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MANILA, Philippines – De La Salle University honored its past UAAP men’s basketball champions by handing out rings to the members of the 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, and 2016 title teams on Monday, November 27.
The event, spearheaded by former Green Archers Francis Zamora, Don Allado, Renren Ritualo, Mon Jose, and Dominic Uy, hopes to give a nod to its past and inspire the current crop of players.
Also major benefactors in making the event possible were former team managers Terry Capistrano, Raffy Villavicencio, and Johnny Valdez.
“We want the [UAAP Season 86] team to have rings and a ring ceremony next year,” said Zamora, who is currently San Juan City mayor.
“More importantly, we want to reclaim the lost glory of La Salle, since when you say De La Salle University Green Archers, it was synonymous with being the most dominant team in the UAAP,” added Zamora, the skipper of the 1999 championship team.
It is not the first time the school handed out rings – the university previously awarded championship rings to the 2007 and 2013 squads which beat UE and UST, respectively.
The rings, manufactured by Suarez Brothers, features a green stone in the middle, an “AN1MO” on one side with the La Salle logo below, and the championship year on the opposite side.
Players’ names are engraved on the inner side of the ring.
“I won’t be here without my teammates, all credit goes back to them as my life wasn’t really easy inside the floor,” four-time UAAP champion Ritualo said.
“[The reunion] feels great since these are my brothers, we’re like a family…as we can see, we are still family, we’re still together, we’re still communicating.”
For members of this year’s title squad – the message is clear – win the title for the green and white.
“It’s just an honor and great privilege [to be part] of the De La Salle family,” said head coach Topex Robinson.
“It’s going to be hard [to win another title], but knowing that we have the whole De La Salle University community behind us, it just gives us so much energy.”
La Salle – led by MVP frontrunner Kevin Quiambao, Evan Nelle, Mark Nonoy, and Mike Phillips – squares off with the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons in the best-of-three championship series starting Wednesday, November 29, at the Mall of Asia Arena. – Rappler.com
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