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Thursday, July 16th, 2009
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 | #1 ADMU (1-0)
Last Week's Performance: W - ADMU 63 over FEU 59 (July 12)
Assessment: The defending champions took on the team that everyone was buzzing about and put them (and all the naysayers) in their place. Both MVPs, center Rabeh Al-Hussaini and power forward Nonoy Baclao played their roles to the hilt, with the former imposing his will in the post, and latter shutting down the shaded lane in the second half of the game. The team even silenced naysayers about their weaknesses: they hit triples when they needed to, and the bench gang of Ryan Buenafe, Nico Salva and Eman Monfort strutted their stuff. If the team comes out firing like this every game, it's hard to not see them returning to defend their crown.
This Week: Thursday - versus UE, Sunday - versus UST
|  | #2 FEU (0-1)
Last Week's Performance: L - ADMU 63 over FEU 59 (July 12)
Assessment: For all of the preseason hype, the Tams still couldn't get it done. Not only did they lose a commanding lead, they couldn't overtake the Eagles either after tying the game in third. For all the talk of Ateneo missing Chris Tiu, it seems like FEU misses sharpshooter Benedict Fernandez more, as the team only had four triples. Two of those came from rookie RR Garcia, who might need to go back to the bench as Jens Knuttel was a no-factor as a 6th man. In fact, the FEU bench was horrid aside from the other rookie, Pipo Noundoo, who had 9 of the bench's 14, and doubt he would have gotten that much burn had the FEU front court not been in foul trouble. Toss in more no-shows from JR Cawaling and Riel Cervantes, and FEU might disappoint pundits yet again.
This Week: Saturday - versus DLSU |  | #3 UST (1-0)
Last Week's Performance: W - UST 76 over AdU 75 (July 11)
Assessment: UST showed some life in their first post-Jervy Cruz. Sure, the ending was a sloppy mess, and one the Falcons could have easily overturned, but you have to remember that their veteran leader, Dylan Ababou, rode the pine for majority of the second half with a mysterious case of cramps. That allowed players like Chris Camus, Khasim Mirza and Allen Maliksi to get shots they normally would not have and they made the most of it. They're not going to be as competitive as they were with the big guy in the middle but they will pose considerable match-up problems for certain teams. Enough perhaps to sneak them into the Final Four.
This Week: Thursday - versus NU, Sunday - versus ADMU |  | #4 UE (1-0)
Last Week's Performance: W - UE 65 over DLSU 46 (July 11)
Assessment: A case of beating an easy foe? That's how I view this one, what with the Red Warriors somehow managing to win sans starting point guard. Against any other team, I don't think they'll be able to play catch-up with their philosophy of "let's start all our scrubs and see if the other team dies of laughter and bring our good players off the bench." They ought to find more minutes for Paul Zamar, who was electric for them, while the other Paul, Paul Lee, forced a ton of bad shots. Did he make up for it with his 7 assists? I hesitate to say "yes" but that number ought to be higher if Pari Llagas hadn't missed a few easy shots. I just don't think they have the talent to continue to operate at a high level, especially if they insist on keeping that counter-intuitive player rotation.
This Week: Thursday - versus ADMU, Sunday - versus NU |  | #5 AdU (0-1)
Last Week's Performance: L - UST 76 over AdU 76 (July 11)
Assessment: For the second straight season, Adamson forgot that they were supposed to be dark horse candidates to make the Final Four and lost in the dying minutes to an inferior team. A 0 for 10 performance by returning veteran Leo Canuday and three triples that jumped right back out for rookie Orlando Cabrera did this team in, and had any one of those shots gone in, we'd be confident in having Adamson up top. That said, Saturday's match against UP will be a good confidence booster for this squad. Now if only Coach Leo Austria could remember his players' names...
This Week: Saturday - versus UP |  | #6 NU (1-0)
Last Week's Performance: W - NU 74 over UP 62 (July 12)
Assessment: Talk about your role reversals. The Bulldogs managed to overturn the Maroons in a rematch of their opening day match last season. In a game where everything went right for NU, the Bulldogs were given a plethora of open shots thanks to a shaky zone defense. The basket was so wide open that they didn't even need to pound the ball that much down low to Jewel Ponferrada, who still managed to put up an impressive double-double despite only 8 touches. I'm still not that sold though on their chances of making the Final Four, but if this is a case of good shooting and not lucky shooting, then NU ought to make some waves.
This Week: Thursday - versus UST, Sunday - versus UE |  | DLSU (0-1)
Last Week's Performance: L - UE 65 over DLSU 46 (July 11)
Assessment: I think everyone knew that La Salle would have a difficult time this season, but this was ridiculous. The veterans were tentative and the rookies were in disarray. The offense was haphazard and the infamous full-court press was nonexistent. For a team known for its poise, Coach Franz Pumaren's wards showed none, and an early lead was turned into a blow out by UE. If there are any positives, it's the knowledge that La Salle is traditionally a team that revs up in the second half of the season. But say they do improve and are in contention form after seven games, will they be 0-7 in the process?
This Week: Saturday - versus FEU
|  | #8 UP (0-1)
Last Week's Performance: L - NU 74 over UP 62 (July 12)
Assessment: Why is UP here at the bottom when La Salle suffered a worse loss? For starters, the UP deficit was just as huge, 20 points at around the five minute mark, and NU went into cruise control. Second, there's hope for La Salle, but for some reason or another, UP players show very little, if any, player growth in-season, let alone from season to season. What you get when these guys are rookies is what you get for their entire season. In some cases, say, Woody Co, they even regress. That means the Fighting Maroons will be in for a rough season, one that might even leave winless again, despite solid performances from rookies Alvin Padilla and Carlo Gomez.
