Last time I talked at length about the current top point guards in the UAAP. I had a chance to get some drinks with Wang-bu, a good buddy of mine. Wang-bu as all regular Gameface members knows is the UE resident of our site; he was also a UE Red Warrior back in the mid to late 1990's. He is currently in absentia online, taking on new responsibilities at the company where he is employed, and thus not having as much time as before to post in our Forums. He is going places, which is more than he can say for the state of Filipino point guards. "Sino diyan sa UAAP ngayon ang tingin mo magiging star na point guard sa PBA, brod?" he asked. I was about to say "Roi Sumang" when he answered his own question. "Si Roi Sumang lang ang may pagasa diyan. Kahit 'yang sina (Terrence) Romeo, (RR) Garcia mukhang malabo maging star sa PBA," he added. "Alam mo kung bakit?" he asked anew. And again he answered his own question, "Wala na kasing magaling na point guard ngayon. Tignan mo buong UAAP, NCAA, pati na NAASCU, UCLAA at NCRAA. Isama mo na Fr Martin. May nakita ka bang sa tancha mo sure na pang-PBA na point guard? Wala na. Si Sumang lang talaga." In a country where at good 90% of the population stands 5'6" to 5'8", and almost all of who play basketball, surely there must be at least 10,000 PBA-calibre point guard prospects out there right now. The statisitcal probabilities should certainly agree with me. Perhaps they just have not been found. Wang-bu took his shot of the Gran Matador (free plug San Miguel, hint hint!), chased it down with some iced water, lit his cigarette, took a good initial drag on it, exhaled the smoke upward, then answered me thoughtfully, comprehensively. "Ah ganun ba? Eh nasan na nga sila? Nasan na 'yang 10,000 na sinasabi mo? Sa laki ng binibigay ng mga gastador na mga paaralan ngayon, ibig mong sabihin wala pa silang nahihikayat ni isang magaling na point guard mula sa buong Pilipinas? 'Yun ngang mga tropa natin na Lasalista akala ang galing-galing na nung Thomas Torres nila. Paputol ko kaliwa ko kung kayang talunin ni Torres nila si Sumang." I took up the cudgels for the young man from Lasalle Greenhills, extolling his virtues and vociferously reminding Wang-bu that it was our very good friend, John Flores, who made a legit UAAP point guard out of Torres. Wang-bu wasn't having it though. "Mahal natin si John, brod. Pero siguro naman kahit anong trabaho gawin ni John, at ni (Gee) Abanilla at ng buong coaching staff pa ng Lasalle para kay Torres ay hinding-hindi niya aabutin ang likas na husay at galing ni Sumang. At kung hindi man lang niya maaabot ang antas ni Sumang, na siyang natatanging tingin ko na pang-PBA, ergo hinding-hindi pang-PBA si Torres. Antagal mo na din sa larong busluan, brod. Huwag mo sabihin sa akin na sa loob ng apat, limang taon Sumang-level na si Torres. Ang magaling, kada angat ng antas ng laro, angat din ang mismong laro niya, parang si Sumang, parang si Kiefer (Ravena) mo. Ganun ang mga sure na sure pang-PBA." I told him about the likes of Rex Leynes (St Francis of Assisi College), Rey Gracilla (San Sebastian Cavite) and Jordan Melano (Arellano University) who we both saw playing just a couple of years back, and we both agreed each and everyone of those guys have PBA talent. My point here is that those guys simply never made it to the UAAP or NCAA and thus never got the chance to show their game. Wang-bu was even with me when we brought Leynes to Harbour Centre some three years ago to try out. Leynes lost out in the roster race to Pamboy Raymundo, at that time coming off the San Sebastian NCAA championship of 2009. Leynes was better than Raymundo talent-wise, but Raymundo was simply better able to grasp organized basketball better, at least in the Harbour Centre scheme of things. Harbour Centre would come scrambling to get Leynes a year after that, when a PBL selection lost to a (now defunct) Liga Pilipinas selection with Leynes leading the Liga side. Gracilla played toe-to-toe and basket-for-basket in a losing stand by his Bay Cats against a Letran side in the PCCL over three and a half years ago that then still featured RJ Jazul. Jazul at that time was on his way to Smart Gilas, and he was outplayed by Gracilla. Jordan Melano led his Chiefs into the Elite 8 Round of that same PCCL tournament, knocking out a UST side that back then had yet another Smart Gilas pioneer and UAAP MVP in Dylan Ababou. Melano outplayed both Rex Cortez and Japs Cuan. None of those guys, as good as they were, and for whatever reason, ever played on a UAAP or NCAA school. Melano was gone by the time Arellano became an NCAA member-school. Any of these guys would have been sure match-up problems against the top sentinels of the two top leagues ...
