Most collegiate basketball fans know of the National Collegiate Athletic Association of the Philippines (NCAA), Universities Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), and Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL) as the only basketball tournaments. These tournaments showcase the main team, or team A, of participating schools.

 

What many do not know is that most collegiate basketball teams have second teams or team Bs. These teams are composed of players who are still in early training or development and those serving residency requirements as prescribed by their league’s rules.

 

They make up the pool of talent from which the main team can draw in the coming years.

 

Though most of the time they are behind the scenes, these team Bs also join intercollegiate basketball tournaments.

 

One such league is the Father Martin’s Cup (FMC).

 

Thundering sounds of drums, massive crowds and high-intensity plays are what you would expect in collegiate basketball games.

 

However such expectations should be lowered where FMC is concerned. A usual FMC match would seem much more like a practice game—no full house, no ringside commentator, no drums, no half time, and no fans screaming and cheering for every basket made or shaking their heads in disbelief at botched plays.

 

Finals

 

However, the FMC finals last Oct. 18 at the Trinity University of Asia gymnasium, between San Beda College’s Team Behold and Ateneo De Manila University’s Team Glory Be deviated from the norm.

 

The nice weather outside was a clear contrast to the hot and tense atmosphere inside. The bleachers were jam-packed.

 

Ateneo’s Blue Babble Battalion and the San Beda College Band raised lusty do-or-die cheers.

 

The championship game was more exciting because the two teams were fierce rivals. The head coaches of both teams were former Red Cub teammates, Ford Arao and Yuri Escueta, Team Glory Be also featured a former Red Cub and Team Behold also bannered a former Blue Eaglet.

 

Notwithstanding the hype and excitement, the game started out unusually slowly, both teams having only a combined 20 points in the first quarter.

 

Despite the slow start, the crowd doubled in number. Spectators filled even the space behind both baskets. A referee even had to stop the play at one point to ask the people near the basket to move to a safer place.

 

It was a furious exchange of baskets during the second and third cantos. Both crowds would cheer with every basket and every rebound. One could feel people on both sides gasping for air whenever a player released a shot or letting out a sigh of relief once he scored.

 

People stepped out only during the half-time break, but hurriedly came back so as not to lose their seats.

 

The fourth and final quarter was filled with tension, every basket made was like a momentum breaker for the opposing team. At this point, Ateneo’s Team Glory Be built up a substantial lead. Both teams battled it out and both crowds backed their teams up. It felt like a championship game for the NCAA or UAAP title—a scenario previously unimaginable in the FMC league.

 

At the end of the game, both sides showed mutual respect for each other as they applauded each other’s efforts.

 

But, what defined the day for me was when Yuri Escueta and Alfonzo Gotladera sang the Bedan Hymn with their fellow Bedans and the Ateneo crowd waited for them to finish before celebrating their Father Martin’s Cup championship victory.

 

With the kind of talent that both teams have in their arsenal, they may be looking forward to a brighter future in collegiate basketball.