Byron Villarias is dead-set on helping Bataan rise to the top

Byron Villarias is dead-set on helping Bataan rise to the top

Byron Villarias’ basketball career has had many challenges. With the Bataan Risers, he is determined to make it to the top.

By Rick Olivares

During the Bataan Risers’ 95-85 win over the Imus Bandera last July 28, John Byron Villarias top scored for the match with 25 points. In Bataan’s five matches in the ongoing Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Datu’s Cup, the 30-year old Villarias has scored double digits thrice.

He has always been a high scoring guard. With Jose Rizal University as well as with NLEX and Cignal in the D-League.

Yet, despite his ability to light up the scoreboard, Villarias has always had to fight for his slot. “Sanay na,” he succinctly puts about always having to prove himself. “Nakakainis kasi minsan hindi nabibigyan ng chance pero kailangan talaga, positive thinking.”

For much of his young life, Villarias has had to prove himself. Two cousins – Vernie and Vilmer Villarias -- played for the University of the East back in the 1980s where they were a big part of the school’s last UAAP champion teams.

When Byron left Silay, Negros Occidental after high school to try his luck in Manila, his first destination was – UE. “Nag try out ako sa kanila for two weeks and akala ko meron akong chance. Kaso two weeks later, umalis sila Coach Dindo Pumaren and Bong Ravena (as Lawrence Chongson replaced the former as head coach), hindi na ako nakuha. “

Disappointed, but undaunted, Villarias tried out for other teams – Arellano University, FEU, UST, and CEU to name just a few. “Hindi ko naisip na umuwi sa Negros kasi gusto ko ipatunayan na kaya ko makapaglaro ng college sa Manila.”

It was with Jose Rizal University where he managed to land a roster spot under Vergel Meneses. At that time, the team was coming off perhaps its most successful spell since the days when Meneses himself was the team’s star.

Yet, Villarias found his place and scoring touch that included top pistolero Nate Matute and stud forward, John Lopez.

After two seasons with the Heavy Bombers, Villarias’ modest goals of simply playing in college had to be adjusted. “Two years lang ako nakalaro sa Team A ng JRU and one year sa Team B nila. Bitin. Pero nung naglaro yung team sa D-League as ‘JRU’ nagustuhan ako ng NLEX pagkatapos naming sila pahirapan sa semi-finals. So lumipat ako after yung conference na yun.”

When the NLEX Road Warriors moved up to the PBA, Villarias thought that he was going to finally live his PBA dream. Except that he played for a grand total of two games before he was sent down to Cignal in the D-League. It was there where he joined a team that had his current Risers teammates Pamboy Raymundo and Alfred Batino.

“Alam mo, disappointing at frustrating din kasi nandun ka na sa PBA. Pero naisip ko rin lagi na lang nangyayari ‘to. So pero hindi mo puwedeng isipin lagi yan. Positive thoughts lang. Motivation lahat ito para sa akin,” admitted Villarias. “Pero kapag tinignan mo si Pamboy na malaking part sa lahat ng team na napuntahan niya --- at champion pa sila -- tapos ganyan… lalakas din loob mo. Laban lang.”

And so the three former D-League teammates have found themselves with the Bataan Risers and Villarias could not be happier. “Lalo ka gaganahan kung alam mo meron plano yung team. Meron silang vision at siyempre, gusto ko sila matulungan at mapasama diyan.”

In a little over 19 minutes per game, Villarias is averaging 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. Good numbers that have helped the Bataan Risers to a 4-1 record.

“Dito sa Bataan, meron kaming chance na gumawa ng isang special na ending. Sa ngayon medyo kulang pa sa chemistry pero makakarating din diyan. Lagi naman nagiisip yung management at coaches ng ways na makapag-bond kami para mas-solid pa yung laro sa court. At sana masuklian namin at bigyan ng championship yung management at yung mga taga-Bataan. Lahat kami rito meron motivation. Kanya-kanyang motivation pero isa lang goal.”

“Ganyan lang. Laban ka lang at aangat ka.”

Bowling with the Bataan Risers

One of the things that I love about the Bataan Risers is how professional the management is in their approach to the team. There isn't only training and games, but they also look into the team chemistry off the court.

Management decided not to have practice on the 2nd of August but rather build camaraderie with a bowling session at Victoria Sports. I thought it was a great opportunity for the team to relax and further bond. 

Bravo!

Bad officiating in Philippine basketball. So what's the call?

