Sonics hoping for fruitful 2009

Sonics coach Jesse Tudela is hoping that their recent championship in the boys’ 14-and-under division of the 2008 Annual Christmas Basketball Jam is just the start of the many good things awaiting the club this year.

“What a great way to start the season with a championship. I am proud of what this team (Lil’Sonics) had accomplished in the tournament because this is a very young team. This is their first time to play together in a tournament. Some even had their first taste of Christmas basketball tournament,” Tudela said.

“Hopefully, we can sustain this momentum in the coming tournaments despite having relatively young and inexperienced players in the 14-and-under age group,” he added.

The Sonics coach said members of the Lil’ Sonics are part of the club’s pool of players, which so far has totaled to 48. The newly-crowned champions are composed of Angelo Salas, Max Camacho, Jon Darag, Scott Escalada, Adrian Chan, Stacy Macaranas, Mikhail Basilio, Joel Chan, Michael Yap, Jamin Dela Cruz, Jerick Habijan, and Angelo Limes.

“Our 14-and-under players are basically new ones—from junior high school and some are still in grade schools. These are raw talents waiting to be developed,” he added.

Tudela said since he has a large pool of new players, 2009 will be a rebuilding year for the Sonics’ 14-and-under team, but he will not be surprise if these young cagers win a tournament too because of the hard work they are showing during training sessions and the support the club is getting from parents, companies, and other individuals.

“If they continue to show the same intensity and focus in training sessions and in actual tournaments, the rebuilding year can also be a winning year for the club,” said Tudela, who admitted they had an up-and-down year in 2008, especially for the 18-and-under pool.

But the Sonics coach said his players in the 18-and-under pool are stronger and more experienced this year.

“They were the top players in our 14-and-under pool in the past two seasons and played in several tournaments, like the Rotary and the MISO high school cagings. So they are pretty tough and ready for big tournaments and will be joining those holdovers,” Tudela said.

Those elevated from the 14-and-under pool to 18-and-under are Tristan Ecalnea, Adrian Palacios, Noel Soria, Leo Galarse, Shane Metran, and John Paul Villanueva, among others.

“These are guys in the 15 to 16 age group bracket and still have many years to play in the 18-and-under leagues, thus still have more time to improve to get to a very competitive level and challenge teams in the open league,” the Sonics coach said.

Players promoted to the senior team replaced former Sonics stalwarts, who left the island for a better future after basketball.

Manuel Ajoste and Jon Lim, who were both scorers of the club, joined the Air Force last year, while Jun Del Rosario is with the Marines. Lerio Pagarao, another prolific scorer, left for the Philippines to study nursing.

“I always tell my players that there’s life—a better life that is—after basketball. When their playing years here is over, they could go somewhere, study or pursue other endeavors, which would give them and their family a better future, a better life than what their parents had before,” Tudela said.

Helping Tudela handle a pool of 48 players is his reliable assistant and former Sonic player Omar Ajoste.

“I really thanked Omar for taking over the team when I am not available, especially last season, as I am tied up with work in the school (Southern) and hospital (CHC). Without him, it will be very difficult to take care of a big club,” Tudela said.