The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is an athletics association of eight colleges and universities in the Philippines. Established in 1924, the NCAA is the oldest athletic association in the Philippines. The Philippine NCAA is not connected to the NCAA of the United States.
OVERVIEW
The Policy Board and the Management Committee handles the affairs of the league. The Board and the Committee are composed of representatives of the eight member schools, and determine the acceptance and suspension of member schools, game reversals and replays, and other official actions. During the nearly yearlong season from June to March, each school participates in 11 sports; each sport is conducted in two divisions: the Juniors for male high-school students, and the Seniors for college students. There are male and female Seniors divisions for some events. The Juniors and Seniors divisions each award a General Championship trophy at the end of the academic year to the school which had the best performance in all sports, based on the total amount of points scored in a Championship tally.
With basketball as the principal sport, rivalries have developed within schools. Rivalries have led to withdrawal from the league of some members as some games escalated into full-blown brawls. The NCAA took measures to prevent major brawls, such as the segregation of arenas into supporters of different schools. With the withdrawal of members schools came the admission of new members into the league. As of Season 82, the league is contemplating an expansion into Division II athletics.
MEMBER SCHOOLS
The number and composition of NCAA members has changed over the years. The association is currently composed of the following colleges and universities, with their corresponding team mascots, affiliation, and the year of admission.
| Logo | School | Seniors' | Affiliation | Year joined | Enrollment | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | Women | ||||||
 | Colegio de San Juan de Letran | Knights | Lady Knights | Private/Dominican | 1928¹, 1936 | 4,900 | |
 | De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde | Blazers | Lady Blazers | Private/Lasallian | 1998 | 11,765 | |
 | José Rizal University | Heavy Bombers | (no women's teams) | Private/Non-sectarian | 1927 | 11,199 | |
 | Mapúa Institute of Technology | Cardinals | (no women's teams) | Private/Non-sectarian | 1930 | 19,389 | |
 | Philippine Christian University | Dolphins | Lady Dolphins | Private/Methodist-Church of Christ | 1996 | 5,667 | |
 | San Beda College | Red Lions | Red Lionesses | Private/Benedictine | 1924², 1986 | 4,615 | |
 | San Sebastian College - Recoletos | Golden Stags | Lady Stags | Private/Augustinian Recollect | 1969 | 4,481 | |
 | University of Perpetual Help System DALTA | Altas | Lady Altas | Private/Non-sectarian | 1984 | 11,461 | |
[edit] Juniors' affiliate high schools
| Logo | School | Juniors' | Affiliation | Year joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Salle Green Hills | Greenies | Private/Lasallian | 1968, 1998 |
| Malayan High School of Science | Red Robins | Private/Non-sectarian | 1930', 2008 |
| Philippine Christian University Union High School | Baby Dolphins | Private/Methodist-Church of Christ | 1996 |
Notes:
¹ Withdrew 1933, rejoined 1936.
² Withdrew 1983, rejoined 1986.
³ Withdrew 1981, rejoined 1998.
' Withdrew 2007, rejoined 2008.
The Philippine Christian University Juniors team is suspended for the 2008-09 season then after the season ends, Philippine Christian University will have a graceful exit in the League.
STRUCTURE AND HOSTING
The Policy Board, composed of the presidents of member schools, manages the NCAA's external and internal affairs. It handles matters such as acceptance, replacement, and suspension of member schools. The NCAA presidency rotates among member schools. The president for the 2006–07 season is Brother Edmundo Fernandez of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.
The other main administrative body in the NCAA is the Management Committee (MANCOM), which determines matters of athletic concern, such as determining the proper conditions for playing, suspension of players, coaches, and referees, reversal or review of game results, and investigation of ineligible players. The Management Committee is composed of the athletics moderators (or athletic directors) of the member schools, who are selected by their respective university presidents, and the league chairperson, who is selected by the Policy Board. Like the league president, the chair of the Management Committee rotates among member schools. The chairperson of the Management Committee for the 2006–07 season is Bernardo Atienza of Saint Benilde.
The president of the Policy Board and the chairperson of the Management committee come from the school currently hosting the basketball tournament. The rotation is determined by the order of when each school joined the league. For the 2006–07 season, the host will be Saint Benilde, while José Rizal University will host the 2007–08 season. José Rizal University representatives, for the meantime, would be the vice-president of the Policy Board and the vice chairperson of the Management Committee.
The host school manages the logistics, expenses, labor and security in the venues. Each sport has its own host, with the host for basketball being the head of all hosts.
