The All Amateur Gilas 5: What This Means

 

Today, the Samahan ng Basketball ng Pilipinas announced its 16-man pool for the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers this coming November.

And while there were some who hoped that PBA players whose team would no longer be playing in the PBA Philippine Cup post season could join the team, the SBP has instead decided to field an all amateur pool.

The pool includes the original Gilas draftees in Isaac Go, Matt and Mike Nieto, Rey Suerte and Allyn Bulanadi as well as UP stalwarts Kobe Paras, Juan and Javi Gomez de Liano and Jaydee Tungcab, Ateneo standouts Dave Ildefonso, Will Navarro and Dwight Ramos as well as Angelo Kouame, bidding to be a naturalized player for Gilas, DLSU star Justin Baltazar, and finally, San Beda's Calvin Oftana and Kenmark Carino.

This lineup is surprising in many aspects but we'll discuss the three most obvious surprises.

Surprise #1 The All Amateur Lineup

With several PBA players already available to play for Gilas, like Kiefer Ravena, CJ Perez, and Christian Standhardinger, it was a major surprise to many that the SBP decided to go with an all amateur pool. Granted, the SBP is thinking long-term, with development as its endgame but they really couldn't fit in a couple of PBA players to shore up some obvious weaknesses of this pool? One glaring weakness is at center, where we have Isaac Go and Justine Baltazar, neither of whom is a natural center, and Kenmark Carino, who has yet to breakout, even in the NCAA. Wouldn't it be nice to have even just Standhardinger, given that Kouame is unlikely to receive his Filipino citizenship any time soon?

Surprise #2 The Other Guys

Most of the players named to the 16 man pool are no-brainers and while we understand the need for glue guys and role players, some of the picks are still headscratchers. Part of this list would be the likes of Mike Nieto, Will Navarro, Jaydee Tungcab, and Kenmark Carino. I am well aware of Big Mike Nieto's gallant contributions to past Batang Gilas teams (where he was the Nieto who starred, not Matt) and you can't teach Carino's height but still, their college performances barely even made them impactful reserves. Will Navarro and Jaydee Tungcab are versatile wingmen who will make a living on their defense but the big question is, can they make the transition to being 3-and-D guys?

Surprise #3 The Missing Young Bigs

They are undoubtedly the next BIG thing in Philippine basketball and yet are conspicuously missing at a time when they are needed the most. Yes, I'm talking about Kai Sotto and AJ Edu, who are both int he States for different commitments. Sotto is training with the G-League while Edu is back to training with the Toledo Rockets but neither of their teams have a set schedule as of yet. What is holding them back from taking a couple of weeks to reinforce this young Gilas team? 

Imagine a 7-2 Sotto at center, a 6-10 Edu at PF, a 6-6 Kobe Paras at small forward, a 6-2 Allyn Bulanadi at shooting guard, and a 6-5 Dwight Ramos at point guard. Now imagine rotating a pair of 6-8 big men in Isaac Go and Justine Baltazar for Sotto and Edu, while a pair of 6'5 wingmen in Calvin Oftana and Javi Gomez de Liano fill in for Paras. Matt Nieto, Juan Gomez de Liano, and Rey Suerte are all 6-2 or taller and athletic enough to match up against international guards so that's not as big a concern as you might think.

But it all comes down to having our two young bigs and they are missing in action.

Thirdy Ravena Makes History in B. League

Today, Thirdy Ravena made history by being the first Filipino import to play in the B. League, Japan's top flight basketball league.

His team, the San-en NeoPhoenix, are at a dismal 1-9 despite having two capable imports, Serbian Stevan Jelovac and American Kyle Hunt.

Thirdy is the first player ever recruited under the Asian Player Quota System, in which teams can recruit an Asian player to bolster their lineup.

Thirdy's first game was against the Shimane Magic (5-5) who were also playing at home. Thirdy's NeoPhoenix escaped with an 83-82 victory, which means they move up to 2-9 while Shimane moves down to 5-6.

 Here are my three impressions of this game:

Impression #1 He Belongs At This Level

Thirdy started off tentatively but loosened up later in the game and showed why San-en got him as an import. Aside from scoring 13 points, grabbing 3 rebounds and dishing out 2 assists, Thirdy showed off his clutch pedigree by flipping a switch in the fourth and scoring 8 points in about five minutes. 

Impression #2 He Needs To Shake Off The Rookie Jitters

We are so used to seeing a Thirdy who is uber-confident and super aggressive, not just with Ateneo but even with Gilas Pilipinas. Remember, he was the only college player to date to log minutes as a member of Gilas in a World Cup Qualifying match. And he was unfazed by that. Today, he was obviously tentative during the first half and deferred too much, even while his teammates were willing to defer to him.  He needs to understand that he is an import, a hired gun, regardless of whether he's a rookie or not.

