NBA 2011-12: Christmas Opening Day

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12pm ET: Boston Celtics at New York Knicks

Spotlight on: the Celtics bench. It's a motley crew that's half-veterans who might not have any juice left (Marquis Daniels, Keyon Dooling, Sasha Pavlovic, Chris Wilcox) and half-young guns who have yet to see significant NBA minutes (Avery Bradley, JaJuan Johnson, E'Twaun Moore). Boston usually starts the season on fire, but with Pierce hurt and an abbreviated training camp, the aging Celtics are crossing their fingers that their reserves will be able to keep them in playoff contention.

Spotlight on: the Knicks point guards. With Baron Davis out for six to eight weeks, the point guard position, Mike D'Antoni's extension on the court and the engine that makes his run and gun system go, will fall on the shoulders of shooting guard in point guard's garb Toney Douglas, the zombie-like Mike Bibby who is far removed from his glorious Sacramento Kings days, and rookie sparkplug Iman Shumpert. It used to be that defense was the over-scrutinized aspect of this squad, but now, even their offense will be put under the microscope, especially if turnovers become a problem.

Pick: Boston +5

2:30pm ET: Miami Heat at Dallas Mavericks

Spotlight on: the Big Three's growth. After coming within two games of a championship trophy, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Lebron James spent the offseason working on their games. Bosh has extended his range, Wade worked on his durability and James finally, supposedly, added a post game to his arsenal. The excuse all of last season was that these three needed time to gel together and get their games in synch after being individual strs for so long. Now that more than a year has passed by, it's put up or shut up time for the NBA's super-villains. 

Spotlight on: the Dallas defense. They say defense wins championships, and the Mavericks took that to heart a season ago, with Tyson Chandler dominating the paint, DeShawn Stevenson emulating a pitbull on the perimeter, and Shawn Marion filling in the gaps. Fast-forward to now, and both Chandler and Stevenson are gone, and Marion is a year older. The additions of Vince Carter and Lamar Odom make this squad harder to stop, but will they be able to stop anybody, let alone Wade and James?

Pick: Miami -4.5

5:00pm ET: Chicago Bulls at Los Angeles Lakers

Spotlight on: Richard Hamilton. The Bulls jettison Keith Bogans in favor of Rip Hamilton, former NBA champ with the Detroit Pistons, to finally fill in their hole at the two-guard spot, but it doesn't quite look like the most ideal fit. Yes, even at his advanced age, Hamilton is still extremely adept at running his defender through multiple screens, freeing him up for open mid-range shots, but the Bulls were looking for more triples, which he's good but not great at. Chicago might have been better off too with someone who could create his own shot in a pinch, to give them a safety valve when Rose is doubled, I'm sure the coaching staff would have wanted someone who is at the very least, an above average defender. That's three strikes against him, but will his scoring make up for all that?

Spotlight on: the non-Kobe Lakers. Could this be the worst supporting cast the Lakers have had since the days of Smush Parker and Kwame Brown? On the brink of being cast out as Los Angeles' premiere team, the Lakers braintrust are backing an aging Bryant up with holdovers Matt Barnes, Steve Blake, Luke Walton, Derek Fisher and Metta World Peace, while adding the whitebread trio of Jason Kapono, Josh McRoberts and Troy Murphy. Pau Gasol will need to work his way back from a mediocre playoffs run, while Andrew Bynum needs to be healthy, and get through a four-game suspension. There's hope that draftees Devin Ebanks and Darius Morris can give the team something, but it's hard to imagine them as game-changers.

Pick: Chicago -4

8:00pm ET: Orlando Magic at Oklahoma City Thunder

Spotlight on: Dwight Howard. In their two preseason games, Howard was a disinterested non-factor in their first match against Miami, before bouncing back in the second outing. While everyone in the Magic camp is saying D-12's trade demands aren't bothering the team, it's hard to imagine that it's not there in the back of everyone's mind, waiting for an extended losing streak to push it to the forefront. And if Howard continues to play lackadaisical, he was the only one keeping them alive versus Atlanta in the playoffs after all, that pie-in-the-sky losing streak might come sooner rather than later.

Spotlight on: the Russell Westbrook-Kevin Durant connection. The Thunder return basically intact from last season, and so too returns the interior drama about whether or not the team's best two players can co-exist. The two get another year to prove that they can get along, that Westbrook can continue to mature as a point guard and that Durant can improve on his shot selection and ability to get open. However, if the same issues from their playoff series versus the Mavericks persist, or heaven forbid, even get worse, I wouldn't be surprised if general manager Sam Presti bites the bullet and unloads his All-Star guard.

Pick: Oklahoma City -8

10:30pm ET: Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State Warriors

Spotlight on: Blake Griffin's offensive repertoire. We all know Griffin can throw down some vicious dunks, and the addition of Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups will likely boost the frequency of those jams, but for the Clippers to take the next step, LA's new poster boy will need to be more than just someone who throws it down. We saw some flashes of that during the preseason, including extended range on his jump shot, and a few up and under moves. Consistency will need to be the key. If Griffin can mix it up enough, teams will be hard-pressed to stop him, and his fellow dunker, DeAndre Jordan, and that means the playoffs will come to "Lob City."

Spotlight on: the Warriors' defense. "Hand up, man down," is the philosophy Golden State's new head coach Mark Jackson constantly espouses, but the last time someone tried to make a run and gun team try to force a couple of stops, Terry Porter in Phoenix, it was a complete failure. The chances of it happening could have improved drastically had they signed Tyson Chandler or DeAndre Jordan in the off-season, but the team was forced to settle for Kwame Brown, definitely not the best portent. Toss in the fact that you still have the sub-par defender trio of David Lee, Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry in the starting line-up, and that raised hand might be more of surrender, than stoppage. 

Pick: Los Angeles Clippers -5.5

5 Ways to Improve the PCCL

1. Add provisions for suspending players
The PCCL likes to pride itself on values such as sportsmanship, camaraderie, and the like, but that does not always work out in practice, especially in this year's tournament. Between the San Sebastian-San Beda brawl that came right on the heels of the two schools' incident during a volleyball game at San Beda College, Calvin Abueva's intentional bump of a referee, and DLSU's Jovet Mendoza getting hit with two unsportsmanlike fouls within minutes of each other, there were plenty of times when the league ought to have cracked down on poor behavior, but couldn't because they had no rules about it.

2. Synch up the start times for all the member leagues
The reason why the PCCL only started in November? A lot of the provincial leagues were still unfolding while the NCAA and UAAP teams were sitting idle. Why not create a rule that will make all leagues have their opening tip no later than say the second week of July so that regional tourneys can begin on the last week of October, around the time the Unigames end? That also means teams, especially top-ranked ones, won't have the problem of weeks of downtime, which leads to rusty performances.

3. Synch up the schedule with the PBA Developmental League
While this is a pipedream, given that the two leagues are aired on different networks, there ideally should be more communication amongst the two groups, to prevent instances of players having to either choose which of their two teams to play for, or playing both games but arriving late to one of them. This victimized the Adamson Falcons the most this year, what with their squad forming the core of the PBA-DL Freego Jeans squad. Though Coach Leo Austria was able to get concessions from the PCCL to have their games begin half an hour earlier, he still had to send players off earlier to their PBA-DL game, leaving him with fewer options on the bench, not what you want when you're forced into overtime. Given how the PBA-DL isn't even aired live on TV, can't they be a bit more flexible with their schedule? Surely they can find a way to divide up the seven days in a week.

4. More viewing options
The PCCL has actually gotten better at this, as they managed to get some of the provincial games on the air, albeit on a delayed basis, but every hoops junkie's dream is of course, to have all of the games live. As an example, I'm sure lots of DLSU fans would have wanted the Metro Manila regional to have aired as those were the first few games of the Archers under Gee Abanilla's management. While TV time is understandably at a premium, why not livestream those games online, or have them up on their website on a same-day basis? Or at the very least, have the PCCL Facebook page put up live updates of what's going on in the games.

5. Better stats
As a stats junkie, I was disheartened that the Metro Manila regional had the stats being done by hand, with just points and fouls being identified (and even then, they got stuff wrong, such as in one of the La Salle games). While we eventually got computerized stats a week before the Final Four, a supposedly prestigious tournament like the PCCL ought to have computerized stats to pour over right at the get-go. 

PCCL 2011 - Finals Game 2: SSCR vs ADMU

Three Up

• After a nondescript offensive performance in the first Finals game (nine points on 4 of 11 shooting), Ian Sangalang took advantage of an Ateneo frontcourt rotation that saw Greg Slaughter play just 20 minutes, allowing him to pump in 19 points on 50 percent shooting, along with a perfect 5 for 5 stint at the line. This performance was basically what earned him the tournament MVP honors. 
• Jonathan Semira made a surprise reappearance for the Stags, after tearing one of his ACL's in their fourth regular season NCAA game. The bulky guard gave the short-handed Stags a big boost emotionally, but he also was a huge help on the court, with his one make of the game being a clutch triple that doused an Ateneo rally in the fourth quarter, keeping his team ahead. 
• Ateneo head coach Norman Black has quietly done a good job turning trigger-happy guards (Jai Reyes, Emman Monfort) into more than capable floor generals, and his latest project will be third-year player Juami Tiongson. While we will see that play out next season, the exciting part is that Tiongson may be an even better scorer than his two predecessors. In the third quarter, Tiongson singlehandedly kept his team in the game by dropping 11 points in five minutes, hitting 5 out of his 6 attempts, while also dishing out an assist in the process. 