This Week: Saturday - versus AdU |
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Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
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UAAP UAAP UAAP. That's all you need to know.
Okay, there's power rankings, an assessment of opening weekend performances, and predictions for next week. Also, NBA analysis of all the major trades and signings. Download now, click here!
We sample from "Different" by Acceptance and "Dream On" by Aerosmith. If you are the copyright holder of this material and wish to have it remove, just say so.
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1:30 - Babble was the last of the drums to set up but they were the first to break out the beat, banging away to the delight of an arena that was already 1/2 full of Ateneo fans
1:46 - Will wonders never cease, NU brought enough "fans" to muster up a battle of the boobirds from across the arena with their UP counterparts
1:48 - Ateneans are gamely cheering the UP supporters on. FEU fans, not so much for NU. They must still remember when Ateneans cheered on the Bulldogs in their first round loss to NU last season.
1:53 - Thoroughly impressed by NU Pep today. Perhaps they spotted their new courtside reporter who looks alright...from Upper B.
1:56 - The reason why NU sounds so loud today is that 75% of their crowd is comprised of their pep squad. Go figure.
2:00 - De Asis looks...not in shape. As if in the summer, he didn't bother to try to stay fit because he was expecting to be dropped from the team or something.
2:02 - Compare yesterday's crowd with today's and the difference is startling.
2:06 - UP's starting five is Magi Sison (C), Gomez (SF), Padilla (PF), and the two Reyeses (Gs). NU has Luy (PG), Singh (SG), Ponferrada (C), Baloran (SF), and Hermimosa (SF)
2:15 - NU #8 is down, clutching his knee. He already has 5 points to his name
2:43 - Yesterday's aura of sloppiness still seems to be active
2:53 - What is this, the 6th travel called on both teams?
2:59 - The Long family enters with a ton of kids, possibly from an orphanage or something
3:00 - Halftime show kicks off with NU in urine yellow suits. I also learn that UP has cheering as a PE along with bird watching and camping.
3:06 - NU must be happy that the went first as UP's cheer squad is killing today
3:14 - Spotted: an American walking around the Upper A section with a paper cut-out of Vince Burke's face on a stick. Can't make this stuff up folks
3:22 - UP's got the UN line-up right now. Or the United Colors of Benneton line-up if you prefer.
3:37 - When Ponferrada gets the ball in the post, the other NU players just clear out, with no one there to try to get an offensive rebound.
3:38 - Fave and I theorized that the first team to 60 points would win. We might see that now with NU 59 - UP 44, 7:53 left in the 4th
3:43 - NU hits a 3, extends lead to 65-44 with 7:14 left. Like a repeat of UE-DLSU yesterday
3:46 - Rumor going around that Jai Reyes injured his hand opening a can. No wonder Long clan is here, yes?
3:58 - Almost hard to believe that UP was leading early on.
4:05 - Lead was as high as 21 but UP can take some solace in cutting it in half
4:07 - FINAL: NU 74 - UP 64. Same match-up in last season's opener, but opposite reaction. NU now jubilant while UP looks utterly deflated.
4:09 - Already a "We Miss Tiu" sign
4:15 - Just spotted Jai but he's in full warm-up gear.
4:16 - Some fear now that if he was truly injured, then this might be a Jameer Nelson moment
4:26 - Jai starts, but Buenafe is sitting in lieu of Kirk Long.
4:28 - RR Garcia starts, Knuttel will come off the bench
4:33 - 6:45 mark and ADMU is scoreless. Salamat goes to the line and makes 1, 1-8.
4:35 - 5:49 of the first quarter and still only a solitary ADMU point
4:43 - 12-1 run for ADMU!
4:48 - Quarter ends, and the run gets stretched to 16-3, ADMU 17 - FEU 11. Lots of hustle plays for the Eagles, esp. on D
5:03 - If I told you that Monfort would have 8 and Salva 7 at the 2:13 mark of the second quarter before the game, would you have believed me?
5:08 - FEU went on a mini-run, fueled by fast breaks, but a Jai triple quells that, 40-29.
5:13 - UGH FEU LEGS
5:27 - 2-8 FEU run to start the 3rd
5:33 - FEU ties it at 44-all
5:34 - 2:17 in the third, a Salamat fast break puts us up 2 again, 46-44
5:41 - End of the 3rd - 50-47
5:58 - Play of the game: Jai cramps in the backcourt and Ateneo tries to call time out but the refs aren't listening. Baclao is triple-teamed in front of the ADMU bench, passes to Long under the basket, fakes, dishes to Rabeh who completes an and-one play. 60-54 with 1:17 left in the game.
6:01 - Buenafe isolates versus Barroca, gets the step but misses the lay-up. Ramos on the other end completes the and-one play to make it 61-57, 40.3 seconds left.
6:02 - Bad pass for Salamat and FEU dashes down the court ot make it 61-59 with 22.1 seconds left.
6:08 - Multiple inbounds pass attempts for ADMU, pushes them back into FEU territory. Jai inbounds it to Ryan who gets fouled. Misses the first but makes the second, with 13.6 seconds left, 62-59.
6:11 - FEU misses and Rabeh gets the rebound and the foul call as time expires. He makes a cursory free throw and this game is Ateneo's, 63-59!
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Saturday, July 11th, 2009
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If I hear the stadium barker call out "'Tayshaun Prince' Andrada" one more time I will throw up in my mouth.