SPORTS
The NCAA sponsors eleven sports, which are divided into two divisions: the Juniors division for high school students and the Seniors division for college students. There are male and female Seniors divisions for some events.
Each member college or university has an affiliated high school that competes in the Juniors division. For example, San Beda College's affiliated high school is its campus at Taytay, Rizal, while Letran College's high school is found within its college campus at Intramuros. While these two high schools are integrated within their colleges, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde is not directly connected with its high school affiliate, La Salle Green Hills (LSGH), except that they are both administered by the Lasallian Brothers. As a result, LSGH labels "St. Benilde" instead of "La Salle" on their jerseys.
The NCAA sponsors the following sports for Juniors and Seniors: basketball, chess, swimming, football, taekwondo, tennis, and track and field. Volleyball, table tennis, and beach volleyball are hosted on the Juniors and Seniors level as well as on both a men's and women's level. Cheerleading is a demonstrational event and is not used in the tabulating of each school's final score, and determination of the season's General Champion.
The General Champion for the each division in an academic year is determined by a points system similar to the one used in Formula One, where the school with the highest accumulated score from all events in a division wins the General Championship. A championship in an event entitles a school with 30 points, the second placer 20, up to eighth place, with one point. For an example, see the tabulation of points for Season 81.
HISTORY
Early yearsThe NCAA was founded in 1924 on the initiative of Dr. Regino R. Ylanan, a physical education professor of the University of the Philippines (UP). The original members were the Ateneo de Manila, De La Salle College, Institute of Accounts, National University (NU), San Beda College (SBC), the University of Manila, the University of the Philippines, and the University of Santo Tomas (UST). |
The decision of the Board of Directors to file papers of incorporation with the then Bureau of Commerce in 1930 led to protests from the University of the Philippines, which was the only public institution among member schools, saying that it would lead to commercialization. National University and the University of Santo Tomas sided with the University of the Philippines on the matter. This led into the formation, via an Article of Agreement, of a triangular meet among NU, UP and UST, with the Board of Control's condition that NCAA events should take precedence. The league established came to be known as the "Big Three," and on 1932, the Article of Agreement was renewed.
In 1936, the University of the Philippines and University of Santo Tomas withdrew permanently in the NCAA and continued with their own league, while Far Eastern University (FEU) withdrew on its own. Six schools remained in the league and became known as the "old-timer six" – Ateneo de Manila, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, De La Salle College, José Rizal College, Mapúa Institute of Technology and San Beda College. Also in 1936, league games were transferred to the newly-completed Rizal Memorial Coliseum, owing to its accessibility among the schools, for most schools were in Manila.
In 1938, Far Eastern University, National University, the University of the Philippines and the University of Santo Tomas formed the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, a rival intercollegiate league.
The NCAA experienced a golden age during the postwar years. The Loyola Center at the Ateneo campus became the new home of the league. Due to the home court advantage of the Ateneo, Blue Eagles games were held on the old Rizal Memorial.
1950s
The 1950s will be known in the annals of history as one of the best decades of the NCAA. The start of the decade was the glory year of the fabled Letran Murder Inc. Eventually, it will be the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles and San Beda Red Lions who would be locking horns during the fabled era.
The decade produced legedary collegiate players like Carlos Loyzaga (San Beda), Lauro "the Fox" Mumar (Letran), and Frankie Rabat (Ateneo) among others.
The 1950s was also known as the decade of the Crispulo Zamora Cup. The Crispulo Zamora Cup was the trophy to be awarded by the NCAA for the first team to get three championship crowns.
The Letran Knights started with their 1950 campaign bannering their legendary Murder Inc. However , they lost steam when San Beda and Ateneo traded championships thereafter. San Beda won the crown in 1951 and the 1952 season. Ateneo stopped San Beda in 1953 and secured the 1954 championship. The 1955 season was the deciding year for the Crispulo Zamora Cup which San Beda eventually won.
In the post Zamora Cup era, La Salle made their own statement by winning the crown in 1956. Still, Ateneo was undaunted and secured the 1957 and 1958 trophy. A third straight post-Zamora crown was only foiled by San Beda in 1959 ending the legendary decade of the 50s.
1960s to 1980s
NCAA basketball champions formed the core of the Filipino team sent to international competitions during 1960 and 1961 in Japan. The opening of the Araneta Coliseum, the largest indoor arena in the Philippines, prompted the league to transfer the championship round there.
