Blue vs. Red

Blue versus Red: A quick look on the NCAA’s most renowned rivalry

BY JONASH DANNUG

As Letranites, it is our duty to uphold the core values of our beloved Colegio. According to what is written on our creed, we must continue to live our days as one for God, for the fatherland, and for our beloved Alma Mater. One unwritten rule though, is that as Letranites, we must treat every Letran-San Beda face-off as a championship game.

Over the years, the Blue and Red have faced countless great battles on the hardcourt, taking up collegiate rivalries up a notch. From the banging of the drums to the jeers of the crowd; this rivalry has always lived up to the hype.

In this article, take a look on one of the fiercest rivalries that set stage on the Philippine basketball hardcourt.

WHERE IT ALL STARTED

The rivalry kicked off in the early years of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) when the Knights faced the Red Lions in the 1950 championship match for the first time. Letran was spearheaded by Lauro “The Fox” Mumar while San Beda was led by Carlos Loyzaga, the father of Ginebra legend Chito Loyzaga.

In the second round of the eliminations, the Intramuros-based squad was at the verge of sweeping the eliminations and winning the crown (the Final 4 format was not yet in effect).

However, Loyzaga’s San Beda team had other things in mind and downed the Knights to force a championship game.

Mumar led Letran’s famous “Murder Inc.,” as they prevailed over the Red Lions in the finals and won their second NCAA championship during that time.

After Mumar and Loyzaga’s excellence, the Knights and the Red Lions became certified powerhouses in the league. However, the Red Lions, after winning back-to-back championships in 1977 and 1978, fell into oblivion and suffered a 28-year title drought while the Knights continued their dominance that eventually carried on until the millennium age.

This circumstance though, may have silenced the Letran-Beda feud for a while, and paved way for the San Beda-Ateneo and Letran-La Salle rivalries.

HEADING INTO DIFFERENT PATHS

Before bolting to the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), Ateneo and La Salle were member schools of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Back then, some would say that San Beda’s original rivals were the Blue Eagles while Letran’s antagonists were the Green Archers due to the violent history that hampered these all-boys schools.

San Beda and Ateneo’s rivalry had their heated moments in the 1977 finals series which was highlighted by a scuffle between the competing teams’ fans. This fracas forced the officials to hold the third game in closed doors, with the Red Lions enwding up as champions.

The tides completely turned in the 1980 season when the Knights and the Archers’ supporters turned the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in complete pandemonium and engaged themselves in a huge brawl. With the adversity at hand, the Basketball Association of the Philippines were forced to halt the rest of the tournament and

suspended Letran in all events.

The following year, the league readmitted Letran, which led to La Salle’s exit in the NCAA. Ateneo, meanwhile, left in 1978 due to the violence that marred league.

REKINDLED RIVALRY

In 2006, San Beda regained supremacy in the NCAA and ended their 28-year title drought through the massive help brought by Nigerian student-athlete Sam Ekwe. During the elimination round, the Red Lions defeated the Knights twice, denying Letran of a twice-to-beat advantage in the final four. This, somehow, may have rekindled the rivalry that was set aside for a very long time as the Knights and the Red Lions faced each other in the championship match the following year. San Beda, led by Ogie Menor and Ekwe, dominated the 2007 finals series, 2-0, to win their second consecutive championship after their title drought. Menor bagged the finals MVP plum while Yousif Aljamal (San Beda), Bryan Faundo (Letran), and Dino Daa (Letran), grabbed mythical honors. The fiery rivalry went on with the two teams meeting again in the 2012 and 2013 finals in which both the Mendiolabased squad emerged as champions. However, in 2015, when Intramuros met

Mendiola for the fourth time in nine years, the Knights were able to turn the tables around as they nabbed their sweet revenge against the Red Lions in three games, denying San Beda’s bid for a record-setting sixth-straight crown.

The Knights, who were led by first year tactician Aldin Ayo and the troika of Mark Cruz, Kevin Racal, and Rey Nambatac, notched their 17th NCAA overall basketball championship.

ADDING FUEL TO THE FIRE

In 2015, the Knights and the Red Lions displayed spectacular performances during the course of their three-game series.

Letran’s Mark Cruz, Kevin Racal, and Jomari Sollano and San Beda’s Art Dela Cruz, Baser Amer, and Ola Adeogun exploited their basketball brilliance in the finals by delivering big-time plays.

However, aside from the superb performances of these college stars, the other thing that made this series more interesting is that it added more disputes to the growing list of controversies between these two celebrated teams.

In game one, Racal was inbounding the ball late in the Knights’ 94-90 win over the Red Lions when a San Beda fan standing at the VIP courtside area tried to distract the Letran star. The incident, unfortunately, caught the ire of Letran fans which almost resulted into a brawl.

Another incident occurred as the last few seconds ticked away in San Beda’s game two victory. Cruz was seen yelling back at a San Beda supporter who he claims shouted at him using profane languages. Several San Beda players pacified the pint-sized guard before things got out of hand.

Meanwhile, San Beda manager Jude Roque criticized the referees in Twitter following Letran’s game three win. Roque irked the Letran community with his remarks. But Roque was quick to defend himself, and apologized hurriedly for his comments.

The biggest controversy though, came from one of the heroes of the Knights’ Cinderellarun in the NCAA Finals. Knights’ forward Racal launched a racial slur on San Beda’s Adeogun online. Racal came under fire and was slammed by San Beda supporters in social media. The Alaska forward then hastily apologized for his mistake, saying he only got caught up by his emotions.

Some of these incidents may have gotten out of control, but the beauty of this age-long rivalry is the lessons that it imparted not just to the players and the administrators but for their fans as well.

Disputes come and go, and seeing the likes of Kevin Racal and Jude Roque own up to their mistakes prove that this isn’t your typical rivalry.

We may have seen some of these players and officials scoff at each other. We may have seen fans jeering at one another. However, this does not take away the fact that over the years, unlike other rivalries, this Letran-San Beda discord is built on respect and distinction, and that is what separates these two prestigious teams from the pack.