De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde may not have been among the early members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), but it didn’t take too long for them to prove that they belonged.
Saint Benilde joined as a member in 1998, not that long ago in the context of the league’s rich 97-year history. But it took them only two years in the league before they won their first NCAA men’s basketball championship, making an instant impact on the league.
Underdog squad
In Season 76, an underdog squad bannered by 1999 Rookie of the Year and future NCAA MVP Sunday Salvacion, future Mythical Five member Jondan Salvador, and Mark Magsumbol, and coached by Dong Vergeire, started the season 0-3 before putting together an improbable run to finish the elimination round in third place.
That netted them a semifinals matchup against a favored University of Perpetual Help System DALTA armed with a twice-to-beat advantage, but the plucky Saint Benilde squad overcame even that to reach the finals opposite the San Sebastian Stags, whom the Blazer stunned to cop their first-ever NCAA title with Magsumbol emerging as Finals MVP.
Salvacion and Salvador went on to make names for themselves in the pro ranks with Salvacion bringing his hot shooting to seven different clubs, including Barangay Ginebra, where he played from 2003 to 2010 after getting selected 11th overall in 2003. Overall, Salvacion is a five-time PBA champion and is a one-time All-Star participant in 2007.
Salvador, on the other hand, was picked fourth overall by Purefoods Chunkee Giants (now Magnolia) where he would play from 2005 to 2011 before finding himself in three other franchises after that. With Purefoods, Salvador became a two-time champion.
General excellence
Ever since their achievement in basketball back in 2000 they have not looked back.
CSB continued to produce future pros in basketball such as Carlo Lastimosa, who had stints with Barako Bull, Blackwater, NLEX, and Columbian (now Terrafirma), and Palo Taha, who is currently among the backcourt stalwarts of NorthPort.
But the Taft-based school has produced athletes outside of just their basketball program as well.
In fact, the school’s excellence in multiple disciplines has allowed them to net a total of five general championships, proving that the school absolutely belongs in the winner’s circle.
Benilde is home to a number of volleyball aces like Jeanette Panaga, who is currently manning the frontcourt for the Creamline Cool Smashers in the Premier Volleyball League. With CSB, the 6-foot-tall Panaga was hailed Season 91 Best Attacker and Best Blocker while she was named Best Blocker and Finals MVP in Season 91, where they defeated the San Sebastian Lady Stags.
John Vic De Guzman, meanwhile, is the current team captain of the men's national volleyball team and is also a prized product of CSB, whom he led to the Season 92 championship. During that stunning title run, De Guzman was also hailed the Season MVP and Best Opposite Spiker.
With the national team, the 28-year-old De Guzman helped the country capture the silver medal in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
The Benilde Green Paddlers, their table tennis team, won five straight men’s championships from Season 90 to 94, behind their five-time MVP Ryan Jacolo.
The school also shines in the chess tournament, where it currently boasts eight championships in women’s category, which came in the form of eight straight titles from 2005 to 2012, alongisde seven in the men’s event for a total of 15, the third most in the league after Letran’s 29 and San Beda’s 20.
The CSB women’s tankers team also ruled the swimming tournament in succession in 2009 and 2010.
—JMB, GMA News
