By Brian Yalung
The Centro Escolar University (CEU) Scorpions will have to find a way to sustain their success without big man Rodrigue Ebondo from here on.
According to CEU team officials, the Democratic Republic of Congo called up the 6-foot-6 Congolese to suit up for the 2017 FIBA African Qualifiers. The tournament starts on Nov. 24 with the Dem. Rep. of Congo bracketed in group C with Angola, Morocco and Egypt.
The CEU Scorpions are currently one of the top teams in the Universities and Colleges Basketball League (UCBL).
Though Ebondo is not due to leave for Congo until Nov. 19, CEU management wants the team to make the necessary adjustments by playing their remaining UCBL assignments without their star big man. Ebondo is expected to return after the 2017 FIBA African Qualifiers.
The odds are now stacked up against the Scorpions, something that is not necessarily new. They bucked the odds in the 2017 PBA D-League Foundation Cup, reaching the finals with a pure college lineup. Though they bowed to a superior Cignal Hawkeyes quintet, the fact remains that adversity is nothing new for the reigning UCBL champions.