WITH THE REGULAR season looming on the horizon, teams in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) will be looking to sharpen their skills in the league’s preseason offing, the 2013 Partners Cup, which kicks off this Sunday with a triple-header at the Cebu Coliseum.
Defending champion Prime Asia-University of the Visayas (UV) is raring for redemption especially after its monumental flameout in deciding Game Five of the finals series against Southwestern University (SWU) in the Cesafi men’s basketball tournament last year.
UV’s road starts with a game against Gaisano Capital South-University of Cebu (UC) at 3 pm.
The Green Lancers will be parading reinforcement Mike Harry, who joins a squad that has not tasted a championship in the Cesafi since 2009.
At 4:45 pm, the Raphael’s Sports Bar-University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars battle the Lion Tiger Katol-University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF).
USJ-R remains to be a team searching for a brand-new identity with the losses of several key players, including star forward Abulaiz Sulaiman. USPF will also be playing without ace guard James Ferraren, who suffered an ACL tear during the offseason.
The last game of the opening gamedate will pit the San Marino Corned Tuna-Cebu Institute of Technology Wildcats going up against the Cebu Landmasters-University of San Carlos. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio