As it has been for every successful squad, the road to the top, for the newest national basketball champions from Negros Occidental, was long and torturous, to say the least. But they were the West Negros College Mustangs and, if only for their faith and desire to achieve what provincial cage teams rarely pull off, all of the players, coaching staff and management truly deserve the victory.

FAITH

Coach Elvis Atinado underscores the team's remarkable faith, which, he says, has been the key to their smashing success. "It's like a river, these blessings from God," the multi-titled mentor said yesterday, three days after the Mustangs produced a historic victory in the National Students Basketball Championships in Legazpi City, where they stamped their class against fancied Manila-based teams.

"We play for God's glory. He gives us the strength," Atinado added. After long hours of practice and team-building sessions, the past six months have been very gratifying for Atinado and his unassuming Mustangs. In October, they savored the triumph in the National University Games in Bacolod City, highlighting the campaign with hard-earned wins over then defending champion Emilio Aguinaldo College and powerhouse St. Francis of Assisi. The victories were both swift and merciless, sending a strong signal that there is a provincial team that can keep up or even outplay highly-regarded teams from Manila, which enjoy big budgets and an extensive recruitment program.

The core of the Mustangs for the past three years, skipper Stanley Tizon, Ely Olarte, Vengie Vergara, Sunny Abaring, Donald Quilantang and Joel Deocadis are peaking at the right time together. Add to that 6-foot-4 Sivirino Baclao's continued improvement and the quality minutes put in by Bernard Suante and Jeban Espiritu, the Mustangs are a potent and formidable squad ready to take on all comers.

LEARNING PROCESS

But victories in the national level did not come on a silver platter. While the Mustangs were dominating the local basketball scene with seven straight NOPSSCEA collegiate titles, they often found themselves on the losing end of bigger and bolder teams in the tournaments like the Champions League, among others. The UniGames and the NSBC crowns, however, have become testaments that the Mustangs are no longer pushovers.

Getting huge support from WNC Sports Foundation chairman Tony Agustin and the school administration, Atinado took to heart the task of transforming the current Mustangs into a well-oiled, cohesive unit. The coach says he did not need any instructional manual to maximize the players' talent.

"I psyched them up, pushed them to the limit to know each one of them and their attitudes. By knowing them and what they can contribute to the team, I discovered who to utilize in every situation. Basketball is a very situational game," he said.

And part of the Mustangs learning process was the bitter experience of losing and longer hours in practice. In Cebu City, they lost by a big margin to the University of Cebu in the preliminaries of the Champions League in February last year, before seeing their bid end in the quarterfinals at the hands of eventual champion University of Perpetual Help.

"I extended practice hours," Atinado said. Among the players benefiting from Atinado's unique basketball psychology is Vergara. Atinado seldom used the reed-thin small forward in his freshman year. "It (the move) motivated him to value every minute on court and do his best," the coach said. Now, Vergara, with the coach's help, has metamorphosed into a deadly three point shooter. His shooting came in handy as the Mustangs broke down the zone defense by their rivals.

UNFAZED

"I am proud of my teammates," the 6-foot-2 Vergara, who was named Most Valuable Player in the NSBC, said. Unfazed by the rough play of UPH, he shot 16 points, including two triples in the final period, to lead the Mustangs' 56-53 come-from-behind win for the title Sunday. Also coming up big in the title-clinching victory were Ely Olarte and Sunny Abaring. The win against UPH proved that the Mustangs' 62-58 victory in the elimination-round against the defending champion was no fluke.

Vergara said the physical play of Manila-based teams only motivated them to turn their games up a notch. In the semifinals, WNC beat UAAP team National University, 71-61, after sweeping the elimination-round, where it downed Aquinas University, 101-62; Calayan Education Foundation, 92-66; Our Lady of Lourdes College, 101-72, and Eastern University State University, 92-69.

The Mustangs are actually only the second team from the Visayas to win the prestigious tournament, after Cebu-based University of the Visayas in the 1980s.*CPT

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