Will Gozum, Miguel Oczon, Miggy Corteza, JC Cullar, and Jimboy Pasturan all have one thing in common.
No, they are not the usual starters of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde in NCAA Season 98. What ties them together is that years ago, they all tried their chances in other colleges, but all ended up at 2544 Taft Avenue, Manila.
"Actually a bunch of our guys that are playing right now, I wouldn't say 'rejects' but that's what I tell them, 'You know, you guys were cut by your school for one reason or another. That's why we have something to prove. Let's prove to everybody that they made mistakes and let you go,'" Benilde head coach Charles Tiu said in an episode of The Howie Severino Podcast.
In making up a team such as their roster for the season, Tiu himself believes in giving opportunities to capable players.
"We really believe in giving guys an opportunity to showcase their talents. Maybe they just didn't fit the previous coach, the previous team. Maybe they weren't given a chance. But we wanna develop theirs and we wanna show that they belong, they play basketball."
Indeed, the team made up of mostly transferees ended up as the top seeded team, with Gozum even leading the race for the Most Valuable Player award.
On Sunday, this special team will compete for the title in Game 1 of the Finals against the three-peat seeking Colegio de San Juan de Letran, 3 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Watch the game live on GMA and via livestream at the social media accounts of NCAA Philippines and GMA Sports PH.
—Justin Kenneth Carandang/JMB, GMA Integrated News
