Coach Speak - Norman Black II

This interview was supposed to run in the latest issue of Rebound magazine, but got cut due to lack of space. 

A few hours before Game 1 of the S74 UAAP Finals, I was lucky enough to get to chat with Ateneo head Coach Norman Black. Our conversation lasted about thirty minutes, much more than the five minutes I asked for, but questions beget more questions and Coach Norman is always very gracious. This isn't the entire transcript as I left out some more FEU-specific queries and some SINAG stuff as well.

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AD: What aspect of coaching is your favorite? The way you and your staff make adjustments at halftime, it seems to me that you excel at the “chess match” aspect of the game.

NB: I think more than the chess aspect, it’s just being prepared, planning to anticipate. First of all, scouting them [the other teams] and finding out what they’re trying to do and what they’re trying to accomplish, and what plays they’re running offensively and defensively, and making sure your players are prepared for that. Outside of that, there’s also the anticipation of what they might to, what they might come up with.

AD: That came up when you played FEU in the second round right, when you realized that they had gone back to the triangle offense used last season under Glenn Capacio right?

NB: We watched the first game and they used a little bit of the triangle in the first game, but they really used it extensively in the second game. That surprised us a bit, but they’ve been using the triangle since that game pretty consistently, so the only thing for them to do is go back to their old plays again, their flex offense, or come up with new plays.

AD: Coming into the Ateneo job, did you expect to love coaching collegiate ball so much?

NB: I enjoy coaching, period. I could be coaching in grade school and I’d be very, very happy. I could be back in the pros and I’d be very, very happy. I just enjoy coaching. I enjoy mostly taking players, recruiting them, molding them and watching them grow and get better, and as they get better, the team gets better. If you have a team and you don’t improve over the course of the conference, the year, and in the case of some of these guys, over the course of five years, then that’s a bit of a disappointment. Maybe you didn’t get the best out of them and they underachieved. To see them continually get better and improve their game, that’s what coaching is all about because coaching is basically just teaching.

AD: So you could see yourself doing this forever?

NB: Yeah, I’m a coach for life.

AD: Could you see yourself being coach for life at Ateneo?

NB: I have no idea. You know what they say about coaching, you’re hired to be fired. I know I’ll be coaching. Hopefully it’ll be in Ateneo, but if not, I’ll be coaching somewhere.

AD: Could you talk about your graduating veterans a bit?

NB: They’ve been leading the team very well. Everyone understands that since it’s their last year, their last two games, so a lot of our motivation is those three guys.

AD: Is it difficult to see veterans graduate?

NB: You remember when you recruited them, and how time flies. Last year, I couldn’t believe that Eric Salamat was graduating, because it seems like I just recruited him from San Sebastian, [and] all of a sudden, he’s graduating. Same thing with Kirk Long, Bacon Austria and Emman Monfort. You hate to see them go, but you know there are other guys that you’ve also recruited.

You know, the difference between the system of Ateneo and the system of other teams is most of the players that come to Ateneo know they may not become a star immediately. That’s why some of them don’t come to Ateneo. They know they may not become a star immediately. We normally have to recruit guys who are good players, but are willing to wait one, two years for the seniors and the juniors to graduate before their star can start to shine. The disadvantage is they don’t become Rookie of the Year or star players immediately. The advantage is they are on a winning team. They learn a winning tradition and what it takes to become a winner, and how hard you have to work to make it happen. By the time it’s their turn, in their second, third, fourth year, they’re ready to play.

Everyone keeps asking me how come your players don’t play as much as say, some other star players of other teams. Obviously, with winning 13 out of the 14 games, if I was letting my starters play 35 minutes a game, we’d probably have everyone on the Mythical Five team. But we’re all about winning and luckily for me, I’ve been able to convince my players of that, to put winning as a team ahead of individual accomplishments.

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. 

16th PSC-Unigames Basketball Championship

Without their starting five of Greg Slaughter, Kirk Long, Emman Monfort, Kiefer Ravena and Nico Salva, plus reserves Bacon Austria and Oping Sumalinog, a Team-B reinforced Ateneo Blue Eagles team reclaimed the Unigames title, beating the West Negros University Mustangs 76-62 in the Finals.

Should Greg Slaughter decide not to return to play out his final year of eligibility, the strong play of Justin Chua and JP Erram in this tournament are encouraging signs coming out of the five spot. Similarly, Juami Tiongson continued to show that he's capable of taking on the lead point guard role that Monfort will vacate.

Unlike last season, when NU claimed the Unigames crown, no other UAAP team played in the basketball tourney this year.

UAAP Season 74 Men's Basketball Finals in Photos

Diana Moraleda is one of the super-talented photographers we have on Inboundpass.com and she made a video collage of some of the snaps she took of the UAAP Finals. Definitely worth watching.

UAAP Season 74 Men's Basketball Finals in Photos from diana moraleda on Vimeo.

UAAP S74 Finals Preview: ADMU vs FEU

Credit to original artist, image found on Tumblr

History Lesson:
- Round 1: ADMU 69 - FEU 49
Freethrow attempts: ADMU 28 - FEU 9
Key player: Greg Slaughter, 15 points, 11 rebounds, one block

- Round 2: ADMU 74 - UST 67 (OT)
Overtime scoring: ADMU 11 - FEU 4
Key player: Kiefer Ravena, 15 points, five rebounds, four assists

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Offense
When it comes to putting the ball into the basket, Ateneo is the better team in that regard, scoring five points better on average than FEU, 71 to 66.31. You can attribute that to a lot of things like a higher field goal percentage, but it's mainly due to the aggressive, up-tempo style of play the Eagles espouse. They average five more possessions, about 76 per game, than FEU's 71, getting five more fast break attempts than the Tamaraws, which leads to more transition baskets. Ateneo specializes in getting to the rim, and as a result, the defending champs have a huge advantage over FEU when it comes to free throws, 25 to 15.88.

That's not to say that FEU is a horrible offensive team though. They're certainly a better three-point shooting team, making more triples and at a better rate than the Eagles, who struggle at times to score from downtown. The slower pace of FEU makes them less susceptible to turnovers, though Terrence Romeo may have something to say about that, and despite injuries to their frontline, they score about three more second-chance points per game than Ateneo.

Ultimately, shooting may very well decide this battle. FEU gets about 25.5 of their 66 points per game from the perimeter, and a bad shooting night could ruin them, especially if the Eagles convert long rebounds into fast breaks. Conversely, Ateneo has seen some poor perimeter shooting games as well, especially from downtown, but they have a knack for making them when they really need to, see Kirk Long's two daggers in the first round match-up between these two teams, for example.

EDGE: ADMU 

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Defense
Tough luck FEU, not only is Ateneo better at scoring, they're also better defending, giving up 59.07 points on average, while Far Eastern concedes 65.56 a game. In fact, nearly every defensive statistic favors the Katipunan-based squad, from three-point percentage allowed, field goal percentage allowed, free throws allowed, points in the paint, and perimeter scoring. In fact, the only category where the Tamaraws have an advantage is turnover points given up, where they norm about a point less than their opponents.

Injuries once again are the reason behind this big difference. Without a true small forward, FEU often goes with a three-guard line-up, good for offense, but a liability against certain teams on defense. Similarly, with just two legit big men in Aldrech Ramos and Russel Escoto, the Tamaraws can encounter problems defending the paint, especially against taller teams, not even putting foul trouble into the equation.

EDGE: ADMU

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Marquee Players
Despite an explosive performance from Cris Tolomia in the do or die game versus Adamson University, FEU will live or die based on how well the triumvirate of Aldrech Ramos, RR Garcia and Terrence Romeo perform, and based on past results, things don't bode well for them.