Three Down

• The phrase "pick your poison" has often been used to describe Ateneo's offense, as no team can realistically defend Slaughter, Nico Salva and Kiefer Ravena all at the same time, but in this game, San Sebastian didn't have to pick anything. The big man played just 20 minutes for 10 points, while the UAAP Finals MVP and the UAAP Rookie of the Year combined to go 3 of 25 from the field for 12 points, missing seven triples in the process. 
• Once again, San Sebastian's zone defense stymied Ateneo, keeping in check what is supposed to be a prolific offense. The Eagles wound up attempting 31 triples against the zone, making just eight. For some perspective, Ateneo had never attempted more than 20 in the UAAP. Also, the main disadvantage of the zone is that it makes the defending team have to work harder to get defensive rebounds, but the Stags killed the Eagles on the glass, outworking them 54-33. On the offensive end, Ateneo got only 12 repossessions, versus the 18 of the NCAA runners-up. 
• After doing a reasonably good job of limiting their turnovers (in the Final Four game) and then limiting the amount of turnover points conceded (in the first Finals game), San Sebastian fell back to their old ways, making 22 errors, which led to 22 turnover points by the Eagles. Calvin Abueva of course, led the way with seven of those miscues. 

Random Notes

• San Sebastian became the first NCAA team in the PCCL's existence to win the national championship. In doing so, they prevented what could have been a banner year for the Eagles, as Ateneo had won the Fil-Oil Preseason tournament, the UAAP tournament, and the Unigames crown.
• UAAP teams might want to look at how San Sebastian dominated Ateneo all year long. Combining the Fil-Oil and the PCCL, the Stags are 3-1 against the Eagles in 2011.

PCCL 2011: Finals - SSCR vs ADMU

PCCL 2011 - Finals Game 1: ADMU vs SSCR

Three Up

• UAAP Finals MVP Nico Salva scored four points in the first half, but made up for it with 14 in the second, 10 coming in the third quarter to help Blue Eagles seize and keep the lead. The fourth-year player not only drew defenders like Calvin Abueva and Michael Miranda, and still scored, on the flipside, he also had stretches where he had to guard those two guys, and even some stints versus Ian Sangalang. With the offense stuck in neutral against the zone of Baste, no Salva would have meant an easy ADMU loss.
• After giving up nine unanswered at the start of the fourth quarter, the Ateneo defense managed to shut San Sebastian down when it mattered, allowing just a single point in the final 3:50 of the game. Sure it helped that Calvin Abueva threw himself out of the game with 1:04 left, but even before that incident, Oping Sumalinog seemed to have gotten the handle on "The Beast," resulting in the steal that led to Abueva's last foul. 
• Stags head coach Topex Robinson unveiled his latest defensive wrinkle to stop Ateneo: instructing his players to aggressively play for the steal out of their zone. The ploy worked, and the Eagles coughed the ball up a grand total of 26 times. They had 16 turnovers already by the first half, in the UAAP, Ateneo had six games where they finished with less than that number, which led to 13 of San Sebastian's 23 markers in the 20 minute span. 

Three Down

• Calvin Abueva giveth, and Calvin Abueva taketh away. After missing most of the first half due to what seemed like an early case of cramps, Abueva returned for 11 in 13 second-half minutes, taking over the scoring duties for the Stags. As good as he was though, Abueva also turned the ball over 10 times, four in the final quarter, and none more costly than the one Sumalinog came up with, leading to the ref whistling the NCAA MVP for his fifth. Then on the way off the court, Abueva intentionally bumped that same referee, leading to a technical foul that was charged to his head coach, and free throws that sealed things for Ateneo.
• How effective was San Sebastian's zone? The Eagles could barely get the ball into the post and Greg Slaughter's hands at times, forcing them to rely on lower percentage shots. Coupled with the arm-bar antics of Michael Miranda and Anthony Del Rio (yes, Anthony Del Rio managed to successfully guard Slaughter several times), and the big man was held to just seven points on 3 of 10 shooting. 
• Ateneo had an off-day for them at the foul line, shooting just 13 of 20 from the stripe, including missing a few that could have closed the Stags out earlier, but luckily for them, San Sebastian was even worse, with a 5 for 13 clip. They had managed better than 50 percent in the entire NCAA tournament. 

Random Notes

• As previously mentioned, Ateneo is no stranger to winning two in a row for a PCCL title. They did that against FEU and Adamson in the last two years. 
• Luckily for Abueva, the PCCL has no provisions for suspending players (something they ought to look into for next year), so he'll be able to make up for his antics on Thursday.  

 


PCCL 2011: Finals - ADMU vs SSCR

PCCL 2011 - Battle for Third: SBC vs UC

Three Up

• With Garvo Lanete out the entire PCCL with a shoulder injury, it's been Rome Dela Rosa taking charge of the scoring, show a preview of the next NCAA season. He closed out his team's four-game stint with a 21 point, seven rebound performance, contributing to his strong tournament averages: 34.25 minutes, 18.25 points on 55.36 percent shooting, 4.75 rebounds, 3.25 assists, 0.5 steals and just 0.75 turnovers. While odds are he won't ever have to log that much playing time come Season 88, but it will be much easier for him to score, with Ola Adeogun attracting so much attention and Julius Armon helping to get him the ball. 
• San Beda head coach Frankie Lim calls it "San Beda basketball," and what that is is run and gun, up and down the court fast attack. In their losses to Ateneo and San Sebastian, the Red Lions normed just 7.5 fastbreak points and 12.5 turnover points. It's the complete opposite of how they thrashed University of Cebu. The Webmasters conceded 21.5 fastbreak points and 22.5 turnover points in their two losses to the NCAA champs, providing rival coaches plenty of "What not to do" footage for next year. 
• We finally got a glimpse of the Junemar Fajardo that was the subject of so much hype. Not the gimpy, injury struck version that played versus Ateneo, but the real deal. Fajardo went off for 24 points and 24 rebounds, while blocking three shots and looking dominant the whole afternoon. Sadly, his efforts were for naught as he was unable to get support from his teammates. 

Three Down

• After getting a game-best 25 points, aided by 7 of 12 outside shooting versus San Sebastian, Edward Pao registered no points in this game, missing all six of his shots, five coming from downtown. What made it so head-scratching was the fact that despite his inability to connect from anywhere on the field, Pao still played 39 minutes, and it's not as if his defense was solid (see what Rome Dela Rosa put up, above). 
• The number one thing for UC head coach Roel Gomez to work on when they get back to Cebu? Getting back on defense in transition. The Webmasters were scorched by the running game of the Manila teams, giving up on average, 20.75 fastbreak points and 19.25 turnover points (off an average of 15.75 turnovers). With Fajardo graduating, that means they'll have an even harder time getting offensive rebounds, which means more opportunities for teams to run on them.
• Maybe I just overestimate Dave Marcelo, but with the lack of minutes, I would have expected him to get a ton more touches in the low post. Instead, the NCAA Finals MVP managed just 25.25 minutes, 5.5 points on 37.5 percent shooting, though he did norm three assists per game. Defensively, he was solid: 6.75 rebounds, 2.75 blocks, but being the smallest center of the four teams clearly prevented him from establishing himself down low. 

Random Notes

• This is the best finish for the Red Lions in the history of the PCCL. (They made the Finals versus UE in 2006) History has not been kind to San Beda in the tournament, as injuries and graduation have often hit them the hardest, preventing them from flashing the depth that makes them so potent in the NCAA. Last season they were upset by La Salle in the Elite Eight, playing without their main point guard Borgie Hermida.  
• UC held constant at fourth place, which is where they finished last year. They were dropped by Ateneo in the Final Four as well, and then lost to La Salle in the battle for third. 

