The Red Army

I got off work early last friday. I left at 3:00 pm for the Araneta Coliseum. I just had to be there. I had to be there by 3:30 pm. That's the time when San Beda fulfills its destiny. I wore RED.



San Beda College hasn't won the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Men's Division Basketball title in 28 years. The last time the San Beda Red Lions won was 28 years ago when Chito Loyzaga was still the team captain. I was still in Grade One then. They've reached the finals a couple of times though. I remember high school batchmate Boybits Victoria and his college teammates almost bringing the title home. I knew that this friday would be the day that my (or should I say "our") wait will come to an end. It was the final chapter of the finals series of the 82nd season of NCAA Men's Basketball between the San Beda Red Lions and the PCU Dolphins.

It started to rain when I pulled away from the office in the minivan. Foreboding doom? Nah. The other car is colorcoding so I had to use the minivan. A plus in having small vehicle is that it is easier to park, in this case I was wrong. I reached Araneta but parking was hell. When I succeeded in squeezing the little bugger between two aluminum vans I immediately ran inside the coliseum.

I was able to get a ticket, which were soooo hard to come by since the finals series was touted as a date of destiny, courtesy of Tita Linda, mom's friend and co-faculty member of the SBC College of Arts and Sciences. Thanks Tita Linda!

It was a photo finish arrival for me, I entered the gates at exactly 3:30 pm, right before the game went live on Studio 23. I was there. I just had to be part of all of it. For one brief shining moment, I was a part of The Red Army.

I was kind of hoping to meet up with Arel and my other batchmates but I knew that at that point it was impossible since the coliseum was jam-packed. But then it really didn't matter since when you're there... when you're with other Bedans... when you're right smack in the middle of The Red Army... you are home... I didn't know the names of the guys and girls beside me. My hands hurt from all the clapping. My throat hurts from all the shouting... But it really didn't matter... We were all Bedans.

The game was a classic. When the Dolphins denied the Lions a sweep in game two, Studio 23's sports commentators had said then that all that was needed to make the series a classic was a cliffhanger of a final game. They got their wish. San Beda Red Lions won over the Gabby Espinas-led PCU Dolphins, 68-67. Though we didn't know each others' names, I shook hands with the guys beside me.

The Lions led by 20 points at the third quarter. But champions in their own right that they are, the Dolphins chipped away at the lead until it was only down to a single point with 24 seconds left.

As it stands, it was Samuel Ekwe's last free throw that mattered, he missed three previous ones. Without it the game would have been tied. He deserves to be the Rookie-MVP-Best Defensive Player awardee. As it stands, it was Yousif Aljamal's final rebound off a miss by PCU's Beau Belga with less than a second left that sealed the game. He grabbed the ball and latched on to it like there was no tomorrow. He deserves to be the Finals MVP.

As it stands, it was the game- (and season-) long heroics of the whole team. Kudos to Rogemar Menor, Pong Escobal, Alex Angeles, Raymond Maggay, Jay-R Taganas, Kristoffer Taupa, Martin Lloyd Antonio, Riego Meinardo Gamalinda, Eduardo Tecson, Jed Micah Evangelista, Eduardo Canlas, John Hermida and Kevin Espinosa.

As it stands, it was the season-long masterful strategies of Coach Koy Banal that gave direction to destiny.

It was fun to be there for the Red Wave. It was exciting to shout the Indian Yell with all its seminal Indian Chanting and "GO SAN BEDA FIGHT" cheers once again. It was an exhilirating experience to sing the Bedan Hymn again, this time as champions.

San Beda sure has something that differentiates it from the rest. Instead of girls and guys cheering and dancing at halftime, San Beda has Little Indians. But this time it was different. This finals game had what some would call the most emotional finals halftime experience for any Bedan.

Before the Little Indians took the court, the Red Army fell silent. Then... Without flair, a single cheerleader took the center floor. In his hand he held high the flag of San Beda College. His other hand rose from his side and found its way over his heart.

...and then the heartbeats started.

Every heartbeat was punctuated with striking the chest.
Everyone in the Red Army followed suit.
Then the drums chimed in.
Then the Red Army started chanting "PUSO!" in time with every heartbeat.

A spontaneous chant which was very symbolic of how everyone felt. Twenty-eight years can do that to you. The words "BELIEVE" and "HEART. COURAGE. PRIDE." were echoing in the Bedan collective mind.

It was magical.
It was destiny.