistant coach Mark Jomelosa.

Source:www.pia.gov.ph