PCCL 2011: Third Place - SBC vs UC

PCCL 2011 - ADMU vs SBC

Three Up

• After a fourth quarter that produced just a single point, the trio of Greg Slaughter, Nico Salva and Kiefer Ravena made sure that this time, their lead was not going away, dropping 16 of their team's final 21 points. Ravena, the Rookie of the Year in the UAAP, led the charge, scoring eight points in eight minutes, including a sick, mid-air put-back of a Greg Slaughter miss that started a 6-0 blast to finally put San Beda away. 
• Ateneo's big men sometimes forget to play up to their size, but they didn't in this game, scarfing up the caroms like they were going out of style, 37 to 21, 13 to 7 on the offensive glass, for a 14 to 4 advantage in second-chance points. Slaughter and Salva, the starting frontcourt, hauled down eight each, while guards like Tonino Gonzaga and Kirk Long got four a piece, plus an additional five courtesy of reserve big Justin Chua. 
• Sticking Tonino Gonzaga on the primary ball-handler was a stroke of genius by head coach Norman Black, as the shut-down defender harassed the likes of Anjo Caram and Baser Amer to no end. On several possessions, the Red Lions would only get into their set plays with 12 or 10 seconds left on the clock. Resulting in a 24-second violation or rushed shots. Towards the latter part of the game, San Beda was forced to resort to leaving two ball-handlers on the court, just to work around Zags.

Three Down

• San Beda's big men were once again held in check by their larger counterparts. Kyle Pascual was 3 for 5 from the field for six points, along with four boards and two assists, while Dave Marcelo had the unenviable task of trying to guard Greg Slaughter, though on the other end, scored seven, to go with three boards and three dimes. With the offense centered on the San Beda shooters getting free for open looks, it's no wonder the big men vanished from time to time. 
• With the Eagles shooting 0 for 5 from beyond the arc, it's surprising the Red Lions didn't opt to try a zone defense, which is what threw Ateneo off against San Sebastian. Since the first Final Four match against UC, the outside shooting of Ateneo has been sorely lacking (5/23 combined in those two games against NCAA teams).
• The more I see of the Gonzaga/Ravena backcourt, the more I like it. Many assumed that we'd have either Juami Tiongson or Nico Elorde at the point with Ravena at the two-spot, and while we haven't seen Elorde yet, Tiongson has been horrible this entire PCCL. He simply hasn't fully grasped the offense yet it seems, forcing Black to go with either Austria or Long at the point guard spot in crunchtime. 

Random Notes

• When Ateneo plays San Sebastian on Monday, they'll have to beat the Stags twice, if they win on December 12, they'll need one more victory on the 14th to be the PCCL Champs. This isn't the first time they've needed two straight to clinch the crown however. Back in the last two years, when the Finals was a best of three affair, Ateneo dropped the first game of series versus FEU (2009) and Adamson (2010), before bouncing back to raise the trophy. 

 
PCCL 2011: ADMU vs SBC

PCCL 2011 - UC vs SSCR

Three Up

• It took three games, but the 6'10" Junemar Fajardo finally blocked a shot. That's right, Fajardo had not registered a swat in his first two games against Ateneo and San Beda, but was able to record three today, along with 20 points and 12 rebounds. More importantly, Fajardo didn't have to be the main cog of the UC offense, which made it tougher for the Stags to defend the Webmasters as a whole.
• The Webmasters are pretty reliant on their three-point shot going in. In their first game against Ateneo, they were only 8 of 29 from downtown, a stat that increased to 11 of 30 versus San Beda. Versus San Sebastian, they attempted a whopping 41 triples, converting on 16 of them. Their outside shooting was highlighted by the duo of Edward Pao and Mohammad Robinson, who combined for 45 points, shooting 13 of 26 from outside the arc. 
• Point guard Brian Heruela has continued to impress, threatening to post a triple-double in each game. His combination of speed, heft, and shooting ability, lead to averages of 11.33 points, 9.33 rebounds, 7.67 assists and 1.33 steals, and he's been probably the team's most consistent player. 

Three Down

• Once again height did not exactly lead automatically to more rebounds, as the Stags managed to out-do the Webmasters on the boards despite the loss. They tallied 46 rebounds, 16 on the offensive end, versus the production of the Webmasters, 35 rebounds, 9 offensive. 
• After a record 10-low turnovers versus the Blue Eagles, San Sebastian went back to their old ways, making 23 miscues, closer to their 21.33 mistakes per game in the NCAA. 
• Save for a 28-point second quarter, the Stags were a mess on offense. They made just 16 of their 49 field goal attempts in the first, third and fourth quarters, scoring less than 20 points each time. They also managed just 16 free throws in that time, making only half. 

PCCL 2011: UC vs SSCR

PCCL 2011 - SBC vs UC

Three Up

• A day after getting held to a mere two transition points, San Beda exploded for 27 in this game versus the University of Cebu, trampling them into the ground. That was important because the Webmasters were in a zone defense for most of the game, which they couldn't set up when they were lagging behind the run and gun Red Lions.
• As the game went on (and the minutes piled on for the Webmasters on the short end of their tight rotation), the UC zone began to loose its effectiveness, as the NCAA champs adjusted and began to find the gaps where they could hit outside shots. After the team went 3 for 14 in the first half, they rebounded by hitting 9 of their 18 outside shots in the last twenty minutes.
• After an abbreviated performance versus Ateneo in the previous day, Junemar Fajardo logged 38 minutes and produced a 24-point, 14-rebound assist, as the Red Lions were powerless to stop the big guy down low (save for a few stray blocks, that is). Despite not having the same lift and explosiveness he possessed in the CESAFI tournament, Fajardo showed some nice footwork, although he could have used a few more touches late in the game.

Three Down

• San Beda's big men turned in a sub-par game, with Kyle Pascual and Dave Marcelo combining for six points and 12 rebounds. A combination of the zone and the intimidating Fajardo definitely played a role in the game, but you would have liked them to try to assert themselves down low, possibly by attacking Fajardo's defense and getting him into foul trouble.
• Despite having the size advantage thanks to Fajardo (who played 38 minutes), UC oftentimes settled for the long-ball, attempting 30 triples and making just 11 of them. While Fajardo got 20 attempts, he only had one look at the foul line the entire game which says a lot about the aggressiveness of this UC squad.
• Playing a depleted San Beda team, the University of Cebu opted against showing their depth by playing point guard Brian Heruela 40 minutes, and Fajardo and Edward Pao 38 minutes each. Ultimately, you could say the fatigue got to them, especially the outside shooters, as the Webmasters' percentage from outside fell from 9 of 20 in the previous three quarters, to just 2 of 10 in crunchtime. 

Random Notes

• The win over UC keeps San Beda alive, while eliminating the CESAFI champs from the Finals. If San Beda can upset Ateneo on Friday, it will forge an all-NCAA PCCL Finals, which would result in the first NCAA National Champion. 

PCCL 2011: SBC vs UC

PCCL 2011 - ADMU vs SSCR

Three Up

• Head coach Topex Robinson came into the game knowing how much Ateneo relied on their fastbreak offense and made sure his troops were prepared to stop it. The San Sebastian Stags allowed just five fastbreak attempts for four transition points, both numbers equal to the Blue Eagles' UAAP Season 74 lows. As a result, they scored just 69 points overall, a far cry from the 100 they put up versus UC. 
• When Ronald Pascual went down with his injury, Anthony Del Rio took over his role of outside sniper, knocking down clutch back to back triples to keep his team ahead of the San Beda Red Lions. In this game however, Del Rio played the role of quarterback to the hilt, playing a game-high 35 minutes and finishing with seven assists. More importantly, the Stags turned it over just 10 times in the game, an amazing stat considering they had never notched less than 13 errors in this past NCAA season.
• Reserve big man JP Erram of Ateneo continues to make his case for more minutes come next year. The 6'7" shotblocker recorded eight points, four rebounds and three blocks in just 15 minutes of play, and did not seem to mind getting into it with the Baste big men. 

Three Down

• Ateneo's troika of scorers, Greg Slaughter, Kiefer Ravena, and Nico Salva were all inconsistent in the game. Each had standout quarters (Slaughter had eight in the first, Ravena six in the second, and Salva nine in the third), but in the key fourth period, the trio combined for just a single point, while going 0 for 8 from the field. 
• Despite having the biggest guy on the court, the Blue Eagles were out-rebounded 41-35, as well as beaten on the offensive glass, 12-7. How did the Stags do it? Of their eight players that got onto the court for at least 10 minutes, all of them pulled down at least two rebounds. 
• While the coaching staff is waiting for a second opinion, it is almost a certainty that Ronald Pascual tore his left ACL completely, meaning he'll be out for an extended period during the off-season. Robinson and company are optimistic he'll be back for the start of the NCAA season (June, seven months away), but that means a lack of preseason, and the additional training he would have received in the PBA-DL.

Random Notes

• By virtue of beating Ateneo and San Beda, and with the Red Lions dispatching UC in the second game of that day, San Sebastian was able to clinch the twice-to-beat advantage in the Finals, with today's game against the Webmasters becoming a non-bearing game.   

