MANILA – College of St. Benilde Blazers continued to load up for their future as they formally secured the commitments of former UAAP players Raffy Celis and Saentis James “SJ” Moore.
Blazers head coach Charles Tiu announced the transfer of Celis, formerly of Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles, and Moore, who previously played for University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers.
According to Tiu, he has been recruiting the Bacolod City-native Celis since he was still playing for Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles, but the latter opted to commit to the Blue Eagles.
“I tried to recruit him before he went to Ateneo. We went to Cebu with Boss Frank and Jacob Lao to visit him. In fact, we already had an agreement in place, but at the last second, Ateneo gave a much better offer, and he decided to go there,” Tiu said.
“Somehow things fell into place, and he will end up playing for us after all. He’s a really good player, and after playing and training under Coach Tab (Baldwin) for the last year, I’m sure he’s gotten even better now,” he added.
The 6-foot-3 forward Celis only appeared in six matches for the Blue Eagles in UAAP Season 86, but had his best game against the Growling Tigers, where he tallied eight points, 11 rebounds, and three assists in 17 minutes.
Moore, for his part, was also on Tiu’s radar when he graduated from high school in the Arellano University Braves, but the Boholano player decided to commit to the Growling Tigers.
“Like Raffy, he really caught my eye playing in the NBTC and even in the high school ranks of the NCAA. I also tried to recruit him, but I know UST gave him a really good deal,” Tiu said.
“Somehow, he wanted to transfer and move to us, so we will gladly welcome him. I had spoken to (Growling Tigers) Coach Pido (Jarencio) and have his blessing about SJ anyways,” he added.
The 6-foot-2 Moore averaged just 2.36 points and 1.36 rebounds in less than eight minutes per game during his 11-game appearance for the Growling Tigers in the UAAP Season 86.
Both Celis and Moore will sit out one year due to transfer rules and will be eligible to play for the Blazers in NCAA Season 101 men’s basketball tournament next year./PN
