Vidal is the vida, the bee and the doll

By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.

PANGASINAN’s basketball fans know Renato “Jack” Vidal, the head coach of the University of Luzon (UL) Golden Tigers basketball team. He gained more admiration when his Tigers survived two pulsating games, ending at 85-82 and 66-65, to sweep the best-of-three finals series against archrival Lyceum Northwestern University (LNU) Dukes in this year’s PRISAA Pangasinan-Dagupan Inter-Collegiate Basketball Championship held last October 3 and 6 at LNU gym.

The Tigers’ victory in the finals last Monday added one more laurel to their crown, defending their diadem anew after recapturing it from the University of Pangasinan Webczars in 2006 to score a “three-peat”, as the saying goes in basketball.

“It’s my ninth title in the annual affair after 12 years of coaching the UL five,” said Vidal.

“Thank God it’s all over that he gave us the third grand slam championship.”

I followed the games, especially the semis and the finals, and keenly observed that every time Vidal’s team was on the verge of defeat, especially at the homestretch, or let’s say less than a minute to go and trailing by only three points or less, the crowd can expect the unexpected. And the crowd will surely roar because Vidal’s team will pull a magnificent come-from-behind victory that will stun their opponents and the spectators. This happened many times and one of the unforgettable instances was in the 2006 semis when the Dukes, leading by one point with eight seconds to go, were defeated by Vidal’s boys who, after a timeout, successfully converted the winning basket because they followed their coach’s plan. That victory gave them entry to the finals and eventually wrested the crown from the Webczars, two wins to one loss in the best-of-three series.

It also happened in Cebu City this year during an invitational university games last summer when the Tigers, trailing by two points, 69-71, miraculously —I would say — won after Mangaldan son Rod Natavio canned in a three-point buzzer-beating touch to nip the well-known University of Visayas squad, 72-71. That shocked and prompted moans among thousands in the partisan crowd.

It happened again last October 3 and 6 in a similar fashion.

And remember, Vidal steered the Region 1 team that landed third during this year’s PRISAA National Games, breaking the fourth place finish of Gumarang in 2005. It was the first time in the history of national PRISAA that Region 1 bagged the bronze medal.

Basketball connoisseurs say that the best way to beat the Tigers of Councilor Chito Samson is to beat them by a rout like what happened in 2005 when the Webczars of Cesar Duque, steered by Angel Gumarang, defeated them by ten points, 73-63, in the final game.

It also happened this year during the league’s first round competitions where the Tigers lost an extraordinary defeat, 85-69, to the raging Dukes of Atty. Gonzalo Duque.

That lone loss of the Tigers in the league against the Dukes was avenged three times, 79-69 in the second elimination round and 85-82 and 66-65 in the championship series.

Vidal is always the vida in every close encounter of his boys. He has proven it many times.

And Vidal is the bee of the Tigers because each time he saw a loophole in his opponent, the bee was ready to sting.

And Vidal is the treasured doll of Sir Chito in basketball, locally, regionally, nationally and, soon, internationally if their sojourn to Guam will push through in summer next year.

Congrats for the job well done, keep up the good work and more power.

(Readers may reach columnist at biking.jess@yahoo.com. For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/sports-eye/
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