PCCL 2011: ADMU vs SSCR

PCCL 2011 - SSCR vs SBC

Three Up

• Good things happen when the San Sebastian Stags involve Ian Sangalang in the offense. With the Red Lions having just two legit big men on their active roster (Kyle Pascual and Dave Marcelo), the NCAA runners-up went down low in the second and third quarters, similar to what they did versus Letran in the Luzon-Metro Manila regional finals. The results were of course, positive. Sangalang scored 16 of his 20 points in that 20-minute stretch, coinciding with the stretch when the Stags seized control of the game. Now if only they can remember to start going to him in the fourth quarter...
• By the same token, good things happen when San Sebastian becomes more than just the Big Three, like they were in this game. Jovit Dela Cruz made it four Stags in double-digits, finishing with 13. Anthony Del Rio bounced back from an invisible showing against Letran with eight points, six rebounds and five assists, six of those eight points coming off two big momentum saving triples in the fourth. And much-maligned big men Michael Miranda and Dexter Maiquez had some pretty productive outings as well. 
• I wish Dave Marcelo had put the ball in his side's basket a bit more often (3/8 from the field, just one free throw attempt), but the NCAA Finals MVP did as best a job as he could in 29 minutes to stop San Sebastian from doing the same. The big guy got 10 rebounds and seven rejections in 29 minutes, a big deal, considering how he had just come from a PBA-DL game. 

Three Down

• I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the numerous near-fights and then the one actual fight towards the end of the game. A few unsportsmanlike fouls aside, the two teams came very close to being civil for the most part, until Kyle Pascual's forearm shiver turned Calvin Abueva into a whirling dervish that soon sucked in even people off the bench. Talk about giving the crowd what they wanted, right?
• With so many unavailable players, most notably Garvo Lanete, San Beda needed outside shooting to keep the defense honest. And while Melo Lim delivered, he was the only one, as Rome Dela Rosa, Mar Villahermosa and Baser Amer were a combined 3 of 12 from downtown, with the team shooting 6 of 20 overall. 
• Ronald Pascual's injury was a gruesome one, landing on his left knee. Pascual had previously suffered an ACL injury, so when he heard a sound, he feared the worst. Odds are, no matter what the injury is, he's likely going to miss tomorrow's game versus Ateneo. If he's unlikely, he'll be missing a whole lot more.

Random Notes

• Head coach Topex Robinson's post-game comment about being aware that the team gets branded as "squatters" is remarkably self-aware, but his multiple apologies for not being able to control his players showed that he's a supremely classy guy. 
• Su Daniel sat on the bench in street clothes. Asked before the game by Chris Soler if he would play in the PCCL, Daniel said he hoped so, and that he was being saved for "bigger games." Because Baste versus San Beda is a mere footnote, right? 

PCCL 2011: SSCR vs SBC

PCCL 2011 - UC vs ADMU

Three Up

• Ateneo's offense was simply astounding, hitting 100 despite not having their starting point guard to run the show. The Eagles shot 59.7 percent from the field, making 40 of 67 shots, while scoring 27 on the break (on 14 attempts) and 20 off 16 University of Cebu errors. They also made it a habit to attack the rim, getting 20 free throws and canning 15, a huge step up from the 3 of 5 line the Webmasters posted. When Ateneo's posting those kind of numbers, they're damn near impossible to stop, with or without a 6'10" big man. 
• Greg Slaughter heard all about the comparisons to Fajardo, and how some have Fajardo as the superior CESAFI-born big man, so the 7-footer decided to put his offensive arsenal on display, scoring 18 points in 21 minutes on a variety of hooks, jumpers, and post up moves. More importantly, with the big man in a groove early (seven points, four rebounds, in eight first quarter minutes) the rest of the Blue Eagles quickly fell in line, resulting in the first quarter storm they pulled off.
• Remember when people used to fear that Kiefer Ravena could not make the transition to point guard? The Phenom dished out eight assists while assuming the one-spot with Emman Monfort balling for NLEX, while still scoring 12 points on 5 of 7 shooting. Ateneo's wings did a good job of moving the ball around as well with Tonino Gonzaga finishing with 10 points and seven dimes, and Kirk Long tallying seven markers and five assists. All in all, Ateneo had 28 assists, more than doubling UC's 12. 

Three Down

• If you went into this game jazzed about Junemar Fajardo and Slaughter going at it like Godzilla versus King Kong, then you probably went home disappointed. Thanks to his knee injury, Fajardo played just 14 minutes off the bench, though he had 12 points and nine rebounds in that span. "The Kraken" had no lift though, failing to create any offense and relying heavily on his teammates to find him when he was open, and even then he still was off on some of his shots. Without a good performance from Fajardo, the Webmasters will be hard-pressed to win games.
• UC's starting five produced a measly 14 points, eight from Brian Heruela and six from Edward Pao. That's a big step down considering each scored 14 versus SWU in the game for the Southern Islands championship. 
• The confident Juami Tiongson we saw in game two of the UAAP Finals was nowhere to be found in this game. Given major minutes and the chance to strut his stuff, Tiongson looked lost at times, and couldn't get the offense going, which is why the Eagles stumbled out of the gates in the second quarter. 

Random Notes

• In reference to this tweet by Charles Tiu...did you know that 7 feet = 2.13 meters?   
• Ateneo needed Fajardo to get his fourth foul at the beginning of the fourth quarter to go from a 50-43 end of the third quarter lead to a 74-54 final score last year in the PCCL. This time, the blowout came early. 

PCCL 2011: UC vs ADMU

2011 PCCL Final Four Preview

Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles

Pedigree: Winners of the last four UAAP titles, reigning back to back PCCL champions
Players to Watch:  Greg Slaughter, Kiefer Ravena, Nico Salva

Key Points:

• Of all the Manila teams in the Final Four, Ateneo has the fewest PBA-DL players with a conflicting schedule, namely Emman Monfort who is seeing time with the NLEX Road Warriors. Even if he was free, it's entirely possible that the graduating Monfort would have played just a handful of minutes, with head coach Norman Black giving more time to Juami Tiongson, the projected starter next season. 
• The Eagles relied heavily on their starters during the last title run, but the bench was given a lot of quality minutes during the Unigames tourney, as guys like Tonino Gonzaga, JP Erram and Gwynne Capacio got starters' minutes with the starting five and the veteran players unavailable. If they continue to play up to that level, this will be a deadly team.
• By the same token, Ateneo will be the deepest of all the teams in the Final Four, a huge asset given the punishing three games in five days schedule that they'll be playing. Head coach Norman Black has the luxury of switching up his line-up and rotation in every game, should he choose to.

San Beda Red Lions

Pedigree: Back to back NCAA titles, PCCL Elite Eight team last season
Players to Watch: Baser Amer, Dave Marcelo, Jake Pascual, Sudan Daniel

Key Points

• This will be a very fired-up San Beda squad, with axes to grind against Ateneo (due to the transfer of the Semerads) and San Sebastian (the recent volleyball brawl). Coupled with the fact that this team is looking to become the first NCAA titlists of the PCCL, and you have a scary motivated team. 
• The Red Lions have been dominant in the NCAA due to their immense bench depth, but that asset has taken a huge hit, with the Semerads leaving San Beda and Garvo Lanete's shoulder injury, suffered during the SEA Games campaign. Toss in the fact that a handful of players may be unavailable due to PBA-DL commitments (Dave Marcelo with NLEX, Mar Villahermosa and Jake Pascual with Dub Unlimited, and Melo Lim and Rome Dela Rosa with PC Gilmore) and we could in theory see a shorthanded SBC team.
• It's been unclear if Sudan Daniel will suit up for this tournament, after missing the NCAA proper with an ACL injury, but his presence would be a huge lift for this squad. Even if his explosion will be limited, Daniel can be a decent to good post defender, and he provides the necessary height to battle Greg Slaughter and Junmar Fajardo. 

San Sebastian College-Recoletos Golden Stags

Pedigree: Metro-Manila/Luzon Regional Bracket winners, PCCL Sweet 16 team last season
Players to Watch: Calvin Abueva, Ronald Pascual, Ian Sangalang

Key Points:

• The Pinatubo Trio is the best scoring triad in collegiate basketball, and when they're on their game, they're nearly impossible to beat. Versatile enough to thrive in both transition and half-court sets, as well as on defense, a coherent Stags squad is tough to match up with. 
• While Monfort and Marcelo are but complementary pieces on NLEX, the Trio form the core of the D-League squad. Luckily, playing on Monday-Tuesday-Thursday means they'll only miss/arrive late to one game, if anything.
• Conversely, San Sebastian drew the short end of the scheduling stick, playing three games in four days. They could deal with that if they had a deep bench, but they don't, leaning heavily on the Big Three to account for the majority of their production. I wouldn't be surprised if fatigue led to a drop-off in quality play by the time they play University of Cebu. Head coach Topex Robinson might have to gamble by giving his reserves more minutes, but that hasn't worked out well the few times he's tried it against some of the lesser NCAA squads. 