We mentioned above how the Ateneo defense is dominant, and in their two meetings this season, its impact can be clearly seen. Putting together the shooting performances of the two games, Ramos was 5 of 19, Garcia was 14 of 42, and Romeo was 8 of 31. Ateneo's defenders, Kirk Long and Emman Monfort, back-stopped by Tonino Gonzaga and Bacon Austria, simply give the FEU backcourt fits, while Ramos struggles when matched-up against Greg Slaughter, though Nico Salva guards him as well for certain stretches. Ramos' one big advantage is precisely the reason why Salva is often placed on him, an ability to step out beyond the three-point arc and nail some treys. This however, is tempered by the fact that if he misses (he's 7 for 24 for the season), the Eagles get an easy rebound and a chance to run it back at FEU.

Ateneo has some pretty good scorers of their own, with Salva, Slaughter and rookie of the year Kiefer Ravena handling the bulk of the offense when pitted against the Tamaraws. The lack of big men on FEU forces them to double Slaughter, giving Salva the spacing to shoot open mid-range jumpers. Ravena in transition is a monster finisher, and came up clutch against this squad in the second round, forcing overtime on two strong drives to the rim.

EDGE: ADMU

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Supporting Cast
Despite a shaky start to the season, Ateneo's bench has been able to settle down and develop into an excellent complementary unit to what the starters bring to the table. The reserves are led by Tonino Gonzaga, who brings hustle, defense, and the team's best outside shooting to the table, but also worth keeping an eye on is Justin Chua, who scored nine critical points over the third and fourth quarters in round two to keep Ateneo in the game. Should the FEU big men try their hand at hitting jump shots, you can expect Frank Golla and possibly Oping Sumalinog to see some time, as the more mobile big men defenders. Head coach Norman Black may even spring JP Erram again on the Tamaraws, after his shutdown defensive performance in game one of the Finals last season.

The lack of manpower hinders FEU's supporting cast somewhat, but they still have a few names that might tilt the game in their direction. Chris Exciminiano will draw the assignment of covering Ravena, but he played just 14 minutes in the two regular season meetings and was not really able to provide much in the way of scoring, More worrisome might be the chance that Cris Tolomia explodes again, after scoring a career-high 19 versus Adamson. RP Youth Under-18 teammate Kiefer Ravena will likely be the one assigned to make sure that doesn't happen again.  Russel Escoto and Roger Pogoy will provide some additional rebounding as well as the occasional points. The big x-factor for FEU will be the play of Carl Bryan Cruz, who dropped 10 points in round two. Can he accomplish that feat again?

The big concern about the FEU reserves is one of consistency, Yes they've all produced big games in the past, but can they do it again under the scrutiny of the Finals? Ateneo's reserves are more consistent and more importantly, have been here before, something half the FEU names mentioned above cannot say they've done.

EDGE: ADMU 

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Intangibles
While Ateneo head coach Norman Black is of the opinion that UST is the most physical team in the league, FEU has been giving them a run for their money on their road to the Finals, as guys like Pogoy, Cruz, and team captain Jens Knuttel have gotten into it recently with opposing players. Rattling Ateneo is not out of the question for this squad, the problem will be doing it with some of the Tams already nursing unsportsmanlike fouls. Should they get caught, that means a one-game suspension, which would be crippling in this series.

Another trick up FEU's sleeves is the possibility of Pipo Noundou or JR Cawaling jumping back into the fray, firing up their side of the Araneta Coliseum with a Willis Reed-esque moment. Head coach Bert Flores has been planting that seed of doubt in the heads of opponents in a "Will he? Or won't he?" type psych-war. After all, regardless of whether or not he actually fields them in, opposing head coaches still need to prepare for even the mere possibility that they see the floor.

The biggest thing Ateneo has going for them is their championship experience, having won three straight titles. It's not that big a deal if you compare it to playing a team that's getting to the postseason for the first time, like had they drawn Adamson, but as team captain Kirk Long said last year, "(The UAAP Finals) is sort of our home ground." That's the sort of winning attitude the Eagles will come to the table with, especially knowing that they took FEU's best punch in that overtime win, and still managed to rally for the victory.

EDGE: Slight advantage to FEU


Prediction
More than getting an elimination round sweep, repeating for the fourth straight year has always been the main goal of Ateneo, and it's hard to imagine them faltering this close to the end. The Eagles simply have more weapons in this match-up, are a better defensive squad, and have the advantage of having beaten FEU twice, once in a blowout and then by a small margin. That is not to say that FEU will not go down fighting, in fact, I do not expect a blowout win like what we saw a season ago, but the Tamaraws need a lot of things to go right for them, starting with some ridiculously good shooting. Simply put, this is Ateneo's to win, and win they shall.

ADMU Blue Eagles win in two games, accomplishes the four-peat.

The Battles: ADU vs FEU S74 Final Four

The Marquee Names Battle

• ADU's Lester Alvarez and Alex Nuyles versus FEU's RR Garcia and Terrence Romeo

This is a hard match-up to wrap your head around. In the first game, Alex Nuyles (20 points, six rebounds, two assists) was overpowered by the one-two punch of RR Garcia (16 points, eight rebounds) and Terrence Romeo (19 points, four rebounds, two assists). In the second game, Nuyles forced the issue too much (12 points on 3 of 13 shooting), Garcia was limited (11 points in 31 minutes) due to foul trouble, and Romeo (15 points, four turnovers, three in the fourth quarter) nearly handed Adamson the win. Lester Alvarez? He just basically stunk the entire series, totaling 14 points on 5 of 19 shooting, 2 of 11 from downtown, though six of his eight assists came in the do or die game.

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There are extenuating circumstances though. Nuyles was not 100 percent due to an ankle sprain he suffered at the end of the first game. Head coach Leo Austria decided to play it safe, bringing him off the bench, but ultimately, he still played 30 minutes, the most of anyone on the team, but he didn't have the same lift, best seen when his fastbreak layup hit the bottom part of the backboard in the fourth quarter. Romeo's poor decision making has been an aspect of his game that FEU has had to live with all throughout this season, and the fact that he had gone several games without a crippling error meant that the Tams were really just living on borrowed time. Garcia was the victim of the referees "calling it tightly." And if you're surprised that Alvarez kept throwing up shot after shot, then you haven't been watching his game this entire season (he's 44/154 the entire season, or 28.57 percent shooting overall).

Ultimately, the thinking is that after explosive performances in the first game, both sides endeavored to shut the other side's superstars in the second match, leaving it up to the supporting casts to carry the game.

The "Other Guys" Battle

• FEU's Cris Tolomia versus ADU's Jerick Canada

Both these guys came off the bench and out of nowhere, turning in some heroic performances to try to get their squad into the finals.

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Jerick Canada used to be "the name" on Adamson, a long time ago, before Alvarez came on and basically stole his thunder. Credit to head coach Leo Austria, there was never a point guard controversy on this squad, with Canada graciously accepting the reserve role, sprinkled in with occasional starting stints. In yesterday's game, scored 10 of his squad's 14 points in the final period, including hitting back to back triples, and also made all four of his swipes in that quarter. Just to point out how out of nowhere his game was, prior to this match, Canada had never scored in double-digits, never hit more than one triple in a game, and never made more than one steal in a game.

Cris Tolomia on the other hand, found himself in a difficult position in his rookie year. After sitting out two seasons due to RP Youth U-18 commitments, Tolomia got onto the FEU Team A and discovered that Garcia and Romeo would be getting the majority of touches and minutes at the guard spot. No matter, Tolomia adapted well to the small forward spot, a necessity, given how often head coach Bert Flores is forced to go with three guards since JR Cawaling's injury. But Tolomia is a better defender than the other two, and may possibly be more clutch, as seen in his game-winner versus UST in Round One. But since their loss to UP in round one, Tolomia had not scored in double-digits, and was actually 0 for 13 in their last two games coming into this encounter. And yet, he played all 10 minutes of the third quarter and scored nine of his 19 in that period.