There is a basketball truism that says the most difficult position to learn is point guard. Indeed it does take the entire gamut of basktball skill and talent to succeed as a point guard, more so in the modern game. Shooting and scoring, defense, handling, passing, rebounding, defense all take on greater importance when you play point guard. Speed, quickness, agility, strength, spring, ease in changing directions are all at a premium when one is a point guard. You could live with a plodding but bull strong center, a bulky power forward with limited range, a small forward who barely defends and doesn't run all that hard, even an off-guard whose only real talent is shooting the long ball. You will however positively die if you have a less-than-complete point guard. When people tell you that all you need is size and you'll win, they must be talking about basketball from the 1970's. A team with an elite point guard can contend even without a single 7-footer on their roster. But a team with a slew of talented forwards and big centers won't get much done without at least an all-star level point guard. Witness the case of Santo Tomas in the Fil Oil summer tournament. Jeric Fortuna was a full term five-year player who was his team's fulltime starting point guard in his last two years in the UAAP. A lot of people thought the diminutive former Zobel Junior Archer would never become a legit UAAP player, much less a true star. He was barely 5-foot-6, not really a stud athlete, and all he could really do was shoot from deep coming out of high school. His own college team wasn't hotly in his pursuit. He wound up with the Growling Tigers and very nearly led his team to a king-size upset of reigning champion Ateneo in the Season 75 Finals. Now that Fortuna is gone his Tigers are finding things a little difficult. They still have four of the best players in the UAAP: 6'5" Cameroonian center Karim Abdul, 6'4" forward Kevin Ferrer, 6'3" forward Aljon Mariano and 6'2" swingman Jeric Teng. If this was four-on-four basketball UST would likely win it running away. Without Fortuna though, the Tigers have struggled just to advance the ball even against middling teams. Opposing defenses just sit three-quarters court in a press then wait for Teng or Ed Daquioag or Clark Bautista to hang on to the ball a second or two longer than they should. Abdul has seen very few good passes, and has completely lost the drive-draw game he ran so well with Fortuna. Meanwhile the opposite is true with University of the East, as Roi Sumang is showing all and sundry that he is indeed the best damn point guard now in all of college basketball. Sumang is a blue even at the halfcourt sets, when he uses his incredible handles and explosiveness even coming from a standstill to cut up the tightest of opposing defenses. Sumang cannot be guarded one-on-one, and even when he runs into an opposing big man, his hang time and ability to take a hit gets him two points, or a foul and trip to the 15-foot line, or both. He now also has the luxury of dumping drive-draw passes to mighty 6'7" Charles Mamie inside, or to much-improved 6'3" JR Sumido for the long jumper. Defenses have to respoect Sumang's jumpshot and drive so much they have no choice but to help and collapse on him, leaving his teammates open. A rather weird situation, not quite good and not quite bad, has happened over at Far Eastern though. They might have the best-scoring backcourt combination in the league in the three-headed monster of RR Garcia, Terrence Romeo and Mike Tolomia, but these guys have hardly done that which is the hallmark of all good guards: set up their guys and distribute the ball. Instead they are, all three of them, in that rather peculiar spot of being their team's 1-2-3 punch. With all three of them taking shots, FEU's still-all right frontline has become practically useless. Where Sumang (and Fortuna before him) kept their big guys happy and generally directed traffic on the court, Garcia, Romeo and Tolomia have just taken turns taking shots. If the FEU frontline wants to score they need to get offensive boards or look for their own shots. Even in transition the three Tamaraw guards are getting most of the scoring opportunities. Romeo is without a doubt the worst offender (most offensive?) of the three. Garcia and Tolomia at least willingly make the occasional pass to a teammate. One can hardly blame the three guards though, as obviously this is how their coaches want them to play. Bert Flores, who first put the trio together two years ago, famously declared that he played them as a three-guard lineup on the floor because, "Malay mo, may pumutok sa kanila, o magkasabay-sabay sila, mahirap pgilan 'yon." UAAP watchers of course know that never happened. Not once. Especially not when it mattered most, in their 2011 Finals rematch ...