University of Cebu Webmasters

Pedigree: Visayas-Mindanao Regional Bracket winners, PCCL Final Four team last season
Players to Watch: Junmar Fajardo, Luigi Bercede, Brian Heruela

Key Points: 

• The Webmasters entered the Final Four last year of the PCCL by going through several provincial squads. The buzzsaw came to a grinding halt however when they went up against two UAAP teams, dropping assignments to a doughnut of an Ateneo team and falling versus a DLSU team that was still lacking in "trees." In past iterations of the tourney, UC has also fallen to the Letran Knights (led by Dino Daa) and the UE Red Warriors (fronted by Elmer Espiritu and Pari Llagas), so they'll be looking for a breakthrough this time. 
• 6'10" Junmar Fajardo is the name on everyone's lips but a one-man show will not cut it against the other three Final Four teams, especially with the likes of Slaughter and Daniel playing across the court from him. Guys like the aforementioned Bercede and Heruela, as well as Edward Pao, will need to contribute as well. It's interesting to note that Fajardo suffered a knee injury in the Southern Islands Final, though he did come back into the game afterwards. If he's less than 100 percent, Fajardo may not have a choice but to help set up his teammates instead of dominating the ball. 
• Between their three games in four days schedule and "jetlag" (the excuse given by the team for their poor showing last season), we'll need to see if UC can flash some solid play away from Cebu and avoid issues of fatigue. 

PCCL 2011 Final Four Schedule

With the University of Cebu Webmasters defeating the South Western University Cobras 63-58, and the San Sebastian Stags coming back against the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights 83-76, the Final Four cast of the 2011 PCCL is set. ADMU is the UAAP champ, SBC is the NCAA champ, UC is the Visayas/Mindanao champ, and SSC-R is the Luzon/Metro Manila champ.

That gives us the following schedule, with all games to be held at the Arena in San Juan, broadcast live on Studio 23:

Monday 2pm - UC Webmasters vs ADMU Blue Eagles
Monday 4pm - SSCR Golden Stags vs SBC Red Lions

Tuesday 2pm - ADMU Blue Eagles vs SSCR Golden Stags
Tuesday 4pm - SBC Red Lions vs UC Webmasters

Thursday 2pm - FEU Baby Tams vs LSGH Greenies
Thursday 4pm - UC Webmasters vs SSCR Golden Stags

Friday 2pm - NU Bullpups vs SB Red Cubs
Friday 4pm - ADMU Blue Eagles vs SBC Red Lions


The team at the end of the round-robin phase with the highest record gets twice to beat in the Finals versus the team with the next highest record. 

NCAA S87 Autopsy: UPHSD Altas

Outgoing Players
- Christopher Sison (10.4 minutes, 2.8 points, 1.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists)
- Harold Sumera (16 minutes, 3.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.1 blocks)

Win/Loss Records
- Season 87: 5-13 (9th out of 10)
- Season 86: 2-14 (8th out of 9, due to quotient)
- Season 85: 3-15 (9th out of 10)

Key Stats
- Scored the fewest points per game on average (66.5) and was dead last in scoring in each of the four quarters (15.39, 15.61, 16.33, 17.44)
- Made the fewest 2-pointers (17( and free throws per game (12.33) of any team, contributing to a league-worst field goal percentage (34.86)
- Led the league in three pointers made (6.72) and attempted (24.5)
- Committed the fewest turnovers per game (15.72) and gave up the fewest turnover points (11.72)
- Tied with Emilio Aguinaldo for most fouls per game (19.72)

Season in a Glance
If the Altas thought things couldn't get any worse compared to last season, they were wrong. Despite sitting out a season already, Paul Nuilan was once again denied eligibility by the NCAA MANCOM. Then Perpetual Help itself decided to remove Marlon Gomez from the line-up for vague reasons about an "unwritten gentleman's agreement." That led to head coach Boris Aldeguer resigning in disgust, leaving the host school without their two main big men and a mentor. As if that wasn't enough, they then lost Jeorge Allen in their season opener.

It was probably no surprise that the Altas won just a single game in the first round of play, needing a triple-overtime affair against JRU to notch their sole victory, but as the season progressed, new head coach Jimwell Gican was able to instill some fight in his boys. Heady play allowed them to stay in the thick of things in round two, winning four of their last nine, including a big win over the Letran Knights. That surge also lifted them from the cellar, 5-13, an accomplishment, given all that they went through.

Highlight: The San Sebastian Stags picked the wrong game to experiment in, switching to a slow-it-down style of play in an attempt to cut down on their turnovers versus Perpetual Help. Not only did the Stags still turn the ball over at their usual rate, the pace was to the Altas' liking as they stuck like glue to the then-tournament leaders. With Abueva missing on game-sealing charities, the Altas got the ball back with 14.8 seconds left, allowing Scottie Thompson the opportunity to snatch the win with a hook shot in the post over Ronald Pascual. Though it bounced off the rim, giving SSC-R the 77-76 win, it showed that teams underestimated the hosts at their only peril.

Lowlight: After watching their schoolmates put on an impressive opening ceremony, the Altas came out for the first game of the NCAA season versus the reigning champs, San Beda Red Lions, and then promptly fell flat, as the Red Lions roared to a 20-4 start. When the dust settled, not a single Alta finished in double digits, and they also suffered injuries to Jeorge Allen and Anthony Paulino in the process of the 82-52 rout.

Off-season Questions

1. Who's coaching this team?
Jimwell Gican clearly worked some coaching magic down the stretch of the season, motivating his hard-luck squad and putting them in a position to win in round two. After taking four of the last nine games, with only one of the five losses by double-digits, Gican joked that if there were a third round of play, his team probably could have snuck into the Final Four. He probably wasn't far off.

But there are rumors that the school is thinking bigger for their next head coach, with the possibility of tapping alumnus Bong Hawkins. Hawkins had a stint as one of Tim Cone's assistant coaches and was recently an assistant of Luigi Trilio for the Cebuana Lhuillier D-League squad so he does have some coaching experience. His name could also attract a few recruits so it's easy to see why he would be a strong candidate if he was interested in the job.

Answer: It's Aric Del Rosario. Surprise!

2. When will the Altas be a Final Four team again?
In 2003, the Altas were 3-11, but then jumped up to 10-4 the next year, where they were the top seed after the elimination round, getting all the way to the Finals before losing to PCU in two games. They missed the Final Four by a game in Season 8`, and have been slumping all the way down the standings since then. One recruiting class can make a huge difference, but does Perpetual Help have the scouts to look for untapped talent and the resources to attract said talent?

Team Needs
- Lots and lots of height

PCCL 2011 - FEU vs CSJL

Three Up

• Letran's team defense deserves a huge round of applause for their 25-7 fourth quarter shutdown of FEU. All in all, the Tams went 3 for 19 from the field, with two made shots by Russel Escoto and one by Carl Bryan Cruz, and 1 of 7 from the stripe, also by Cruz. The UAAP runners-up got nothing from their explosive trio of guards, as RR Garcia, Terrence Romeo and Mike Tolomia combined to go 0 of 9 on field goals, and 0 of 2 from the line. 
• Mark Cruz simply knows how to play in big moments, helping to fuel the Knights' rally in the final period. Playing eight of the last ten minutes, Cruz had a point for each minute and dished out all four of his assists in that span. Overall, the rookie floor general had 25 markers, enough to offset his nine turnovers.
• An Aldrech Ramos versus Raymond Alamazan match-up would have been fun to watch, but alas, Ramos was off practicing with his ABL team already. That left Almazan to dominate the interior to the tune of 14 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks, as the likes of Escoto, Cruz, Foronda, and Bringas were unable to match-up with the big man. Makes you wonder why the FEU braintrust didn't roll with Christian Sentcheu for longer than his one minute of play. 

 Three Down

• RR Garcia rushed over from his PBA-DL, getting onto the court in the second quarter, but he was clearly winded, playing 20 ineffective minutes for eight points on 2 of 9 shooting, plus a rebound, two assists, a steal, three turnovers and four fouls. 
• After a season in the UAAP trying to learn the point guard position, Terrence Romeo dishes out a massive...zero assists in 36 minutes. Though he's listed as the point guard, Romeo, especially early on without Garcia, seemed to relish dominating the rock. To a certain extent, he was successful, with a team-best 17 points on so-so 7 of 18 shooting, but he failed to come up with anything in the final quarter when they needed him to make something out of nothing. 
• Jam Cortes can't seem to get going against UAAP teams, putting up sub-par numbers once more. After a 25-minute, six point, 3 of 9 performance against DLSU, Cortes managed a pitiful four points on 2 of 10 shooting in 34 minutes in this affair. Maybe he'll snap out of his funk when they play SSC-R in the province? 

Random Notes

• Star player of the Knights Kevin Alas and his father, Coach Louie Alas both missed this game and will be out until the second week of December due to Kevin's ABA training. 

