San Beda Red Lions Look to Rebound After Disappointing Season
Photo sources: GMA, Next5Gen
The San Beda Red Lions, the NCAA’s most storied basketball program, find themselves in uncharted territory after a disappointing end to their Season 100 campaign. With a loss to the College of Saint Benilde (CSB) Blazers in the Final Four, the Red Lions concluded their season with a 10-8 record – their worst since 2005 – and missed the Finals for the third time in the last 4 seasons.
For team manager Jude Roque, the loss was particularly difficult to swallow.
“That semis game was my worst NCAA game as team manager in all my 12 seasons. It’s also my worst season as we never had so many losses before,” he lamented in an exclusive interview with ALL-STAR. “But kudos to CSB. They played like a champion team, and we didn’t.”
Despite the frustration, Roque remains optimistic about the program’s future, emphasizing San Beda’s tradition of resilience.
“It’s back to the drawing board for us, to see what went wrong and how we change things moving forward. But we’ll be back. We always do.”
A Promising Core and Fresh Blood for San Beda
The Red Lions have no shortage of talent heading into Season 101. Their roster will feature a mix of returning players from their Season 99 champion team and promising recruits. Key veterans include JE Lopez, Inigo Torres, and Aljay Alloso. Joining them are transferees Zed Etulle, Kyle Jamora, and Lawrence Hawkins, along with Fil-foreign recruits Jimmy Reyes, Janti Miller, and Xavier Gentles.
“Jimmy and Janti were impressive in the Team B tournaments. I think they play major roles next season,” Roque said, highlighting the duo’s scoring outbursts in the offseason Next5Gen tournament, where both notched multiple 20-point games. “A big challenge for us is getting all these fresh recruits to play beautiful music together. Obviously, we didn’t achieve that in Season 100. Hopefully, next season will be much better.”
Saying Goodbye to Key Contributors
San Beda will bid farewell to graduating players Emman Tagle, AJ Royo, and Josh Tagala. One of the team’s most experienced players, Yukien Andrada, remains undecided about his future but has one year of eligibility left.
Roque also acknowledged that the team struggled with injuries and lacked cohesion during the preseason.
“This team had the size, talent, and bench depth but lacked the maturity and chemistry. Eleven were first-timers in the NCAA. Also, during the preseason, we were never complete as a team due to various injuries. Bismarck Lina was only able to join training in the middle of the season. There were a lot of challenges. But no excuses. We could’ve done better.”
Looking Ahead to Season 101
For a program that has made 18 consecutive Final Four appearances, anything short of championship contention is seen as a letdown. However, Roque is confident that the Red Lions can turn things around.
With the combination of a promising core, standout newcomers, and a renewed commitment to excellence, the Red Lions are determined to reclaim their place atop the NCAA.
“We have the pieces. It’s about putting them together the right way,” Roque said. “San Beda always bounces back. That’s what makes this program special.”
Season 100 may have been a disappointment, but history suggests it would be unwise to count the Red Lions out.