Unfortunately, only one player could be a winner, and that was Tolomia and his FEU Tams.

The Big Man Battle

• ADU's Austin Manyara, Jan Colina, Eric Camson and Rodney Brondial versus FEU's Carl Bryan Cruz, Aldrech Ramos, Russel Escoto and Mark Bringas

Head coach Bert Flores was not happy in the first quarter. Mark Bringas was chucking up shots, 0/3 in six minutes, forcing him to bench the former San Sebastian Stag for playing out of the team concept. Then he saw Carl Bryan Cruz get into a near-skirmish with Adamson big men Eric Camson and Rodney Brondial. But the outcome of that incident made him smile. With unsportsmanlike fouls being issued on all three players, Cruz was the guy who came out of it fired up, finishing with eight points and four rebounds in 15 minutes. Camson only stepped up in the fourth quarter. Brondial never got going after a strong first game (four points, 10 rebounds, three blocks in 26 minutes, to just two points, four rebounds in 10 minutes).

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It was always going to be about rebounding in this series. In the regular season encounters, which the two teams split, Adamson had dominated the glass, 85-63, 36-20 on the offensive glass. That got flipped on its head in the postseason, with FEU 99 - ADU 72 in total rebounds, 39-28 in offensive rebounds. During the last game, no Falcons hauled down double-digit rebounds. Aldrech Ramos had 12.


8 Things I Think

• I think the best coaching move of the series was Bert Flores going to the three-guard line-up in the third quarter and riding it late into the game. The Falcons simply did not have anyone who could guard Tolomia, and he made them pay for it. 
• It's surprising to me how no one has really mentioned Janus Lozada, or rather, his second half disappearance. Lozada played 15 out of the 20 first half minutes and was leading Adamson in scoring with nine markers. He played just eight minutes in the second half and did not attempt a single shot. Why didn't they go to him more often and ride his hot hand? How come coach Leo Austria didn't try rotating him on the FEU guards instead of matching up by going small with two point guards and Nuyles?
• Austin Manyara was never really able to capitalize on his best UAAP game, a 13-point, 12-rebound performance versus UP, as he had to exit early with an ankle injury. He missed their next assignment and hasn't been as effective since. 
• I don't think Adamson will be able to go back to the Final Four next season. Losing two veteran point guards is a huge blow to this team, especially when they only have Ryan Monteclaro as the other floor general currently on roster, who played a grand total of 16 minutes this season. They're okay at the other spots. Harry Petilos or Allen Etrone can split Lozada's minutes, plus Jericho Cruz, who impressed in this summer's Fil-Oil tournament will be eligible. Up front, Eric Camson will get the start in lieu of Colina, with Brondial splitting time between PF and C. 
• Romeo's crippling errors have all been of the unforced kind, which says something about how easily this kid can get rattled. Matched up with Kirk Long and Kiefer Ravena in the Finals, the Eagles will be better equipped to force and pounce on his errors, than the Falcons could ever be.
• Similarly, FEU is going to have a hard time using that three-guard line-up versus the Eagles. Ateneo's problem was that they couldn't match-up with the bigger Adamson guards. Putting out what is essentially three shooting guards will just delight the defending champions. 

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• Russel Escoto is a beast for playing with a fractured hand - and still coming up with some huge rebounds. 
• FEU's biggest advantage is the possibility that JR Cawaling or Pipo Noundou will pull a Willis Reed and turn a close game around. Just by participating in warm-ups and sitting dressed on the sidelines, the Ateneo coaching staff will be forced to gameplan for these guys, even if it turns out they don't see a single minute of playing time.

The Battles: ADMU vs UST S74 Final Four

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The Center Battle

• UST's Karim Abdul  versus ADMU's Greg Slaughter, featuring a cameo by Frank Golla

Prior to this game, the storyline was all about how Karim Abdul had shut down Greg Slaughter in their regular season meetings, how Abdul would be fired up after sitting out their last regular season game due to suspension, how Slaughter seemed to force things versus the big men of Adamson, and so on. In the first quarter, Abdul did dominate, scoring 11 points on 5 of 7 shooting with three rebounds and a block. The difference was that Slaughter did not back down, scoring points as well, already beating his six point average in the game's first right minutes, scoring eight while going 4 for 4 from the field.

But the Eagles were not going to get anywhere swapping basket for basket with Abdul, thus, send in the reserves, as Frank "The Tank" Golla was given the defensive job of handling the Cameroonian. Guess what, the move turned out to be genius. Unlike Slaughter, who seemed to be too "gigil," leaping into the air everytime Abdul made the slightest twitch of his shoulders (if I was 7-feet tall and had his wing span, I don't think I'd even jump to try to block a shot), Golla played him straight up, and refused to bite on his fakes. Meanwhile, Ateneo head coach Norman Black must have been pointing out what Golla was doing to Slaughter, as when Golla sat back down, Slaughter had learned his lesson, shutting down Abdul for that quarter. All in all, Abdul was 0 for 6 from the field in that period, 1 of 4 for the rest of the game, as the fatigue clearly set in by around the third quarter.

Abdul wound up scoring five more points after the first quarter, finishing with a line of 16 points, 16 boards, two steals and two blocks. Slaughter had nine points after the first ten minutes of play, outscoring Abdul with 17 points, plus eight rebounds and three blocks, before cramping up late.


The Backcourt Battle

• ADMU's Kirk Long and Emman Monfort versus UST's Jeric Fortuna and Jeric Teng

In their final year as Blue Eagles, Long and Monfort have seen their scoring go down (currently averaging 8.3 and 7.1 points, after 9.6 and 8.9 a season ago) but it barely matters to them as that hasn't been their role. What they have been doing is locking down on the top two perimeter threats of the other team and running the show for the other players. It's a stark contrast to the two Jeric's of UST, who have had to do more work on the offensive end due to the absence of Clark Bautista (Fortuna jumped from 10.4 points a game to 13.6, while Teng went from 12.9 points to 14 a game).

Similar to their regular season encounters, Teng and Fortuna were controlled throughout the first three periods, combining for just nine points. When the chips were down though, the UST backcourt was able to make it a game in the final period, scoring 11 as an upset seemed like a distinct possibility. Unfortunately, Fortuna giveth (three assists) but he also taketh away (two turnovers), and he was unable to score on the overtime-forcing triple try on the last shot. It wasn't all glitter and gold for the Ateneo side either, as both Monfort and Long went scoreless in the final period, with Long in particular, missing three triple attempts, any one of which could have been dagger shots. In the end though, the Blue Eagle duo combined for nine assists and played praise-worthy defense, even in the face of a suddenly hot pair.

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The Rookie Battle

• UST's Kevin Ferrer versus ADMU's Kiefer Ravena

Kiefer Ravena denies that it became a rematch of their Juniors Finals in the fourth quarter of this game, saying that it was always "Ateneo versus UST." It sure didn't seem like it though, as the regular season Juniors MVP took on the Finals Juniors MVP of Season 73, just like what happened nearly a year ago. In previous games, Ravena had flourished, taking on the assignment of guarding the taller Ferrer happily, stretching back to their encounter in the summer's Fil-Oil tournament. What made the assignment work, allowing Ateneo to leave Monfort and Long to handle the Jerics, was that despite the height advantage of Ferrer, the former Tiger Cub did not know how to use it, content to just throw up shots from the perimeter (1 of 12 in the regular season), and even those refused to connect.

