RP cagers beat Montenegro, 99-85, in FIBA-Asia warmup game
The San Miguel Corp.-Pilipinas squad defeated on Sunday Montenegro's under-20 national team, 99-85, at the Sports Ecko Sportski Center in Belgrade, Serbia.
But the victory could be costly as forward Danny Seigle suffered a pulled hamstring and could not play for the rest of their exhibition matches, while Mark Caguioa had to take a punching foul early in the game, according to an RP team statement Monday.
Though not in the original schedule of teams to face, the Nationals gave up their day-off to play a young, tall team that was going to pressure defensively and run.
Montenegro started off with 6'-2" point guard Marko Mijovic, 6'-4" off-guard Sead Sehovic, 6'-6" small forward Aleksa Popovic, 6'-9" power forward Milovan Savovic, and 6'-10" center Maksim Sturanovic.
The Montis pressured SMC-RP and stayed in the passing lanes from the opening buzzer.
This forced the Nationals' starting unit of Jimmy Alapag, Mark Caguioa, Dondon Hontiveros, Ranidel de Ocampo, and Asi Taulava to spread out on the floor and look for backdoor cutting opportunities early.
With Seigle coming off the bench, the Nationals took a 26-18 lead after the first quarter, increasing it to 51-40 at the half by going to Jayjay Helterbrand and using their experience to offset the absence of Kerby Raymundo (due to food poisoning) and Tony dela Cruz (due to a strained back).
Sehovic, who was called for a punching foul against Caguioa in the first quarter, returned in the second half to spark his team briefly before getting repelled by the mid-post attacks of Ranidel de Ocampo, Dondon Hontiveros, and Caguioa for a 56-43 Team RP advantage.
Going to their reserves, Montenegro coach Dejan Radonjic summoned Marko Milatovic and Igor Bjelic and the duo combined to close the gap, 74-67, at the end of three quarters.
With eight minutes left, Seigle drove, pivoted, and spun to the baseline only to go down screaming in pain from a pulled hamstring.
With Seigle out and Mick Pennisi and De Ocampo fouling out, the Nationals went to Fil-Am Gabe Norwood who bailed them out at power forward with his aggressiveness and versatility.
"This was a good game for us to play as this team gave us a different look from the three we previously battled," said RP coach Chot Reyes. "The downside is the injury to Danny. Will this win turn out to be costly for us? We all hope not."
SMC-RP is priming up for the FIBA-Asia championship to be held in July in Tokushima, Japan. It's also set to compete in the Jones Cup tournament after their return from Belgrade.
Jason Castro needs to be put on the national "TRAINING" roster just for the purpose of developement. That kid is a beast. Back to Back PBL MVP and Championships from the Unity cup. Somebody needs to invest in him. Obviously he's one of if the best young HOMEGROWN talent that we have. Hell, send him to that AIB camp in Carson for a few weeks.
Also why don't we combine the NCAA and UAAP into one standardize league??? More games and more teams will help the developement of players in the Philippines.
Idig you dawg. That's a great idea. My only dilemma is how to include the college teams in visayas and mindanao? Won't it expand our pool of players and be able to scout undiscovered players. The only problem is the transportation for them to get here in manila.
2 FIBA World Championships(5 points)
2 Olympic Basketball Tournaments(5 points)
2 FIBA U19 World Championships(1 point)
2 FIBA U21 World Championships(1 point)
2 FIBA Asia Championships(0.3 point)
Competition Ranking Scoring System
Rank Weight
Gold medal 50
Silver medal 40
Bronze medal 30
4th place 15
5th place 14
7th place 13
8th place 12
9th place 11
10th place 10
11th place 9
12th place 8
13th place 7
13th place 6
14th place 5
15th place 4
16th place 3
17th place 2
18th+ place 1
The ranking is calculated within the scope of a 2 Olympic Games cycle. Here are the number of competitions that are taken into account:
2 FIBA World Championships
2 Olympic Basketball Tournaments
2 FIBA U19 World Championships
2 FIBA U21 World Championships
5 FIBA Asia Championships
Whenever a new championship is played the oldest championship of that category drops out. The FIBA Ranking is then recalculated.
