GUARD Kim Cinco was a member of the Lyceum squad that completed an 18-0 elimination round sweep in 2018 but fell short to San Beda University in the Big Dance.
Three years later after graduating, he gave the Pirates a title– although in a special event in these most unusual of seasons.
Cinco edged Letran’s Mark Cruz last Saturday in a thrilling final in the 96th NCAA basketball All-Star Skills Showdown at the Victoria Sports Tower in Quezon City.
The sweet-shooting Cinco was the first to sink the three-pointer in the gold medal match, doing it in 25.25 seconds to beat Cruz., who sank his try at the 26.59-second mark.
Cinco held off former Red Lion Radge Tongco in their semifinal battle, doing it in 22.61 seconds after he made his second attempt from beyond the arc.
Cruz hurdled Arellano University’s Bimbot Anquilo with a time of 37.93 seconds in the other semis pairing.
The special competition featured alumni from nine of the 10 member-schools as they ran through the skills challenge course which tested the players’ passing and shooting abilities.
Cinco was the pacesetter in the eliminations, completing the shooting stars course in 27.35 seconds and the dribble and shoot course in 24.19 seconds for a cumulative time of 51.44.
The other participants were Kendrix Belgica of College of St. Benilde, Ian Valdez of San Sebastian College, Gerald Dizon of Perpetual Help, Justin Padua of Jose Rizal University, and Jethro Mendoza of Emilio Aguinaldo College.
The country’s oldest collegiate league plodded on with its new season with online events, with the basketball and volleyball tournaments getting cancelled.