Impression #3 He Needs To Keep At It On Defense

One thing that surprised me today was how passive Thirdy was on defense, especially in the first half. He blew several assignments, missed a couple of box outs, and obviously gave up on a couple of plays in the first half. He was much better in the second half, especially in closing out on shooters and denying the passing lane, which led to coach Branislav Vicentic putting him in for defensive purposes in the game-deciding play, with 3.6 seconds left. That shows how much trust Vicentic already has in him. He's got to keep raising his defensive intensity so he keeps playing in crunch time.

All in all, an impressive debut for the young Ravena. We'll be watching the rest of the B. League season for more highlights from this young star.

Follow the B. League on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/B.LEAGUEOFFICIALENGLISH

Watch the replay of Thirdy's first game here: https://fb.watch/1Cz_V5g_JX/

Philippines Football League: Kicking Off A New Era

 

Lost in the shuffle of the on-again-off-again schedule of the PBA bubble is the start of football action, with the Philippines Football League finally holding matches at the PFF National Training Centre in Carmona Cavite.

This year's edition of the PFL is different in many ways, first of which is the presence of Qatar Airlines, an actual big name international corporate sponsor, which has thrown its support behind the PFL. We're already starting to feel its effects on social media, as all matches have been made available via livestream and the league has been exhibiting a strong presence on social media.

Another difference is the absence of traditional football powerhouses like Ceres-Negros, Global FC, Philippine Air Force, and Green Archers United. While the former is still alive albeit with a new name, the latter three may have left the league for good.

Which leads us to the third major difference, the rather diminished field, with only 6 clubs participating in a rather short season. Each club plays only 5 games, which makes each game extremely important. 

Why? Because the league champions qualify for the AFC Champions League Group Stage while the second placer automatically goes through to the AFC Champions league Qualifying playoffs. Talk about raised stakes! 

Amidst all these differences, here are three things to watch out for during this PFL Championship:

Thing #1 United City's continued dominance.

The United City FC (as Ceres-Negros) has been the PFL champion in all three years of its existence. That seems likely to continue as they've kept all their major pieces, such as Stephan Schrock, the Ott brother Manny and Mike, OJ Porteria, Robert Lopez Mendy, and PFL leading goal scorer Bienvenido Maranon. One key difference to watch out for is the managerial switch from Risto Vidakovic to Trevor Morgan. Will this change propel UCFC even further in Asian club competitions? We certainly hope so.

Thing #2 The Azkals Development Team

One of the better things about the PFL bubble competition is we get a glimpse of the future now. The Azkals Development Team is playing here and it can only spell good things for our youngsters. They get to go up against seasoned professionals playing high-level Southeast Asian football, which will help speed up their own development. Players to look out for include team captain Marvin Angeles, long a part of the Azkals seniors team, Fil-Scot Yrick Gallantes, and UAAP superstar Jarvey Gayoso. It is a bit odd though, that Gayoso, a prolific goal scorer, has now been shifted to defense, a position he first played for the U-22 Azkals in the SEA games. 

Thing #3 Maharlika Manila FC

Maharlika Manila FC is the brainchild of Anton del Rosario, a former star for the Azkals, who played in those years when the national team first started making waves in the Southeast Asian level. This Maharlika Manila team is interesting in several aspects, the first of which is that its players are literally playing for the love of the game. Why? Because players' salaries for the first season amount to P1 each only...and yet, here is the team with a full roster. The team also features some familiar names as, aside from del Rosario, the likes of Jerry Barbaso, David Basa, and Yannick Tuason are also on the team.

On a personal note, I've always loved football and hope that the PFL can arrest the decline of football's popularity in the country. I hope you all join me in supporting this league. Here's where you can get your PFL fix:

Website: https://www.pfltv.ph/

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WeArePFL

On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCewlC5rcsENhcjnrsfvIpaw

PBA Bubble: Burst or Not?

 

After two "positives" which turned out to be negatives, the PBA was shut down temporarily as they waited for updated regulations from the IATF.

While it would be easy to complain about the unexpected stoppage, it is the responsible thing to do, as there is nothing that is more important than the safety of our players and officials.

As we wait for play to resume, here are three things to keep watching out for in the PBA Bubble:

Thing #1 Breakout stars

RR Pogoy, CJ Perez, Matthew Wright, Bobby Ray Parks, Mo Tautuaa. We always knew they were good but in the bubble, they have been extraordinarily good. 

Of the five, the most unlikely entry is undoubtedly Tautuaa, who never seemed to find his groove until now. Hopefully, he continues his development and becomes the star we always thought he could be.

Thing #2 The Return of the Beast

Calvin Abueva finally makes his return to the hardcourt and did not disappoint. In the two games he has played, he is averaging a double-double (19.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg) as well as 6 assists and ` 1 steal per game. Those are MVP numbers, if these were his numbers over 7 games. Let's hope he has indeed learned his lesson and continues to be beastly with his game, not in anything else.

