By MARK REY MONTEJO
It turns out it was not only Mapua which is drawing inspiration from the past.
San Beda also got a boost from former player Teddy Alamarez, a familiar figure in the 1991 NCAA Finals between the Red Lions and the Cardinals which the latter won – and incidentally also the last time Mapua get its hand on the title.
With the Red Lions down one game in the NCAA Season 99 Finals series, Alamarez had a pep talk to the squad before the Game 2 and shared an experience in the winner-take-all game of that Season 67 Finals which still lingers to him up to this day.
“He was the guy who missed the boxout kay Benny Cheng no’ng 1991. ‘Yong offensive rebound ni Benny Cheng and kinwento niya ‘yong experience na ‘yon,” said San Beda head coach Yuri Escueta after their win over Mapua last Sunday, Dec. 10.
“Even now, naiisip pa rin niya ‘yon. So he just told our players to fight until the end and not let the opportunities slip which really encouraged and inspired everyone, not just the players, even the coaches,” he added.
With that in mind, San Beda went on a furious fightback in Game 2 to force a winner-take-all, reminiscent of the Game 3 contest between the two teams.
“So nakita ko sa kanila (kung gaano sila ka-intense) (kahit)ako nahawa sa intensity and eagerness nila na not to give up,” he added Escueta
With the new breed of Red Lions, led by star guard Jacob Cortez, putting themselves in the same position as Almarez in the rubber match set on Sunday, Dec. 17, San Beda hopes to prevent history from repeating itself and give the former Red Lion some sort of redemption after three decades.
