The smiles on the faces of the members of the NCAA Management Committee said it all. Last Monday’s showdown between undefeated Jose Rizal University and San Sebastian College drew a full house to the San Juan Arena – a rarity for any game not involving either defending champion San Beda College or Colegio de San Juan de Letran.

JRU had been a powerhouse the past few years, a team loaded with veterans who took the Red Lions to a third game in the finals last season. However, tragedy struck the Heavy Bombers last week with the tragic accident that befell last year’s captain Jayson Nocom and subsequently, they nearly fell to hapless Mapua two days after his untimely death.

On the other hand, San Sebastian College was the former kingpin of the loop that had fallen on hard times as of late. The school that had won five straight titles last decade but hadn’t been in the Final Four since 2005 was experiencing a rebirth, and their fans had been waiting for exactly this.

Last year, the Stags came close to making the knockout phase under coach Jeorge Gallent, losing a pair of sudden death games to be on the outside looking in when the Final Four began. Gallent then left and San Sebastian rolled the dice on a rookie coach – former PBA MVP Ato Agustin, who had the backing of the tremendous Pineda machinery in Pampanga.

Why is this important? Of late, the Central Luzon province has emerged as a top-flight producer of basketball talents, and if they are able to harness these homegrown talents for the Stags, they could become contenders in due time.

But to be this strong and competitive right off the bat? A win over defending champion San Beda in their second game of the season made everyone sit up and take notice. And four more wins paved the way for last Monday’s showdown for the NCAA lead.

The game was close only in the first half and once the second half began, the Stags broke away and were never again threatened as they clamped down on John Wilson and James Sena while Jimbo Aquino showed that his early season form has not bee a fluke. Aquino, one of a handful of veterans who have stuck around waiting for the program to be resuscitated, is making a strong case to become MVP.

Aquino, Gilbert Bulawan, Dave Najorda, Pamboy Raymundo and Anthony del Rio are the team's veterans while second-year guards Raymond Maconocido and Jonathan Semira help form the core of the team. But it had been the rookies and their excellent play that have given this team a lift – 6-foot-6 starting center Ian Sangalang and reserve forwards Calvin Abueva and Roland Pascual.

And then there’s Agustin, who seems to be slowly but surely translating his success as a player to a good start in the coaching profession.

Still soft-spoken as ever, Agustin has the ears of his players who may or may not have heard of how he transformed himself from an undersized small forward (and a second round pick) into a pro point guard who bagged MVP honors three years after turning pro.

Next week, JRU will try to bounce back when they take on San Beda College, which had also been on a tear since the loss to the Stags. It is somewhat clear that in this year’s 85th season of the NCAA, there are three teams that are clearly above everyone else and the Letran Knights have their work cut out for them in trying to keep that fourth spot away from the hands of guest teams Arellano University and Emilio Aguinaldo College as well as College of St. Benilde.

And by this time next week, we will probably know the fortune – good or bad – that the Philippine men’s basketball team experienced in Tianjin, China. Is is on to Turkey? Or is it now time to let the RP Developmental Team take over and retire the pros from international competition for good?