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!

Pido Goes to the 'Dogs

I was able to read in the Business Mirror today that Pido Jarencio is moving from the head coach spot of the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers to the National University Bulldogs. He replaces Manny Dandan who has been there for the greater majority of ten years (Rico Perez coached for a year) and was able to lead NU to it's only appearance in the Final Four in 2002. He did this with the leadership of Alfie Grijaldo, Jeff Napa and Froilan Baguion.

This move comes as a shock to me, personally, after Coach Pido led his 2006 Cinderella UST team to the UAAP Championship during his rookie year. He was such a proud Goldie/Tiger back in his playing days when he was trading threes with Allan Caidic of UE. He brought that fiery approach to the PBA and had his best days with the Ginebra franchise. As a coach, he still carried that swagger, preaching his three P's of Pride, Puso and Palaban to his Tiger teams. There has been so much history with Jarencio and UST that it would just seem wrong not to see him in the black, gold, black, white, especially with 400 years of UST coming up. (Perhaps the only UST coach more deserving of that honor would be Aric Del Rosario, but he can't coach anymore because of his ailing heart.)

This leads us to two questions - 1) Did UST give up on Pido after falling short these last three years? 2) Were there greater forces that convinced him to move to NU? Let's go deeper...

1) It seems so sad that the school would give up so fast on a man who has rendered has service to the school with such passion and loyalty. Pido took the job in 2006 and won the title. He made the postseason all but one year, and made Jervy Cruz and Dylan Ababou into MVP's. Not pretty bad considering he also boasts of so many classic performances as a player. Not to mention, the gamut of emotion he displays in game is such pure entertainment and candidness. Could it be that some disgruntled alumni supporters are the ones actually calling for his ouster?

2) On the flip side of things, could it be that NU, boosted with the budget for the Sy's of SM have been able to buy some space into the coach's future? Players in the UAAP are tough to recruit, and these days, schools can't win without the budget to bring in some key players and provide for the "athletic and academic" needs. Maybe the coach thinks that he can build a winner with the support system he now has...

Of course, these are just things I ask. Who knows if they're real or not... This also then leaves the question, who's coaching UST? Ariel Vanguardia and Louie Alas are free agents...