Lebron23
07-05-2007, 12:21 PM
Primer: NCAA senior men's basketball
06/25/2007 | 10:14 PM
http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s170/Legend_Stopper/DaveMarcelo.jpg
With the 83rd season of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) opened just last Saturday, fans of the most popular game in the league — basketball, of course — would be huddled in discussion as to how their favorite teams would fare. Here's a primer to add a bit of fuel to the fire.
San Beda Red Lions
Defending champions
Rank: 1 (2006)
Ask the six other coaches in the collegiate league and they would be one in saying that the San Beda Red Lions’, the 2006 NCAA champs, are this year’s top choice to win the coveted basketball plum for the second year in a row.
And who would reject this bold statement?
Basically, the Red Lions have remained intact, with 2006 Most Valuable Player (MVP) Sam Ekwe still at the helm, along with holdovers 6-4 power forward Yousif Aljamal Jr., 6-0 point-guard Pong Escobal, and shooter Rogemar Menor — all ready to provide the combo-punches.
Ekwe, an exchange student from Nigeria, has averages of 13.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, four blocks, one assist, and one steal in 14 regular season games. Aljamal, meanwhile, has averages of 13.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assist in 26.8 minutes of action last year. Escobal is not far behind with 11.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 29.4 minutes of play time.
The 6'-2" Menor also has good numbers for the team — 8.6 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 14 games last year.
While Aljamal, Escobal, and Menor provide stability and firepower, the 6-8 Ekwe is again expected to terrorize his opponents with his ferocious rebounding and shot blocking ability.
Another reason why San Beda is the top choice to win the title is the absence of last year’s losing finalist Philippine Christian University (PCU) Dolphins, who were suspended by the league board for one year for violating a league rule.
A member of the PCU Dolphins was found to have switched his identity with his cousin to enable him to play in the high school division and that led to PCU’s suspension in the country’s oldest collegiate league.
Newly-acquired coach Frankie Lim, a Red Lion himself during his heydays in the collegiate league in the late 70s, will also have rookies 6'-0" Garvo Lanete, 6'-5" behemoth Dave Marcelo, Alvin Padilla and Jose Caram, manning the patrol lanes of the team, in their bid to capture a back-to-back title and 13th overall in its storied basketball history.
Lanete, Marcelo, Padilla, and Caram all came from San Beda’s junior team.
The defending champs also toughened themselves by training for two weeks abroad in Carson, California.
In an interview, Lim said expectations are high, especially among San Beda's basketball-crazy students and alumni, who expect to grab another title this year. Lim cautioned, however, that every other team in the league has a legitimate chance of snatching the basketball title considering that they, too, has toughened themselves up for the coming basketball wars.
Lim particularly mentioned the Jose Rizal University (JRU) Heavy Bombers and the Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT) Cardinals as the toughest competitors in the fold right now.
"We have tough opponents," Lim mentioned. "JRU is surging. Mapua improved since Leo Isaac arrived. Unpredictable ang Mapua."
Lim said the team’s strength will still lie on their toughness in the defensive side what with Ekwe expected to tower and bully his way over his other opponents as Aljamal and Escobal deliver the usual points for the team.
Lim added that experience will also be a key towards a back-to-back crown for them as most of his players are already in their third and fourth years in the league.
“We also have the height and the experience to back up our bid for a back-to-back crown. We hope this could again carry us to the promise land,” Lim said.
The Red Lions
Coach: Frankie Lim
Raymund Maggay (6'-3"), Enrico Patroceino Tirona, Jr. (5'-9"), Riego Gamalinda (6'-3"), Garvo Lanete (6'-0"), Eduardo Tecson, Jr. (6'-2"), Yousif Aljamal (6'-4"), David Paul Marcelo (6'-5"), Antonio Jose Caram (5'-7"), Samuel Ekwe (6'-8"), Jay-R Taganas (6'-4"), Rogemar Menor (6'-2"), John Carlos Hermida (5'-9"), Alvin Padilla (6'-1"), John Paul Escobal (6'-0"), Kristoffer Taupa (6'-5")
Letran Knights
On a rebuilding stage
Rank: 3 (2006)
The Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights, considered a powerhouse school in the NCAA with 16 basketball titles, came up short in their bid to win another title last year, being beaten by the Philippine Christian University (PCU) Dolphins in a tie-breaker to determine who would challenge the Red Lions for the championship crown.
