UAAP: Veterans vs Rookies

The first week of the UAAP is done. After a rainy, yet impressive opening ceremonies (that needed better camera angles), a week of the season is finally completed. The rains were not able to dampen the fireworks of week 1 though. Just a quick recap!

1. FEU starts off the season with a big win over DLSU.

2. AdMU holds AdU scoreless in the last 7 minutes.

3. Kobe Bryant plays with a UAAP selection in an FEU jersey.

4. UST and NU go on a shootout in the 4th quarter and overtime.

5. UP wins!

6. AdU bounces back to beat FEU soundly by 19.

7. Ateneo - La Salle Round 1 & Kiefer Ravena

8. Ray Parks goes for 30.

9. UE goes nuts in a blitz but falls short.

Photo courtesy of getblued.multiply.com

Now, most of the headlines so far are pointed to how this year's rookie class is seemingly stating their claim that the future is already here. The hype train for these talents isn't slowing down, and it leaves me wondering: Is the UAAP still owned by the veterans of the rooks?

So here's what I am going to do. I will keep tally of the Best Players of Each Game until the end of the season. Maybe then, we can decide if the torch has already been passed or experience still rules out:

FEU v DLSU: Aldrech Ramos (16 pts, 8 rebs, 2 asts, 2 stls, 1 blk) - Vets
AdMU v AdU: Greg Slaughter (23 pts, 8 rebs, 2 asts, 2 blks) - Rooks

UST v NU: Jeric Fortuna (23 pts, 3 3fgm, 6 rebs, 2 asts, 1 stl) - Vets

UP v UE: Mike Gamboa (19 pts, 4 3fg, 5 rebs, 6 asts, 2 stls) - Vets

AdU v FEU: Alex Nuyles (22 pts, 3 rebs, 2 asts) - Vets

AdMU v DLSU: Kiefer Ravena (24 pts, 10 rebs, 2 asts, 5 stls) - Rooks

NU v UP: Ray Parks (30 pts, 3 3fg, 9 rebs, 3 asts, 2 stls) - Rooks

UST v UE: Kevin Ferrer (19 pts, 3 3fg, 5 rebs, 1 stl) - Rooks

Veterans: 4

Rookies: 4

Let's see how the rest of the season goes!

UAAP Finals Preview: FEU Tamaraws vs. Ateneo Blue Eagles

UAAP Finals Preview: FEU Tamaraws vs. Ateneo Blue Eagles

Game 1 of the UAAP Finals will be held on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2010 in the Araneta Coliseum. As usual, there will be around 20,000 people watching live. Timeouts and halftimes will take longer and definitely, there will be more commercials since it will be televised on ABS-CBN channel 2 for the first time. A lot of things have changed, but not by much really.

For the first time in three years, the Ateneo Blue Eagles will be considered as underdogs (though not by much) in the Finals against a deep and supposedly ripe FEU Tamaraws team. Ateneo has lost the pillars of its two championship runs with Nonoy Baclao and Rabeh Al-Hussaini graduating to the pros, while FEU on the other hand, has practically lost no one and even added perimeter hotshots Terrence Romeo and UAAP MVP RR Garcia. With so much changing in a one-sided manner, you would think that it is definitely time for a new champion to be crowned. But there is still much to be said...

The UAAP Finals is actually a nicely matched-up series if you think about it.
Garcia vs Salamat
Romeo vs Monfort
Cawaling vs Buenafe
Cervantes vs Salva
Sanga vs Long
Ramos vs Chua
Bringas vs Golla
Nuondou vs Escueta

That's already 8 match-ups deep and we still can't say there's one side who has a distinct advantage over the other. Sure, the awards are pretty one-sided. Garcia is MVP and a Mythical 5 member. Ramos is Defensive Player of the Year and a Mythical 5 member. Romeo is Rookie of the Year. Ateneo will be getting no individual accolades this year. But if we look deeper into the statistics* more of their players are performing at a Top 20 rate. FEU has Garcia at #1, Ramos #3, Cervantes #6. Ateneo on the other hand has Salamat at #7, Salva & Long tied at #12 and Buenafe & Chua tied at #14. So, even the numbers are agreeing that it really is an evenly matched series.

