The VSU Pythons Men’s Basketball Team will be hissing back with their strength ready in the second season of the Eastern Visayas Collegiate Athletic Association (EVCAA), which will be held in Tacloban City on September 9, 2023. With their ace players, Al James Calizar, Marvin Rebuyas, and Rolando Jesus Abad, the team is resurgent with perseverance, passion, drive, and sheer willpower.
With their head coach, Mr. Patrick John Piamonte orchestrating the team, the Pythons are determined for a chance of redemption after a fourth-place finish in the 2022 Regional State Colleges and Universities Athletic Association (SCUAA) and a third-place finish in the 2023 Inter-University Basketball Tournament, both held at Southern Leyte State University. They are poised to mark themselves yet again as one of the best basketball teams in the region.
Coach Piamonte emphasized the importance of tournaments like this to prepare themselves for the much-anticipated 2023 SCUAA meet, which will be held here at VSU in October. For him, this tournament will help build their chemistry to a much stronger level and elevate the players’ confidence as they take on strong opposing teams while testing their skills to the limit.
However, the Pythons’ mettle will be put to the test first as the team will have new faces joining the squad; which will impact the team’s style and play. Nevertheless, they are eager to build strong chemistry with one another, as one of the team’s priorities is trusting each other on the hard court.
All eyes will be on their 6'1 forward team captain, Al James Calizar, who won Finals MVP in the 2023 VSU Cup championship game after tallying 16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. The team is confident going into the tournament with Calizar’s leadership on both ends of the floor paired with Coach Piamonte’s in-game genius.
Locked in with a championship mentality, the Pythons are putting in extra effort in preparation for their games. Despite the tournament’s competitive environment, they remain unfazed by the possible moments and are ready to conquer giants.