Three squads from the UAAP and the NCAA will be testing the mettle of the reigning Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) Southwestern University (SWU) Cobras in the Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama Collegiate Invitational basketball tournament, which kicks off this Thursday at the Aznar Coliseum.
Slated to compete are UAAP powerhouse Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws and NCAA squads Lyceum Pirates and the Mapua Cardinals.
They will be battling the best collegiate squad in the south in the Cobras, who are coming off a fruitful campaign in the Filoil Flying V Hanes Preseason Cup.
The news was divulged by SWU’s champion head coach Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba.
Though they only managed to win three out of their eight games in th Filoil tilt, the Cobras took pride in learning basketball lessons at the hands of the best collegiate basketball squads in the country, a list that includes Ateneo, La Salle and the University of Santo Tomas, which they beat in their final outing, 63-62.
The first game on Thursday will see FEU take on Mapua at 5 p.m. while SWU battles Lyceum at 7 p.m.
FEU actually boasts of a lineup with several Cebuanos including former University of Cebu ace Roger Pogoy, former University of San Carlos guard Joel Lee Yu, former University of the Visayas Baby Lancer Ron Marvis Dennison and former Cebu Eastern College pivot, Raymar Jose. /Correspondent Jonas Panerio