Rookies should never have nicknames. They haven't done anything to earn one. When you enter the UAAP, your high school reputation may as well be wiped clean. If the media finds something cute to say about your name ("Spider-man" Webb, "Jai-namite"), resist the temptation to slap it on a baller ID, write it on your headband, or tattoo it on your shooting hand. Until you've made a game-winning shot, sunk pressure free throws, or played more than thirty minutes, you're basically a placeholder. Your odds of going down to Team B are the same as your odds of being yanked out of the game after back to back turnovers, in other words, high.
You have nothing to brag about. Especially a so-called clever nickname.
The only thing similar between NBA champion Prince and the La Salle rookie Andrada is a wing-span disproportional to their height. Prince plays suffocating defense, posts up smaller forwards, hits triples, runs out the floor and can fairly be called a glue guy who does a bit of everything that any NBA squad would be happy to have. Andrada had 4 fouls by the first few minutes of the third quarter, did not score, and did not block a shot (of course, I say this without benefit of a box score in front of me. For all I know, he could have had a steal).
This is not an indictment of Andrada, nor should you think of it as a personal attack. The truth is, Andrada is but a manifestation of a bigger problem that will plague this season of the UAAP for at least half of the games: too many rookies. Over 40 of them to be exact.
Saturday's opening ceremonies gave way to excruciating basketball. Somewhere in the middle of third quarter of the opening game between Adamson University and the University of Santo Tomas, a malevolent Death Eater, on his way back to London, cast a spell of sloppiness over the Araneta Colliseum. Players began dribbling on their foot, passing to players on the other team, and shooting like they had cannons strapped to their arms (they didn't).
Shots went 3/4s of the way in and then decided to jump back out. Point-blank lay-ups hit the back iron and dribbled out. Teams traded passes to people in the stands. And somewhere in the midst of all that calamitous, eye-wrenching quote-unquote basketball, UST squeaked by a point, and UE won in a massacre. Amazing feats, considering how one internet denizen opined "parang walang gustong manalo."
The majority of these rookies came from the infamous Nokia RP Youth Team, the very team that, depending on which side of the issue you lean towards, was either abandoned by Franz Pumaren to coach against Ateneo, or abandoned by Franz Pumaren but with good reason. Pumaren instituted a rule saying that if you were on the team, you could not play for the school that recruited you, in effect, having them sit out one year.
A lot of fuss was made over these players. Many wondered if it was fair for Pumaren to have what was essentially an exclusive pipeline to new recruits. In the light of Saturday's game, no one is making that argument anymore.
Is it fair to blame the rookies? Perhaps not. Part of the blame should be feted on the coaches, who deemed it necessary to give these guys crucial minutes on the court without, judging by the games, the necessary preparation or seasoning. Blame uneven recruiting, committed also by the coaches, which resulted in a lot of teams losing numerous veteran players, all in the same season, thus necessitating the rookies.
Commentators, scrambling to find something to report, pinned the blame on opening day jitters, and this could be true. One can also say that it was not just the rookies who played poorly, but the veterans too (Leo Canuday, Paul Lee, come on down!).
Still, there's something pernicious, and maybe even some Green Archer fans will admit this, about comparing a rookie to a professional basketball player in the NBA. And amidst a display of basketball that would cause Dr. James Naismith to clank a free throw off the peach basket in horror to boot.
On the bright side, there's really no way to go but up for this season. At least until Jumamil "Magic" Tiongson notches 5 turnovers in his debut, that is.
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The morning before the opening of a brand new season of the UAAP is a time for hope. Before any team has played a single game, there’s always that chance that a player will step up big time, or that a team will take off and shock the world. Despite that hope from hardcore fans of their alma maters, this early, many are already predicting a Finals face-off between Ateneo and Far Eastern U. this early, with everyone else in the role of fodder. This much is true: every team has a serious flaw, but if it is overcome, then the tournament is theirs for the taking. As of now though, this is how I feel like the league will shake out:
| #1 ADMU (13-1 in S71, S71 Champions) Coach: Norman Black
Key Losses: Chris Tiu (SG), Yuri Escueta (PG), Jobe Nkemakolam (PF/C), Mike Baldos (PF/C)
Key Holdovers: Rabeh Al-Hussaini (C), Nonoy Baclao (PF/C), Ryan Buenafe (SF), Eric Salamat (G), Jai Reyes (PG) Key Rookies: Frank Golla (PF), Chris De Chavez (SF) Returning: Eric Monfort (PG)
Assessment: The defending champions return with majority of their line-up intact, but still with plenty of questions about their offense. Defensively, this team will always be solid with Coach Black at the helm, but in a post-Chris Tiu world, the buzzphrase has to be “player growth.” Someone like Salamat or Buenafe needs a consistent jumper. Baclao has got to learn a post move. Al-Hussaini must pass out of a double team more effectively. Someone on the platoon of young big men on their bench should become a force to be reckoned with. As clichéd as it may sound, all the pieces are there, it’s just a matter of putting them together. The 150th anniversary of the Ateneo should fire this team up as well.