But coach Chot Reyes eased the concern somewhat when he said Seigle would be ready for the Jones Cup, which opens on July 2. But he left open the possibility of not playing the somewhat injury-prone Seigle in the prestigious Chinese Taipei tournament
The game report from Belgrade said: “Things were going our way when Seigle drove the lane, pivoted and spun to the baseline then went down screaming in pain from a pulled hamstring.”
Win or lose should not be the concern in this kind of practice. Is there any news on how the team prepare their games? like what kind of game schemes, run n'gun? half-court offense? aside from the abvious lack of tall men in the center, what are the other weaknesses they noticed in the practice? These questions should be addressed, not just winning or losing by how many points.
Last edited by crouchingtiger : 06-19-2007 at 08:19 AM.
THE Philippine National Team won its game against a tall and talented under-20 Men’s National Team of Montenegro, 99-85, but suffered a major setback when Danny Seigle went down with a pulled hamstring with just eight minutes remaining in the game.
He will be out for the rest of the Belgrade stint.
But coach Chot Reyes eased the concern somewhat when he said Seigle would be ready for the Jones Cup, which opens on July 2. But he left open the possibility of not playing the somewhat injury-prone Seigle in the prestigious Chinese Taipei tournament
The game report from Belgrade said: “Things were going our way when Seigle drove the lane, pivoted and spun to the baseline then went down screaming in pain from a pulled hamstring.”
The nationals decided to forego their rest day to battle the young Serbian team that Reyes knew would pressure and run with the RP squad, which they did from the opening buzzer.
Asi Taulava scored four quick points to start the game and although the Montenegro team, led by 6’9” sweet-shooting power forward Milovan Savic battled the RP squad on even terms, the entry of Seigle enabled the Philippines to end the first quarter up by eight, 26-18.
Things got a little heated and Sead Sehovic, Montenegro’s 6’4” off guard, was called for a punching foul on Mark Caguioa in the first quarter, but when he reentered the game and started hitting some long-range shots, the Filipinos who were playing without the injured Tony de la Cruz and Kerby Raymundo, were challenged.
But experience prevailed and with Seigle and JayJay Helterbrand scoring well, the RP team ended the first half with an 11-point cushion, 51-40.
Taulava had three fouls and Reyes was forced to start the third quarter with Mick Pennisi.
Ranidel de Ocampo began attacking his much taller defenders and scored four quick points and then fed Caguioa and Dondon Hontiveros for easy baskets to increase the nationals’ lead to 13, 56-43. Ronnie Nathanielsz
- I hope Danny Seigle would be good in less than 2 weeks, I do not want another repeat in the 2002 Asian Games where the RP team missed the service of the 6'6 Dynamite Seigle.
The Athletic Mind: Rookie Watch, the Whole Nine Yards
by Sid Ventura
I hate it when my writing schedule gets interrupted. For the past three years, I’ve always divided my Rookie Watch into two separate articles, the first part for the rookies of Ateneo, Adamson, DLSU and FEU, and the second part for the NU, UE, UP and UST froshes. That way I can give adequate column space to all the teams.
But since the Soc Rivera issue surfaced two weeks ago, I felt compelled to write something about it for my first column last week. I was supposed to write Rookie Watch Part 1. And since I’m on a very tight schedule, I am forced to cram the discussion of the rookies of all eight teams into one column. So forgive me, then, if some rookies get fewer column inches than others.
Before I begin, let me explain how Rookie Watch goes. I’ve often been asked why I bother to include transferees and promotees from Team B in my annual Rookie Watch series, when the UAAP has officially ruled that they aren’t. Well, first of all, I think it would be of great service to the reading public if they would be properly introduced to those players who will be seeing action in the league for the first time, regardless of their age or playing experience. Whenever we see a new face donning our favorite team’s uniform, don’t we always go, “who’s that guy?” Rookie Watch aims to answer that question as best it can.
Second, this column is not an official league mouthpiece, so I can pretty much make my own rules (and, unlike a certain Board I know, not change them every 10 minutes).