What’s the call?

by rick olivares

You must have heard countless times that officiating a sporting match is a thankless job. Whatever call you make, someone will have something to say about it.

Sure, it is thankless. And it is definitely difficult. But I am sorry, that is not an excuse. You can never call a perfect game. There will always be varying opinions or one’s take on the rules, but what an officiating crew – including their supervisor – is to cut down on calls that – well – make a difference and change the outcome of a match. The recent brawl between Australia and the Philippines was also because of the failure of game officials to not only control the players, but to also make the appropriate calls or issue warnings of the stern kind.

There are hundreds of basketball leagues all over the Philippines and I imagine there must also be quite a number of referees groups. Each one under different personalities. You see certain officials criss cross. They transfer for a variety of reasons – usually for competence and sometimes because they engage is shenanigans.

Why aren’t these officials under one umbrella? Why is their interpretation of the rules different from one another? Why are some officials who are banned or fired still officiating in the first place?

Are the PBA referees the only ones who review matches using video?

Plenty of questions – and there’s more I can assure you.

And that brings me to the current NCAA Season 94.

Most of the referees are new. A coach of one team personally told me that he asked one ref about his experience and he replied, barangay level. The coach was aghast. From the barangay to the NCAA?

Watching a recent match played by Jose Rizal University, a Heavy Bomber grabbed the defensive rebound and was called for stepping on the line when his foot was a good two feet away from the baseline. I sat by the baseline and was aghast at the call.

Last Friday, July 27, the Arellano University Chiefs went up against the San Sebastian Golden Stags. Two really bad calls went against Arellano – all in overtime.

The first was at the 2:10 mark when one official called Arellano’s Maui Sera Josef for a foul! What happened was SSCR’s Michael Calisaan was trapped in the right corner forcing him to throw the ball out to teammate Alvin Capobres. The shot clock was winding down and he immediately threw the ball to teammate Michael Are who drove to the basket and missed an attempt with three seconds left in the shot clock. Three players contested the rebound – SSCR’s Capobres and JM Calma and Arellano’s Sera Josef. Capobres was backing up and pushed Calma into the way of Sera Josef who hardly grazed Calma. Yet the Chief was called for the foul. The score was tied at 76-all at that point and Calma tacked on one free throw.

A minute and 55 seconds later with Arellano trailing San Sebastian 80-79 and 15 ticks left, that same official called the Chiefs Michael Canete for a pushing foul. What happened was the Stags’ Arjan Dela Cruz called for a screen from Calma. Calma was Cañete’s man and he followed knowing the two Stags were going to run a pick and roll with all its options. And now, he never shoved Calma – as the referee’s motion suggested. He could have called a hand check on the Chief’s Levi Dela Cruz but it would have been a soft call as he hardly held Dela Cruz. The call was against Cañete. I was also able to take video of that call and I also recall the Arellano coaching staff really shocked at the audacity of the call. I showed it to Jerry Codinera afterwards and he held back his anger.

Calma split his free throws, 81-79, SSCR.

With time running out, Sera Josef found Dela Cruz above the arc and with three seconds left hit a deadeye trey over Are and Arjan Dela Cruz for the game winner.

You can say that it is poetic justice for Arellano, but these are crucial calls that could have really changed the outcome of the game.

That match should have been won by San Sebastian but they shot atrociously from the free throw line and that clearly did them in – 12-28 for 42% shooting. Eight of those 12 missed free throws were from the hands of Calisaan. If he made two free throws at the end of regulation then there would have been no overtime.

But this isn’t about missed opportunities but bad calls. And there were some really questionable ones during the Lyceum-Mapua match that closed out seniors’ ball last Friday.

I know teams work really hard, schools and fans spend their hard-earned money, and at the very least they should get a well-played match with pretty good officiating.

If teams watch game film afterwards what I want to know if the officiating crews and supervising officials do the same? Or do they run off to their next gig like the MPBL?

As a people, we have made great strides in the way the game is taught and played. But sorry, in my opinion, officiating, hasn’t improved. Yes, again I know it is a difficult job and the referees should get really good training and be protected from obnoxious fans or even those who deign to affect the game with their betting and whatnot.

The question remains, what is being done to improve the quality of officiating?

A conversation by Juventus and Ronaldo

Ronaldo to Juventus: I'm going to make this club great.

Juventus: Actually, Ronaldo, we have won 34 Serie A championships. Including 7 straight.

Ronaldo: Oh.

Juventus: And we have 13 Coppa Italia, 7 Super Coppa Italiana, 3 UEFA Cups, 2 UEFA Champions League, 2 UEFA Super Cup, 2 Intercontinental Cups, and 1 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup titles.