| | #2 FEU (10-4 in S71, lost in the Final Four to DLSU) Coach: Glenn Capacio
Key Losses: Macmac Baracael (PF), Benedict Fernandez (SG), Marlon Adolfo (F)
Key Holdovers: Mark Barroca (G), JR Cawaling (SG/SF), Riel Cervantes (F), Jens Knuttel (PG), Aldrech Ramos (C), Key Rookies: Ryan Garcia (G), Pipo Noundoo (F/C)
Assessment: As early as now, sportswriters are predicting the Tamaraws’ first stint in the Finals since the exit of Arwind Santos. A lot is being made of the Smart Gilas Team-sparked leap of Barroca, Cawaling and Ramos, but the hype bears serious study. That trio has played so much basketball, both abroad and locally in the PBL and summer leagues, that it’s almost as if they’ll be playing in two straight seasons. Consider also the possibility of chemistry issues within the team. The rest of the squad hasn’t played in a competitive game with the Smart trio and the chance of Barroca becoming a black hole for the basketball is high. The praise may be valid, but the Tams should not be considered a lock yet. | | #3 Adamson (3-11 in S71) Coach: Leo Austria
Key Losses: Marc Aguistin (SF), Paul Gonzalgo (SG)
Key Holdovers: Jerick Canada (PG), Michael Gallinato (C), Jan Colina (PF), Alex Nuyles (SG/SF)
Key Rookies: King Importante (SG) Returning: Leo Canuday (G), Arnold Basilio (C) Assessment: Last season, this jack-of-all-trades team couldn’t buy a shot from the outside. The return of guard Canuday should vault this team into the upper echelon of teams in the UAAP. With a full year under their belts, much is expected of junior Canada, but equal focus should be given to Gallinato, who had a monster first game last season, but then disappeared immediately after. Should either develop into a go-to guy however, this team and their balanced attack approach should make fans of the team forget the times when they had to settle for one guy making all the plays. And if it results in a Final Four appearance then so much the better. | | #4 UP (3-11 in S71) Coach: Aboy Castro
Key Losses: Jay Agbayani (PF)
Key Holdovers: Magi Sison (C), Woody Co (F), Martin Reyes (SG/SF), Mike Gamboa (PG) Key Rookies: Mark Juruena (PF)
Assessment: Coach Castro and his boys made strides last season, but then, when you hit rock button like this team did in Season 70, there really is no where to go but up. That said, a full offseason under the same coach should do wonders for a squad of players that never showed much improvement from past seasons. As of this writing, the team was still trying to get the UAAP to waive the one-year residency rule for shooter Mike Silungan, but I don’t think they’ll need him to be competitive this season. A better defined role for tweener and former Rookie of the Year Woody Co would do wonders though, as would a full season from the talented, but oft-injured Mike Gamboa. | | #5 DLSU (10-4 in S71, lost in the Finals to ADMU) Coach: Franz Pumaren
Key Losses: JV Casio (G), Rico Maierhoffer (PF/C), LA Revilla (G – injury, out for the season)
Key Holdovers: James Mangahas (F), Simon Atkins (PG)
Key Rookies: Arvie Bringas (PF/C), Sam Marata (SG), Joel Tolentino (PG), Gab Banal (SG/SF) Returning: Kish Co (PF) Assessment: On paper, the Archers already had it tough, losing 30 points a game from Casio and Maierhofer. Toss in the health-related leave of absence by Revilla, a spate of preseason injuries to Atkins and Ferdinand, and a cast of rookies and sophomores, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to see this team stumble out of the gate. That said, it might be wrong to treat their rookies as rookies. With majority of them having played under Coach Pumaren in the RP Youth team, they know the system and they can handle pressure. If anything, all the young legs on this squad means a likely return to the patented La Salle full-court press, which the Archers had been going away from in recent years. Still, you’ve got to wonder, who’s getting the ball in the crunch? And, can this team stop anyone defensively? | | #6 UE (9-5 in S71, lost in the Final Four to ADMU)
Coach: Lawrence Tiongson Key Losses: Hans Thiele (PF/C), Marcy Arellano (SG/SF), James Martinez (PG – injury, out for the season)
Key Holdovers: Paul Lee (SG), Elmer Espiritu (PF/C), Pari Llagas (PF/C), Paul Zamar (G)
Assessment: Can one player make a difference? Exhibit A, James Martinez, makes one lean toward “yes.” An ACL injury during the Finals of a preseason tournament provides a rocky start for UAAP rookie head coach Tiongson. Tiongson was already under heavy criticism for a coaching style that UE fans snorted at as being “give the ball to Paul Lee and get out of the way.” Now with his point guard out, it becomes that much more tempting for Tiongson to run isolation play after isolation play for Lee. That would be a shame, because the big man duo of Espiritu and Llagas is probably the second best of the UAAP, and sophomore Paul Zamar was brilliant in limited minutes last season. Besides, it won’t just be the loss of Martinez that will spell “sub-.500” for this team, but the loss of depth at almost every position too. | | #7 UST (6-8 in S71) Coach: Pido Jarencio
Key Losses: Japs Cuan (PG), Jervy Cruz (C), Mark Canlas (F), Francis Allera (SG/SF)
Key Holdovers: Dylan Ababou (F/C), Chris Camus (F), Khasim Mirza (SG/SF), Clark Bautista (G), Jeric Fortuna (G) Key Rookies: Jeric Teng (SG/SF)
Assessment: The departure of Jervy Cruz marks the end of an era for UST. Coach Pido Jaurencio will need to give his team a radically different playing style to compensate for the lack of a true center. The Tigers will have to run at every opportunity or be forced to rotate the ball around in the half-court, and pray for an opponent to make a defensive lapse. The latter is extra dicey for the Tigers because their two main guards, Bautista and Fortuna, can hardly be classified as “distributors,” unless you count chucking up ill-advised shots as assists. In the end, it will have to be the oldest of the bunch, Ababou, to set the tone for this scrappy bunch. A team full of hustling athletes might be enough to at least be decent this season in the UAAP. | | #8 NU (2-12 in S71) Coach: Manny Dandan
Key Losses: Edwin Asoro (F), Raymond Aguilar (PF/C), Jonathan Jahnke (PG), Jessey Garcia (SG/SF)
Key Holdovers: Michael Luy (PG), Jewel Ponferrada (PF/C) Key Rookies: Ajeet Singh (PF)
Assessment: Last season’s basement dwellers lost all of their best players, so you can understand the thinking behind placing them last. The situation is indeed grim, but junior center Ponferrada might provide a few rays of light, along with his frontcourt mate Singh. Both need to get the ball down low as much as possible, and the sticking point here might be their coach, whose style of play seems to be 90% three-point shot attempts and 10% everything else. Should Luy and the rest of the team’s guards try their best to get the ball to the big men in the shaded area, then NU might shock a team or two like they did to FEU last season. That said, this team is clearly rebuilding so Bulldogs fans might need to hold their breath a season longer. |
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This is your daily source for UAAP news around the interwebz.