By the 1960s, the league experienced problems such as eligibility of players and interscholastic hooliganism. This led to disagreements among member schools, and as a result the 1962–63 season was suspended, and the following two seasons were held in a loose conference format, where the home and away system was used. San Sebastian College - Recoletos joined the league in 1969.
After the riotous games of the late 1970s, several of the founding members left the league. The Ateneo de Manila University left the league in 1978 due to violence, which also marred a championship series with San Beda, while La Salle left after a riotous game with Letran in 1980. Ateneo de Manila was accepted in the UAAP in 1978, while La Salle had to wait for six years to become a UAAP member. San Beda left the league in 1983, reasoning that the college will focus on school-based sports activities like intramurals.
With the withdrawal of Ateneo de Manila, league games returned to the old Rizal Memorial and to the PhilSports Arena, since the Loyola Center was now the location of the UAAP tournament. Also with the withdrawal of the three founding members, most daily publications tagged the NCAA as "an ironic journey from sports to violence."
League today
As the league was reduced to four members, membership was actively pursued. Perpetual Help College of Rizal was accepted as members in 1984. A year later, Trinity College of Quezon City. However, Trinity was not able to meet league requirements and was dropped from the league in 1986, the same year San Beda returned. became a full member.
Measures were taken to prevent major brawls from starting such as patrolling the behavior of the crowd by the respective faculties of the member schools, were implemented as part of the remedy to ensure the security during the NCAA games.
The addition of Philippine Christian University and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde in the late 1990s resulted in the current lineup of members the NCAA now has.
A major breakthrough occurred when the league, upon the initiative of host school San Beda, made a move that switched the television coverage of NCAA games from MCI group to ABS-CBN on March 18, 2002. Previously, only the Final Four and the Championship games were televised, but with the five-year contract inked with ABS-CBN, a majority of the basketball games will be aired, giving the league bigger exposure to fans, students and alumni. ABS-CBN would later air the games on its international affiliate, The Filipino Channel, making the games viewable to alumni and fans abroad.
Future expansion
The NCAA has set its plan of expansion. Division II, as it will be called, will be composed of newly admitted schools. The league has already visited and issued invitations to schools such as Arellano University, Emilio Aguinaldo College and the Lyceum of the Philippines University.
In 1998, the affiliated schools in the CALABARZON region and southern Metro Manila established NCAA South, an offshoot of the league. The schools of NCAA South do not compete with the schools in the main league.
The return of a Mapúa Juniors team, which took a leave of absence beginning at the 2005-2006 season, would return at the 2007-2008 season, as the newly built Malayan High School would be fully operational. Malayan High School would represent the Mapúa Institute of Technology, which is due to be renamed as Malayan Colleges by 2010. However, the return of the Mapúa juniors team on 2007 was held off; the Mapua team representing the Malayan High School of Science will official debut on the 2008 season.
RIVALRIES
Almost all of the rivalries of the NCAA originated from the basketball court, since basketball is the sport most covered by the media, especially on television. Most of the rivalries started due to the schools' compositions, because four of the old-timer six were schools exclusively for males from affluent families. These rivalries have declined in recent years with the withdrawal of two of the old-timer six, Ateneo and La Salle.
With the addition of new members to the league, rivalries shifted to more of a geographical nature. However, the former members would still face their old rivals in other leagues during the off-season, such as the Home and Away Invitational League, the Collegiate Champions League, and the Shakey's V-League.
Ateneo-UP
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| School colors of Ateneo and UP. | ||
A rivalry between the Ateneo de Manila and the University of the Philippines existed even before the formation of the NCAA. University of the Philippines students would troop from Padre Faura to the Ateneo campus in Intramuros to play basketball with the Ateneans,which led to the Ateneo de Manila forming the first organized cheering squad and pep band in the Philippines and what is now known as the Blue Babble Battalion. This would later become "UAAP's Battle of Katipunan" when the Ateneo de Manila and the University of the Philippines transferred to their campuses to Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City and when the two schools began competing in the UAAP.
Ateneo-La Salle
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| School colors of Ateneo and La Salle. | ||
Arguably the most popular rivalry in Filipino sports was forged in the NCAA: The Ateneo-La Salle rivalry. Historical records are unclear on when the rivalry began, although there are arguments pointing to La Salle's 1939 defeat of a top-seeded Ateneo de Manila basketball team and their being dethroned by the Ateneans who beat the Lasallites in the elimination round. While La Salle held their victory parade, they threw fried chickens at the Padre Faura gate of the Ateneo. However. the La Salle cage team was disbarred for fielding an ineligible player the following year (although the title would not become Ateneo's until 1941, two years after the defeat).
