COLEGIO de Sta. Ana de Victorias (CSAV) made history by winning the 2017 Negros Occidental Private Schools Sports Cultural Educational Association (Nopsscea) men’s basketball competition with a convincing victory over University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos (UNO-R), 82-64 Friday night.
Before the crowd at the STI West Negros University (WNU) Gym in Bacolod City, UNO-R Rams’ aggressiveness went down the drain as seven-time Nopsscea champion coach Elvis Atinado orchestrated the Titans to create mismatches as CSAV has the tallest average ceiling among the seven collegiate teams this season.
Unstoppable Jeffrey Manday, acrobatic Jeric Adorio, slamdunking Cameroonian JR Essakadoualla, Vladimir Pangantihon, Carl Magbanua, delivered the goods for team managers Paolo and PO Cruz who vowed to bring home the title this season.
It’s been four years since CSAV joined the students' league.
“It’s been our dream to win this championship title and we want it this time having missed it last year,” the basketball-loving brothers said.
From a ragtag team formed by the siblings in their first year, it took notice in the second year after coach Troy Sarabia injected his skills. The former coach of WNU Mustangs failed, however, to carry the Titans to the top four in his term and John Imperio followed.
Imperio, who brought in JR Essakadoulla from Cebu City, brought the team to numerous out of town, friendship, and pocket tournaments which paid off during the Nopsscea wars.
CSAV had entered the top four, but lost to UNO-R in the semi-finals and vowed to return, which it did this year.
The only difference is that it was not Imperio, but his ally and contemporary Elvis Atinado who steered the Titans bringing in new faces in its backcourt and taller forwards to solidify its campaign.
