Defending PCCL Champs Fail to Adavnce

• The DLSU Green Archers failed to reach the Elite 8 in the PCCL after winning it all last year as they were defeated by an undermanned Letran Knights, 83-72. The Knights led by double figures in the 1st half behind the 12 points of Kevin Alas and Archers' horrible shooting. The Archers then went on a run anchored by Joshua Webb at the end of the 1st half to diminish the lead of the Knights to a solitary point by halftime. It looked like the Archers were ready to take over the lead in the 2nd half but they struggled to manufacture points once again as they could not knock down a shot from the outside. At the Knights end of things, Jaypee Belencion and Reymar Gutilban started to wax hot from the outside. It was like a replay of the 1st half. The Knights were up big and the Archers could not buy a basket. But like in the 1st half, the Archers made a furious run and came as close as 5 in the 4th quarter. The Knights were coughing up a lot of TOs and Arvie Bringas was starting to get hot. Jaypee then came back in and hit a couple more shots and Bringas was taken out of the game because of a cut in his face. Suddenly the Archers, could not score once again. The Knights reestablished their double-digit lead and did not look back at that point. Both teams played full-court press defense for most of the game(if not the whole). Much of the offense of the Archers came from transition play while Knights got a lot of shots from escaping the Archers' press defense. The Knights played w/o their top 2 players, RJ Jazul and Rey Guevarra. Jaypee Belencion just shot the lights off as he finished with 36 points and a PCCL-record 10 3-pointers. And it wasn't like he did not have a hand in his face when he shot the ball. Coach Franz Pumaren put on different defenders on Belencion to try stop him but to no avail. I believe he's still in his 2nd year so look for more from him in the next couple of years. Kevin Alas carried the Knights in the 1st half as he scored all of his 12 points in the 1st half. This kid just has a lot of dirty tricks. He was caught a couple of times and he even fouled-out when the refs saw him intentionally trip Yutien Andrada. He's fun to watch but the refs need to watch out for him. He will the main man for Knights next year and it seems like he's ready to fill in the shoes left by RJ Jazul. Joshua Webb scored 15 points in the 1st half but he only managed to score 3 points the rest of the way. He did show some flashes of brilliant passing. He will need that next year as he will now be the main man of the Archers. Bringas looks more comfortable in the system. His soft touch inside will make him one of the primary options of DLSU next year. Maybe he can be the Nico Salva of DLSU but his consistency is still a big issue. Simon Atkins was back in action after missing most of the last UAAP season. He did a great job in throwing out outlet passes but unfortunately, his teammates were not able to convert his passes to points. He still needs to work on his shooting but his mere presence on the court definitely helped the Archers. PJ Barua was a non-factor as he finished the game with only 2 points and 1-10 shooting. Joel Tolentino was still quick as a cat and did a great job pushing the tempo but like Atkins, he failed to manufacture easy shots for his teammates. The Archers played w/o James Managahas and Bader Malabes. The Archers sorely need a perimeter who can create a shot for himself and his teammates. Kevin Alas was supposed to be that guy but he choose to play for his father in Letran. Kiefer Ravena surely fits the bill but I believe it's still a long shot that he will choose DLSU over ADMU. The Archers will also need to work on their outside shooting. Watching these Archers, I realized how lucky the Eagles to have a guy like Jai Reyes.
• In the other game last Wednesday, the ADMU Eagles advanced to the Elite 8 as they disposed the ISAA champions, Lyceum Pirates. It wasn't a blowout from the get go as the Eagles needed some time to heat up. The Eagles started the rampage in the 2nd quarter and continued it up to the 3rd quarter. They led as much as 27 but the Pirates capitalized on the Eagles' complacency as they came as close as 8 in the last quarter. Nico Salva led the way for the Loyola-based squad as he finished the game with 17 points including 10 in the 3rd quarter. Jai Reyes played with poise as usual with his clutch baskets and leadership. They will surely miss his presence next year as Eman Monfort has yet to develop the presence on the court that Jai was able to give Coach Norman Black. Current RP Patriot Nonoy Baclao and Smart-Gilas member Ryan Buenafe played but Finals MVP Rabeh Al-Hussaini did not. ISAA MVP Jospeh Abaya looked very impressive as he led the Pirates with 17 points. His fade-away jumper from top of the key is very deadly and reliable.
  
• There have no upsets so far in the 2009 edition of the PCCL. All the higher ranked teams have won their assignments. The Letran win over DLSU might be branded as an upset considering the Knights did not have their top 2 players but the Knights were still given a higher seeding in the tournament for the their Final 4 finish in their tournament compared to the Archers who did not reach the Final 4 in their mother league.

Ball Points (9-28-09)

• Ondoy has not spared anyone. It has affected so many lives including a couple of basketball personalities. I've heard reports that ADMU's Jai Reyes and Rain or Shine's Jay-R Reyes are all stranded at their homes together with their families. Purefoods' assistant coach Koy Banal (former head coach of the FEU Tamaraws during their championship runs with Arwind Santos) was also reportedly stranded and hanging on a tree. Also, Red Bull governer Tony Chua has passed away when a strong current dragged him while he was trying to get something from his car. The one good thing about Ondoy is this will unite us all. This is evident in the comments of some online basketball fans as they would rather worry about the status of our fellow countrymen rather than trash talking about the upcoming UAAP Finals. Of course there are still a couple of idiots who care only about their school winning in the Finals and doesn't give any shit about the calamity victims. I sure do hope that this will serve as a lesson for all Filipinos to unite as one for the benefit of our country.
• The big game today in the NCAA with no. 1 seeded SSC-R Golden Stags squaring off with the no. 2 seeded JRU Heavy Bombers (tied with San Beda at 2nd place) has been postponed. The new schedule for the game is still TBA. This game will have a lot implications on who will get the twice to beat incentive in the Final 4. (All NCAA games today have also been postponed.)
  