In the fourth quarter, Ferrer finally seemed to take it personally, and began posting Ravena up, but you could see how uncomfortable and how alien the maneuver seemed to him, even committing an offensive foul once for elbowing Ravena out of the low post. Still, numbers-wise, Ferrer's eight points helped keep UST alive, and was the first time he scored double-digits versus the Eagles. Ravena on the other hand, had five in the fourth, but could have been better, shooting only 2 of 6 from the field, missing out on some of his fadeaways, and converting just 1 of 3 potentially huge free throws, after drawing Ferrer's fifth on a triple try.

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 The Reserves Battle

• ADMU's Justin Chua, Tonino Gonzaga and Juami Tiongson versus UST's Robin Tan and Melo Afuang

In a do or die game, UST coach Pido Jarencio knew that he had to lean on his starters, as only reserve bigs Paolo Pe and Melo Afuang saw more than five minutes off the bench. Afuang of course, was a surprise, coming out of recovery from gallstone surgery early to play in this game, finishing with five points and six rebounds. Meanwhile, Robin Tan had never made a field goal in the regular season, going 0 for 9 overall, 0 for 5 from beyond the arc. But he finally hit a shot, a triple to boot, in the game's second period, to the delight of the UST side.

On the other side of the court, the result was the opposite. After being maligned for most of the regular season, Black actually gave key minutes to his reserves, and they rewarded his confidence in him with some big moments. It was Tonino Gonzaga and Juami Tiongson who helped create the separation between the two squads in the second quarter, scoring their combined 10 points in the first half. Then with Slaughter succumbing to cramps, Justin Chua ably filled in for the big man in the final period for five points, snagging a crucial offensive rebound of a Long miss that allowed him to hit a free throw to prop Ateneo up four with less than a minute.   

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The Forwards Battle

• UST's Chris Camus versus ADMU's Nico Salva

The opposite of the Abdul-Slaughter match-up in the regular season, Salva has menaced Camus especially when isolated against him, beating him off the dribble, oftentimes in fantastic manner. A scoreless first quarter gave way to both players getting into a groove, though Camus was certainly hindered by foul trouble. And while Salva was able to add to his highlight reel with another fantastic play, getting the step on Camus for a nice layup, the former San Beda Team B player unleashed two big triples in the fourth quarter, going back to his days as a shooter, to two UST to good position. Unfortunately for him though, in the end, Salva was able to seal the game with two free throws, paving the way for his team to advance to the Finals. Camus will have to wait a year to get his revenge.



8 Things I Think

• Now that I've gotten confirmation that Melo Afuang and Chris Camus will indeed be back for next season (there was some notion that they would fall victim to the 7-years out of high school rule), I think that the Tigers are poised to return to the Final Four. Getting back guys like Clark Bautista, Aljon Mariano, and Eduardo Daquioag will give them more firepower and ease the pressure off Fortuna and Teng. 
• I don't think Ateneo's defense was horrible in the final period, it's just that it will always give up long-range shots because that's what it's designed to do, according to head coach Norman Black: deny the interior and make opponents beat them from the outside. Luckily for them, they had a big enough lead that UST could not complete the comeback.
• I think UST's end to the third quarter was a huge missed opportunity, as they tried to cut a 15-point lead down to single digits. Despite repeated trips to the line, Camus and Afuang finished just 3 of 8, making it 52-40 entering the final period.
• I think it surprised a lot of people that the Tigers didn't try to zone more often, insisting on matching up one on one with the Eagles. UST seemed intent on getting the rebounding advantage, something they would lose if they went zone, but it would have been a worthy gamble considering Ateneo was just 7 of 32 from the perimeter for 16 points. 
• I think Ateneo's recent inability to hit free throws is rather disturbing. They ended the season tops with a 72.83 clip, but are just 30 of 49 for 61.22 percent in their past two games.
• I think the person happiest to see Kirk Long finally graduate is Jeric Teng, though I'm sure Tigers fans in general are happy to see him go

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• I think Pido Jarencio deserves to be head coach again for the Tigers next season.
• I think if UST decides to part ways with Jarencio, they need to strongly consider keeping assistant Chris Cantonjos as long as Abdul is with the team. 

UAAP S74: Final Four Presscons

ADMU vs UST:

FEU vs ADU:

One Day Later: NU vs UST, DLSU vs FEU

NU 73 - UST 49
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : Bobby Ray Parks ended his campaign for the MVP award with a 22 point, eight rebound, six assist, one steal, three block performance. I liked how he was really trying to get other guys involved, especially Mbe early on, with his passing, and of course, the way he got his 21st and 22nd points was mind-blowingly lucky, but...you know what, I'll save my MVP rant for another time. Until then, here's video of that crazy shot.

NU Positives :

• The Bulldogs concentrated on getting the UST bigs in foul trouble, knowing that there wasn't a whole lot behind Chris Camus and Paolo Pe. Camus was taken care of by Jarencio himself, benching him after Camus was slapped with a technical foul, and never reinserting him back into the game, either to rest a nagging injury, or as a disciplinary action. Pe then was dispatched in the third quarter, getting tagged with his fifth on an offensive foul. That opened things up for NU down low in the fourth.
• Playing with a whopping five players in sick bay, NU was able to get big contributions from seldom-used Robin Rono, some nice drives from Ajeet Singh, and hot shooting from Jeoffrey Javillonar and Cedrick Labing-isa. That's the sort of team play they'll need to move forward next season.

NU Negatives :

• NU's offense was still maddeningly inconsistent, as they scored just six points in the second quarter, all within the game's first six minutes. They got a whopping zero points from Parks in that period, as he and the rest of the team, settled for jumpers, instead of attacking the rim. 

UST Positives :

•  Kim Lo provided some hustle and bench spark, scoring seven, five points on seven free throw attempts, six boards, and three steals.

UST Negatives :

• UST actually won their season-opener versus this NU squad with very little production from Abdul, even before the big man fouled out in regulation. So why couldn't UST get going in this game? The Tigers lacked interior scoring to go with their perimeter game, getting a season-low 12 points in the paint on 6 of 14 attempts, both figures also season-lows. While they did not have Abdul for post moves, it also meant they got very little drives at the rim.
• Horrible games overall from players like Jeric Fortuna (eight points on 3 of 12 shooting, no free throws, one assist), Paolo Pe (three rebounds in 19 minutes), and Kevin Ferrer especially, as the rookie was unable to build off his big game versus FEU (1 point in 30 minutes, 0/8 from the field, three rebounds).

FEU 66 - DLSU 57
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : Aldrech Ramos was dominant as usual, posting 18 points in 28 minutes, on 5 of 8 shooting, 2 of 3 from downtown. The big guy also hauled down 11 rebounds, eight on the offensive end, and made two steals, while doing a good job frustrating some of La Salle's big men.

DLSU Positives :

• Simon Atkins was able to close his collegiate career gracefully, scoring 16 points on 50 percent shooting, along with three rebounds and three assists. 
• Joshua Webb gets a half-mention for his 11 points in 19 minutes, providing a nice spark in the second quarter that got DLSU rolling. Unfortunately, his rejected dunk to close out the game prevents us from fully mentioning him in the plus-column.

DLSU Negatives :

• Save for Atkins, the La Salle guards were absent, even with Ping Exciminiano leaving the game in the first quarter. LA Revilla, Almond Vosotros, Sam Marata, Jarelan Tampus and Luigi Dela Paz accounted for a whopping four points on 3 of 16 shooting, despite the fact that Terrence Romeo and RR Garcia aren't exactly what one would call, top-notch defenders.
• The rebounding game of the big men wasn't exactly hot stuff either. For a change, Jovet Mendoza and La Salle's other exiting player, Maui Villanueva, flashed back to last season and combined for 11 boards. Meanwhile the big men reinforcements La Salle was so happy to finally see action, Arnold Van Opstal, Papot Paredes and Norbert Torres, grabbed only seven boards. In all, DLSU had just 35 rebounds, 11 on the offensive end, compared to 51 boards by FEU, 32 in the second half, 21 on their side of the court.