Lots of buzz about ABS-CBN's jump into the HD world. This might actually swing things in favor of ABS-CBN in the upcoming UAAP rights war. (Manila Bulletin link - with channels, and Inquirer link)
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The final part of the Inquirer's series on gambling and college sports is up now. It touches on the Baracael incident and the lack of closure in that case, as well as some of the measures some universities implement to prevent or discourage players from throwing games.
There's been talk in the US NCAA that colleges ought to start paying their student-athletes, primarily because the school uses them to get numerous financial benefits and for advertising and what-not. The upside of such a deal would also mean that players will be less likely to get involved with game fixing because they'd at least be earning some money. I think in our context, with majority of these players being less financially stable coming from the province that such a move should be implemented and might be a better solution to the whole gambling problem.
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If there's an unusual uptick in rookies this season, then you have coach Franz Pumaren to blame, and his ridiculous "you can't play for your school if you're on the RP Youth Team" policy. The Inquirer and the Manila Bulletin go through the list of rookies per team and it should be noticed, none of these RP Youth Team veterans are eligible for Rookie of the Year honors.
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On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Business Mirror looks at some of the players who were part of the Smart Gilas team. I've said it before but I'll say it again. For players like the FEU trio of Mark Barroca, JR Cawaling and Aldrech Ramos, it's basically like they played two back to back seasons, what with the aforementioned international competition, summer leagues and PBL action. It's quite possible that unless FEU Coach Glenn Capacio monitors their minutes, they'll be suffering from fatigue later on in the series.
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Lest you forget, the Inquirer reminds everyone that the UAAP's contract with ABS-CBN expires this March, and so Solar Sports and GMA-7 are already preparing their bids for the right to air what is perhaps the best sports draw in the country.
ABS-CBN has so far made a P205 million, 5-year offer, Solar Sports is offering P215 million, and GMA-7 has gone as high as P265 million.
However, if you are familiar at all with NBA contract negotiations, you could say that the UAAP is like a restricted free agent for ABS-CBN, meaning the network has the right to match any "final" bid made by another network. So for example, should the UAAP "choose" the P265 million bid of GMA-7, all ABS-CBN has to do is pony up the same amount and they would retain the rights.
This makes the upcoming UAAP season that much more important. If ABS-CBN does not want to open up their wallets, they would have to prove to the UAAP that the network has a ton of intangibles going for them. That includes, according to reports, broadcasting the Finals live on ABS-CBN and Studio 23, and offering the games on HD.
Frankly, I don't think the HD feature makes a lot of sense, but it's nice that ABS-CBN is offering it. I would like to see ABS-CBN take the aggressive stance of cutting back to the games, even in the middle of a commercial break instead of coming back after two plays have gone by already. The rest is simple: get quality commentators, and plug it relentlessly on their other channels and mediums (ANC, or the ABS-CBN website for example).
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I have no idea what other programs Studio 23 still airs, but I think they ought to fill the hours leading up to the games with better programing. For starters, if the games in the afternoon are, say, Adamson versus NU and DLSU versus UE, wouldn't it make sense to air last season's Round 2 match-up between those teams, with new commentary taking into account what we know of the teams now? They can do a similar thing for Round 2 games by showing this season's Round 1 match-ups.
Also, would it kill them to have a pregame show like what foreign channels do for their sports? I'd love to see a well-done pregame show with great graphics and well-made highlights packages.
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Here's a puff piece on the highly-touted NU recruit Ajeet Singh in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. I have no idea what position this guy plays. Rebound magazine listed him as a power forward, but everyone else seems to be in agreement that he's a shooting guard.
If Singh turns out to be a great player, he'd be a vital complimentary piece alongside center Jewel Ponferrada. That said, I've never seen him play. The article describes him as a slasher, which actually goes against NU's principle of surrounding a decent big man with a ton of shooters.
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Part 3 of the Inquirer's series on game fixing can be found here. It examines the impact of technology like texting, that makes gambling so damn easy now. There's also an account from a former player, that really makes you stop and think. All he got per game was P5,000. That seems like barely a drop in the bucket for a lot of us, but we have to remember that majority of these players come from the province and for them, P5,000 might be a fortune.
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The Manila Bulletin shines the spotlight on last season's bottom 3 teams. I think Adamson and UP definitely have the chance to improve, but NU's going to be stuck at the bottom again this season, I feel.
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Everyone's of the mind that San Beda College is headed for the UAAP when the option becomes available, according to the Philippine Star and the Manila Bulletin. The sticking point? San Beda's educational status as a college. Only universities are allowed in the UAAP. Can anyone suss out the difference between the two? I'd assume it has something to do with the number of students and the facilities.
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Norman Black is confident that Ateneo will repeat. All I'm going to say is I'm glad someone finally remembered that the Ateneo team exists. The constant love for FEU was getting repetitive.