(*based on statistics as of the end of the 2nd round of eliminations)

So what can we expect from this Finals series?

Ateneo will once again gear it's defense towards stopping RR Garcia. Following the strategy employed by many teams against Steve Nash - cut the head of the snake to stop it. Then, they shall hope that trigger happy Tams Cervantes and Romeo will shoot themselves in the foot by forcing up shots against a tough Ateneo defense. FEU, on the other hand, will try to grind Ateneo's transition game to halt and cover all screen-and-rolls of the fluid Eagle offense.

On offense, FEU will still look for RR Garcia and now Romeo to create havoc by playmaking and opening shots for Ramos, Sanga and the rest of the Tamaraw supporting cast. Ateneo will continue to use their defense as their best offensive weapon by creating transition opportunities and scrambles by the FEU defense. Hopefully then, Monfort, Long and Salamat can put in the long ball to open up their inside offense.

So if I were to bet, who would I put my money on?

Being slightly biased but mostly objective, I would still give it to the Eagles in 3. Comparing the Final Four games of each squad, FEU let La Salle hang around too long and put themselves in such a risky spot. Ateneo choked the life out of Adamson early and clearly stated claim that the road to the title would have to go through The Hill in Katipunan. Clearly, the playoff experience and poise of the Eagles stood out against the Falcons. Against a tougher FEU squad, surely the battle will be closer. But, powered by either Buenafe or Salamat as Finals MVP, I would still give it to Ateneo in 3 for the 3-peat.

(Thanks again to Aaron Vicencio for the pics)

UAAP Final Four Prediction: (2) Ateneo Blue Eagles vs (3) Adamson Soaring Falcons

(2) Ateneo Blue Eagles vs (3) Adamson Soaring Falcons

First off, thanks to Mr. Aaron Vicencio (aaronvicencio.blogspot.com) for the great picture.

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A couple of years ago, the ABS-CBN coverage of the UAAP flashed a pretty interesting graphic. Adamson had not won against Ateneo for 15 years or so already. The last time they had won, Fidel Ramos was president, Gas was P9/Liter and it was P26: $1. Basically, ever since Ateneo got out of its dark ages, Adamson has fallen to the bigger bird.

Adamson has come so close so many times, it has already become heartbreaking.

In 2004, Adamson lost all their nerve, blew a huge lead and succumbed to an Ateneo team riding an emotional wave due to the loss of then captain Larry Fonacier to an ACL injury. LA Tenorio shot the Falcons down with three after three after three.

Back in 2006, UAAP MVP Ken Bono and his crew have literally come within single shots of breaking Ateneo spell over them in the 3 games they faced off. But some how, Ateneo always found a three to save them. Chris Tiu sank a 3 in each elimination game and played decoy to a JC Intal drive in the Final Four to send the Falcons crashing down again.

In the second round of this year's eliminations, Eman Monfort once again shot the Falcons down with a booming 3 late in the game to save the streak and give the Blue Eagles the twice-to-beat advantage.

Somehow, there has always been a game-saving 3 that Ateneo has been able to carve out and extend the Falcon misery. Perhaps, the same story might take place again. But looking at it game plan-wise, the game will be decided by the tandems in the photo above.

The Eagle tandem of Salamat and Salva will have to outplay the Falcons' Alvarez and Camson and vice versa. In the two elimination round games this year, Salva has owned Camson and Alvarez has done likewise to Salamat, but an aggregate of their production has always leaned towards the Eagles. This is indeed the crucial match up to watch as everything else is practically equal. Alex Nuyles will be checked by Kirk Long and Long will basically burn himself just playing defense. Justin Chua and Jan Colina will similarly cancel each other out, and so will each squad's benches.

