Garapan Rollers rule

Not since a then scrawny 5’4” wunderkind by the name of Kevin Cequena has Garapan Rollers been this good.

The team, held together by the blood, sweat, and spit of head coach Joe Diaz, finally scaled the top of the mountain last July 23 when it annexed the 2004 Inter-Village Youth Basketball League crown at the expense of a fighting 69ers squad.

But it didn’t come easy for the G-Rollers, as they literally had to come back from the grave, down by 10 points with only five precious minutes left in the do-or-die championship held at the shivering-cold Marianas High School Gymnasium.

Garapan had everything on the line in the game against the Ray Duenas-coached San Antonio team. If ever their was a time the ‘Rollers were picked to go all the way it was this season.

They had a good mix of big men, a devil-may-care group of shooters, and a steady cadre of playmakers in the backcourt. Add to this the leadership of Diaz and assistant coach Jose Tumaquip, and success wasn’t that far behind when the 14-and-under cage league began in March.

Garapan did just that in the first month of the IVYBL season going undefeated. The buzz started to build around them after yet another perfect April. And then May came and went with the G-Rollers still without a scratch.

The team eventually finished the regular season with a spotless 11-0 mark and then drew sister team Garapan Rollers II in the first round of the playoffs.

After routing their younger brothers, 67-40, last June 19, the boys of coach Diaz ousted defending champion Chalan Kanoa Saints, 58-48, two days later to advance to the championship.

Once there, Garapan overcame early jitters and battled the 69ers for every possession. After yielding the first three quarters to San Antonio, Garapan appeared to be in a bind when their opponents spotted them by 10 points in the final quarter.

But Garapan was not about to go down without a fight, and after a timeout by Diaz, the boys responded with a suffocating defense and an offensive blitz that allowed them to take the upperhand in the dying seconds, 60-58, one they would maintain until the final buzzer sounded.

“I am absolutely ecstatic that the boys finally took home the championship after years of bridesmaid finishes. This is actually Garapan’s first championship since my boys did it in 2001. I’m proud of what they did in the basketball court and even prouder of how they are as young men,” said Diaz after the win.

The young mentor also acknowledged his wife, Verna Babauta, for sticking with him and helping out the Garapan squad achieve victory. Babauta serves as team statistician and de facto team manager for Garapan Rollers.

For his part, Tumaquip said the boys proved their worth in the championship. He said even without their leading scorer, regular season MVP Robert Naraja, Garapan Rollers showed everyone that they were still a team to be reckoned with.

“These are a group of determined young teenagers we have here. They’ll do what is needed to be done and do it the right way. The championship is just gravy, seeing them each grow to what they are now is the most satisfying,” he said.

His brother Joemar, who hit tied the game at 58-all with 42 seconds left, said he feels relieved more than anything that he finished his last year in the IVYBL with a title.

“We played great defense in the last couple of minutes. I just told my team ‘don’t give up’ and that’s what we did. This really feels great,” he said.

Daniel Lizama said the title pays off for the months of training the team did prior to the start of the IVYBL season. “Practice really makes perfect.”

Reserve forward Matthew Iguel, meanwhile, had mixed reactions after Garapan brought home the bacon. “It’s awesome that we won this year’s championship, but I kinda feel sad because the end of the season also means some of my teammates would’ve to go.”

Finals MVP Vince Teregeyo shares Iguel’s sentiments. “Yeah, it’s kind of bittersweet. We won all this but some of us, like me, would have to move on and play for Rotary. But what a way to end your IVYBL career!”

The rest of the 2004 IVYBL champion Garapan Rollers is made up of Allan Moses, Joe Pangelinan, Gary Philip, James Sablan, Keone Chariton, John Aldan, Jose Castro, Steve Tellei, Kevin Aldan, and Don Teregeyo.