FEU Positives :

• It was good to see the other big men of FEU step up, led by Russel Escoto's 11 boards. Mark Bringas also contributed eight caroms, while both sides accounted for four blocks. That's the kind of rebounding FEU will need moving forward without their foreign big men. 
• Terrence Romeo actually had a pretty good game, a few bouts of selfishness aside. After a 1 of 6 line in the first half, Romeo went 4 of 9 in the fourth, scoring 10 of his team's 18, and finishing with seven rebounds and four dimes.

FEU Negatives :

• The Tamaraws were outshot (45.2 percent to 30.8), outrebounded (21 to 18), and out-assisted (9 to 4) in the first half, with only an 8 of 11 clip at the foul line keeping them in the game, 33-27. Luckily, a halftime "motivational speech" seemed to clear things up for the squad, allowing them to take control in the second half.

UAAP Picking Record: 42-14

One Day Later: UP vs UE, ADMU vs ADU

UE 68 - UP 54
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : Biboy Enguio rode off into the sunset with his head high, as the graduating scroer top-scored in this game with 18 points, six rebounds, four steals and two blocks. Enguio was vital in helping secure win number one for UE when they played NU, scoring 19 late. This time he was the catalyst early, scoring nine in the first period.

UP Positives :

• Miggy Maniego, the 2005 UAAP Jrs. MVP, aptly finished his UAAP career by top-scoring for the Maroons with 14 points. 
• Mark Juruena played his best game of the season, scoring 12 points on 5 of 10 shooting, to go with seven rebounds. Juruena is another former UAAP Jrs. MVP, who sometimes shows flashes of his high school form but who struggles to be consistent. He'd be a nice piece for the Maroons moving forward if he could develop some more. The clock's ticking though, as it'll be his fourth year in Season 75.

UP Negatives :

• The Maroons managed just single-digit points in the second and fourth quarters, as UE continued to roll. Scoring once again was a problem, as their gunners, Mike Silungan, Mike Gamboa (another graduating player) and Jett Manuel combined for just 10 on 4 of 21 shooting. Coupled with no production from Paolo Romero and Alinko Mbah (two points combined), and it's a good thing Maniego stepped up or this would have been over much earlier. 

UE Positives :

• The Red Warriors made better work of their opponents' errors, turning UP's 25 turnovers into 22 points. While UE themselves committed 21 turnovers of their own, the Maroons could only score 12 points off of them, giving the red shirts a 10 point edge in that category. 
• Despite no big men, the Red Warriors put a nice block party, swatting nine shots in the contes,t their most this season.
• The long-term future of UE was on display in this game. Point guard Roi Sumang scored eight points, and added five rebounds, five assists and two blocks. Meanwhile, big man Chris Javier also finished with eight, but he also had seven boards.

UE Negatives :

• Unfortunately, the other two graduating Red Warriors, Paul Zamar and Lucas Tagarda, combined for just six points. It probably didn't matter though, as their team still notched the "W."

Falcons in flight - Adamson has finally ended the streak (pic source)

ADU 62 - ADMU 46
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : Alex Nuyles was aggressive all-throughout the game, exploding for 21 points, 8 for 8 from the foul line, and making Kirk Long look mortal. He also added seven rebounds, two assists and a steal, proving to be too much for Ateneo to handle in this game.

ADMU Positives :

• Ateneo can console themselves with the fact that they're the overall number one seed and have the twice to beat advantage. That's about it. 

ADMU Negatives :

• The Eagles couldn't hit anything today, shooting 1 of 10 from downtown, same as game one versus Adamson, 31.48 percent from the field, a season-low, and 61.11 percent from the line, also a season-low. As a result, Ateneo scored in single-digits in a quarter for the first time all year, and it happened twice, just eight points in the first, and seven in the nightmare quarter.
• For good measure, Adamson also held the Eagles to season-lows in rebounds (the only time Ateneo got less than 40 boards), assists, and blocks.
• The Eagles got what they wanted, Adamson's big men in foul trouble. But once they Rodney Brondial and Austin Manyara were slapped with their fourth fouls, the Eagles did not press their advantage, taking too many outside shots and passing the ball around fruitlessly.

ADU Positives  :

• In the pivotal 23 to 9 third quarter, Adamson shot a whopping 7 of 13 from the field, 8 for 8 from the line, and scored 15 points off eight Ateneo turnovers. Meanwhile, the Eagles were a miserable 3 of 11 and earned just a split at the line.  
• By winning this game, the Falcons retained the Final Four format and with it, twice-to-beat, an incentive they could have lost, with possible two-way and three-way ties emerging in now irrelevant cases. 
• The Falcons were a whopping 19 of 19 from the foul line, after going 11 for 11 in the first round encounter. That right there is proof of how badly they wanted to beat Ateneo.

ADU Negatives :

• Though it seemed like the Falcons were making everything they were throwing up, they actually had a pretty below-par shooting night. They were just 3 of 16 from beyond the arc, with Lester Alvarez going 1 for 8, and 17 of 41 on two-pointers. Combined with their perfect free throw night and the invisible rim covering the Ateneo basket though, it didn't really matter.

UAAP Picking Record: 40-14

UAAP S74: NU vs UST

History Lesson: 
"Welcome to the UAAP, Bobby Ray Parks." Held to just 5 of 20 shooting for 16 points, Parks found himself shutdown by former rookie of the year Jeric Teng, who spent the game shadowing his much-hyped defensive assignment. As a result, Parks had to give up the ball when he had a chance to win the game in regulation, but former Tiger Cub Cedrick Labing-isa's attempt was off the mark. Then at the end of the extra five minutes, Teng absorbed the contact from Parks' drive, forcing the Bulldog to alter his shot and miss, giving UST the 73-72 win.
(Recap here)


What's at Stake:

• At 5-8, the NU Bulldogs are out of contention for a Final Four spot, but have resolved to end the season on a positive note, to establish momentum heading into next season.
• 8-5 FEU

NU Stat to Watch : Versus the DLSU Green Archers, NU was able to get their best defensive effort, holding their opponents to just 24.62 percent field goal shooting, a season-best for the Bulldogs. They were also able to prevent the other team from getting to the line, conceding single-digit free throws for the fourth time in five outings. If they can bring that sort of play to the table versus UST then they should be competitive again.
NU Player to Watch : Parks carried the scoring load against La Salle, but the question is if he can do it again against the guy who shut him down in round one. In that first round meeting, Parks drew only eight trips to the line, as he mostly settled for outside shots. If he starts taking it to the rim or gets out in transition, Teng will have a hard time keeping up with him, especially if he gets tagged with a few fouls.

UST Stat to Watch : After three straight games of giving up single-digit fastbreak attempts, the Tigers conceded 13 to FEU, a team not known for running, and it nearly killed them, as the Tams scored 20 points. Despite some great athletes, NU is actually not much of a running team, averaging 8.31 transition points a game, but if the coaching staff decides to let the dogs run wild, UST better look out.
UST Player to Watch : In his UAAP debut, Karim Abdul was a bit of a disappointment, tallying five points and three rebounds in 21 minutes before fouling out. Since then though, Abdul has become a huge factor in the UST game, and is perhaps the big reason for their success this season. With him out, after getting hit with a one-game suspension for accumulating two unsportsmanlike fouls, that leaves a big hole in the Tigers interior, especially with Melo Afuang sidelined while recovering from surgery.