I'm not downplaying the loss of Chris Tiu, but both MVPs, Finals MVP Nonoy Baclao and regular season MVP Rabeh Al-Hussaini are still onboard. They have a ton of players ready to make the leap. They have arguably the best coach right now in the league. Give the guys some credit.
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The ever-so loving Green Mind has posted his "fearless forecast" for the season.
From bottom to top:
NU
UST
UP
AdU
DLSU
UE
ADMU
FEU
He also predicts and FEU-UE finals.
I really find it odd that no one else thinks that the loss of James Martinez is a big deal for UE. Losing your starting point guard is a huge loss people! Toss in a new coach with a star system for an offensive scheme and making the Final Four would be extremely doubtful to say the least, and don't get me started about them even making the Finals!
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Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
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Here is your morning round-up of UAAP news:
The big news this morning is the revival of talks of having the UAAP expand its membership beyond the eight teams that currently comprise it.
While the league is currently taking a "wait and see" approach, they will be closing monitoring the NCAA, which currently has three "guest teams," to make up for the voluntary withdrawal this season of Philippine Christian University.
It has long been rumored that NCAA hoops powerhouse San Beda College has been waiting for the right time to jump into the UAAP, reviving old rivalries with some of the UAAP schools. It is the most obvious candidate, although current UAAP president Anton Montinola says that over the years, the UAAP has "had [four] applications."
The Quotable Anton Montinola:
The Philippine Star: ""With them around, we would have old rivalries that would be rekindled and create new ones like UST-San Beda, FEU-San Beda, La Salle-San Beda, things like that," he (Montinola) siad [sic]."
The Philippine Daily Inquirer: ""If only one school objects then there will be a problem," said Montinola. "We're just waiting for the right application. Over the years we had four [applications]. We'll see what will happen with the NCAA this year and its expanded lineup."
The Business Mirror: ""If they want to join the party, they have to open their checkbooks," said Montinola"
The Manila Bulletin: ""There is a limitation that we have to finish the tournament in one semester," said Montinola. "But if there is a university that brings to the table something that is difficult to refuse [we may have to think about it.]""
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The Inquirer's on-going four part report about sports-fixing and gambling in the college circuit has already struck a nerve with the UAAP, as school officials "issued a statement saying that the league had "consistently been against game fixing or any other form of cheating in holding basketball competitions and all the other sporting events,"" the Inquirer reports.
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File this under the "Strange But True" category. The Manila Times is reporting that FEU and The Old Spaghetti House has teamed up to offer special "TOSH Sports Nutrition Meals." These meals have been created based on input from FEU nutritionist Arabella Ripoll.
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Here is your morning round-up of UAAP news:
The Manila Bulletin reports that UAAP games will be refereed with "various combinations of PBL and PBA referees." This means that the referee mix "could be group of officials from either the PBA or PBL in one game or referees from both leagues being assigned in one game," says UAAP commissioner Joe Lipa.
Referees from BRASCU will officiate womens' and juniors' games.
While I appreciate the move towards better referees (and again, anyone is better than NABRO), I still think having referees who have never worked with each other is a recipe for disaster. I'm sure, despite having the same set of rules, PBA refs call the game differently from PBL refs. We could be looking at a Mark Cuban situation with some enterprising assistant coach charting the frequency of fouls called by specific referees here.
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Both the Philippine Daily Inquirer and the Philippine Star preview the Eagles-Tams match-up on Sunday.
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The Inquirer also asks who Ateneo's new leader will be, with the departure of Chris Tiu. I definitely don't think it can be Rabeh Al-Hussaini, who's too temperamental, or Nonoy Baclao, who's really only a presence on defense. I think it would have to be Jai Reyes, don't you think? The lead point guard, a veteran, and someone's who's actually pretty vocal during timeouts.
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Part 2 of the Inquirer's series on gambling and game-fixing in college hoops. There's a lot of blind items in the piece, which makes you wonder why the people who "know" all this information never come forward.
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Bleachers' Brew previews the Blue Eagles' chances of repeating.
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If you remember, the UAAP has ruled that a school can only question another player's eligibility before the games kick off. Based on this article in the Philippine Star, we learn that questions were raised about DLSU rookie center Arvie Bringas, but the Archers managed to clear any concerns, making Bringas eligible to play.
Other players with issues to contend with include FEU's Casey Caluag who is trying to avoid the "foreigner" tag, to allow the Tams to field him alongside Cameroonian Pipo Noundou, circumventing the highly ridiculous "one foreigner per team on the court only" rule.
UP sniper Mike Silungan is also lobbying to have his one-year residency stay waived (good luck with that).
Perhaps the most controversial player involved in the vetting process would be the AdU shooting guard Jaypee Importante, who could be pointed to as the main cause for the Philippine Christian University's suspension from the NCAA.
With only a few days to go before the start of Season 72, we should expect a decision on those remaining outstanding players soon.
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The first of a four part article examining the gambling link in the UAAP. Right now it's nothing that people we follow the sport don't already know, but here's hoping future parts will shed light on the seamier side of our favorite sport.
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If you wanted to know the reason why LA Revilla isn't playing, the Inquirer is reporting that it's a "recent diagnosis of diabetes and hyperthyroidism coupled with a bout with dengue."
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Jens Knuttel puff piece at the Inquirer. The piece says that he had the option to go to Ateneo or San Beda, but decided to stay on at FEU-FERN. What if he had made the jump? No doubt, he would have become an integral player on either team.
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The article "The Enigmatic Eight" also appears in today's Philippine Daily Inquirer, under the 2bu! section.
It's the first of what I hope to be a long series of UAAP articles, I shine the spotlight on eight players, 1 per team, whom I think will need to step up big time if their team hopes to contend in the Final Four.