Adamson. Lots of new faces for the Falcons this year, either eight or nine depending if Patrick Cabahug comes back for his final year. So as of this writing, it’s not yet sure exactly who the rookies will be. But allow me to discuss those who are under consideration.
First and foremost would be five-eight Jerick Cañada, a scrawny but speedy point guard who can really push the ball. He averaged 5.7 points and 3.3 assists in six games in the Nike Summer League. I’ve also heard that juniors stand-out Jeff Olalia is back after a brief fling over at Taft. Olalia averaged 14.1 points and 11.3 rebounds last season to power the Baby Falcons to a third-place finish. Julius Colina, who like Cañada comes from the Falcons training pool, is a six-three big man who is still a bit raw and tentative. His NSL averages, also over six games, were 6.8 points and 4.5 boards. Small forward Janus Lozada, another training pool member, is around six-two but just like Colina is still raw. He averaged 4.8 points and 2.0 boards in the NSL. Two recruits from Ken Bono’s alma mater Iloilo Chinese Commercial High School, point guard Kirby Sellado and small forward Jason Salvado, have the talent but may still be too inexperienced to crack the line-up.
Others in the running include slasher Francis Dela Paz, off-guard Roilan Aguilo, power forward Robbie Celiz, and guard-forward Aldrin Margallo.
Ateneo. The Blue Eagles will have four new faces in their line-up this season – guard-forward Kirk Long, small forward Raymond “Bacon” Austria, power forward Nonoy Baclao, and, from the looks of things, guard-forward Chris Sumalinog.
Of the three, Long has easily received the most hype. Can he live up to it? I’ve seen the kid play and he strikes me as someone with good basketball sense and feel for the game, although I honestly don’t know how long it will take him to adjust to the UAAP style of play. For sure, his golden locks will make him a favorite target of some rugged players.
Austria was last year’s juniors MVP from the Eaglets, where he averaged 13.3 points and 8.3 rebounds on 66% FG shooting. I don’t expect him to duplicate those figure anytime soon, though, as he will struggle to find playing time behind Zion Laterre and Ken Barracoso.
Baclao is a six-five transferee from Western Visayas State University and the most likely among the four to contribute right away. He should help with the rebounding and shot-blocking chores. Sumalinog, a six-one swingman from Cebu by way of Reedley International, will most likely ride the bench for majority of the season. But when he does get in, expect him to give quality minutes. He’s a fearless competitor who can get his shot off without too much difficulty.
De La Salle. Following their suspension, the Green Archers effectively have two seasons’ worth of rookies this year. From the supposed Season 69 batch, you have point guard Simon Atkins, forward-center Marko Batricevic, shooter Bader Malabes and center Bryan Ilad. From this year’s batch, there’s slasher Rejan Lee and center Ferdinand, although it may be argued that Lee could have also cracked the line-up last year.
Atkins led La Salle-Zobel to its first-ever juniors crown in 2005, posting impressive numbers of 11.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 3.7 steals per outing. He has struggled somewhat at the seniors level, but it’s tough to get playing time if you’re subbing for TY t*&^ . Batricevic, the six-six Serb, is still learning to play the post, but he has improved from last year and should give serviceable minutes down low.
Fil-Bahrainian Malabes is the newcomer who impresses me the most. Very athletic, can shoot well from the outside, and has a good nose for the ball. He is coming off an injury, though, which has kept him out of the Archers’ line-up in recent NSL and FilOil league games. But make no mistake, he will be a crucial part of Franz Pumaren’s rotation.
Ilad is a transferee from the Philippine College of Criminology who will provide toughness and rebounding down low. Lee, a Xavier graduate who was on La Salle’s Team B for the longest time, is like a young Joseph Yeo. Finally, the Indonesian Ferdinand is a six-five rookie from La Salle Greenhills who is still very raw and may find it hard to get minutes behind Rico Maierhoffer, Batricevic, Ilad, and Kish Co.
FEU. The Tamaraws will be parading the most number of rookies this year with 10, so forgive me if I just briefly mention some of them. Mark Barroca is a spunky and tough-as-nails point guard who isn’t flashy but is effective just the same. Ron Cabagnot, cousin of PBA pro Alex, was the last cut of Bert Flores last year. He stands around six-one and will struggle for playing time behind Benedict Fernandez. Paul Sanga, meanwhile, is a five-eleven shooter who is lean and not particularly athletic.