Ronaldo: That's it?

Juventus: Oh, we have 1 Serie B title when were relegated in 2006 for match fixing.

Ronaldo: Yeah, but you've never had a player who's won 5 Champions League, 5 Ballon D'Or Awards, and a player who has scored as many goals as I have!

LPU Pirates: A renewed focus this NCAA S94

LPU Pirates: A renewed focus this NCAA S94

by rick olivares

Right back at you.

That’s what the Lyceum Pirates must have said after their 82-65 win over the Arellano University Chiefs.

In the first period, the Chiefs pounded LPU real bad that you would have thought that the way the three-point shots were raining inside the Filoil Flying V Centre that Typhoon Josie was still in town. The Arellano University Chiefs could do no wrong. They drilled five triples and after Archie Concepcion drove for a bucket to make it 34-17, coach Jerry Codinera’s troops were up by 17.

By game’s end, it was LPU that had won by a 17-point margin.

For a while there, it looked that Lyceum would succumb to its first loss of the young NCAA season. Arellano’s Adrian Alban, Brylle Meca, and Michael Cañete repeatedly took it to the basket unmindful of Pirates center Mike Nzeusseu’s presence.

After LPU sliced a 13-point deficit to nine, 26-16 following a Jayvee Marcelino trey, Arellano responded with a bombardment of their own for an even bigger 17-point margin.

While the Chiefs played great defense, the Pirates were also a bit unlucky. CJ Perez missed two lay-ups while Nzeusseu bungled two dunk attempts much to the delight of the predominantly Arellano crowd.

With their offense in a funk, Lyceum turned to its star and to playing defense to turn matters around. Perez stole the ball thrice in succession and scored five points off them. The defensive display rattled the Chiefs who would not be the same the rest of the game. By second period’s end, their once imposing lead was down to four, 41-37.

Ten minutes later, LPU led, 58-54, and never looked back.

At the 7:51 mark of the fourth quarter and the Pirates leading 62-56, Perez reprised his second period heroics when he scored seven straight points all off lay-ups including an and-one for a 69-56 lead. Then at the 3:40 mark, he delivered the coup de grace when he drilled a triple from the left corner pocket, 72-56, LPU.

“At some point in the first period, I pulled CJ out,” remarked Pirates head coach Topex Robinson. “He was surprised I subbed him out. I needed him to gather his wits. And it helped.”

Perez, in one of his most brilliant performances in his collegiate career, top scored with 31 points while adding six boards, six assists, and five steals.

“When you have a special player like CJ, sometimes you just ride that same wave as he does,” quipped Robinson.

Unlike Game One of last year’s NCAA Finals against San Beda where the Pirates had panic written all over their faces as the Red Lions seized the momentum and ended their dreams of a sweep – after going 18-0 in the elimination round – with a 94-87 win, this season, LPU despite twice challenged twice by Emilio Aguinaldo College and now, Arellano, have looked composed.

Robinson agreed. “I think it’s the experience of having been there and losing in the finals. We now know what it is all about. That doesn’t mean it is going to be easy this season. We aren’t catching anyone by surprise. Expectations are up and San Beda, is still San Beda.”

Other than a more composed nature, one other difference is that the team trusts each other more. Last season saw some new faces added to the mix – Perez, the Marcelino twins. Now that everyone has been to war together, including the winning D-League campaign, they trust each other more.

“That is why our motto is ‘together is better,’” pointed out assistant coach Jeff Perlas who knows a thing or two about winning having been a part of National University’s historic UAAP Season 77 champion squad along with current Pirates forward-center Ralph Tansingco. Robinson also knows a thing or two about winning having been a part of San Sebastian’s 1997 NCAA champion team with current his LPU assistant, Rommel Adducul.

Robinson was also a part of some of champion teams in the PBA from Red Bull to Alaska as a player and as a coach.

“What we are trying to do is create a winning culture for Lyceum,” pointed out Robinson. “We have winners and doers here in the coaching staff; good people. We hope that will translate into our teachings to the players.”

Of course, the season is young and any talk about a championship is premature at this point. The memory of last season’s 18-0 and subsequent 0-2 finish is still fresh more so with a meeting with San Beda looming on the horizon.

“Right now, we’re 4-0, and at this point that doesn’t really mean anything,” summed up Robinson. “It’s a long season. But games like these are good because this is where you learn and not from blowouts. We have our work cut out for us.”