Salamat and Alvarez are each team's playmakers and a lot is decided by not only their scoring but the situations they create. Lester Alvarez has been going off against Ateneo this year, even scoring 25 in the 2nd round match. Salamat on the other hand has been initiating the Eagles' defense with his ball pressure and timely steals to key the Ateneo running game. Each of these two are expected to perform, and there is almost no doubt that they will.

This is why the producton of their mercurial forward counterparts is equally important. Eric Camson and Nico Salva have been on and off this season, so it is almost decisive when one of them shows up and the other doesn't. This can be most clearly seen in their 2nd round match where Salva get back on track after going into a funk midseason, and Camson, saddled with fouls, did not produce his expected double figures.

Salamat can score less than Alvarez, but that is because Ateneo puts almost a 60/40 split on the load between Salamat and Salva. Adamson on the other hand burdens the Alvarez-Camson combo with a 65/35 split. With this close a match-up though, it is clear that whichever 1-2 combination hits harder will decide if we have another Final Four match or the Finals start already.

This is Adamson's best shot of breaking their losing skid against Ateneo. Should the streak extend, Adamson will have a more difficult time in the coming seasons as Ateneo will surely reload due to their recruitment and Ryan Buenafe will take over..

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The FEU Tamaraws slipped passed the DLSU Green Archers earlier to a score of 69-59. I almost got the spread right if not only for the last basket shot by Exciminiano... I could start a rumor here, but I choose to just let that simmer in your minds.

Surprisingly, DLSU was very much in it and almost won in regulation. But, as expected, FEU's maturity and poise shone through with Sanga's game-tying 3 and The team's overall steadiness in the overtime. It important to note that ROY Terrence Romeo has been playing great recently. He's been hitting big shots to supplement the perimeter with teams locking down on MVP RR Garcia.

UAAP Final Four Prediction: (1) FEU vs (4) DLSU

(1) FEU Tamaraws vs (4) DLSU Green Archers




The Final Four cast of the UAAP is already set. While a lot of things may still happen and seedings could still switch, I'm pretty confident that things will stay the way they are. So here are my predictions for the UAAP Semifinals.
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The DLSU Green Archers were able to pull off a shocker by beating the favored FEU Tamaraws a couple of weeks ago during their second round encounter during the eliminations. That victory was their penultimate win to ensuring themselves a trip to the Final Four this year.

Unfortunately for them, that might be the same win that settles their ouster from championship contention this year.

The Archers technically still have a shot at getting a twice-to-beat incentive during the semis, but it assumes a lot of things. Ateneo and Adamson have to lose their remaining games and has to La Salle win both of it assignments to get the incentive because of the blowout they received at the hands of the Eagles as well. So, if you were on the Archers coaching staff, you should already be thinking about FEU... thinking very hard about how to pull off 2 more shockers.

La Salle may have sealed their own fates with their win over the Tams because of one thing - FEU is a very seasoned and veteran team. Simply put, the Tamaraws should win the title this year or the team should be blown up, and their mindset is that not unexpected losses should happen twice, moreso thrice. Glen Capacio, Bert Flores and the rest of the FEU brainthrust will be looking at every second of their loss to La Salle and break it down. They will not let a bunch of careless or overconfident mistakes cost them the championship, or worse, lose again in the semis. The Tamaraws will prepare and watch so much La Salle game tape that nothing should surprise them come the Final Four.

That is where the Archers did themselves in.

La Salle, putting it simply, has a punchers chance in the match. If they are able to hit hard first and force the Tams to play catch up for the whole game, they may have a greater chance to pull off two upsets. Who knows, just by leading the whole way, they might expose FEU's supposed weak endgame. But, with all the heavy preparation of the coaches and the revenge factor of the players' psyches, they won't be caught off-guard by any new DLSU trick. The Tams will prepare for the full-court trap, for the screens for the Archer shooters and play a tougher game than they did last time out. Basically, FEU will try to bully La Salle into submission.

