Notable San Beda Red Cubs Who Flew High in Ateneo

When talking about producing future stars in basketball, that's an area that the Ateneo high school basketball program has done tremendously over the course of the last few years. However, they aren't the only ones who served as a grooming ground for future champions. Some of you may even find it surprising that some of the past players who don the blue and white jersey in the seniors' division didn't come from the Blue Eaglets' nest. Some of the players Ateneo fans used to cheer for came from a lion's den: the San Beda Red Cub program in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). 

The perfect example of a basketball great who switched from red to blue: LA Tenorio.

Before he was "Tinyente" and Tim Cone's extension on the court for the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), he was among the best point guards in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) while playing for the Ateneo Blue Eagles. He was one of the key players In that 2002 Ateneo team that won the championship as if it was a Cinderella story. But before he took off as a Blue Eagle, he started off as a member of the Red Cubs and was joined by another player who would end up playing for Ateneo. That guy was Magnum Membrere- the 2000 Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP). It was the same year when LA Tenorio and Magnum Membrere won a championship with the Red Cubs.  

Another guy who played for the Red Cub and ended up having a successful collegiate career in Katipunan Avenue: Nico Salva.

While Salva never won a championship in the juniors' division for San Beda, he was a Mythical Team member and the success he didn't get to enjoy in high school, he got tons in college as he started and ended his stint with Ateneo as a champion while playing for the five-peat team under Coach Norman Black. He also won a PBA championship in 2016. 

Ateneo faithful will remember Arvin Tolentino who was touted as a blue-chip recruit for the Blue Eagles but one that didn't produce a championship. He was named as the Rookie of the Year back in Season 77 but during his stint with the Red Cubs, he was a star. He almost went back to San Beda in college after being hit with academic deficiencies in Ateneo. He went on to play for the Far Eastern University and is on his way to play in the PBA.

Other past Ateneo players who once donned the Red Cub colors are Gboy Babilonia, Ford Arao, Alfonzo Gotladera, and Yuri Escueta who is now serving as an assistant coach of Coach Tab Baldwin. 

The poster boy in efficiency who earned Tab Baldwin's praises since coming over to the Ateneo side of things, has also won a championship with the Red Lions before making the switch. That guy is Will Navarro. 

Some players started their careers with one team before taking it to the next level with another team. It doesn't mean that if a player started his career in San Beda means that he will end it in San Beda. For some players, it worked out. For some, it didn't. And that's not a bad thing. After all, turning blue from red for those names above helped them achieved success in their latter parts of their respective careers. 

Photo is from the Daily Tribune