Ray Parks is a two-time most valuable player awardee in the UAAP, one MVP trophy for every year he has so far been in the league. He has also been the league's leading scorer, has served his country on the RP Youth team under Eric Altamirano and won a gold medal in the SEA Games as a member of the Smart Sinag national team. Even a dolt with a room temperature basketball IQ can immediately see that he is a a very talented, very gifted basketball player, perhaps among the best of all time in Philippine college sporting history. Even before Parks returned to the country of his birth there was already plenty of excitement about the young man whose late and much-lamented father was arguably the best import to ever play in the local pro league. Bobby Parks was a seven-time best import awardee who saw action for San Miguel Beer, Shell and a few other stints here and there in the PBA. He was so good that the league honored his passing by naming the Best Import Trophy after him. A lot of that talent obviously rubbed off on his son, Ray. I would venture to say however that Ray is not quite in the same league as his esteemed father. This comes at a time when the younger Parks seems set to call this his swan song in the collegiate ranks. There was already plenty of talk going around even before the Parks family came back to Manila that Ray would most likely stay in college for only three years, four on the outside. It was surprising enough that after the overtures of his own ninong, former Ateneo De Manila Coach Norman Black, that Ray eventually matriculated to the once-moribund National University Bulldogs. Local sports pundits and watchers were even more surprised that it seemed Ray already made up his mind from the get-go that he would not stay in college for too long, moving on to the PBA as soon as he felt ready. Three years was the period speculated upon at the time. With the passing of his father Black Saturday of this year, it seems Parks has little to no incentive left to stay beyond his third year in NU. "That (turning pro) is one option we are keeping open," he said in one interview after his father died. I would posit one incentive though: He still needs to get better. Let me repeat that: He still needs to get better. I honestly think Parks is not yet ready to join the pro ranks. Technically speaking this is his fourth year in college, his first year being split between his RP Youth commitments and getting his feet wet in the local collegiate circuit in the Fr Martin Cup. The reason he was not named the ROY-MVP in his rookie year in the UAAP was because he was not a "true" rookie by the UAAP definition, i.e. a player who went straight to the senior division right after high school without any interegnum. I could probably do a numerical / statistical modeling comparison to show what I mean, but that would not work, since as already mentioned the guy is a two-time MVP. He is arguably the best player in the league now. (Long-time readers, all four or five of them, already know that I have this thing about MVP awards, hence my aversion to actually referring to any player as "most valuable".)As the UAAP bases its MVP strictly on stats, obviously Parks has the best stats in the league. Therein is the first incentive: Parks has not even gotten NU into the UAAP Finals, nevermind getting the Bulldogs a title. Any stat hog can get good numbers. Parks's coach, Eric Altamirano, has in fact been criticized by some UAAP watchers for doing precisely that in the case of Parks, letting the guy play on even in clear wins or clear losses, just so his stats will remain at MVP levels. As far as I'm concerned that is Altamirano's prerogative, period. What is more telling is that in spite of his MVP trophies Parks apparently is not the NU basketball savior he was once thought to be. Reigning UAAP champion Ateneo has in fact beaten the ever-living tar out of Parks and his Bulldogs in every game they've ever played in the UAAP in the Parks era. Parks even nearly wound up with a career-low six points in one elimination game against the Blue Eagles with veteran Kirk Long all over him. He eventually got to double-digits in the garbage time of that game that the Ateneo handily won. All of the other UAAP superstars who eventually became PBA superstars all won at least one UAAP championship: Robert Jaworski, Bogs Adornado, Allan Caidic, Benjie Paras, Ronnie Magsanoc, Dennis Espino, Rey Evangelista, Johnny Abarrientos, Don Allado, Renren Ritualo, JV Casio, Enrico Villanueva, LA Tenorio, Larry Fonacier, Mac Cardona, Arwind Santos, Chris Tiu, among many others. While it is also true that a lot of PBA superstars never won a UAAP championship, James Yap comes most prominently to mind, there is just something uniquely special about a player who can win titles at both the college and pro levels. ...