Thing #3 The Odd Winning Ways of Rain Or Shine

How does a team averaging 26% from three (dead last) and 47% from 2 (at the bottom half of the league) get to be 4-1 at this point? It's just so unlikely for these numbers to lead to so many wins and yet, here they are. The Paint Masters are finding ways to win in ugly ways and were actually one missed Nambatac layup away from a 5-0 record. Imagine that.

PBA Bubble Week 1: Hot & Not

Source: Wikipedia

 One week in the PBA Bubble and things are certainly different, despite many other things  turning out to be how we thought they'd turn out, like SMB having major difficulties without JuneMar Fajardo, the newly-dubbed Terrafirma Dyip still sucking exactly like its earlier Kia/Mahindra/Columbian ancestors, and the Tnt Tropang Giga with another strong start.

So let's take a look at what's hot and what's not at the PBA Bubble:

HOT: RR "Pogdanovic" Pogoy

Pogoy's star has certainly been on the ascent but this is ridiculous. A 45-point game after a 7 month lay off then a 30 point outburst on a sprained ankle 3 games later? I always thought Troy Rosario was going to be the Tropang Giga's next big star but it may turn out to be Pogoy instead.

NOT: Kiefer Ravena

The Phenom has not been phenomenal of late. I was actually one of the few who thought that Kiefer's added bulk would help his game. Instead, it seems like the initial general consensus (that the weight would make him less effective) was correct. While his ppg average is still a healthy 16+points, his difficulties in the first game of the bubble (6[points on 2-8 shooting) and his obvious fatigue in a heartbreaking last second loss in their second game does not bode well for the 0-3 NLEX Road Warriors.

HOT: Matthew Wright

The Gilas sniper seemed to have turned a corner in his game, as he's leading the PBA in scoring (30ppg, 5 ppg better than anyone else) while also contributing more than 5 rebounds and 5 assists. More importantly, Phoenix is now 2-1 and things seems to be looking up for the Fuel Masters. Wright is in danger of burning out though so Jason Perkins need to keep on contributing too.

NOT: Willie Marcial

Man, oh, man. I normally agree with how Commissioner Marcial runs thing but this is just wrong. Referees make mistakes. They are human. Sending home a veteran referee for making a wrong call (which was bad but not extremely bad, in my opinion) sends a really bad message. It shows a lack of trust in not just your pool of referees but also in your technical committee.

HOT: Rain Or Shine ElastoPainters

How does Rain or Shine keep on winning? The 3-0 ElastoPainters have only 2 double digit scorers (Mocon at about 15ppg, Namabatac at about 11ppg), an ageing Gabe Norwood AND James Yap, and a roster of undersized forwards who should have no hope against the bigger frontlines of other teams and yet here they are. They're the closest we have to a system team (like the Spurs) and they are chugging along quite well.

The SEA Games Debacle: Let The Political Games Begin!

Within a day of Congressman Alan Peter Cayetano getting ousted as Speaker of the House, it seems like his replacement, House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, will make good on his threat to pin Cayetano down for supposed financial irregularities by the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (PhisGOC) which Cayetano chaired.

In fact, within hours of the change in House Speakership, news outlets were already reporting that Philippine Olympic Committee director Clint Aranas was already readying charges against Cayetano and PhisGOC chief Operating Officer Ramon "Tats" Suzara.

Here are three things you need to remember about the SEA Games issue:

1) It's not about sports, it's about politics - About a week ago, while the nauseating drama around the House Speakership was at its hottest, then-Speaker Cayetano shared to the nation that Congressman Velasco told the President that he wanted PhisGOC investigated. Cayetano then challenged him to do just that, with the payoff being if anomalies were found, Cayetano will not only resign from his Speakership but would also be willing to go to jail. But if no anomalies were found, Velasco should be the one to resign. Which makes it obvious that the issue isn't really about the SEA Games. It's just a convenient way for either Velasco or Cayetano to kick the other out of the Speakership.

2) The projected total cost of the SEA Games was 7.5 billion pesos. One of the most controversial items in the SEA Games was a ceremonial cauldron that cost 55million pesos...which was not used in real-time, anyway. After the close of the Games, roughly 2 weeks after the ceremony when it was supposed to be used, the cauldron was extinguished and has not been used since. Oh, and it has been more than 10 months since the Games have ended and PhisGOC has still to give audited financial reports of the Games' finances. PhisGoC was expected to turn over said audited financial reports last February 9, 2020. 

3) The Philippines did emerge as the overall champion of the Games, its first in 14 years. It also supposedly received the "Best SEA Games Organizer" award, as announced by Cayetano himself . What made this "feat" even more outstanding was that this award was given right in the middle of the SEA Games, which I guess meant the judges already predicted that nothing could happen to make the SEA Games hosting less than the best.

Regardless of how this ends, one thing is for certain: This isn't about doing right by the Filipino athlete or the Filipino people. this is just about Filipino politicians trying to out-politic each other.