Benilde Blazers

The Saint Benilde Blazers are the NCAA basketball team of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.

The Blazers were formerly a member National Capital Region Athletic Association(NCRAA) before they applied and were admitted to the NCAA in 1998. They then went on to win their first NCAA seniors basketball title in 2000 was the fastest for an expansion squad.

The other senior varsity teams may also be referred to as the Blazers. The juniors team are the CSB–LSGH Junior Blazers (officially the CSB–LSGH Greenies) of La Salle Green Hills, while the women's teams (volleyball and taekwondo) are the St. Benilde Lady Blazers.

Almost all sports program of the Blazers excel in their events, leading to the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde winning its first General Championship honors in NCAA Season 81, and again in NCAA Season 83 and in NCAA Season 84.

Name

As homage to the school which introduced several pioneering courses in the country, the college adopted the blazer as their moniker. It is a short term for trail blazers, which emphasizes the college's commitment to set a standard for education as well as sports development.^[1]

With the La Salle Green Hills Greenies

When De La Salle University-Manila selected De La Salle-Santiago Zobel School as its junior affiliate team when it entered the UAAP in 1986, La Salle Green Hills was left without a membership in either the UAAP or the NCAA, thus starting a 17-year drought in a major collegiate league since its formal withdrawal from the NCAA in 1981.

De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, a member school of the De La Salle University System, applied for admission to the NCAA through the efforts of then System President Br. Andrew Gonzalez FSC, the Greenies was selected as the junior team by then LSGH President Br. Bernard Oca FSC. Both De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde and La Salle Green Hills were admitted to the NCAA in 1998.

The La Salle Greenies (officially the CSB-LSGH Junior Blazers in the NCAA) is the junior affiliate team of the St. Benilde Blazers. Since DLS-CSB is not directly connected with its high school affiliate, except that they are both administered by the Lasallian Brothers, LSGH labels "St. Benilde" instead of "La Salle" on their jerseys.

With De La Salle Zobel in WNCAA

In contrast to their men's junior counterparts, DLSZ represents College of St. Benilde in the WNCAA since the NCAA didn't have women's basketball in their scheme.^[2]

The De La Salle Lady Junior Archers have been the WNCAA Junior Division Champions for eight straight years, from 1993 to 2000 and again in 2004.

Saint Benilde - San Sebastian Rivalry

This short lived rivalry sparked when DLS-CSB, who joined only in 1998, met San Sebastian College - Recoletos (or simply Baste) in the finals of 2000, and 2002. CSB won in the Finals of 2000, bannered by what is dubbed as the best CSB Blazers team ever assembled. With former NCAA MVP Sunday Salvacion, Jondan Salvador, and Al Magpayo, the St. Benilde Blazers beat the formidable San Sebastian Stags and won their first NCAA seniors basketball championship title, despite joining the league a season earlier. This marks the fastest win for any new school in the league since the World War.

However, the Stags avenged their defeat and defeated the Blazers in the Finals of 2002. The Golden Stags, led by graduating players Christian Coronel, Nurjanjam Alfad, Paul Reguerra, Roy Falcasantos, and Bernardo Mercado, swept the Blazers, 2-0. Mercado later joined the SSC-R's coaching staff as an assistant coach. Leomar Najorda was adjudged as the 2002 NCAA Finals MVP.

NCAA General Champions

The CSB Blazers won three (3) General Championships in a span of four years, being runner-ups in to PCU between those years (2005-06, and 2007-08). They won double championships with LSGH in NCAA Season 83(2007-2008 season) and NCAA Season 84 (2008-2009 season).

Their junior counterparts, LSGH, won two (2) General Championships as De La Salle College and the other eight (8) General Championship as LSGH. As the DLS-CSB juniors team, LSGH won four (4) General Championships.

NCAA Season 82 Hosting

De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde served hosting rights for the first time in 2006-2007 season of the NCAA, with the theme "Proud and True at 82: Blazing Beyond Limits." Under the leadership of the Sports and Development Office (SDO), the Benildean community flocked to fill the Araneta Coliseum at opening day. The number of Benildeans in the arena was only rivaled by that of the NCAA 2000 finals, as the Dome was rocked by chants of "Animo Benilde!".

The College will again host the NCAA after one rotation, in Season 89 (2013).

Blazie, the official mascot of the 82nd NCAA season, was created by DLS-CSB Multimedia Arts Student and Marketing Communications Office (MCO) student staff Charmaine Collen Hao.

The CSB Pep Squad and NCAA Cheerleading Competition

The De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde's pep squad is officially known as the CSB Green Peppers (from 2005) and then later on as the CSB Pep Squad (since 2007).

Since the inception of the event, the CSB Pep Squad has always last in placed (7th) from 2004 and 2005, were suspended by the school in 2006, 6th in 2007, and then went on to place their highest rank ever as 2nd runner-up in 2008.

Select members of the CSB Pep Squad, along with the DLSU, LSGH and DLSZ Pep Squads, performed together at halftime of Game 1 of the Ateneo-La Salle UAAP Finals on September 18, 2008, in commemoration of St. Benilde's 20th anniversary, Zobel's 30th anniversary, and the incoming centennial anniversary of La Salle in the Philippines in 2011.

Blazers Basketball Team Roster

Men's Basketball Roster

   Team Depth Chart

|Pos. || 1st Stringer || 2nd Stringer || 3rd Stringer | |C || Tan || Mccoy || De Guzman | |PF || Carlos || De la Paz || Romero | |SF || Taha || Pate || Deles | |SG || Lastimosa || Grey || Nayve | |PG || Sinco || Altamirano || Musngi |

Notable Basketball Players

• Sunday Salvacion - 1999 NCAA Rookie of the Year, 2002 NCAA Mythical Five Selection and Most Valuable Player
• Alejandro Magpayo - 2000 NCAA Rookie of the Year, 2003 NCAA Mythical Five Selection and Defensive Player of the Year
• Mark Magsumbol - 2000 NCAA Finals Most Valuable Player
• Jondan Salvador - 2001 NCAA Mythical Five Selection
• Ernie Jay Sagad - 2004 NCAA Mythical Five Selection, 2005 NCAA Most Valuable Player

Coaches

• Bong Go (1998–2000)
• Dong Vergeire (2000–03)
• Tonichi Yturri (2003–05)
• Caloy Garcia (2005–07)
• Gee Abanilla (2008–09, on leave for the 2009 season)
• Richard del Rosario (2009-present)

References