Cebu has been known traditionally as a hotbed of hoops, and with good reason. Legends such as Mon Fernandez, Dondon Ampalayo, and Jojo Lastimosa first made their marks in Cebuano collegiate leagues, as did more recent stars such as Dondon Hontiveros and Roger Yap.

The University of the Visayas has dominated Cebu’s top collegiate league, the Cesafi, for the last decade, thanks to a program led by a couple of legendary Cebuano hotshots, head coach Boy Cabahug and assistant Al Solis. A few years ago, the Green Lancers scored a coup after signing up 6-11 Fil-Am project Greg Slaughter, and the team is finally reaping the benefits as the behemoth starts to tap his potential. Slaughter, a mainstay of the Smart Gilas Developmental squad coached by Rajko Toroman, is surrounded by the usual bevy of Cebuano shooters who have carried the UV program to eight straight Cesafi titles.

Standing in their way is their archrivals from the University of Cebu. Curiously, the UC Webmasters are also handled by another Cebuano sharpshooter from yesteryears, from Alaska mainstay Roehl Gomez. The Webmasters have been carried this far by 6-9 center June Mar Fajardo, a Smart Gilas prospect who is reportedly the best big man playing outside Metro Manila cage leagues.

The two centers of attraction have had an awesome duel in their best-of-five finals series thus far. UV took the first game, 64-56, behind 16 points from Slaughter, but Fajardo’s 27 points and 14 rebounds powered UC to a narrow 71-70 victory in the second game. UV struck back with an 81-67 win in game 3, behind 22 points and 11 rebounds from Slaughter, his third double-double in the series.

It’s too bad that basketball fans from Metro Manila are missing out on the action between the two behemoths. It would be fun to see if the two big men would be the best pair of big men to come out of the collegiate ranks in the South since Ramon Fernandez and Abet Guidaben, or if they end up being the next iteration of JR Quinahan and Samigue Eman.