PCCL 2011: FEU vs CSJL

PCCL 2011 - SSCR vs ADU

Three Up

• Ronald Pascual's production simply dropped off a cliff in the latter part of the NCAA season, going from averaging nearly 20 points in his first 17 games to a pathetic 11 when his team needed it the most: the post-season. Well, the former Adamson Falcon Team B member clearly had something to prove, scoring a game-high 29 markers while grabbing an incredible 16 rebounds (we'll overlook the 33 percent shooting and the seven turnovers)
• The other two members of the Pampanga Trio were pretty good as well - Calvin Abueva finished with 24 points, 22 rebounds and four blocks, despite playing a game-high 40 minutes, while Ian Sangalang added 18 and 13, with three more rejections. When everyone in the Golden Stags Big Three is rolling, they're simply hard to stop. 
• At one point in UAAP history, Jerick Canada was considered the man at Adamson, prior to Lester Alvarez being added to Team A. Canada gracefully became a back-up from that point on, but like his last Final Four game versus FEU, "Air Canada" has shown that he can take over a game. In this example, the point guard narrowly missed a triple-double, with a team-best 21 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists in just 31 minutes. He also shot 5 of 11 from downtown. 

Three Down

• After carrying the team versus the JRU Heavy Bombers, Janus Lozada and Austin Manyara both regressed to the norm, unable to sustain their superb efforts. Lozada managed just six points on 2 of 13 shooting, while Manyara had just three points, missed all but one of his four free throw attempts, and didn't even come up with a single rebound in his 23 minute long stint. Yes, the 6'6" big guy didn't touch a rebound. 
• At halftime, the Falcons had shot 6 of 15 from downtown, with 13 turnover points off 13 San Sebastian turnovers. What happened after the break? Their outside shooting worsened to 5 of 30, and they scored just five more turnover points, as the Stags tightened up their execution, to commit only 12 mistakes in the 25 minutes left. For some strange reason, Adamson loves the three-ball when they play San Sebastian but this time, they could not convert when it mattered.
• Anthony Del Rio looked lost on the court, unable to stay in front of his man and forced to foul on nearly every other possession. That meant he was sitting on the bench early, playing just 16 minutes before getting number five, contributing a rebound and two assists in the process.

Random Notes

• For the second straight game, the Falcons had to play early and then hightail out of the Arena to go to their PBA-DL match, which they lost too, making it a double whammy for them.
• On the other hand, the Pampanga Trio were excused from their PBA-DL game, which is a good thing for them, as they accounted for all but 14 points of their team. 

PCCL 2011: SSCR vs ADU

PCCL 2011 - CSJL vs DLSU

Three Up

• Like the Adamson game, Letran was able to get clutch performances from two role players on route to the win, namely Kevin Racal and Mark Cruz. After scoring 13 and 12 points in the first two quarters as a team, the dynamic duo combined for 15 of their team's 22 points, two more than the entire Green Archers' team output of 12. Racal went 7 of 8 from the line in that period, finishing 10 of 12 from the stripe, the first time he broke double-figures in that stat in his Letran career. Cruz on the other hand, was simply on fire, making 4 of his 6 shots in the period, making up for a 0/5 first half start. 
• The other big piece of the Letran puzzle? Mythical Five big man Raymond Almazan. The Most Improved Player of 2011 pulled down 17 rebounds, dished out 3 assists and blocked 7 shots in 29 minutes as he protected Letran's shaded lane. To wit, no Archer had more than 9 rebounds or more than 2 assists, and the team as a whole blocked just 3 shots.
• To La Salle's credit, the Archers did not back down from the physical nature of the Knights, in fact, I think they actually out-toughed them in the game's first half, with multiple Letran players hitting the floor and shooting daggers at the refs who swallowed their whistles. Almond Vosotros certainly took the lead in this, getting into the heads of Mark Cruz and Kevin Alas early. Too bad, they couldn't adjust to the more aggressive play of their opponents in the second half. 

Three Down

• Of course Joshua Webb has a poor game after I gave him props for his improved play in the entire PCCL tourney. Hampered by foul trouble (he fouled out) and a shot that wouldn't drop (0/6) from the field, Webb had to settle for attacking the rim, which he was able to do (6/8 FT). Interestingly, twice the Archers had Webb far above the top of the three-point line before driving into the lane, drawing a foul both times. I don't think his first step is going to beat anyone, but if you allow him to build up a head of steam, his defender sagged off him both times, he becomes hard to stop. 
• With La Salle's big men in foul trouble, the guards needed to bail their team out. Unfortunately, LA Revilla and Almond Vosotros were a combined 5 of 20 from the field, though they managed a 6 for 6 clip from the line between them. They definitely felt the absence of Luigi Dela Paz, who was watching from the sideline with his fractured elbow. 
• Conversely, Letran's big men, save for Almazan, underperformed. Jam Cortes finished with 6 points on 3 of 9 shooting with no free throw attempts, and just four rebounds. Jonathan Belorio went scoreless with just one shot attempt, but at least had seven boards. 

Random Notes

• With Kevin Alas gone for the US and the ABA for a month, the team is down their best scorer headed into their next PCCL game. They're already playing without Franz Dysam, who is concentrating on his studies, so the backcourt, especially at the point guard spot, is thin. Letran had to make do with Carlo Lituania (5 points, 1 steal, in 8 minutes) but is he ready for more minutes?  

 

PCCL 2011: CSJL vs DLSU

PCCL 2011 - ADU vs JRU

Three Up

• The Falcons drew strong play from two guys who were often criticized for their tendency to disappear in games in their win against JRU, namely Janus Lozada and Austin Manyara. Lozada's long arms did a good job harassing Nate Matute, preventing him from catching fire, and they also allowed him to haul down 11 rebounds, impressive because he's never hauled down double-digit boards in his UAAP career. Manyara on the other hand, could not be stopped by the JRU bigs, as he was sent to the line a whopping 15 times where he converted 12. To put that into context, Manyara hit just 40 percent of his free throws in the past UAAP season, and has only gone to the line at most, six times, which happened twice in his rookie year.
• In Season 73, the Falcons were masters of the swipe, norming 7.2 steals and forcing 19.8 turnovers per game. Those numbers dropped considerably in Season 74 (5.69 and 16.63, respectively) as they somehow morphed into the slowest team in the league, but Adamson tapped into that past identity versus a sloppy JRU team (third-most turnovers in the NCAA). Without really pressing, instead relying nearly exclusively on a zone defense, the Falcons were able to get 8 steals and force 22 turnovers for 25 turnover points.
• Jeckster Apinan was the lone bright spot for the Heavy Bombers, as the undersized big man used his athleticism to score on the taller, stronger Falcons frontline. His 17 points off the bench in 25 minutes was a team-best. 

Three Down

• After playing an insane 38 minutes, Alex Almario got the start for JRU and looked and played like he was exhausted. Almario logged nine minutes in the first half, good for an assist, two turnovers, and not much else. By the final buzzer, the total was 24 minutes, 3 points, 6 assists and 4 turnovers. Do you think Coach Meneses regrets riding his point guard so much versus NU? 
• John Lopez went through an 8-game stretch in the middle of the NCAA season where he scored in double-digits just once in that span. Unsurprisingly, the team was 2-6 in that same time. This looked like a game from that stretch as the power forward was just 2 of 7 from the field with no free throws, as Jan Colina and Eric Camson split time shutting him down. Though he managed 10 rebounds and 4 assists, he also gave it back just as much with 6 turnovers.
• Going back to the topic of poor performances by a point guard, Lester Alvarez came off the bench for a nine-minute stretch where he tallied a mere two points, an assist, and two turnovers before getting his foot trampled on by a JRU player, forcing him to be subbed out. Definitely underwhelming from this explosive player. 

Random Notes

• Alex Nuyles was suited up but was not fielded in. At first I thought it was to save him for their PBA-DL game, but then he's not listed on their roster online. He must be injured then right? 

 
PCCL 2011: ADU vs JRU

PCCL 2011 - DLSU vs UST

Three Up

• So why was Joshua Webb benched last UAAP season? The most senior member of the Green Archers team, now that Simon Atkins and Maui Villanueva have graduated, finished with 16 points on 7 of 10 shooting, and has averaged 13.75 points in DLSU's four PCCL games so far. Webb can't quite create for himself, but he's lethal in transition, and when cutting baseline, so as long as the point guards are getting him involved, he's a legit threat.
• DLSU's offense in the PCCL and in the last UAAP is like comparing night and day. There's simply more fluidity and better ball movement, as seen in their 19-11 edge in assists. Their zone offense, the team's Achilles heel in Season 74, has improved by leaps and bounds, with more ball rotation and less standing around and then taking a contested jumper. 
• Kim Lo personified the hustle of UST that kept them in this game throughout the 40 minutes. Lo's adjustment from high school big man to college wing has been bumpy, but he put up 9 points on 3 of 5 shooting, 5 rebounds and 2 steals in this game in a 20 minute stint. Those are similar figures to what he produced the only time last season he was given more than 20 minutes of playing time.