• Raja Bell is reportedly being shopped around the league. Look for the Bobcats to trade him to contender who can give them something of some value. The Lakers, Spurs and the Cavs are already loaded in the 2 spot and doesn't really have anything that the Bobcats want. The Magic could trade for him by sending JJ Redick and Anthony Johnson. Trading Bell to the Celtics for Brian Scalabrine and Tony Allen/JR Giddens will also work financially. Both trades will give the Bobcats a young player (JJ Redick/Giddens/Tony Allen) and an expiring contract (Scalabrine/Johnson) and they can save money by buying out either veteran. JJ Redick would be great addition to the Bobcats as the team does not have much shooters on the team but it's highly unlikely the Magic will trade him because of his strong showing in last year's playoffs against the likes of Ray Allen and Kobe Bryant. The Magic already has a couple of lockdown defenders in Barnes and Pietrus so trading for Raja seems unnecessary. Bell in Beantown might make more sense as I don't think acquiring Marquis Daniels will be enough to provide the Celtics the much needed depth in their championship run. Bell would be great pickup as the Celtics sorely missed the presence of a perimeter defender who can shoot like James Posey. Bell could help spell the aging duo of Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. The Celtics might need to send draft picks to convince the Bobcats to agree to a trade as Tony Allen has yet to show that he can be a consistent rotation player on a NBA team and Giddens has yet to showcase his potential on the hard court.
• A couple of veterans point guards, Rafer Alston and Antonio Daniels, are seeking to move to another team where they could play significant minutes. This will be contracts years for the both of them and this might be their last chance to earn a long term contract in their careers. Rafer's wish list includes New York and Miami. Rafer can finally give Mike D'Antoni a consistent PG to run his system but don't expect him to be the next Steve Nash. The Knicks could send the inconsistent Chris Duhon(6M) for Rafer(5.2M) and it will work under CBA rules. Miami has also been reported as a desirable destination for Skip To My Lou as Dwayne Wade would love to have him to in a Heat jersey this season. Both NY and Miami are willing to take on Rafer's contract as he is on an expiring deal and this will not hinder their 2010 free agency plans. There's not much interest in Daniels as he has not produced the last couple of years. A buyout is the logical choice so that a contender can sign him up for the vet's minimum.
  

UST forces rubber match with ADMU

• Sorry for the title guys. Haha.
• As expected, ADMU books a seat in the finals with a crushing 81-64win over the UST Growling Tigers. (Maybe Crying Tigers after this game.)
• ADMU is simply the better team and are still the favorites to win the UAAP crown with this victory.
• ADMU just plays the game the right way. They’ll play defense, rotate the ball and take the best shot possible.
• UST needs to study how to defend the pick-and-roll. I don’t get it why they keep on giving Jai Reyes an open shot after he comes off the screen. The guy only knows how to shoot and either switching (which should work fabulously with UST since they basically have 4 perimeter players and an agile big man on floor always) or fighting through the screen will be more than enough to neutralize Jainamite. Why is UST double teaming the screener every single time knowing the guy who came off the screen is a deadly shooter?
• I hate Jai Reyes but he surely looked like a back-to-back champion in this game. He torched UST by hitting every open shot they gave him in route to 17 points. The guy is too cocky for what he can do for his team. He’s just a measly shooter who benefits from the attention the opposing defense gives to Rabeh and Eric. (Fine, his leadership has been crucial this year for ADMU especially with the graduation of Chirs Tiu and yes this is his girl.) Eric Salamat has every right to salute to the crown every play because he has been an integral part of Eagles’ offense and DEFENSE but Jai needs to shut up and play basketball.
• Eric Salamat probably is the MVP of this Ateneo team. (I’m sorry Rabeh, I think you’re too busy talking to the refs and crying about ticky-tacky fouls. ) The guy was either snatching the ball or tipping the ball to his teammates. He was part of every defensive play in the 2^nd quarter. On the other end, he would draw the defense and make spectacular passes to his teammates. He was literally everywhere on the floor. He took a back seat in the 2^nd half as he wasn’t needed as guys like Jai and Ryan were barbecuing the Tigers. His stats of6 points, 5 assists and 4 steals are not indications of his brilliant performance.
• So sad to see Ababou and Mirza graduate on such a humiliating finish to their collegiate careers. Mirza reverted back to his old form and jacked up a ton of 3s instead of doing a Corey Maggette and fish a ton of fouls. Ababou did manage to get his number quietly but I’m sure he would’ve liked to go down fighting a closer fight. Fortuna and Teng had their moments but they should’ve done a better job of setting up those guys instead of taking ill-advised shots.
• I know their offense includes a lot of 3 point attempts but I’m sure Pido doesn’t want them to take a 3 on every damn possession. Ateneo runs for high percentage 2 point attempts and they do such a great job of selective fastbreak. They know when to push the tempo or to set up in the halfcourt.
• Hats off to Pido Jarencio this year for his new design of UST’s offense. A lot of people were expecting DLSU or ADU to enter the final 4 this year but Pido adjusted to the arsenal he was given this year without his MVP, Jervy Cruz. It’s going to be a rough year next year for them unless they’re keeping another RP youth member and another 20-10 guy in their team B.