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| JRU's amazing Jaycee Asuncion drives past a pick set by teammate Marco Balagtas. |
Analyzing the 1st
week of seniors hoops
by rick olivares photo by jan dizon
Why do the provincial teams perform so poorly?
What’s up with the poor showing of the University of
San Carlos and the University of Visayas? They are at 1-2 and 0-3? Is
provincial hoops really that bad?
It’s both yes and no.
Yes, because first off, the Manila teams are
technically superior, better trained, and mentally tougher because of the level
of coaching and the competition they are exposed to.
One of the things that USC head coach Junthy
Valenzuela pointed out is that although they have taller players, the Perpetual
Help squad they faced was not only stronger but also more athletic. I believe
that this is because of a better strength and conditioning program that is all
the rage for Manila schools.
While Valenzuela’s statement is true, I think it has
always been a hallmark especially for NCAA teams where the pace of the game is
faster as opposed to the more walk it up offense in the UAAP. Perpetual Help
was built with speed and athleticism in mind.
No, because there are many Manila teams with
provincial players – FEU is loaded with them. NU has a few of them. Many of the
best provincial players move to Manila where they have access to better
coaching and training.
Nevertheless, there are still a lot of talented
players to play their college ball in the provinces like Dondon Hontiveros, Junthy
Valenzuela, PJ Simon, JR Quinahan, and JuneMar Fajardo to name a few.
The provincial teams got outworked and generally
looked bad against the Manila teams.
There are two other factors that contribute to the
poor performances of the provincial teams.
You could say that there’s also the road trip factor
where they are in an unfamiliar setting and taken out of their routines.
And there’s the – to borrow Valenzuela’s words – “the
star struck” factor where they are playing squads who regularly make the
national headlines and television and become de facto heroes for them back in
their provinces.
So why do Manila teams play better when in the provinces?
That’s because of their mental edge that is also a part of their training.
Why are
teams like Perpetual Help, CEU, Lyceum, and JRU playing well?
Three things:
One, they have yet to play the top dogs in their
respective groups.
Perpetual Help just knocked off UE that is reeling in
every manner. Along with JRU, they have yet to play idle La Salle.
Lyceum has yet to tangle with San Beda and FEU and
those will determine how far they have come.
CEU has yet to play NU that isn’t the team it was
once was. Their bracket seems to be wide open.
Two, these teams have veteran players who are now
more mature in the manner they play the game.
In the case of CEU, they have veterans who have not
only won in their league, NAASCU, but have also benefited from a stint in the
PBA D-League. The Scorpions have players who saw action with different teams
before moving to CEU – there’s Carlo Casiño who came from Arellano University
and Michael Batiño who played behind JuneMar Fajardo at the University of Cebu.
They also have a pair of talented African players in
Rodrigue Ebondo and Aristote Mutombo.
JRU… this is a team that I covered extensively
several years ago when Ariel Vanguardia was their head coach. Michael Mabulac
is this team’s leader and he’s just playing so much better. It’s just
basketball without the extraneous stuff. When I saw Philip Paniamogan play
several years ago, he looked clueless. Chalk that up to rookie jitters. Since
the past season, he’s been lights out from the three-point arc. He’s got better
awareness although Coach Vergel Meneses constantly chides him for his defense
(I think he’s an underrated defensive player). The Heavy Bombers do not have
any superstar. And this works well for them. They play as a team. Last year, they
were carried by Paolo Pontejos who has since left for parts unknown. This year,
there’s a better team effort. And watch out for Jaycee Asuncion to provide the fireworks from the outside along with Paniamogan.
Are the
Perpetual Help Altas for real at 3-0?
Hey, it’s the pre-season. Do not get overly giddy. No
one hangs championship banners for pre-season titles. Or do they?
Nevertheless, these guys are FUN to watch.
This team will live and die with their Fab Four of
Juneric Baloria, Justine Alano, Earl Thompson, and Harold Arboleda. Save for
Earl, the other three are on their last playing year.
I haven’t covered the NCAA in the past two years (due
to a heavy workload) but this is another team that I not only keenly followed
but defended when they ran afoul of the cruel NCAA board that crippled them
when they disallowed Paul Niulan and Marlon Gomez to suit up citing all sorts
of eligibility rules broken that are plain hogwash. If there is one team that
has endured so much it’s the Altas and I do hope there’s a silver lining for
them when it would have been so easy to give up playing ball.
Let’s look at their team results and team stats.
Results:
83-61 vs. UV
71-61 vs. USC
83-78 vs. UE
TEAM
|
Points
|
Rebounds
|
Assists
|
JRU
|
79.0
|
45.0
|
11.6
|
Opponents
|
66.6
|
45.0
|
10.6
|
Here’s how the Altas’ Fab Four has been doing:
Name
|
Scoring
Average
|
Juneric Baloria
|
23.6
|
Justine Alano
|
19.3
|
Earl Thompson
|
15.0
|
Harold Arboleda
|
13.0
|
Rest of the team
|
8.0
|
As you can see it’s just the Fab Four and no one
else. If one of them has an off day or gets into foul trouble then they’re in
trouble. That’s the bulk of their offense and defense.
Clearly the coaching staff has recognized that but
what help is forthcoming?
There’s Gabriel Daganon and Kevin Oliviera but
they’re too raw. But the coaching staff has to fast track their development and
their contributions. Can you imagine if they go against the deeper San Beda Red
Lions?
Next up: Looking at the UE Red Warriors, UP Fighting
Maroons, and the San Beda Red Lions.
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