Three Down

• Kevin Ferrer carried the Tigers with 23 points on 7 of 16 shooting, but it was a tale of two halves. In the game's first 20 minutes, Ferrer was on fire: 16 points on 5 of 10 shooting. That dropped to 7 points on 2 of 6 attempts as DLSU began crowding him every time he touched the ball, taking away the open catch and shoot looks he was getting early on. One thing he definitely needs to start learning how to do is posting up smaller defenders. It's the reason why Ateneo can get away with sticking Kiefer Ravena on him, and in this game, guys like Luigi Dela Paz and Joseph Marata were able to frustrate him into going back out to the perimeter. 
• At one point, a frustrated UST head coach Pido Jarencio turned to his coaching staff and said, "Masyado atang nag-gigimick itong si Karim." Abdul was horribly off in this game: 5 points in 19 minutes on 1 of 7 shooting, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 turnovers, and multiple attempts being rejected by Papot Paredes and Norbert Torres. Most egregious was the way he got his fourth foul: needlessly overhedging on a screen with seconds remaining in the game while in the penalty, allowing Jarelan Tampus to hit two free throws and make their lead 10, going into the fourth quarter. 
• The Archers lose the services of sharpshooter Luigi Dela Paz after he fell hard on his right arm in the third quarter. Though it looked like he landed on his wrist, later examinations revealed it to be a fractured elbow that will keep him off the court until January. They'll need Marata, who only played his first game with the team yesterday due to PBA-DL commitments, to fill in the void. 

Random Notes

• Louie Vigil, still missing point-blank open layups. 
• Jovet Mendoza has three unsportsmanlike fouls in the Archers' four games (two in the first game, resulting in his ejection), but he easily could have gotten number four in this game, thanks to his errant elbows. 
• Unfortunately, the big man for DLSU who could most use more playing time to refine his game, Arnold Van Opstal, is out with a knee injury, explaining his presence in the audience, watching the games.

PCCL 2011 - DLSU vs UST

PCCL 2011 - NU vs JRU

Three Up

• JRU knew exactly what to do on defense, sending guys sprinting back down the court after made shots, while keeping an eye out to intercept any outlet errant outlet passes. It didn't always work, NU still got 13 transition attempts and 14 transition points, but in comparison to the Bulldogs' first three games, it was enough for the Bombers to get the win. 
• The big men of JRU also did a good job on Emmanuel Mbe for most of the game. In the first half, the Cameroonian center was held to just 4 points, 3 rebounds and 1 block on a team-high 14 minutes of play and had accumulated 2 personal fouls. Mbe would explode in the third quarter for 4 minutes, before foul trouble sat him down again, but in the final period, he had just 2 points in 8 minutes.
• Balanced scoring on the part of JRU meant they were difficult for NU to stop. Though only John Lopez finished with double-digit points, 10, the fourth placers in the NCAA then had two players with eight points each, four players with seven, and then one with six.

Three Down

• NU had gotten back to back easy drives into the lane by Jeoffrey Javillonar to cut NU's lead down to 63-62, but after Nate Matute's split at the line made it a two-point game, the Bulldogs coaching staff made the curious move of subbing in Reden Celda, who had not played at all in the fourth quarter up to that point, and letting him attempt the game-tying layup. Celda's move wound up being short, and JRU was able to win. Perhaps they were going for the element of surprise there, but Celda was coming in ice cold, while Javillonar had already scored 8 in the period. It just strikes me as an odd move, though had it gone in, it would have obviously been a huge deal. 
• Talk about your bad shooting days. JRU's star rookie John Villarias was a miserable 3 of 15 from the field for 8 points. It wasn't as if he were shut down too, Villarias simply missed a lot of shots he normally makes. 
• Alex Almario played a game-high 38 minutes, the only player in fact, to log more than 30. Think it affected his play? Almario played the entire fourth quarter and had nothing to show for it, zeroes in every stat, except for turnovers, where he had two.   

Random Notes

• This up-tempo NU squad played a lot better than the half-court oriented team we saw in the UAAP (they were ranked 6th in the league in fastbreak attempts and points), but unfortunately, they didn't survive long enough for us to see them try to integrate Bobby Ray Parks in the mix.
• There's a rumor that these players, plus Parks, will form the core of the NU team next season, meaning Joseph Terso, Spencer Eman, Jul-Ashri Ignacio, Robby Celiz, and Marion Magat are all off Team A. That's certainly more believable than the similar rumor that had every NU player on a D-League roster being off the team. 
• JRU's Ralph Monserrat was productive in the time he spent on the floor, though he did accumulate four fouls in 16 minutes. With John Montemayor graduating, Monserrat will likely see an uptick in minutes next year. He'll need to bulk up though, because he lacks a lot of heft compared to Montemayor.

 

PCCL 2011 - NU vs JRU

The Indon camera crew for the SINAG games started out horrible (Phil. versus Cambodia was a mess) but has gradually improved to "passable." One horrendous lapse though was showing a highlight while this play was going on in yesterday's match between the Philippines and Thailand:





Unfortunately, Ravena was whistled for a travel on the play, thus the reaction from the coaching staff in the bottom part of your screen.

In case you forgot, he's about 5'10"

Semerads Transfer to Ateneo

File this one under the category: "News that comes out of nowhere." 

Anthony and David Semerad, Fil-Australian twins who played key roles down the stretch of San Beda's recent back to back championship season, have reportedly traded in their Red Lion unis for the blue and white of Ateneo de Manila. 

According to a source close to the Red Lions, the duo left earlier this week and will sit out the remainder of the second academic semester to enroll at Ateneo in March, starting with the summer sem of 2012. 

News of the twins' move took the San Beda coaching staff by surprise, adds the source. 

Anthony Semerad was in and out of the line-up this season, but came on strong towards the tailend. His most memorable game of the season came against San Sebastian in the second round, when he exploded for 10 points in six minutes against the zone of the Golden Stags. Overall, he averaged 6.4 points in 15.7 minutes, while shooting a team-best 39 percent from outside the arc.

David Semerad was San Beda's third-string center, providing additional toughness behind Kyle Pascual and Dave Marcelo, but he strutted his stuff on the largest stage possible: the second game of the NCAA Finals this year, with San Beda already having won the first match. In a defensive grinder of a fourth quarter, David scored seven of his team's nine points, finishing with 15 markers, three rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block in 22 minutes. 

In addition to the Semerads, San Beda will lose Dave Marcelo, Garvo Lanete, Mar Villahermosa and Sudan Daniel to either graduation or eligibility. They do however, have a stacked Team B, that features names like Ivan Ludovice (transfer from NU), Art Dela Cruz Jr. (transfer from ADMU), Jaypee Mendoza (former Team A), Fil-Am Julius Armon, and Nigerian Ola Adeogun, plus a champion San Beda Red Cubs team that graduates all but four players. 

One hold-up to the integration of the Semerads to the Blue Eagles is how long the two will have to sit out and serve their residency. 

Normally, a transfer from a non-UAAP team to a UAAP team will have to sit out a year. That means they become eligible in 2013 or Season 76, when the likes of Nico Salva, Justin Chua, Tonino Gonzaga, and Greg Slaughter and Oping Sumalinog, should they return for their last year of eligibility. Having played two seasons in the NCAA, they can play a maximum of three more years before they turn 26. 

The problem though is the fact that the two Semerads played in the inaugural conference of the PBA-Developmental League for the Maynilad team. In the NCAA, this was not a problem because players are allowed to play for a minor league after just one season. The UAAP however requires one to have played at least two seasons before becoming eligible for minor leagues. It thus becomes very possible that the UAAP board might enforce a penalty on the two, such as sitting out an additional year. 

Point Forward: Season 74's Best Point Guard is...

The difference between Steve Nash and Russell Westbrook is a subtle one, when talking about point guards. The former will look to pass first, and if all passing lanes are closed, will then try to take the best shot possible. The latter on the other hand, will try to take the best shot possible, and if he's held in check by the defense, will then look to get the ball into the hands of an open teammate.

In the UAAP, you get more Russell Westbrook's than Steve Nash's, most of the time, out of necessity, not design.

It's easy to be Steve Nash when you have a ton of weapons around you, an Amare Stoudemire to dunk the ball, Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson on the wings, a do-it-all player like Shawn Marion to fill in the gaps. Russell Westbrook has to be Russell Westbrook because aside from him and Kevin Durant, who's a reliable option? Thabo Sefalosha? Kendrick Perkins? Serge Ibaka? Those are good defensive options, but on offense, you're basically playing 2 vs 5.

The same thing applies to the UAAP. The reason why there are a ton of scoring point guards ("points" guards in local slang) is because it's hard to assemble a five-man unit where everyone is a threat to score, be it through the design of a coach (needs defense on the floor) or because recruitment has gotten so much better (the "great" players have been scattered across the league).

This is a long-winded way for me to say that the numbers have Emman Monfort as the best overall point guard from Season 74 of the UAAP. The keyword there is "overall."

A look at the basic stats makes it easy to see why some fans have guys like Jeric Fortuna or RR Garcia (aside: you do know that he's played shooting guard for the majority of this season right?) at the top of their point guard rankings. The thing that immediately jumps out is the disparity in points, with most of them averaging at least 10 per game. They're also better pure three-point shooters and come up with about the same number of rebounds and steals, though at the expense of more turnovers. Monfort's advantages however are first, he dishes out more assists, and by a wide margin over the next closest player (LA Revilla). He's also far better at shooting free throws than the rest of the guys on that list. Finally, he's tied for most steals along with two other point guards.

