FD ALUMNI HOOPS OPENS WITH A BANG

By Daniel Akimoto

The Father Duenas Memorial School Alumni Tournament kicked off with a not too surprising upset. The newly graduated class of 2025 defeated the defending champions 2016/2017 in their debut game 64-51. The freshmen alumni didn’t back down to their upperclassmen as they simply outplayed with their size, skill, and athleticism.

Led by three college basketball commits in Noah Tenorio, Noah Cruz, and David Del Carmen, 2025 started off strong with an early 10-2 run before 16/17 had to call a timeout. Their defense was swarming any 16/17 player with the ball which caused several turnovers leading to fast break opportunities.

David Del Carmen was a beneficiary of this as he received the ball down court to deliver a monster two hand slam dunk. Noah Cruz couldn’t seem to miss as he dropped 5 3s for 15 points. Noah Tenorio used his large build to absolutely bully his upperclassmen as he recorded multiple blocks and steals while also dropping 14 points. This big three came prepared to drop a statement that they were here to win it all.

However, even with 3 out of the 5 starters being collegiate level players, DJ Alcantara managed to steal the spotlight from them all. He matched Cruz’s shooting performance with 5 3s of his own, finishing the night with 18 points. His defense also helped his team create those fast break opportunities. After the opening night, 2025 is looking like the team to beat this summer.

After a championship run last year, 2016/2017 assembled a similar roster this year, but they seemed to have left their chemistry behind. Leon Shimizu led all scorers with 21 points. Jeno Aquino backed him up with 11 points of his own. Without RJ Rokop or Devin Sudo, their team lacked the offensive spark they had last year.

Other scores:
79/80 def 84/85 46-29
Scores unavailable

02/04 def 2013 56-48
Perez (02/04): 30 points
Sakazaki (2013): 22 points