From the deathless Tessa Jasmines ___ NBA coaches pick players at draft for first-ever alumni game MANILA – Basketball aficionados and enthusiasts of junior basketball, led by the National Training Camp qualifiers, will be treated to an exciting basketball match at noon of April 28 during the National Training Camp of the Jr. NBA Philippines 2013 presented by Alaska. Just before the selection and announcement of this year’s Jr. NBA All-Star team, a total of 22 Jr. NBA All Stars Alumni will show the stuff of why they were the Jr. NBA stars of their various batches in the first-ever Jr. NBA All-Star Alumni Exhibition Game at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall. Now University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) standouts in the juniors and senior leagues, theseoutstanding products of the Jr. NBA program were drafted and divided into two teams Jr. NBA coaches and NBA officials on April 13 during the Manila Regional Selection Camp held at the Aquinas Gym. The All Stars Alumni will play for Team Muggsy, which will be coached by NBA Legend and special guest of the Jr. NBA 2013, Muggsy Bogues, and Team Jolas, which will be coached by PBA Legend Jojo Lastimosa, head of the local Jr. NBA coaches. Team Muggsy which had the right for the first overall draft pick, was represented by Coach Louie Gonzalez, who picked on behalf of the NBA legend. First overall draft pick, Aljon Mariano of the UST Growling Tigers, will captain Team Muggsy. Coach Jojo Lastimosa on the other hand picked Henry Asilum, as second overall draft pick, and the UP Fighting Maroon will be the skipper of Team Jolas. Other players who were drafted by Lastimosa were Kobe Paras of La Salle Greenhills and Aljun Melecio of De La Salle Zobel. Also on Team Jolas are Tzaddy Rangel of Hope Christian School, Dawn Ochea and Rendell Senining of Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu, Jarell Lim of Xavier School, Thristan Lagman of the UST Tiger Cubs, RK Ilagan of the San Sebastian Staglets, Aldrin Fegidero of the Jose Rizal Univerrsity Light Bombers and Paul Dagunan of the UE Junior Warriors. Completing Team Muggsy’s lineup are Hubert Cani of the National University Bull Pups, Carlo Escalambre of the San Sebastian Staglets, Roald Mayor, Patrick Ramirez and Patrick Nigel Go of the UST Tiger Cubs, Arnie Padilla, Arc Araw-Araw and Miguel Competente of the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, Camillus Altamirano of the UE Jr. Warriors and Mio Puno of the Ateneo Blue Eaglets. Muggsy Bogues will arrive in Manila next week, a few days before the start of the three-day National Training Camp slated on April 26-28 at the UP Diliman Gym and at the Mall of Asia Music Hall. Presented by Alaska, the Jr. NBA Philippines will have a new All-Star lineup at the end of April 28 after the All-Star Exhibition game. Young players from all over the country will gather for three days to undergo an intensive training camp supervised by NBA Legend Muggsy Bogues and Jojo Lastimosa. In addition to Presenting Partner Alaska Powdered Milk Drink, Official Partners include the NBA’s official sports drink, Gatorade, Unilever’s flagship brands Rexona and Master and new partner, Phoneix Petroleum. Returning as Jr. NBA Supporting Partners are KFC and Spalding. Official NBA broadcasters are Basketball TV, NBA Premium TV and Studio 23. Jr. NBA is also supported by the Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines (BCAP).