Prediction: NU Bulldogs

UAAP S74: FEU vs DLSU

History Lesson:
The first game of the 74th UAAP season went down to the wire, though La Salle led early on a 7-1 opening run. FEU was thinking long-term though, and erected a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter, off a triple by RR Garcia, 55-45. The Archers got close though, cutting the lead down to four, 66-62 on a Revilla layup, but Garcia responded by scoring on an inbounds play, and then a Romeo swipe sent him to the line for game-clinching free throws, as the Tams got victory number one, 74-65. (Recap here)
What's at Stake:

• FEU 8-5
• La Salle crumbled once again, losing to NU to drop to 5-8, and out of Final Four contention (not that it would have mattered with UST winning in the second game). All that's left is to play for pride, and hope that they can avert a 1-6 second round record. 

FEU Stat to Watch : FEU's been so banged up that it's possible they'll get just limited minutes again from Russel Escoto and the come-backing JR Cawaling. If that's the case, then it becomes imperative that their power forwards, Mark Bringas and Carl Bryan Cruz, outplay the DLSU bigs again. In their first encounter, the two combined for 14 points, nine rebounds and six assists, which are great numbers considering the entire La Salle frontcourt managed just 17 points, 22 rebounds and two dimes, with Torres and Van Opstal fouling out in the process.
FEU Player to Watch : Roger Pogoy proved that he could play key minutes as this team's small forward, scoring 14 on 6 of 9 shooting, while adding six rebounds and two steals. Giving Pogoy minutes means the Tams won't have to rely so much on three guard line-ups, and his hustle will give him the edge when fighting for loose balls. He's a good match for Luigi Dela Paz and Jarelan Tampus.

DLSU Stat to Watch : La Salle's offense has completely gone into the tank in the second round, save for their come from behind win versus UP. Taking that game out of the mix, the Archers are just averaging just 57.8 points in their five games on 34.62 percent shooting. A large part of this stems from the lack of confidence of all but a handful of players. Save for Almond Vosotoros (who was promptly guarded by Bobby Ray Parks in the second half), no other green shirt scored more than four points versus NU. If FEU's defense holds, this could be a long game for DLSU.
DLSU Player to Watch : Norbert Torres and Arnold Van Opstal both had miserable UAAP debuts, barely making an impact and fouling out. With FEU's frontline weakened, fielding both at the same time again may cause problems for the Tams, since Aldrech Ramos can't be everywhere at once.

Prediction: FEU Tamaraws

UAAP S74: UP vs UE

History Lesson:
The UP Fighting Maroons bucked cramps to Mike Gamboa and Mike Silungan down the stretch, as Jelo Montecastro and Jett Manuel helped UP tally their first win in ages, 69-61, against the UE Red Warriors. Leding 39-31 at the half, the Maroons needed nine straight points from Manuel to maintain their lead at the closing of the third period. Though they would go scoreless for the final quarter's first five minutes, allowing UE to catch up, 61-55, the Maroons were able to hold on, as Gamboa came back to nail a clutch triple, securing the win for the squad that went 0-14 last season. (Recap here)

What's at Stake:

• This is a battle to avoid winding up in the cellar, as both teams boast of identical 2-11 records. To the winner, 7th place. To the loser, last place.

UP Stat to Watch : The Maroons got a season-high 31 fastbreak points in a close loss to DLSU last week, after averaging just 7.25 in the rest of their second round games. Their previous high was 23, against this same UE team, so you can expect UP to want to get out and run again in this rematch.
UP Player to Watch : Alinko Mbah has been in a free-fall, as foul trouble has limited his effectiveness on the floor. The short and jump-shot happy UE team then ought to be a nice match-up so that he can end the season on a high note, though when they first met, all Mbah could put together was four rebounds and two blocks in 20 minutes

UE Stat to Watch : UE has never repeated a starting five in the 13 games that they've played, and they've used some pretty bad ones, such as the Duran-Enguio-Montelibano-Chavez-Tagarda quintet that they used in round one versus UST that scored just two points, and the Javier-Flores-Chavez-Sabangan-Montelibano five that got eight points, all from Flores. It will be interesting to see if UE has finally found a decent starting five or if we'll see yet another random mishmash of players.
UE Player to Watch : Paul Zamar has been the man for UE all season long, averaging 12.8 points on 34 percent shooting, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists. It would be nice to see him end his career on a high note, carrying his team to a victory.

Prediction: UP Fighting Maroons

UAAP S74: ADMU vs ADU

History Lesson:
Adamson's strategy was simple: let Greg Slaughter score and stop everyone else. In the end, the Blue Eagles were the ones doing the shutting down, forcing the Falcons into 14 misses in the last seven minutes, turning a 51-44 deficit into a 55-51 win. Slaughter tallied 23 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks, but the story was the 0-point, 0/1 performance by Kiefer Ravena, as Ateneo had a hard time keeping him on the floor, as Alex Nuyles and Janus Lozada posted him up whenever he was on the floor.  (Recap here)

What's at Stake:

• At 13-0, the three-time defending champions need just one more win to sweep the elimination round, setting up the ladder format and giving them a thrice-to-beat advantage in the Finals. Should they fall, things become a bit more difficult as the UAAP retains the traditional Final Four format, but the Eagles long ago clinched the top seed, meaning they will get twice to beat versus the fourth seed should it come to that.
• The suddenly slumping Adamson Falcons fell to 9-4, after suffering a horrific second-half collapse versus UST. Combined with their loss to FEU earlier in the second round, the Falcons find themselves in a must-win position to maintain their twice-to-beat edge. Worst case scenario is they lose, and either Adamson or UST win, or even both, putting them in a situation where they'll have to play an extra game to settle who gets twice-to-beat.

ADMU Stat to Watch : The Eagles boast of the largest point differential in the league, and it's easy to see why they have it, with the highest-scoring offense, and the best defense. On average, this team scores 73.08 points, while allowing only 58.31 points. Similarly, they're the best shooting team, at a 40.80 percent clip, and the best defensive team when it comes to field goal percentage, holding opponents to just 32.39 percent. Should the Falcons go through another one of their scoring droughts, expect the Eagles to take advantage.
ADMU Player to Watch : Emman Monfort has been the player that has sent the Falcons packing in the last two seasons, doing it usually from the foul line where he's Mr. Clutch, but he also put up a particularly spectacular shooting night last season in the Final Four, where he poured in 22 points on 7 of 9 shooting. If the Adamson defense loads up on Ravena again, Monfort's likely to make them pay for it.

ADU Stat to Watch : Adamson lives by the three and dies by the three, and in the second round, those triples have hurt them a bit more because they haven't been converting at such a high clip. In the first seven games, Adamson was 6.86 out of 20 triples on average, for 34.29 percent. They've been averaging the same number of attempts in round two essentially, 20.5, but the number of makes has dipped to just 5.33, with a corresponding dip in percentage to 26.02 percent. Without any inside presence, especially if Manyara will continue to get limited minutes, they need to make outside shots.
ADU Player to Watch : In the second round, Lester Alvarez has been shooting just 27.08 percent from the field, 28.2 percent from downtown. It's gotten so bad that Falcons head coach Leo Austria has had to start Jerick Canada in his place, in essence, converting Alvarez to a scorer off the bench. Alvarez had his worst shooting game of the season, 2 of 17 versus Ateneo, and if he's like that again in round two, it's unlikely the Falcons will pull off the upset.