Ateneo-La Salle games were always heated, for both schools were exclusively for males. However, La Salle during its stint in the NCAA was not as strong a contender as Ateneo de Manila was (see Ateneo-San Beda rivalry), with Ateneo de Manila not meeting La Salle again until the 1959 Finals, where Ateneo de Manila prevailed. Ateneo-La Salle games are now some of the most anticipated games of the UAAP season.
Ateneo-San Beda
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| School colors of Ateneo and San Beda. | ||
With the departure of University of the Philippines, the Ateneo de Manila and San Beda College fielded the dominant basketball teams for several seasons, having one the last six titles between them. It was in this context that the fierce rivalry between the Ateneo and San Beda emerged. The two teams traded championships in the 1930s that was halted when La Salle scored an upset over Ateneo in the 1939 season. By the time World War II began, Ateneo de Manila already had the most number of NCAA senior's basketball titles with six, whereas San Beda had five titles to its name.
The ensuing years saw the two schools trade championships and end one another's winning streaks. The rivalry between the Blue Eagles and Red Lions continued and there were memorable games in the 1950s that ensued between the two teams. Carlos Loyzaga's San Beda Red Lions toppled the Blue Eagles of the Ateneo from 1951 to 1952. Then, the Blue Eagles under the leadership of Frankie Rabat captured the 1953 and 1954 NCAA titles. 1955 was the year when the Crispulo Zamora trophy was awarded to San Beda when they defeated Ateneo de Manila for the coveted crown. The Blue Eagles again prevailed with 1957 and 1958 back-to-back crown only to be defeated by San Beda in 1959.
The rivalry continued in the 1970s, when their sons, Chito Loyzaga and Louie Rabat met in the NCAA. The rivalry came to an end in the 1977 Finals series. On Game One, a brawl ensued against fans of the competing teams, which led the third game being held on closed doors, with San Beda winning the basketball championship, after Ateneo's last second shot was ruled invalid. The violence surrounding this championship series, coupled with the violence that was plaguing the league, led to the withdrawal from the NCAA of both Ateneo and San Beda. The Blue Eagles left with 14 seniors titles, a record for the most number of seniors titles that would only be tied and surpassed decades later. San Beda later won its 12th title in 2006. The Ateneo de Manila joined the UAAP, while San Beda College eventually came back to the NCAA.
To date, Ateneo and San Beda seem poised to rekindle their sports rivalry, less the animosity, via friendship games and off-season tournaments even though both teams belong to different leagues.
La Salle-Letran
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| School colors of La Salle and Letran. | ||
In the 1970s, La Salle started its own rivalry against Letran. Letran then had 6 championships while La Salle got its fifth championship at the expense of Letran in the diamond (75th year) championship series. La Salle then was managed by Eduardo Cojuangco, a known crony of then president Ferdinand Marcos. Coincidentally, Cojuangco controlled the FIBA-recognized Basketball Association of the Philippines and was appointed by Marcos as project-director for basketball.
The rivalry came into a climax on an August 16, 1980 La Salle-Letran game. The Letran bleachers were totally unoccupied minutes before the game began; Letran school authorities would not let their students get inside unless De La Salle's team manager's "guests" leave the south end bleachers that are part of the Letran stands.
The group moved over to the north end (La Salle side) after talks between Cojuangco and Letran Rector Fr. Regino Cortes. Only then did the Letran bleachers fill up. With the game on the way, Letran was toting a 22-18 lead when they called a time-out halfway through the first half; then, the south end reserve section (Letran side) erupted with at least five burly men (part of the guests of La Salle's team manager) ganging up on a hapless Letran high school sophomore student for a full minute before police could intervene. But for the mauled student, none was picked up (by the police). Almost simultaneously, the La Salle bench suddenly stood up, the players hunched and protecting their heads with towels and jackets against various missiles pelted on them.
It must be noted that the "guests" of De La Salle's team manager were also present during that time when La Salle was able to win over Letran on August 6. Should La Salle win on August 16, it still has to face San Beda (the other qualifier) and win to clinch the round championship; a victory by Letran over La Salle gives it the first round flag.
Cojuangco never explained why his "guests" just happened to be positioned in the Letran side of the Coliseum. La Salle for its part, claims that the five men who beat up the Letran student were La Salle students, and both teams went immediately to their respective dugouts. A large number of spectators were hurt, and a great portion of the coliseum was damaged. The game was called off by the NCAA and ordered a replay behind closed doors, but the BAP ordered the remainder of the season to be canceled. La Salle then announced on a press conference on September 1981 that they will withdraw from the NCAA effective at the end of the 1980-81 season.