For 2007, the Knights find themselves on unfamiliar ground as coach Louie Alas admitted that they are embarking on a three-year rebuilding journey what with key losses of players hampering their bid for an NCAA crown.
Without key players Aaron Aban and Boyet Bautista, who got intothe Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) in the 2006 draft, the Knights will have to rely on holdovers led by 6’ -2” forward Andro Gil Quinday, 6'-5" center Bryan Faundo, guard John Melegrito, and 6’-3” Dino Daa to be the Knights in shining armor for this season.
Last year, Daa averaged 5.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, Quinday 4.6 points and 5.4 rebounds, and Faundo 3.4 points and 3.4 rebounds.
Though not expecting too much from his players, as most of them are still rookies, Alas said this does not mean that they will just roll over and die for their opponents.
“Hindi namin gagawing reason [the rebuilding stage] para matalo na lang,” Alas said.
“The team still needa to improve on a lot of things, but we can assure the other teams that we can give them a run for their money because we will treat every game as a do-or-die for us,” he added.
To compensate for some of their weaknesses — like not having a go-to-guy especially during clutch situations — Alas said his team, which last won an NCAA title in 2005, will rely more on their offensive plays and patterns in the hope of landing a spot in the Final Four.
“I still got a mix of veterans and rookies in my fold who are ready to wage war against the elite squads of the league such as San Beda and the Mapua Cardinals. We may not be as strong defensively and offensively as the other squads but we are a fighting unit,” Alas said.
“Sila na lang mamroblema sa amin,” he added.
The Knights
Coach: Louie Alas
Reymar Gutilban (5'-11"), Bryan Faundo (6'-6"), Anjoe Dace Latonio (6'-3"), Alvyn Cabonce (6'-3"), John Foronda (6'-6"), John Karl Melegrito (5'-11"), Kirk Del Rosario (5'-11"), Reynaldo Dangkal (5'-8"), Schubert Carlo Reposar (6'-3"), John Clarence Foronda (6'-3"), Dino Fiel Daa (6'-3"), Andro Gil Quinday (6'-2"), Regin Reneses (6'-3"), Rey Francis Guevara (6'-4"), Rafael Joey Jazul (5'-10")
06/25/2007 | 10:14 PM
http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s170/Legend_Stopper/DaveMarcelo.jpg
With the 83rd season of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) opened just last Saturday, fans of the most popular game in the league — basketball, of course — would be huddled in discussion as to how their favorite teams would fare. Here's a primer to add a bit of fuel to the fire.
San Beda Red Lions
Defending champions
Rank: 1 (2006)
Ask the six other coaches in the collegiate league and they would be one in saying that the San Beda Red Lions’, the 2006 NCAA champs, are this year’s top choice to win the coveted basketball plum for the second year in a row.
And who would reject this bold statement?
Basically, the Red Lions have remained intact, with 2006 Most Valuable Player (MVP) Sam Ekwe still at the helm, along with holdovers 6-4 power forward Yousif Aljamal Jr., 6-0 point-guard Pong Escobal, and shooter Rogemar Menor — all ready to provide the combo-punches.
Ekwe, an exchange student from Nigeria, has averages of 13.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, four blocks, one assist, and one steal in 14 regular season games. Aljamal, meanwhile, has averages of 13.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assist in 26.8 minutes of action last year. Escobal is not far behind with 11.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in 29.4 minutes of play time.
The 6'-2" Menor also has good numbers for the team — 8.6 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 14 games last year.
While Aljamal, Escobal, and Menor provide stability and firepower, the 6-8 Ekwe is again expected to terrorize his opponents with his ferocious rebounding and shot blocking ability.
Another reason why San Beda is the top choice to win the title is the absence of last year’s losing finalist Philippine Christian University (PCU) Dolphins, who were suspended by the league board for one year for violating a league rule.
A member of the PCU Dolphins was found to have switched his identity with his cousin to enable him to play in the high school division and that led to PCU’s suspension in the country’s oldest collegiate league.
Newly-acquired coach Frankie Lim, a Red Lion himself during his heydays in the collegiate league in the late 70s, will also have rookies 6'-0" Garvo Lanete, 6'-5" behemoth Dave Marcelo, Alvin Padilla and Jose Caram, manning the patrol lanes of the team, in their bid to capture a back-to-back title and 13th overall in its storied basketball history.