Unlike the Tams who have RR Garcia, no one on the Archers can really strap the entire team on their back and carry them to the end. Atkins, who leads them in scoring with over 9 points a game, will not attract enough attention from the FEU defense to be able to create for his teammates. Once the vaunted La Salle machine expereinces a hiccup, you may as well say sayonara to their championship chances.

Now, I am not saying that DLSU can't do it. I'm just sure that there chances are definitely slimmer because of that win. So, they better strike first blood or else go through a very tough uphill climb.

FEU by 8 in one game.

PCCL Finals: Ateneo, Jai Cap Dream Season

Yesterday, the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles won their 2nd Champions League title in school history and 3rd title in this year's basketball season. The Eagles also won this year's UAAP and Unigames titles, making it almost equivalent to the PBA's Grand Slam. They won a close 74-70 decision in their best-of-3 series for the PCCL title with the FEU Tamaraws who staged a late rally and took the lead deep into the fourth quarter. However, it was guard Jai Reyes who stood atop everyone as he bailed Ateneo out to tie the ballgame at 70 with his 4th three, gave the go-ahead assist to Oping Sumalinog, and won the Finals MVP award in his final tournament ever in an Ateneo uniform. For Reyes, an Atenean for 17 years, 16 years a varsity athlete, you could not have written a better script - back-to-back UAAP Champions, Collegiate Grand Slam and Finals MVP in his final year. You could say that he can hang up his jersey, that familiar Reyes #5, without any regrets.

Claiming the final gem in their cap this year wasn't just a Jai-namite show though, it took more of a team effort to buck the challenge of the Tamaraws. JR Cawaling, Aldrech Ramos and RR Garcia led a furious rally in the 4th quarter which utilized their superior length and athleticism on the boards to inch their way to the lead. The Ateneo offense sputtered to a halt and almost seemed to crumple to the floor along with Eric Salamat and his cramps. By the way it it looks too, Ateneo will be playing off Salamat next year, and teams will be more zoned in on stopping him to stop the Eagles.

In Game 2, seemingly reading some pages off 40 Minutes of Freedom, Salamat and Nico Salva led a 90 - 67 beatdown with their 26 and 20 points, respectively. Without a doubt, these 2 will be Ateneo's 1-2 punch next year as they are the best inside and outside scorers. But, by losing Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Nonoy Baclao on the frontline, playing faster will be key for the Eagles whose Grand Slam defense starts the next time they hit the practice floor of the Moro Lorenzo Sports Complex. As for FEU, RR Garcia will undoubtedly be the #1 guard of the Tamaraws and we will see them more ripe and hungrier to finally claim the UAAP title they hoped to gain so much this year. For the Eagles though, it seems that big man duties next year will be a job done by committee as Salva, Chua, Golla and Sumalinog have all spent time at the 4 and 5 in this last tournament. Sumalinog will be a crucial piece as he can play at the wing and a bit in the post.

So, that's a wrap for the collegiate basketball season for 2009. Let's just wait for 6 more months until the drums start beating again.

PCCL Finals: Tams could be Best PCCL Team Ever, Eagles could Collapse Again

The Philippine Collegiate Champions League has finally reach the Finals. Bucking some unexpected excitement that went on in the earlier rounds, it was still Metro Manila that stood tall atop the tournament. More specifically, the UAAP clearly demonstrated that it is still the number 1 collegiate basketball league in the country. With the Finals being contested by Ateneo and FEU, the UAAP will have it's seventh (7th) championship since the tournament's inception. Simply put, the UAAP has won and will win all the PCCL Crowns to date.


After this year's edition, win or lose, FEU will be the tournament's most successful team. The Tamaraws have won twice ('04 & '05) and lost in the Finals once ('03). With a win later today, they could be the first three-time champions, breaking the deadlock with UE (won in '03 & '06, Runner-up '05). Based on how they were playing earlier, we could see that they should already be favored to win next year's UAAP title. RR Garcia has been great and even without the full participation of the Gilas boys (Ramos & Cawaling), they're already looking like Barroca wasn't lined-up this year.

The Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles are the third-most successful team in the history of the PCCL. They won in 2007 against the only non-Manila finalist ever, University of Visayas, and were second to DLSU last year. Now, on the verge of losing another PCCL title with another loss, the Eagles look to tie UE for second-best ever. It's been also very clear that they become pretty lost after winning the UAAP as they begin to transition to next year's system almost right away with their choice not to field their Championship team's graduating cornerstone (Tiu & Al-Hussaini).

Based on the participation of Ramos and Cawaling on the other end, it is clear that Coach Rajko Toroman and the SBP allow the Gilas players to join their mother teams to help validate the tournament. So, it can be assumed that not playing Rabeh is a choice done by Ateneo. They're trying to hand the reins over to the undergraduates right away, but they also keep some seniors (Jai Reyes & Nonoy Baclao) to make sure that they play decently. Their loss in Game 1 of the Finals showed this very blatantly. The gamble didn't pay off this time.

It is crystal that next year's Eagles team will rest heavily on the shoulders of Eric Salamat. While he might not become the Eagle's leading scorer next year (as I predict that Ryan Buenafe will have that role), he will be their playmaker throughout the year. His defense on the perimeter will set the tone and his slashing will be the main weapon on offense. If you're an Eagle fan, you might a bit nervous though as Salamat seems to disappear during the big games. He really hasn't played great in any Finals appearance and that was true again in this year's PCCL Game 1.


Another cause for concern, I feel has been the lackluster play of Nico Salva. With Rabeh out of the games, one would think Salva would begin exerting himself underneath with his high-post moves creating baskets or baiting fouls. He, however, has been very tenative. He's been floating too much to the perimeter, breaking spacing to ask for the ball. Naturally, since he is out of position, giving him the ball often just leads to isolation from the perimeter - the biggest killer of Ateneo's offensive efficiency. His floating to the perimeter 1) leaves Baclao as the only rebounder, 2) get everybody out fo the proper spacing and rebounding schemes and 3) leaves him vulnerable to frustration when he cannot get his offense going. Ateneo fans should hope that he doesn't try to freestyle too much as they can't be careless with their offensive possessions and waste possible scoring chances against this FEU team later today.

My prediction is that the Eagles will tie the series up. They take less shots from the perimeter, less turnovers and better offensive execution can be seen. Look for Salamat to be more present in the lane, kicking out to Reyes and Long for the outside shots. Also, Garcia will probably have Kirk Long in his face for most of the game. So, it could be a grind next game from beginning to end. Ateneo by 4.

PCCL Day 2: CSJL vs DLSU & ADMU vs. Lyceum

I finally was able to catch the PCCL games today and it's time for some thoughts on the games:

Letran vs La Salle

> Both teams played with about just 70% of their mother league line-ups. Letran was missing Jazul, Guevarra and Dela Paz, while La Salle didn't have Mangahas, Malabes and Co. (Not that La Salle was actually going to use this guys ever anyway.

> I was hoping that Franz would put the 4 RP Youth Boys (Tolentino, Marata, Banal & Andrada) some decent burn together and probably put them in with Bringas so we could see what DLSU has in store for the future. But it didn't happen...

> Somehow, Franz looked a bit disinterested in coaching what they were hyping to be his "last game." One of the commentators slipped too when he said that Franz would come back after the elections. We all know he's coming back anyway. If he weren't, DLSU would be in some deep trouble because they wouldn't be able to recruit.

> Belencion hits 10 threes. Damn!

> I don't know if anybody noticed but Jameson Cortez seemed to be wearing a different color uniform because his seemed a darker shade of red than everybody else... It's either a different colored uniform or the dude just really sweats a lot!

> New PCCL Champion!


Ateneo vs Lyceum

> I was expecting that Ateneo would actually not play Baclao since he's on duty with the Philippine Patriots, but they didn't have Al-Hussaini instead. For some reason, I was hoping that the Gilas boys would actually be present during games. Hopefully, they had practice or something, and that's why they missed attending the game.