The BAP had its findings released that the rumble was started by Letran students thus giving Letran a one year layoff in the NCAA. Letran was immediately reinstated back in 1981.
Recent Rivalries
After the former members transferred to the UAAP, new rivalries were formed and the NCAA slowly revived it's former glory.
Letran-San Sebastian
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| School colors of Letran and San Sebastian. | ||
After both Ateneo and La Salle left, San Sebastian (frequently shortened to "Baste") strengthened their basketball program. The acquisition of Paul Alvarez to San Sebastian and Samboy Lim to Letran provided several close games in the 1980s which led to the birth of the rivalry.
In the 1980s, Letranites were notorious for yelling profanities at the San Sebastian players, and on one occasion, led to a rumble at Vito Cruz Avenue when at the last second, a power interruption occurred, causing confusion on what team won the championship. The rumbles between the two schools have become more frequent which solidified the intense rivalry between the two schools.Paul Alvarez would later play for the Pennsylvania Valley Dawgs of the United States Basketball League.
The rivalry continued in the turn of the millennium when the Stags met the Knights in the finals twice. This led to several memorable games in which the Knights won the 1998 edition with a barrage of three pointers and free throws by Letran's Nicholas Pacheco with a few seconds remaining to win their 13th championship. The Knights also became the first 4th seed to upset the 1st seed in the Final Four when they defeated the Stags twice during the 1999 NCAA Final Four. That feat would soon be duplicated the following year when the 4th seed Stags upended top seed JRC Heavy Bombers in the 2000 NCAA Final Four. The Knights went on to win the 1999 NCAA championship. In the 2003 NCAA Finals, the Stags (defending champs) made a rally in the 4th quarter in the 3rd game of their series and kept Letran scoreless for almost 6 minutes that led them to take the lead but Boyet Bautista started the comeback by tying the game at 48-all and then his teammates Jonathan Piñera and Aaron Aban finished the game to win their 15th championship at the expense of the Stags. In 2004, they renewed their rivalry in the second round of eliminations wherein Letran denied Baste's Final 4 hopes and eventually broke their streak of Final Four appearances (since the inception of the final four format in 1996 San Sebastian is always in the Final Four) making it their worst performance in 8 years.
Letran - Mapúa
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| School colors of Letran and Mapúa. | ||
The "Battle of Intramuros," which is so named because the two schools are three blocks apart from each other in Intramuros, is the name given to the Letran-Mapúa games. The Cardinals have had the mastery of the Knights in recent years. For eight consecutive years from 1998, Letran has failed to beat Mapúa in the eliminations rounds at least twice (either they will split the eliminations or Mapua will win twice), even though the Knights were more successful in the league.
The Knights were finally able to beat Mapúa in the first round of the 2005 tournament, but the Cardinals avenged that loss in the second round when they dealt the Knights with their first and only defeat of the season. Letran and Mapua would split their games in subsequent seasons.
Although the only instance where Letran and Mapúa met in the Finals was in the 1979 season where the Knights prevailed,the championship won by the Cardinals in 1981 (the games were suspended in the 1980 season due to the La Salle-Letran fracas) proved to be a spoiler once again as it denied Letran the bragging rights to the unprecedented honor of being the first ever NCAA team to win five consecutive seniors championships (Letran also won the 1982, 1983, and 1984 crowns), a feat that would later on be achieved by the San Sebastian Stags from 1993-97.
Saint Benilde - San Sebastian
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| School colors of CSB and SSC-R. | ||
This short lived rivalry sparked when the De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde, who joined only in 1998, met San Sebastian College - Recoletos (or simply Baste) in the finals of 2000, and 2002. They also met in the Final Four of 2001. CSB won in the Finals of 2000, bannered by what is dubbed as the best CSB Blazers team ever assembled. With 1999 NCAA Rookie of the Year and 2002 NCAA MVP Sunday Salvacion, Jondan Salvador, and 2000 NCAA Rookie of the Year Alejandro Magpayo leading the charge, the St. Benilde Blazers beat the formidable San Sebastian Stags and won their first NCAA seniors basketball championship title, despite joining the league a season earlier. This marks the fastest win for any new school in the league since the World War.
However, the Stags avenged their defeat and triumphed over CSB in the Final Four of 2001, and again in the Finals of 2002, where they swept the CSB Blazers, 2-0. The Stags' Leomar Najorda was adjudged the 2002 NCAA Finals MVP.