From the immortal Tessa Jasmines ___ MANILA – Nineteen young players -- 16 from Metro Manila, 1 from Bulacan, 1 from Rizal and 1 from Laguna -- emerged as the best of the Manila Regional Selection Camp of the Jr. NBA Philippines 2013 presented by Alaska held at the Aquinas Gym in San Juan on April 14. The Manila Regional Selection Camp is the last tryout for this year’s Jr. NBA Program and immediately precedes the high point of the Jr. NBA – the National Training Camp – which will be participated in by 50 players who are the top picks from the regional selection camps in the various regions and the Alaska Power Camp. Kids 10-14 years old from Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan, Pampanga, Bacolod, Iligan and Palawan joined the Manila tryouts. The Top 40 players with the best scores on the vitals tests, skills stations and fitness challenges were asked to return on Day 2. The Top 19 from the pool of 40 will move on to the National Training Camp. The 19 kids are : Rodney Manuel and Nikolai Azurin from San Juan, Tyler Tio and Gian Mamuyac from Mandaluyong, Miguel Fortuna and Derrick Caalaman from Parañaque, Vince Ferrer, Marco Sario, Luigi Velasco and Kenneth Maneze from Makati, Bryeo Bunyi and Benedict Cruz from Manila, Paolo Rivero from Pasig, Christian Anterola from Las Piñas, Kyle Ong from Quezon City, Juan Paolo Garcia from Valenzuela, Bryan Lina from Antipolo, Maverick Barles from Bulacan and Samuel Abuhijleh from Laguna. Manila has 19 finalists because only 6 players were chosen from Dagupan and 5 from Lucena City, while Davao yielded 10 players and the Alaska Power Camp another ten. The Manila finalists were chosen by the Jr. NBA evaluation committee headed by Jr. NBA head coach Sefu Bernard, Senior Director of Basketball Operations of NBA Asia and PBA Legend Jojo Lastimosa of the Alaska Power Camp. Their all-around basketball skills and how they exhibited the Jr. NBA’s core S.T.A.R. values of Sportsmanship, Teamwork, (a positive) Attitude and Respect. “I had heard so much about the quality and calibre of player in Manila, that it was great to experience it in person after some competitive selection camps in Dagupan, Davao and Lucena. This is bound to be one of the toughest selections that our committee will have to make in the history of the Jr. NBA program in the Philippines, said Coach Sefu Bernard. The National Training Camp will be held at the UP Dilimn Gym on April 26 and 27 and at the SM Mall of Asia on April 28. All the best players from each region will pit skills and the ways in which they express the STAR values during the three-day boot camp that will prepare them to be exceptional athletes and total persons on and off the court. The 10 best performers selected in the National Training Camp will be this year’s Jr. NBA Philippines All Star Team who will be rewarded with a trip abroad for an authentic NBA experience and the chance to play with a counterpart youth team abroad. NBA Legend Muggsy Bogues will arrive in Manila for the National Training Camp and join the coaching staff of the Jr. NBA. In addition to Presenting Partner Alaska Powdered Milk Drink, Official Partners include the NBA’s official sports drink, Gatorade, Unilever’s flagship brands Rexona and Master and new partner, Phoneix Petroleum. Returning as Jr. NBA Supporting Partners are KFC and Spalding. Official NBA broadcasters are Basketball TV, NBA Premium TV and Studio 23. Jr. NBA is also supported by the Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines (BCAP).
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