On the surface, the Nash-Westbrook comparisons ring true. Monfort doesn't need to shoot a whole lot, not when he has so many excellent finishers on his squad (Greg Slaughter, Kiefer Ravena, Nico Salva). When he does shoot, he's not very good at it (this is deceiving however, and we'll get to that later on), though he can kill you from the line. On the other hand, guys like Fortuna and Lester Alvarez shoulder a lot more of their team's offense, and thus, put more points on the board at the expense of passing off (or not passing off, as it is) to players who aren't great finishers (think: Fortuna jumper or pass to Paolo Pe? Alvarez jumper or pass to Jan Colina?). At this level, it's like comparing apples to oranges.



How pass-first is Monfort? A whole lot, according to advance statistics.

• The first number, AST% or Assist Percentage, is a close estimate of "the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while he was on on the floor" and can be solved for with the formula: 100 * AST  / (((MIN / (Team MIN / 5)) * Team FG) - FG). 
• The second number, A:FG or Assist to Field Goal Ratio, is pretty self-explanatory
• The third number,  USG% or Usage Percentage, "is an estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while he was on the floor" or in other words, the percentage of times a player is the one attempting a shot or turning the ball over. It can be solved for with the formula: 100 * ((FGA + 0.44 * FTA + TO) * (Team MIN / 5)) / (MIN * (Team FGA + 0.44 * Team FTA + Team TO)) 
• The fourth number, A:T or Assist to Turnover Ratio, is pretty self-explanatory as well

What those numbers mean is Monfort is much more likely to assist than shoot (31.81 AST%, 0.76 AST:FG ratio, 15.28 USG%), and he does so at the most efficient rate (2.87 AST:TO ratio). That supports our earlier belief that Monfort is an excellent pass-first point guard. But what about when it comes to scoring?

More interesting is the latter two stats.

• EFG% or effective field goal percentage "adjusts for the fact that a 3-point field goal is worth one more point than a 2-point field goal" with the formula (FG + 0.5 * 3PM) / FGA.
• TS% or true shooting percentage does EFG% one better by incorporating free throw percentage, with the formula PTS / (2 * (FGA + 0.44 * FTA))

With these two in play, we see that only Jelo Montecastro (who doesn't take three-pointers) and LA Revilla have higher EFG% than Monfort (His teammate, Kirk Long, has a higher EFG% as well). And when you factor in free throw shooting in TS%, Monfort jumps way ahead of the pack, three percentage points better than Revilla, the next-best on another team.

What that means is that Monfort truly looks to set up his teammates first and foremost before anything else. However, in the 15.28% of possessions in which he looks to score or make a play, he does so at a better percentage than just about any other comparable point guard. While his individual components (2P% and 3P%) are nothing to get excited about, it is the combination of the two stats, plus FT% for TS%, that make him a better overall shooter, be it from the field or at the line. It is for that reason that I have to conclude that he is the best "overall" point guard this past season.

The journey of Monfort is an interesting one, going from instant offense off the bench to floor general in his final playing year. We often talk about how Ateneo head coach Norman Black is perhaps the best big man coach currently in the UAAP, but he's certainly making a case for transforming score-first players into pass-first guys as well, as seen in the improvement of the likes of Jai Reyes, Eric Salamat, and now Emman Monfort.

With Monfort's graduation, the trend may continue, with shoot-first guard Juami Tiongson presumably assuming the starting point guard position in Season 75. If Black works his magic on him as well, then it's safe to say that this is no fluke and the player development out of Katipunan is simply astounding, whether you're a guard or a big man.

All of this is not to say that guys like Fortuna, Alvarez and Garcia are bad players. However, if we are to go by the strictest definition of what a point guard is, the numbers have Monfort as being the cream of the crop.



Further Reading:

• Glossary of advanced statistics on Basketball-Reference.com
• NBA writer Charley Rosen on the role of a point guard on a team. Download link to a PDF file because the original URL has been archived. 

PCCL 2011 - Metro Manila Knockout Games Primer

November 8:

2pm: NAASCU Champion University of Manila Hawks versus ISAA Champion Technological Institute of the Philippines Engineers

UM Hawks	TIP Engineers
#4 Rivera, Andrew	#18 Acebo, Leonard Ray
#5 Torres, Eugene	#11 Banez, Jaime Jr.
#6 Bonleon, Alvin Andrew	#9 Dela Punta, Darwin
#7 Ruiz, Clemente	#5 Espanola, Ramon Angelo
#8 Garcia, Jose Luis	#12 Gonzales, Runel
#9 Flores, Amante	#16 Martinez, Vergel
#10 Ancheta, Jerry	#6 Medina, Kimley
#11 Viernes, Jeff Alvin	#15 Morillo, Jefferson
#12 Manuel, Jay-Ar	#17 Namocatcat, Jemuel
#14 Gonzales, Jayson	#13 Osicos, Khenn
#15 Guti-Ay, Salvador	#5 Paulo, Sean Francis
#16 Eneria, Michael	#14 Perez, Paulo
#17 Ibay, Jayson	#7 Uy, Alistine
#18 Castro, Sherwin	#4 Viernes, Mark Jesus
#19 Serrano, Jerald
Head Coach: Ferdinand Castillo	Head Coach: Bong Arroyo

4pm: NCAA Fifth Placer Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates versus UAAP Fifth Placer National University Bulldogs

LPU Pirates	NU Bulldogs
#14 Anacta, Aaron	#4 Alolino, Gelo
#4 Azores, Arwin	#13 Celda, Reden
#9 Cayabyab, Chris	#8 Celiz, Robby
#6 Francisco, Mark	#12 Eman, Spencer
#12 Guevarra, Floricel	#7 Ignacio, Jul-Ashri
#17 Ko, Shane	#5 Javillonar, Jeoffrey
#7 Lacap, Jan	#17 Khobuntin, Glenn
#13 Laude, Vence	#11 Labing-isa, Cedrick
#10 Lesmoras, Tirso	#10 Magat, Marion
#11 Mallari, Gian	#14 Mbe, Emmanuel
#18 Napiza, Onofre	#16 Neypes, Kyle
#5 Ong, Jerome	#15 Parks, Bobby Ray
#16 Pascual, Faustine	#19 Rono, Robin
	#9 Singh, Ajeet
	#6 Terso, Joseph
	#18 Villamor, Denice
Head Coach: Bonnie Tan	Head Coach: Eric Altamirano

November 9:

2pm: MNCAA Champion Centro Escolar University Scorpions versus UCLAAI Champion St. Francis of Assisi Doves

CEU Scorpions	St. Francis of Assisi Doves
Magbitang, John Paul	#4 Guevarra, Ronoel
Paralo, Mark Jerwin	#5 Castro, Lawrence Paolo
Chua, Kim Dernard	#6 Santiago, Paul Jordan
Akpa, Thankgod	#7 Paday, Joeseph
Gallardo, Ryan	#8 Parcero, Lance Kervin
Garcia, Axl Jeff	#10 Melano, Jayson
Navarro, Jan Sebastian	#11 Castanos, Jonathan
Anain, Aldreen Lorenz	#14 Soriano, Jorel
Tuazon, Lester John	#15 Martin, Francis
Babad, Leymund	#17 Rote, Denver
Lobaton, Leeward	#19 Milo, Joseph
Bernardo, John Andrew	#20 Pranillos, Seron
Banua, Carmelito	#21 Monzon, Ephraim
	#22 Sabad, John Paul
Head Coach: Mon Jose	Head Coach: Gabby Velasco

4pm: UAAP Sixth Placer De La Salle University Green Archers versus NCAA Sixth Placer Mapua Institute of Technology Cardinals

DLSU Green Archers	MIT Cardinals
#6 Torres, Norbert	#7 Abad, Michael
#7 Van Opstal, Arnold	#8 Banal, Jonathan
#8 Mendoza, Jovet	#9 Nimes, Josan
#9 Sara, Roldan	#10 Stevens, Andretti
#10 Webb, Joshua	#11 Taha, Yousef
#11 Reyes, Martin	#12 Magsigay, Darel
#12 Revilla, LA	#15 Parala, Mike
#15 Gotladera, Ponso	#16 Chien, Jumiel
#16 Marata, Joseph	#17 Ighalo, Kenneth
#17 Vosotros, Almond	#18 Cantos, Jeson
#18 Paredes, Papot
#21 Dela Paz, Luigi
#22 Tampus, Jarelan
Head Coach: Tyrone Bautista	Head Coach: Chito Victolero

The winners of each game will play the other same day winner on November 10 with the November 8 teams facing off at 2pm, and the November 9 squads at 4pm. The winners there will move on to Sweet 16 spots in the Luzon-Metro Manila bracket.