Jens Knuttel from FEU-FERN deserves an award for being the first FEU rookie in years who is a legitimate college freshman. Knuttel averaged 8.9 points and 4.1 assists for the Baby Tams last year. Forwards JR Cawaling and Riel Cervantes, though, are the best among the lot, typical FEU players who are athletic and quick. Cawaling averaged 5.8 ppg and Cervantes 6.7 in the NSL. Finally, Aldrech Ramos is a lean six-four center with decent skills. The last three slots will most probably go to six-three power forward Sanny Abaring, six-five center Russell Yaya, and six-three forward-center Jun Tanuan.
NU. The Bulldogs will have seven rookies this year, led by a pair of frontliners in Raymund Aguilar and Jewel Ponferrada. Aguilar is a six-four transferee from San Sebastian who is a good rebounder and post scorer. He brings experience and court smarts to the table. Ponferrada, a six-five find from Tacloban, is well-built with good moves down low. These two should be good complements to Joseph Lingaolingao.
Another rookie ready to step up is six-two Mark Joseph Berry, who averaged a respectable 9.8 points and 9.0 boards in the NSL. Other newcomers fighting it out for roster spots include point guard John Carlo Nuyles, forward Elmer Fabula, forward Aaron Galapon, forward Mervin Boloran and guard Joseph Terso.
UE. The Red Warriors only found space for three newcomers this year: shooting guard Paul Lee, power forward Mark Pampulme, and shooting guard Gino Etrone. The six-foot Lee hails from the 2005 NCAA juniors champion San Sebastian Staglets and spent last year on the Warrior’s reserve pool. He’s an athletic shooter who will most likely be Marcy Arellano’s chief reliever. Pampulme is a wide-bodied banger with not too much quickness but who should get the job done off the boards. Etrone is a lean shooter who doesn’t figure to see too much playing time this year.
UP. For the second straight year, the Maroons will be fielding in nine rookies. And for the second straight year, the rookies are impressive. Let’s start off with the three members of last year’s Junior Division Mythical Five. Easily, the most controversial is six-four forward-center Soc Rivera, who this early is already drawing comparisons to FEU great Arwind Santos. Rivera averaged 13.5 points, 11.3 rebounds and 4.2 blocks last year for the Baby Tams. His fellow Baby Tam Mark Lopez, meanwhile, is an extremely athletic six-footer with very good defensive skills and a nice shooting touch. Lopez had norms of 12.1 points, 9.3 boards, and 1.7 steals last year. The Holy Trinity is completed by five-eight point guard Mike Gamboa from Ateneo, who averaged 13.3 points and 3.9 assists for the champion Eaglets.
A third Baby Tam, Dexter Rosales, is a speedy point guard who averaged 12.8 points and 3.8 assists last year. Rosales at times played better than Gamboa in the pre-season games, so expect him to make an impact. The fifth rookie who will likely see significant playing time is six-four center Andrew Marfori, who spent a year in the training pool after a stellar 2005 season at UPIS where he averaged 13.6 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.7 blocks. Rivera may be quicker and Magi Sison may be taller, but Marfori is easily the smartest of UP’s big men.
The others fighting it out for the last three slots are six-one small forward Julius Wong from Letran, a very athletic kid who could be UP’s small forward of the future, six-one slasher Dioboy Hipolito, six-foot shooter Zarlo Dela Victoria, five-eleven guard Kyle Yulo from San Beda, and six-four center Cyron Lozano from Ateneo de Davao. Hipolito, from Claret, and Dela Victoria, from ADDU, both spent last year in the training pool.
UST. Technically, the defending champs will only have three slots available this year, but since the team’s mainstays haven’t played in public all summer, it’s hard to say who’s in and who’s out. The best bets appears to be point guard Rum Perry Scott, a five-nine transferee from Lyceum, Kashim Mirza, a six-four wingman (yet another in the UST mold of tall players who play multiple positions), and Hector Badua, an ex-Tiger Cub who is deadly from the outside.
