Dalisay leads new batch of cagers
By Josiah Israel Albelda
Adviser
Years of futility have probably made the JCSGO Christian Academy basketball team callous to losing.
In the three years that the former JCA Doves has participated in the fledgling Quezon City Athletic Association, the school's five has chalked up less than 10 wins against more than 20 losses.
Lack of financial support, inadequate training and conflict with academic requirements have often been pointed to as the culprit behind this inefficiency, behind these embarrassing court performances and behind this lackluster showing for four years.
Retrospect
When Physical Education teacher and Sports Club moderator Darwin dela Torre assumed the reins of the basketball team following the resignation of Gerard Alejo, the 22-year-old stared at a task so daunting it cannot be described in words.
And while the school has a state-of-the-art facility in the Seed Dome and an adequate home we call the Skyline Gym, problems continued to hound the hoops program: student discipline, resources, fighting heart.
This became more evident when the Doves lost to a rag-tag squad of teachers and technical staff in an exhibition game in February. Questions arose to whether these young lads are up to the task of bringing basketball glory to the halls of 15th Avenue.
Then-captain Jonathan Masongsong, burly forward Emjohn Dalisay and the rest of the JCA hoops team responded with a bang - an 86 - 74 thumping of the FaculTech Black Hawks, which thrashed them the night before.
That proved to be enough to keep the Doves in the school's roster of varsity teams. After three winless seasons, their volleyball counterparts, however, failed to make the grade and was dissolved by year's end.
The summer saw the JCA five pitted against the Greenwich SM Fairview Team, headed by a parent of grade schooler and Ignite Jr photography editor Yssa Vita.
The Doves fought tooth-and-nail with their taller and bigger foes but eventually succumbed to the physical play of the team made up of Greenwich crew members.
A fresh start
With Season 4 of the QCAA looming in the horizon, excitement is revving up among JCAians.
"This might be the year" is one expression of hope kindled in the obviously-drenched heart of the Cubao faithful, who has been subjects of year-after-year of losing.
The five-foot-seven Dalisay is now heading the squad, which also features spitfire guard Vencarl Dangco and high-flying forward Lester Combalicer.
Dela Torre is optimistic.
"Mas talented ang team na ito kesa sa mga nakaraan," said the 22-year-old mentor. "We are targeting to make the playoffs for the first time."
And to aid this goal, Dela Torre, in cooperation with Ignite and the Supreme Student Government, campaigned for a moniker change - the Doves are too malamya, too soft to battle with the Eagles, Tigers, etc.
Armed with a new tag - the Roaring Lions - the JCA basketball team is now expected to slug it out with the best of them.
Of course, much is still to be done. Three years of losing cannot be just set aside overnight.
The system, discipline and the fighting attitude that he has developed in this team plus the defensive training they got from a two-day stint with an American coach, however, make Dela Torre see big things.
So when the Roaring Lions take the court when Season 4 fires off on August 14, JCAians are raring to roar, growl and shout out loud in support of their hoops squad.
We now believe.
And as the old saying goes, when you are down, there's no way to go but up.
This is now, "Laban ng leon. Laban ng palaban."
