In an unlikely setting, the past met the present and future as Mac Cardona went toe-to-toe with Jeron Teng in the 2017 PBA D-League Foundation Cup.

During an otherwise boring matchup between Flying V and Zark's Tuesday, the most interesting subplot was most definitely the two former La Salle greats going at it for the first time ever.

Many times during the game, both Cardona and Teng found themselves guarding each other one-on-one, almost creating a nirvana for any fans of the storied La Salle basketball program.

Actually, one of those fans include Jeron, who capped his final season in Taft last year with a UAAP title.

"Coming into this game, I really looked forward to playing against him dahil you know, growing up, he's one of the people I really looked up to especially [during his] La Salle days," Teng told ABS-CBN Sports when asked about Cardona.

Of course, Cardona was the brash and confident leader of the Green Archers in the early 2000s, anchoring La Salle's fierce battles against Arwind Santos and the FEU Tamaraws for the UAAP championship.

"Kinausap ko nga siya even during the game," Teng continued.

"Sabi ko 'idol pa rin kita' and I think di na mawawala yun dahil he's really an icon for La Salle and also for the PBA," he added.

After starring in La Salle, Cardona went on and had a fruitful career in the pros, winning a championship with Talk 'N Text on top of a Finals MVP award and a Best Player of the Conference plum.

However, personal demons would later consume Cardona, the lowest point coming in last year when he tried to end his misery by overdosing on pills.

He's back in action now though, trying to pick himself up and make the most out of his second chance at life. Teng is one of the people that is heavily rooting for him.

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"I still believe in him and you know, nagi-isang Captain Hook pa rin yan eh," the young star said of Cardona.

With Teng on his way to the PBA, the bruising forward believes that his next meeting with Cardona on the court will not be in the D-League anymore.

"I believe na pwede pa siya, pwede pa mag-comeback. If he really puts his heart intp it I think he can do anything," he said.

"I won't be surprised if he can come back to the PBA. We all know what he's capable of," Teng added.

This article originally appeared on the ABS-CBN Sports website.