Team Pilipinas is only 8-7 since the team has been assembled. That’s barely over 500. That’s unacceptable. The good news is they have a couple of months left to prepare and hopefully they can Get rid of Helterbrand, Pennisi, and Baby De Ocampo for Willie Miller, Big De Ocampo and Kelly Williams.
Kelly Williams is an NCAA division 1 athlete and Willie Miller is the Best player in the Philippines right now not on the National team. Him and Mark the Spark would make an unstoppable Guard line up. Both are interchangeable at the 1 and 2.
Add that to the camp in Europe and they should be alright come time for Japan.
• Philippines 122-55 Singapore (Southeast Asia Basketball Association Championship 2007, Ratchaburi, Thailand)[4]
• Al Rayyan Qatar 95 Philippines 75 Tehran, Iran (2007 FIBA Asia Champions Cup at the Azadi Sports Complex)
• Al Jaala Syria 109 Philippines 77 Tehran, Iran (2007 FIBA Asia Champions Cup at the Azadi Sports Complex)
• Philippines 94 Blue Star Lebanon 83 Tehran, Iran (2007 FIBA Asia Champions Cup at the Azadi Sports Complex)
• Philippines 99 Al Muharraq Bahrain 80 Tehran, Iran (2007 FIBA Asia Champions Cup at the Azadi Sports Complex)
• Al Jaala Syria 114 Philippines 80 Tehran, Iran (2007 FIBA Asia Champions Cup at the Azadi Sports Complex)
• Asanta Tigers 75 Philippines 66 Tehran, Iran (2007 FIBA Asia Champions Cup at the Azadi Sports Complex)
• Saba Battery Iran 101 Philippines 88 Tehran, Iran (2007 FIBA Asia Champions Cup at the Azadi Sports Complex)
• Philippines 103-100 PBA Imports (2007 exhibition game, Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City, Philippines)[5]
• Philippines 93-89 Cal State-Long Beach (2007 tune-up Game, Home Depot Center, Carson City, California, USA)
• Cal State-Fullerton 93-90 Philippines (2007 tune-up Game, Home Depot Center, Carson City, California, USA)
• Philippines 98-74 ABA/USBL Selection (2007 tune-up game, Home Depot Center, Carson City, California, USA)
• Philippines 90-71 Cal State-Dominguez Hills (2007 tune-up Game, Home Depot Center, Carson City, California, USA)
• The Hollywood Fame 100-76 Philippines (2007 tune-up game, Home Depot Center, Carson City, California, USA)
• Philippines 98-81 The Hollywood Fame (2007 tune-up game, Home Depot Center, Carson City, California, USA)
Correct me if I am wrong but the Team Pilipinas went 2-4 in this Belgrade trip. If that is the case then they are now 13-11. Going all the way back from their first tune up game of the year.
Swiss Lions send RP five home with loss
Inquirer, 06/21/2007
BELGRADE -- Coach Chot Reyes said the nationals were going to get beaten black and blue but they could learn something in the process.
The San Miguel-RP squad wrapped up its Serbian remedial class on international basketball with a loss Monday night but left for home armed with added knowledge it hopes to use as it guns for an Olympic berth next month.
Playing its fifth game in five days, the short-handed Nationals went for another victory but fell short against the Swisslion Takovo Lions, 86-79, in a game played in Vrsac, a small town 80 kilometers northeast of Belgrade.
The RP scoreboard at the end of its tough Serbian tour was two wins and three losses, a decent performance considering that Reyes had anticipated lopsided losses for his boys all the way.
Coming off a 90-minute bus ride and arriving at the arena barely 30 minutes before game time, the Nationals started sluggishly against the Lions and fell behind by 15 points at the half, 57-42.
But the Filipinos fought back like wounded tigers in the last two quarters despite playing with only nine players.
Top gun Danny Seigle, do-everything forward Tony dela Cruz and sweet-shooting Dondon Hontiveros missed the game due to a variety of ailments, allowing the Lions to take control early with a tall lineup made up of 6-3 point guard Milos Kasabasic, 6-5 shooting guard Vladimir Vlaskovic, 6-6 Nikolai Gacie, 6-9 power forward Danilo Mijanovic, and 6-10 center Dalibor Djapa.