The players in question are Eric Salamat (ADMU), James Mangahas (DLSU), Jewel Ponferrada (NU), Leo Canuday (AdU), Riel Cervantes (FEU), Khasim Mirza (UST), Magi Sison (UP), and Paul Lee (UE).
I love the nicknames I came up with for each guy.
Other trivia - I was deciding between Simon Atkins and James Mangahas, in fact I had written one entry for both. In fact, now that I know LA Revilla is out, I think Mangahas' spot should go to Atkins. Oh well, hindsight is always 50/50.
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The whole guacamole, courtesy of InboundPass.com
I might pontificate on some stuff later, or save it for an article, but in the meanwhile, have at you!
ADAMSON UNIVERSITY FALCONS ALVAREZ, Lester – PG
BASILIO, Arnold – C
CABRERA, Roider - SF
CAMSON, Eric - PF
CANUDAY, Leo - SG/SF
CAÑADA, Jerick – PG
COLINA, Jan – PF
GALINATO, Michael – C
IMPORTANTE, King – SG
LAPITAN, Chesmar - SG
LOZADA, Janus - SF
MARGALLO, Aldrin - SG
NUYLES, Alex - SG/SF
RUIZ, Ryan - PG
SANDOVAL, Cris - SG
SANTOS, Allan - PF Head coach: AUSTRIA, Leo ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY BLUE EAGLES 4 - TIONGSON, Juami - PG
5 - REYES, Jai – PG
6 - MONFORT, Emman - PG
7 - BACLAO, Nonoy - PF
8 - AUSTRIA, Bacon - SF/SG
10 - GONZAGA, Tonino - SF
11 - SALAMAT, Eric - SG
12 - LONG, Kirk - SG
13 - BUENAFE, Ryan - SF
14 - SALVA, Nico - PF
15 - BURKE, Vince - PF
17 - SUMALINOG, Chris - SF
18 - CHUA, Justin - PF/C
19 - AL-HUSSAINI, Rabeh - C
20 - DE CHAVEZ, Chris - SG/SF
21 - GOLLA, Frank - PF/C Head coach: BLACK, Norman DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY GREEN ARCHERS 5 - VILLANUEVA, Maui - SF/PF
6 - BANAL, Gab - SG/SF
7 - ATKINS, Simon - PG
8 - MALABES, Bader - SG
9 - MARATA, Tata - SF
10 - WEBB, Joshua - SF
11 - BRINGAS, Arvie - PF
12 - TOLENTINO, Joel - PG
15 - FERDINAND - C
16 - MENDOZA, Jovet - C/PF
17 - BARUA, Peejay - SF/SG
18 - BAGATSING, Hyram - SG/PG
19 - MANGAHAS, James – SF/SG
20 - ANDRADA, Yutien - C
21 - CO, Kish - PF
22 - MANGUERA, Jed - SG Head coach: PUMAREN, Franz FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY TAMARAWS 4 - BARROCA, Andy Mark - PG
5 - EXCIMINIANO, Christopher - SG/SF
6 - PEARCE, Marty - PG
7 - VINLUAN, McJan - C
8 - GARCIA, Ryan Roose - PG/SG
9 - GUERRERO, Jolas - SF
10 - CALUAG, Casey - SG/PG
11 - SANGA, Paul - SF/PF
12 - TANUAN, Edgar - SF/PF
14 - KNUTTEL, Jens - PG
15 - CAWALING, JR - SF
16 - EGUILOS, Jaymo - PF/C
17 - RAMOS, Aldrech - C
18 - MANALO, Christian - SG
20 - CERVANTES, Reil - C/PF
21 - NOUNDOU, Pipo - SF Head coach: CAPACIO, Glenn NATIONAL UNIVERSITY BULLDOGS BALORAN, Mervin - SF/PF
BATAC, Kevin - SG
CABALUNA, Denmark - PF
DONAHUE, Francis - PF
FABULA, Elmer - SF
HERMOSISIMA, Kokoy - SG
LUY, Michael - PG
MAGAT, Marion - C
MALANDAY, LJ - SF
MANITO, Mark Bon Jovi - C
PONFERRADA, Jewel - C
ROY, Ronald - PG
SINGH, Ajeet - SG
TERSO, Joseph - SG
TUNGCUL, Jerome - PG Head coach: DANDAN, Manny UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST RED WARRIORS 4 - BANDAYING, Toto - PG/SG
5 - ZAMAR, Paul - PG/SG
7 - TAGARDA, Lucas - SG
8 - SUMIDO, JR - SG
9 - ESPIRITU, Elmer - PF
10 - LINGGANAY, Rudy - PG
11 - NOBLE, JM - PF
12 - DURAN, Erwin - PF/SF
13 - AYALA, Garrick - SF
14 - REYES, Raphy - PG/SG
15 - LLAGAS, Pari - C
16 - ALABANZA, John Ray - PF/C
17 - FLORES, Jai - PF/SF
18 - ACIBAR, Ken - C
20 - LEE, Paul - SG
21 - ACUNA, Val - SF Head coach: CHONGSON, Lawrence UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES FIGHTING MAROONS ASTORGA, Kevin - PF/C
BRAGANZA, Arvin - PG
CO, Woody - PF
DE ASIS, Migs - SG
GAMBOA, Mike - PG
GINGERICH, Moriah - SG/SF
GOMEZ, Carlo - SF/PF
HIPOLITO, Diony - SF
JURUENA, Mark - PF
LOPEZ, Mark - SF
MANIEGO, Miggy - SF
MARFORI, Andrew - PF/C
PADILLA, Alvin - SG/SF
REYES, Martin - SG/SF
REYES, Mikee - PG
SISON, Magi - C Head coach: CASTRO, Aboy UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS GROWLING TIGERS ABABOU, Dylan - SF/PF
AFUANG, Carmelo - PF/C
AYTONA, Eduard - PG
BAUTISTA, Clark - SG/PG
CAM, Marco - SF/PF
CAMUS, Chris - PF/C
FELIX, Andrew - PG
FORTUNA, Jeric - PG
GREEN, Darrel - PF/C
HADI, Rushdy - SG/SF
MALIKSI, Allen - PG/SG
MARIANO, Aljon - SF/PF
MARQUEZ, AC - SG/SF
MIRZA, Khasim - SF
TENG, Jeric - SG
UNGRIA, Aljohn – SG Head coach: JARENCIO, Pido
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My Google-Fu only managed to turn up the rosters for 3 teams. I'll post the rest when I find them.