> It was funny how Norman Black was put into a tight spot by Job De Leon. He was revealed to have not prepared at all for Lyceum. I bet he even forgot that they played them in last year's PCCL in the same game.

> As expected, Ateneo dominated the game, and was a bit careless in the latter portions. But again, too much talent for Lyceum to handle.

> Lyceum actually qualified because University of Manila fielded in ineligible players for the Zonals. They should be penalized by SBP just to send a message that they wouldn't be taking anything lightly from any team.

Milo Warrior 3-on-3 Championship

The team over at patayangbutiki brought this tournament to my attention with their blog post linked. This is in connection with the Chris Tiu-Jayvee Casio ads we've been seeing all over tri-media recently. I first got some inclination of this when I played over at the Ateneo College Covered Courts over the weekend, and it seems that there was voting done to pick the teams for each school. Voting is now done, and they're all playing at the Blue Eagle Gym in Ateneo on Dec. 1 @ 1 PM.



The teams are pretty interesting as their's a healthy mix of team B players for some exposure. Also, the imports from Africa are now being revealed to the public with NU and UP parading them in the tournament. The only exception being FEU, which nominated a line-up of Team A players + the UAAP juniors MVP, and will send a Cervantes-Sanga-Garcia combination.

The first thing you'll notice is that Milo has chosen to hold the tournament for UAAP Schools only. Since we all know this is a marketing tool, this might be just a target market deal kicking in. Not to be derogatory, they're probably targeting the A, B and C economic brackets, that's why they chose not to include the NCAA schools. Of course, I could be very wrong and this might just be a matter of convenience or sanctioning by the league.

Second, La Salle is the only UAAP school not participating. Why? We can conjure up a number of reasons why, but I'd rather not (to avoid sounding like a hater). I just think this is an unfortunate event that they didn't chose to participate simply because of the experience and exposure it could have provided to their young players. 3-on-3 is very, very different from a UAAP game, but just familiarizing themselves with possible UAAP opponents (like the FEU boys), could have been a direct benefit from the tournament. Also, what makes this more sad is that Jvee Casio is the co-endorser of the product along with Chris Tiu. The tourney snub from your alma mater would kind of hurt if I were him.

Well, there goes half of Milo's target market...

Behind the Scenes: Fr. Martin's Cup II

Earlier today, the semifinals of the Fr. Martin's Cup II was held in the FEU Gym in Morayta. The league has been going on quietly for a while, under the radar with all the UAAP and NCAA hype that's gone on. For those unfamiliar, the Fr. Martin's Cup II features the Team B's of major colleges. Often you can see future Team A recruits serving out their residencies and familiarizing themselves with the school's systems... This year is no different.

The semis match-ups were FEU vs UP and Arellano vs Ateneo, and the finals will be some time next week.

Results:
FEU def. UP by 30+
Arellano def. Ateneo by 8

Some notes:
> FEU features another African, not mention great recruits from all over the country. They'll be loaded for the next couple of years, so they should be considered as the title favorites for next year (again).
> UP also featured its own African recruit as well as their prized Fil-foreigner recruit. Expect them to improve on this year's UAAP performance, assuming their players and their coaches get their act together. Something's not right in the land of State U.
> Following the "Sam Ekwe Trend," Arellano also had 2 African recruits - both raw and super athletic - hopeful for inclusion in next year's NCAA still. If they don't, I wonder how they could manage keeping the two.
> Ateneo (which does not have an African. hehe) played with the 2 players Norman Black mentioned to be in consideration for Team A - Escueta and Erram. For Blue Eagle fans, you have to hope that Norman Black can develop these boys alongside Salva, Chua, Burke and Golla because they aren't ready to resemble Baclao and Al-Hussaini's roles. You have to hope that Salamat and Buenafe can carry the team to the Three-peat.

Next week, the Unigames will be played in Iloilo. I'll try to get some info on what happens. But for now, you have to expect a UAAP or NCAA school will champion this meet. After all, everybody needs all the good press they can get in preparation for the PCC.