Photo by Jonel F. Benito from Red Lens Photography Club of San Beda
AFTER STARTING center Greg Slaughter confirmed his final year of eligibility, the good news kept pouring in for the Ateneo faithful, as Fil-Australian forwards and twin brothers David and Anthony Semerad—two talented bruisers from Mendiola—confirmed their intent to bring their talents to Katipunan Avenue.
Though no official statement has been made as of press time, San Beda coach Frankie Lim, who declined to comment on the twins’ transfer, bade them his wishes for the coming years.
“We wish them well and we want to thank them as well for being part of our successive championships,” he said, following San Beda’s loss to the Blue Eagles in the Philippine Collegiate Champions’ League (PCCL) last December 9.
Early speculation
A month before the said match-up, the issue started out as backburners in Internet forums. Rumors of the transfer were, at that time, mere speculation.
A trip to Mendiola seeking early confirmation of the move, however, was declined. Upon arrival at San Beda’s gates, the security guards denied entry, as the San Beda athletics office required a letter of intent prior to interviews. Nevertheless, the security personnel dropped a hint of what seemed to be inevitable.
One of the guards said, “’Yung mga Semerad? ‘Di ba sa Ateneo na sila? Wala na sila dito eh.” (The Semerads? Aren’t they with Ateneo already? They don’t come here anymore.)
Still without any official confirmation, the move seemed highly unlikely. Both David and Anthony have already played out two years in San Beda, giving them—in a best case scenario—only two years to play for the Blue Eagles.
If the UAAP board, however, decides to add an additional year of residency for the Semerad’s brief stint playing with Maynilad Water Dragons in the PBA Developmental League, the Semerads would only have one year of eligibility.
Though it was still unsure whether the Semerads would transfer to Ateneo, one thing was certain: they would no longer be suiting up for the San Beda Red Lions.
Confirmation
The following days were fraught with indications of their eventual confirmation to have joined Ateneo.
On December 1, the Semerads were seen on campus. The two hulking big men were being toured around the Loyola Schools by Coach Norman Black himself.
On December 3, as judges for the Miss Philippines-Earth International Pageant, both the Semerads were introduced as Ateneo’s newest players. Then, three days later, they guested in ANC’s Hardball, where they told hosts Bill Velasco, Jinno Rufino and Boyet Sison of their desire to play for the blue and white, confirming their departure from San Beda to Ateneo. Their Twitter accounts soon followed suit, retweeting fans’ good wishes sending them off to Ateneo.
Reasons
The twins’ attributed their desire to move to the lack of compatibility between San Beda’s program and their skill set. Though they noted that the San Beda program is a winning one, it is not attuned to their capabilities.
In their sophomore year, the twins found themselves still languishing in the bench despite producing decent numbers in their freshman year. The twins’ main concern was their development, which thus far has been hampered by a loaded Red Lions roster.
A Bedan alumnus who has been close to the team, however, offered his sentiments, saying that the transfer was “a career decision more than anything” and that development wasn’t really an issue. “They were supposed to start next year. It’s foolish that they want to sit out two years; it’s not an issue of development,” he said.
The twins’ skill sets vary. David is a rangy 6’4” forward who provided the 10-point spark in this year’s game two of the NCAA Finals, which ultimately inched the Red Lions to the title. Anthony is an adequate 6’5” big man with decent strength to bruise and bang with opposing teams’ big men.
The twins, aside from being basketball players, also moonlight as models, endorsing signature brands such as Bench and Sperry.