ADMU BLUE EAGLES
1. Rabeh Al-Husseini
2. Nonoy Baclao
3. Jai Reyes
4. Ryan Buenafe
5. Eric Salamat
6. Kirk Long
7. Bacon Austria
8. Nico Salva
9. Oping Sumalinog
10. Tonino Gonzaga
11. Justin Chua
12. Vince Burke
13. Emman Monfort
14. Frank Golla
15. Juami Tiongson
16. Chris de Chavez
No surprises there. It's the summer league roster, adjusted with the +/- of Monfort/Baldos.
DLSU GREEN ARCHERS
1. Maui Villanueva
2. Gab Banal (Rookie - DLSU/Xavier)
3. Simon Atkins
4. Bader Malabes
5. Joshua Webb
6. Arvie Bringas (Rookie - SSC-R)
7. Ferdinand
8. Yutien Andrada (Rookie - SSC-R)
9. Peejay Barua
10. Hyram Bagatsing
11. James Mangahas
12. Kish Co
13. Sam Marata (Rookie - Reedley/UPIS)
14. Joel Tolentino (Rookie - Reedley/UPIS)
15. Jovet Mendoza
16. Jed Manguera (Rookie - DLSU/DLS-Z)
Not on the roster: Marko Batricevic and LA Revilla, both for health reasons. You know my stance on Batricevic: stop endangering his health and send him back home. As for Revilla, well, bang-bang, karma's a bitch.
UST GROWLING TIGERS
1. Dylan Ababou - 6'3", SG/SF/PF, 5th year
2. Carmelo Afuang - PF/C, Sophomore
3. Eduard Aytona - PG, Rookie (USTHS)
4. Clark Bautista - SG/PG, Sophomore
5. Marco Cam - 6'2", SF/PF, Rookie (SSC)
6. Chris Camus - 6'4", SF/PF/C, Sophomore
7. Andrew Felix - 5'9", PG, Rookie (Team B/Southridge)
8. Jeric Fortuna - 5'7", PG, Sophomore
9. Darrel Green - 6'2 1/5", C, Rookie (St. Claire-Antipolo)
10. Rushdy Hadi - 6'3", SG/SF, Rookie (CSA)
11. Allen Maliksi - 6'3", SF, Sophomore
12. Aljon Mariano - 6'3", SF/PF, Rookie (SBC)
13. AC Marquez - 6'2", SG/SF, Sophomore
14. Khasim Mirza - 6'4", SF, Junior
15. Jeric Teng - 6'1", SG, Rookie (Xavier)
16. Aljohn Ungria - 6'1", SG, Rookie (Team B/San Lorenzo)
They're going to be rocked hard in 1 A.J. (After Jervy). I'm setting their over/under at 3.5 wins and taking the under here. I think they're going to be hard-pressed to even win 3.
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Wednesday, July 1st, 2009
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Both the Philippine Star and the Manila Bulletin are now reporting what the Inquirer reported some time ago, that the UAAP will have separate tickets for the Ateneo-La Salle battle on August 9. Quoth Season 72 UAAP President Anton Montinola: ""You cannot repeal the law of supply and demand. The only way to solve the problem is to increase the supply by doubling it so let's see what happens." My opinion regarding this issue was blogged here, if you missed it (to recap: good idea in principle, but unpractical on several levels, including TV and the perception that the league is only about ADMU/DLSU).
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Another Montinola gem, this time from the Inquirer (although it appeared also in the other two major broadsheets): “We already have a gentleman’s agreement within the board to bring up questions on eligibility ahead of time and not in the latter part of the season.”
There is now an agreement between the UAAP teams that they will go through the player records now, before the season starts, to check for any irregularities that may lead to a player being declared ineligible to play. This move prevents teams from making any challenges in the middle of the season.
Again, this is another move that sounds good in the abstract but in application, is flawed.
For starters, why are they only doing this now, with about 10 days left to go before the start of the season? Should any irregularities be found, the back and forth process between the school making the accusation and the school that is being accused could go on forever. While I understand that rosters will only be submitted today, this is a move that should have been made earlier, to give more time for all parties involved.
Montinola also said, as quoted in the Philippine Star that "it’s not a sign of a good sport “to hold on to information (against player eligibility) and bring them out later on just to disrupt the performance of a certain team and so we call on them to bring it out now.”" Granted, hooray for sportsmanship and all, but what will be done if extra information only appears during the middle of the season? Do you delay the investigation until AFTER the season, when the player in question has already affected the standing of his team? What if the player is found to be ineligible AFTER his team has won the championship, when you could have nipped it in the bud earlier?
I appreciate FEU and Montinola's desire to try out new things, but it seems to me that more thought ought to be given to their new rulings. Otherwise, we could be headed for a rough season in the UAAP.
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