Gwynne Capacio scores on a reverse lay up for an and-one situation.
by rick olivares photo by brosi gonzales
October 25, 2011
Capiz Gym
Roxas City, Capiz
JP Erram grabbed the defensive rebound
and attempted an outlet pass to Gwynne Capacio that would have ignited another
Ateneo fastbreak. But Negros Oriental State University point guard Kenneth
Unabia picked off the pass. With Erram guarding the basket, Unabia pulled up
for a jumper but Capacio came back down to swat the shot away.
The Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles blew
away NORSU 90-32, their second win in as many blowouts. Last Sunday, they
opened the campaign for the 16 University Games basketball championship with a
90-50 demolition job on Filamer Christian University.
If you think that they’ve got any
hangover from winning a fourth straight UAAP title, guess again.
The Blue Eagles are without their
entire starting unit and a few from their second (Bacon Austria, Frank Golla,
and Oping Sumalinog) but that doesn’t mean that they do not have the offensive
weaponry or the defensive chops to stop opponents.
The Ateneo Blue Eagles – Justin Chua,
Juami Tiongson, Tonino Gonzaga, JP Erram, Jeric Estrada, Bon Jovi Cipriano, Von
Pessumal, Gwynne Capacio, and their replacement killers in Paul Siarot, Joma
Adornado, and Marky Mercado (Golla will be arriving on Friday) – are proof that
the system we have in place works.
A blowout might sound boring but if
you’re a hoops geek, then you’re going to appreciate the finer points of
picking apart an opponent.
The NORSU Tigers may not be as tall
but they definitely have talent and some athleticism. And the Blue Eagles did
not have to use their height to get things done. They killed the Tigers, who
oft preferred to go one-on-one, with terrific team defense and clinical
passing.
With their hot shooting and high
percentage shots, the field goal percentage must have been in the 80% range.
And speaking of “hot” the Capiz Gym
inside the Villareal Stadium is a sweat house. You think that the antiquated
Blue Eagle Gym is hot? You have not been to this sauna that passes for a
basketball court.
Nevertheless, a crowd of several
thousand packed the gym. They came to watch the Blue Eagles. They asked,
“Where’s Ravena? Where’s Slaughter, Salva, or Long?”
After the game, they knew everyone’s
names as they asked for pictures and autographs. In fact, during the game, it
seemed that the Capiz Gym had become the Smart Araneta Coliseum during the last
UAAP campaign as fans cheered for the Blue Eagles.
Although it didn’t start out exactly
that way.
The game started rather testily as
Justin Chua’s second motion on the Tigers’ Archie Ella was deemed by the
referee to be an unsportsmanlike foul. Ella made both free throws for an early
5-2 NORSU lead. Chua was reprimanded by acting head coach Sandy Arespacochaga
while the crowd rained some jeers. “Wag kang pikon,” hissed one fan.
Minutes later, JP Erram tried to save a
possession by throwing the ball at the body of a Tiger. Instead, he beaned Ella
on the noggin. Although unintentional, the referee called Erram over to be
careful so as not to inflame passions. The events of last Sunday’s melee
between two other squads has not been lost on the tournament organizers.
In Ateneo’s next possession, Capacio
found Tonino Gonzaga in the right corner pocket for a triple. Zags returned the
favor in the next two offensives by finding Capacio for two fastbreak layups
including a lookaway pass that had the crowd roaring.
The Blue Eagles held the Tigers
scoreless over the next four minutes and by the time NORSU scored a bucket, the
lead was 15-7 and Ateneo had taken control over the game.
Deftly pacing his wards, Arespacochaga
had his players in and out regularly as the Tigers did not know what hit them.
Juami Tiongson dished off nine assists (by my count) and the ball was whipping
around like crazy.
At the 2:18 mark of the second period,
Tiongson whipped the ball to Gonzaga who was open in the left corner. As the
defense rotated over to him, Gonzaga, without missing a beat found a cutting
Capacio for a layup and a deuce, 41-17 for Ateneo.
Three touches. No dribbles. Two
points. Easy money.
Other players who sparingly play
during the UAAP season like Jeric Estrada and Von Pessumal showed what they can
do given longer minutes and the opportunity to get hold of the ball.
Even the call ups from Team B –
Siarot, Adornado, and Mercado – were pretty in synch with the offense.
Said one patron in the vernacular (I
had to ask the person seated next to me to translate it because he was so
animated in his expressions): “Walang ka-hirap hirap maglaro ‘tong Ateneo. Wala
na nga sila Slaughter at Ravena wala pa rin binatbat yung kalaban.”
Ateneo
90 – Capacio 12, Gonzaga 10, Cipriano 10, Estrada 9, Siarot 9, Chua 9,
Tiongson 8, Pessumal 6, Adornado
6, Mercado 6, Erram 5.
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