Prediction: ADMU Blue Eagles

One Day Later: DLSU vs NU, FEU vs UST

One-man wrecking crew: Parks provided the offense while NU shut down DLSU (pic source)

 
NU 56 - DLSU 40
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : Unburdened by the fouls that plagued him in their first encounter, Bobby Ray Parks smashed through the Archers pretty good, to the tune of 25 points (including a 10 of 12 freethrow clip), nine rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block. 12 of his points came in the fourth quarter, when NU took control for good, combining with Emmanuel Mbe to put the La Salle in foul trouble early, and then hitting a clutch triple that knotted the game, turning control over to the Bulldogs.

DLSU Positives :

• Almond Vosotros turned in a 15 point first half performance on 5 of 8 shooting, single-handedly keeping the Green and White in the thick of things. After getting the short end of the minutes stick in the first four games, Vosotros has come up huge enough times to show whoever the head coach of La Salle next season that he ought to be considered as one of the prominent scoring options the team has.

DLSU Negatives :

• La Salle had no offense beyond Vosotros, shooting 2 for 20 from downtown, 16 for 65 from the field, and tallying just nine trips to the line.The Archers also notched 24 turnovers, matching their season worst. 
• The Archer big men looked downright horrible, missing layups, making bad passes, having the ball stolen immediately after the pass to the interior was made, and so on. 
• Scoring just 40 points in a must-win game has to be a slap in the face of DLSU faithful. The team seemed to lack any sort of urgency until late in the fourth when they panicked and began throwing up triple after triple.

NU Positives :

• NU did a good job of preventing the Archers from getting hustle points, limiting their transition, turnover and second-chance scoring. With all three avenues for easy points essentially kept in check, La Salle was forced into the halfcourt, where their execution was horrible. 
• Despite having just Emmanuel Mbe and Kyle Neypes up front, the Bulldogs were able to contend and limit the various big men La Salle was throwing out. Swarming, pesky double-teaming from the NU guards often did the trick, as the DLSU big men rarely got easy post-ups.

NU Negatives :

• With Joseph Terso nursing a broken arm, Gelo Alolino and Cedrick Labing-isa got the keys to the car, and despite four dimes from Alolino, the point guards often just puttered around, as the forwards did a much better job fighting the La Salle press. 
• The low scoring nature of the game hides the fact that outside of Parks and his 25 markers, this squad still struggles to put points on the board, especially as Mbe stewed with foul trouble. Kyle Neypes deserves a shout-out in this regard, as only Neypes took it aggressively against the DLSU interior, scoring all five of his points in the final quarter.

Monster in the middle - Karim Abdul brought UST to the Final Four (pic source)

UST 77 - FEU 73
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : Hello Kevin Ferrer, so nice of you to reappear when your team really needed you. After a string of horrible shooting games, both from the field and the foul line, the Ferrer that rocked the season's first two games came back, tying his season-high of 19 points, to go with 12 rebounds, an assist, and a block. FEU's three-guard line-up always meant he was being covered by someone smaller (RR Garcia, great scorer, horrible defender), allowing him to simply shoot over his man, and his fourth quarter triple was the nail in the Tamaraws' coffin.

FEU Positives :

• Needing a legit 3-man, head coach Bert Flores inserted Roger Pogoy into the mix, and the Cebu-native delivered. Playing in just 16 minutes, Pogoy scored 14 points, hauled down six boards and made two steals, contributing eight points in the huge third quarter rally that saw FEU take the UST lead down to just two markers. 
• UST's weakness is that it can't stop they can't stop the run, giving up the most fastbreak opportunities and points of all the UAAP teams. FEU used that fact to great advantage, scoring a 21 to 10 third quarter based on 10 transition points and eight turnover points.

FEU Negatives :

• The Tamaraws' slow start made it too difficult for them to properly seize a lead in the fourth quarter. Down 23-11 after the first quarter, only their "Big Three" of Garcia, Romeo and Ramos scored in those first 10 minutes, as the supporting cast gave them nothing in the face of the UST blitz. 
• Injuries have been the story of the FEU season, and it's a story that continued in this game, as Russel Escoto was limited to just eight minutes of play because of his sprained wrist, though he did manage to make an impact by hitting a huge triple. 

UST Positives :

• The Tigers shot 51.6 percent from the field in the first half, quickly establishing a huge lead that turned out to be too huge for FEU to overcome.
• Against a lack of quality big men on the Tamaraws, Karim Abdul romped through their interior, finishing with 20 points, 13 rebounds, two steals and two blocks. 

UST Negatives :

• The second unsportsmanlike foul on Karim Abdul may turn out to be a huge blow to the Tigers hopes of winning their last assignment, should he be suspended. With Carmelo Afuang already out, UST does not have the frontcourt depth to match up against Emmanuel Mbe and may draw an unfavorable seed in the stepladder format.

UAAP Picking Record: 40-12

UAAP S74: UST vs FEU

History Lesson:
UST had its moment on defense, holding FEU to just five points in the second quarter, but the Tams couldn't be kept down for long, getting a two-point lead late thanks to a run out by RR Garcia after Karim Abdul got blocked, and a swipe of the inbounds and the layup by Ping Exciminiano, 59-57, 37 seconds left in the game. On the next UST possession, Abdul made up for his denied shot by getting a jump ball to Jeric Fortuna, who tied things up with a clutch jumper. Calling timeout, FEU ran a play with Garcia as decoy, driving into the heart of the defense and causing UST to collapse into the shaded lane. That allowed last season's MVP to kick it out to an open Cris Tolomia, who drained the game-winning triple, allowing Far Eastern to escape, 62-59. (Recap here)

What's at Stake:

• The 7-5 UST Growling Tigers have two shots to get one more win, which is all they need to eliminate the DLSU Green Archers from contention (though it may not matter if DLSU loses to NU in the undercard game). Even if La Salle is out of it though, the seedings from #2 to #4 are still wildly in flux, and so every win counts.
• At 8-5, a win would put FEU just a half-game behind idle Adamson, in prime position to force a playoff for the twice-to-beat advantage, or even usurp the position entirely. A loss though, ties them with UST at 8-5. 

UST Stat to Watch : UST got beaten on the boards in the first meeting between these two teams, 42-37, with a 19-15 deficit in offensive rebounds. It was the worst rebounding effort by the Tigers this season, as they actually lead the league in both rebound and offensive rebounds right now. They may have an easier time in this game with Christian Sentcheu out and Russel Escoto possibly missing this game as well with a wrist sprain, though they ought to take special care to box out Ping Exciminiano, who pulled down nine rebounds, matching Aldrech Ramos' number.
UST Player to Watch : Karim Abdul couldn't bring his scoring punch to the mix, at least for this game, as the bull-strong center managed just three points on 1 of 7 shooting from the field, 1 of 4 from the stripe. He's averaged 14.6 points in the second round, with just one single-digit scoring game, a nine-point effort versus DLSU, and so odds are good he'll be able to battle down low with Aldrech Ramos and Mark Bringas.

FEU Stat to Watch : More of an odd stat than anything else, but after holding opponents to 34.98 percent field goal shooting in the second round games prior to UE, the Tams turned around and conceded a season-worst 50 percent clip to the Red Warriors, as well as an equally bad 38.45 percent three-point shooting stint. Hopefully, that game was just a fluke, because if UST gets those kinds of numbers, there's no way the Tams will be able to match.
FEU Player to Watch : Terrence Romeo's numbers have been on an upswing as of the past three games, and he even managed to go the last outing without a boneheaded turnover. He dropped 21 points on 8 of 15 shooting versus UE, providing some much-needed punch to compliment the veterans Garcia and Ramos. They'll need him on both ends, offensively to counter the possibility of a rain of three-pointers, and defensively, preventing Jeric Fortuna from going off. We'll see if he can pull it off.