Lanete, Marcelo, Padilla, and Caram all came from San Beda’s junior team.
The defending champs also toughened themselves by training for two weeks abroad in Carson, California.
In an interview, Lim said expectations are high, especially among San Beda's basketball-crazy students and alumni, who expect to grab another title this year. Lim cautioned, however, that every other team in the league has a legitimate chance of snatching the basketball title considering that they, too, has toughened themselves up for the coming basketball wars.
Lim particularly mentioned the Jose Rizal University (JRU) Heavy Bombers and the Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT) Cardinals as the toughest competitors in the fold right now.
"We have tough opponents," Lim mentioned. "JRU is surging. Mapua improved since Leo Isaac arrived. Unpredictable ang Mapua."
Lim said the team’s strength will still lie on their toughness in the defensive side what with Ekwe expected to tower and bully his way over his other opponents as Aljamal and Escobal deliver the usual points for the team.
Lim added that experience will also be a key towards a back-to-back crown for them as most of his players are already in their third and fourth years in the league.
“We also have the height and the experience to back up our bid for a back-to-back crown. We hope this could again carry us to the promise land,” Lim said.
The Red Lions
Coach: Frankie Lim
Raymund Maggay (6'-3"), Enrico Patroceino Tirona, Jr. (5'-9"), Riego Gamalinda (6'-3"), Garvo Lanete (6'-0"), Eduardo Tecson, Jr. (6'-2"), Yousif Aljamal (6'-4"), David Paul Marcelo (6'-5"), Antonio Jose Caram (5'-7"), Samuel Ekwe (6'-8"), Jay-R Taganas (6'-4"), Rogemar Menor (6'-2"), John Carlos Hermida (5'-9"), Alvin Padilla (6'-1"), John Paul Escobal (6'-0"), Kristoffer Taupa (6'-5")
Letran Knights
On a rebuilding stage
Rank: 3 (2006)
The Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights, considered a powerhouse school in the NCAA with 16 basketball titles, came up short in their bid to win another title last year, being beaten by the Philippine Christian University (PCU) Dolphins in a tie-breaker to determine who would challenge the Red Lions for the championship crown.
For 2007, the Knights find themselves on unfamiliar ground as coach Louie Alas admitted that they are embarking on a three-year rebuilding journey what with key losses of players hampering their bid for an NCAA crown.
Without key players Aaron Aban and Boyet Bautista, who got intothe Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) in the 2006 draft, the Knights will have to rely on holdovers led by 6’ -2” forward Andro Gil Quinday, 6'-5" center Bryan Faundo, guard John Melegrito, and 6’-3” Dino Daa to be the Knights in shining armor for this season.
Last year, Daa averaged 5.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, Quinday 4.6 points and 5.4 rebounds, and Faundo 3.4 points and 3.4 rebounds.
Though not expecting too much from his players, as most of them are still rookies, Alas said this does not mean that they will just roll over and die for their opponents.
“Hindi namin gagawing reason [the rebuilding stage] para matalo na lang,” Alas said.
“The team still needa to improve on a lot of things, but we can assure the other teams that we can give them a run for their money because we will treat every game as a do-or-die for us,” he added.
To compensate for some of their weaknesses — like not having a go-to-guy especially during clutch situations — Alas said his team, which last won an NCAA title in 2005, will rely more on their offensive plays and patterns in the hope of landing a spot in the Final Four.
“I still got a mix of veterans and rookies in my fold who are ready to wage war against the elite squads of the league such as San Beda and the Mapua Cardinals. We may not be as strong defensively and offensively as the other squads but we are a fighting unit,” Alas said.
“Sila na lang mamroblema sa amin,” he added.
The Knights
Coach: Louie Alas
Reymar Gutilban (5'-11"), Bryan Faundo (6'-6"), Anjoe Dace Latonio (6'-3"), Alvyn Cabonce (6'-3"), John Foronda (6'-6"), John Karl Melegrito (5'-11"), Kirk Del Rosario (5'-11"), Reynaldo Dangkal (5'-8"), Schubert Carlo Reposar (6'-3"), John Clarence Foronda (6'-3"), Dino Fiel Daa (6'-3"), Andro Gil Quinday (6'-2"), Regin Reneses (6'-3"), Rey Francis Guevara (6'-4"), Rafael Joey Jazul (5'-10")