Mijanovic, a strong left-handed inside player with a deadly 3-point touch, and Djapa hit six 3-pointers between them as each scored 16 points in the first half to lead the Swisslion charge.
“This was a great trip,” said Mark Caguioa. “This is what basketball is all about. The NBA is part entertainment. Here, basketball is their life. I learned so much in our stay here.”
“I think we really improved in this trip, both in our game, and in our conditioning,” said Asi Taulava. “We are now getting in FIBA shape, not PBA shape.”
WILLIAMS, MENK, YAP BOLSTER SMC-RP POOL
New additions likely to suit up for Jones Cup
Thursday, 21 June 2007
SMC-Pilipinas is beefing up its pool of players with the addition of Kelly Williams, Eric Menk and James Yap, and has set the Jones Cup competition as the final cutoff date to determine the players to be sent to the FIBA-Asia Olympic qualifier next month in Japan.
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Williams personally talked to PBA commissioner Noli Eala Wednesday, giving his commitment to play for the team even if he’s to forego his planned US vacation.
Menk and Yap have also been invited to join the training upon the team’s return from its training trip in Belgrade, Serbia.
"I’m very happy with these developments specially with Kelly’s decision to forego his vacation. It speaks volumes of the man. Kelly showed true sign of commitment to help the cause of the RP team," said Eala.
"I’m also thankful for Menk who manifested excitement and willingness to join the training without guarantee from coach Chot Reyes that he will make the Tokushima competition. Hopefully, James also accepts the invitation to join the training," Eala added.
Eala said Williams, Menk and Yap would likely be tapped for the Jones Cup, giving coach Reyes 14 players at his disposal in the tiring nine-day competition. Tony de la Cruz is likely to be relegated as reserve because of his injury.
"At this time, the Tokushima lineup is still an open field. Players already in the team definitely have the inside track. But at the end of the day, the players in best shape and who could best contribute for the team in Japan are likely to make it," said Eala.
"We’re beefing up the team. Hopefully, this adjustment works for the betterment of the team as the Tokushima trip nears," Eala added.
The PBA commissioner expressed satisfaction on the team’s Belgrade trip although it caused injuries to De la Cruz, Danny Seigle and Dondon Hontiveros.
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Eala said Reyes is planning to use Seigle sparingly in the Jones Cup to preserve him for the 4-Nation Manila Invitational Championship. Seigle is nursing a hamstring pull.
Fil-Am player Gabe Norwood is also proceeding to the Jones Cup although his lawyer has yet to submit complete documents that will certify his Filipino citizenship.
"His papers are lacking but we’ll do this properly. We’ll not cheat our way to getting someone who’s not qualified," Eala said. (NC)
Eric Menk is a washed up broken down 6'5 power forward. Why even pick him up when you already have Villanueva. A player that is better than him at this point. He is not going to help. What a terrible choice. HE'S A BUM!!!
Eric Menk is a washed up broken down 6'5 power forward. Why even pick him up when you already have Villanueva. A player that is better than him at this point. He is not going to help. What a terrible choice. HE'S A BUM!!!
Kelly Williams will help and Yap will help also.
because enrico is a bum also, he may be a beast but has attitude problems (HENCE HIS TRADE FROM REDBULL). I dunno why are national team keeps on ignoring Willie Miller, the guy can seriously help break down the defense to give scoring opportunties to the Phil. Bigs. But I do see your point in Menk being a little overall the hill, id rather have Rudy Hatfield.
because enrico is a bum also, he may be a beast but has attitude problems (HENCE HIS TRADE FROM REDBULL). I dunno why are national team keeps on ignoring Willie Miller, the guy can seriously help break down the defense to give scoring opportunties to the Phil. Bigs. But I do see your point in Menk being a little overall the hill, id rather have Rudy Hatfield.
i think the reason why willie miller is being igonored is because the team is already loaded in the 1-2 position.
Re: Official RP National Team