Prediction: UST Growling Tigers

UAAP S74: DLSU vs NU

History Lesson:
These two teams traded runs back and forth early in the game, but La Salle seemingly made one that even NU would have a hard time dealing with, dropping a 16-2 bomb in the middle of the second period that put the Bulldogs down 59-36 at the halftime break. But after NU head coach Eric Altamirano was forced to sit Emmanuel Mbe and Bobby Ray Parks due to foul trouble, the Archers suddenly hit a wall, finishing the third period with a mere two points. The drought continued three minutes into the fourth, as NU baskets towed them to within seven points, 61-54, but by then the Archers finally roused, and coupled with the ineffectiveness of a returning Parks, the Bulldogs bowed out of this one, 74-63 (Recap here) 


What's at Stake:

• This is out of the De La Salle Green Archers' hands, as their 5-7 record merely means that any further loss in their remaining two encounters or just one more UST loss equals an early vacation for their centennial team.
• The NU Bulldogs were unceremoniously dumped by the defending champion Ateneo Blue Eagles last Saturday, held to a piddling 39 points and eliminated from postseason play. All that's left for NU is to try to position Parks as the MVP, and possibly scoring an upset or two. 

DLSU Stat to Watch : After a six-game stretch where the Archers averaged just 11 points from the foul line, aggressive play in the second-half by DLSU got them 19 made charities on 31 attempts. Of course, with all their attacking, they were able to sit down Alinko Mbah and open the paint to their bigs. True, when they pulled this trick off in the first round it resulted in Glenn Khobuntin going nuts,
DLSU Player to Watch : The turnover prone NU Bulldogs have the leading swiper standing against them in this game, LA Revilla (1.8 a game). In their first meeting, Revilla made a career-high six steals, which the Archers easily converted into points. While his minutes have experienced a severe downtick since then, he'll still have plenty of opportunities against the likes of Gelo Alolino and Joseph Terso.

NU Stat to Watch : Out of the 39 point debacle versus Ateneo, Mbe and Parks accounted for 20 of those points, with everyone else combining for 19. NU got 21 points from Glenn Khobuntin in the first round version of this game by his lonesome. So will this be a one-man, maybe two-man show again, or will the supporting cast actually come to play again?
NU Player to Watch : Floor-stretching forward Denice Villamor is so ridiculously hit or miss. He has four double-digit games, perhaps the most among the NU supporting cast, but he has an equal number of 0-point games. NU could use his shooting to draw a Papot Paredes or Norbert Torres to the outside, or force DLSU to shuffle back in Maui Villanueva, if you know, he actually connects on his attempts.

Prediction: NU Bulldogs

One Day Later: FEU vs UE, DLSU vs UP

FEU 78 - UE 69
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : Congrats Terrence Romeo, you did not mess up this week. I'm still not giving you this title though, because I feel like RR Garcia deserves it more. His two triples in the fourth quarter sealed the game for FEU when they gave the Tams a 15-point lead, much too big for UE to counter. Overall, his line of 21 points on 8 of 18 shooting, plus three rebounds, two assists and three steals just excites me more than what his teammate Romeo put up.

FEU Positives :

• FEU's three-point shooting came online at the best possible time, in the fourth quarter, with UE looking to string together an extended rally. The back to back by Aldrech Ramos kicked things off, and then RR Garcia dropped two more, no doubt, causing UE to regret switching to a zone in that instance. 
• Mark Bringas had a solid game, scoring eight, to go along with his eight boards, five on the offensive end. That's really the sort of game he needs to contribute each week, if FEU is expected to go far.

FEU Negatives :

• Hard to imagine a top-notch defensive unit like FEU surrendering 50 percent shooting to a squad like the UE Red Warriors. 
• Losing Russel Escoto to a wrist sprain hurt FEU's depth in this game, but they still managed to win despite him playing only six minutes. A bigger problem is if he has to miss games in the future. If he's unavailable when they play UST, that means the job of defending Karim Abdul will fall solely on the shoulders of Aldrech Ramos. 

UE Positives :

• UE used to get by with one or two guys doing most of the scoring, but in this game, they were able to find five players in double-digits, Zamar, Sumido, Sumang, Noble and Santos. It's easy to see why FEU had such a hard time defending them with that kind of a spread. 
• Roi Sumang had a nice outing, showing the sort of play that made UE run in last year's Fr. Martin Cup. Sumang scored 11 in 27 minutes, while also plucking down five rebounds, dishing out six assists and making two swipes, all of that to just a single turnover.

UE Negatives :

• I'm a firm believer that you need to start your best players all the time. Fine, some coaches try to reward players who have good practices, others try to balance out the scoring from the reserves and the starters, but I do not see the logic of starting someone, and then benching him for the rest of the game. Case in point, UE had Jess Sabangan, Nico Montelibano and Von Chavez start, and then never saw the light of day past the first quarter. Meanwhile, Biboy Enguio, Lord Casajeros and Erwin Duran, guys who carried you in previous games, got few minutes. Why does this happen?

Rise above - down 20, the Archers survived to stay in contention (pic source)

DLSU 73 - UP 72
Recap - - - Preview

Player of the Game : With Alinko Mbah barely registering an impact in his nine foul-plagued minutes, Norbert Torres was able to run amok in the UP interior, scoring 15 points and pulling down 12 rebounds in 26 minutes of play. His numbers were pretty solid, 4 of 5 from the field and 7 of 9 from the line. We'll simply ignore his ill-advised three point attempt.

DLSU Positives :

• The big rally to start the fourth, led by LA Revilla and Almond Vosotros not only gave La Salle the lead, it also stole all momentum from UP, who had done an okay job surviving up to that point. Sent backpedaling, the Maroons couldn't string together enough shots to win.
• The players recognized that the 2-2-1 press employed was being broken too easily, and thus asked head coach Dindo Pumaren if they could switch back to just a simple fullcourt press. Luckily, Pumaren assented and the Archers used it to wreck havoc on UP. 

DLSU Negatives :

• La Salle's flat start that saw them score just seven points in the first quarter, later allowing UP to build a twenty point lead, has to be a low for the Archers this season. UE never got that sort of separation, and UP was playing out of their minds defense, clearly sensing weakness on the part of DLSU.
• A familiar woe, freethrow shooting, nearly cost DLSU the game, as Torres' split at the line could have just as easily been two misses, given how erratic the Archers have been when it comes to free throws all season-long. Conversely, they could have also been two makes, shutting the door definitively on any thoughts of a UP rally.

UE Positives :

• In the first half, UP was able to do what they're best at, getting out to run. The Maroons got 17 turnover points from 15 DLSU errors, coupled with 14 huge fastbreak points. 
• Credit to UP, they did fold early in the fourth, instead battling back to try to pull off an upset. They got 10 more field goal attempts, coming mostly from an 8-1 offensive rebound score, but weren't able to convert when it mattered, especially from outside where they were 1 of 6. Big props though to a surprising 10 point fourth quarter effort from Miggy Maniego, as he terrorized La Salle on the break.

UE Negatives :

• UP needed all hands on deck to win this game, especially when the slumbering Archers woke up. Unfortunately for them, they couldn't make it happen. All six of Jelo Montecastro's points came in the first. Alinko Mbah tallied five fouls in a blink of an eye. Mark Juruena could not connect (2 of 11 shooting) though his 12 boards were a big help. Lastly, Jett Manuel simply could not get it going, as the smaller DLSU guards ate him up. 
• Even up close, the Maroons could not connect, finishing 20 of 49 on points in the paint, 8 of 22 in the second half. While some of that is because of La Salle's height advantage, there were plenty of easy layups muffed as well.

UAAP Picking Record: 38-12