Key losses: Justin Gutang, Clement Leutcheu, Kendrix Belgica
Key holdovers: Mark Sangco, Ladis Lepalam, Prince Carlos
Season 95 record: 9-9, finished fifth in elimination round, missed playoffs
In Seasons 94 and 95, De La Salle University-College of Saint Benilde managed to just miss the Final Four bus by finishing fifth place in both.
Two years since they last stepped onto the hardwood, the Blazers now see a different crop of players with newly-tapped head coach Charles Tiu set to man the sidelines.
The young Benilde squad will still have some holdovers with Mark Sangco, 6-foot-9 Ladis Lepalam, Prince Carlos, Chris Flores, Sidney Mosqueda, Carlo Lim, and Robi Nayve while the other half of the team is led by new recruits.
Leading the list is former NCAA Juniors MVP Will Gozum along with AJ Benson, JC Cullar, Miggy Corteza, and Taine Davis. Also set to don the green green and white colors are former teammates Joshua Marcos and 6-foot-8 Tsutomu Tateishi.
Benilde has also secured the commitment of former national team member Jethro Publico, who was part of the squad that saw action in the FIBA Asia U16 Championship in 2015.
The Blazers may be rebuilding, but it look like they might have solid foundation to build around.
The NCAA Season 97 live games air every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday to Sunday at 12:00 NN on GTV with replays every Monday and Thursday at 3:00 PM on GTV.
—JMB, GMA News