Jose Rizal - San Sebastian
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| School colors of JRU and SSC-R. | ||
The rivalry started in 1972 where Jose Rizal was playing in the championship against new member San Sebastian. The Heavy Bombers was bannered by Philip Cezar, David Cezar, Ed Carvajal, Jess Sta. Maria, Cris Calilan, Olimpio Santos, Jimmy Santos and Norberto Rivera. San Sebastian has their own superstar with the like of Dave Supnet. JRU (JRC then) captures the NCAA crown which up to this date is the last time Jose Rizal win a championship. Years later the two team are again figured in a mini rivalry, San Sebastian's Paul Alvarez and Jose Rizal's Vergel Meneses figured in a PABL Slam Dunk contest in 1987. Meneses won the contest and during regular NCAA games these individual are giving their best shot for their own personal rivalry and to entrtain the fans and students who watched the game. San Sebastian become one of the successful team in the NCAA and wrote a history when they won 5 straight championships in a row and also produced number of players in the PBA. Jose Rizal continues to struggles in the years to come and not until 1999 where the Heavy Bombers made it to the finals but lost to the defending champion Letran Knights. The finals figured a free for all to both students, alumni's and players at the ULTRA that resulted officials to stop the game in the middle of the regulation.
In 2000, the Golden Stags and the Heavy Bombers met in the Final Four. JRU, then known as JRC, clinched the no. 1 seed while SSC-R got the 4th seed. The Stags defeated the Bombers twice to advance to the Finals against CSB. Thus, the Stags became the 2nd 4th seed to upset the 1st seed in the Final Four. The Letran Knights did the trick a year earlier against the Stags. SSC-R and JRU also met in the 2001 Finals. JRU was bannered by Ariel Capus, season MVP Ernani Epondulan and Joel Finuliar while San Sebastian was led by Mark Macapagal, Christian Coronel and Jam Alfad. JRU lost in the series, which included a 33-point blowout loss in the deciding Game 3. Coronel was named as the 2001 NCAA Finals MVP.
The rivalry continued during final four appearance of both school from NCAA seasons of 2002 and 2003. Not until 2007 NCAA season when San Sebastian final four chances was denied by Jose Rizal via a 7-point winning margin in a come from behind victory. The Stags was ahead by 7 points against the Heavy Bombers 1:10 to go in regulation. Jose Rizal capitalized on the errors of San Sebastian and force an overtime to win the game. This allowed JRU to grab the no. 3 spot in the final four and towed Mapua at no. 4. Alumni and students of both teams are very much part of the game which conclude by some NCAA insiders predicting that both schools will likely to renew their rivalry in the next NCAA season.
Letran - San Beda
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| School colors of Letran and San Beda. | ||
The rivalry started in October 28, 1950 when Letran and San Beda meet in the finals for the first time. Letran then was led by Lauro Mumar while San Beda was led by Carlos Loyzaga who eventually became legends of Philippine Basketball. During the second round of eliminations Letran is on the verge of sweeping the tournament to become eventual champions (the Final 4 format was not yet implemented), but San Beda spoiled it and beat them to arrange a championship showdown with the Knights. In the finals Letran got their sweet revenge as they beat San Beda to get their second title in the NCAA. The Letran team was called "Murder Inc." by the late Willie Hernandez because of their merciless brand of basketball, very unforgiving. After that historic match San Beda kept on winning many championships until the 70's while Letran ended the 70's with only six championships. During the 80's the NCAA has seen the downfall of the San Beda basketball program while Letran peaked and became a powerhouse team that will continue until the millennium decade.
With the exit of their fierce rivals, Ateneo for San Beda and La Salle for Letran, some say the rivalry has died down because of their heaven and earth situation not until in 2006 when the Lions won their 12th championship after 28 years. During that same year San Beda won twice against Letran and denied the Knights to gain a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four.
On 2007, San Beda and Letran played for the championship for the second time and was dubbed "The Dream Finals" because it featured two NCAA teams who have very rich basketball history and tradition and in this series, San Beda has a championship score to settle with Letran (to avenge their defeat in the finals 57 years ago). The Red Lions eventually swept the Knights, 2-0. San Beda's Rogemar Menor was named as the 2007 NCAA Finals MVP. Right now they are the most anticipated games in the NCAA which led to bringing the games at the Araneta Coliseum. They are also compared to UAAP's Ateneo-La Salle where in some columnists say it is the "icing in the cake" of today's NCAA.
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