Who should replace JImmy Alapag?

courtesy of: fiba.com

It's a known fact around the Philippine archipelago that Gilas captain Jimmy Alapag may have played his final game against Senegal. The question that lies ahead of the SBP is: Who can replace The Mighty Mouse? Who can duplicate his outside shooting? His knack for the big shots? His passing proficiency? And more importantly, who can emulate his leadership and attitude? Who will be Gilas Pilipinas' captain?

Sure, Jayson Castro William or LA Tenorio can (and most probably will) replace Jimmy at the point. William is the Best Point Guard in Asia, as shown in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championships. But is he capable of leading this squad at a young age? Can he take and make the game-winners? We have seen him "choke" during the Argentina game, where he miffed a potential game-winner by double-touching at the peak of the jump.

Tenorio, on the other hand, is accustomed to the role of a leader. He's the primary point guard in Barangay Ginebra. He can make those buzzer-beaters. He'll pass the ball like a maestro. The question is: Is he willing to take up the cudgels as a captain? Can he lead an elite group composed of the best players in the league?

Outside of the current squad, we have more players to select from. We have Jayvee Casio and Mark Barroca from Alaska and San Mig, respectively, both of which have represented us with the rest of Gilas 1.0. Then there's Alex Cabagnot, Mike Cortez, Chris Ross, and a lot more. With regards to the youngsters, we'll see Kevin Alas (part of the Philippine cadet pool), Stanley Pringle, the highly touted point guard out of Penn State, and Chris Banchero, a San Miguel (ABL, not the PBA team) team member who was instrumental to their success.

However, one question will still linger around, even if you take in account their skill. Can they lead the now-revitalized Philippine team?

We won't know for sure who will be the Philippines prized point guard, but it will be exciting to see the battle for that spot. (GS)

[VIDEO] Watch Gilas do a cameo in FIBA's official theme song.

Since we're less than 24 hours away from the 2014 FIBA World Cup tip-off, I'd like to give all of the Filipino fans a special treat.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the official 2014 FIBA World Cup Theme Song "Sube La Copa", by Spanish singer Huecco

While this song is worthy of the Last Song Syndrome, what makes this song special (for Filipinos) is the cameo roles of Gilas stalwarts Gabe Norwood, Ranidel de Ocampo, and Japeth Aguilar. 

Wait, where's Gary David? ANd who knew de Ocampo can bust out some serious dance moves? --GS-- 

Rating the first round of the Draft

IN ANY DRAFT, YOU SHOULD EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED.
Basically, that was the case with this year’s PBA Draft. Only the first overall pick (and to some extent, the eleventh pick) was assured. The rest was in total chaos, so to speak. The only thing left to do is to wonder, how did these teams fare out.
I’ll be handing out report cards on every pick in the first round. In the future though, I may give a grade on every team’s performance in the draft. The grading system is largely based on the team’s needs, the quality of the player, and in the event of a trade, the significance of the traded asset for the draftee.

Round 1 Pick 1 – Stanley Pringle (GlobalPort Batang Pier)

Grade: A-
Pringle was, undeniably, a lock for this spot. After deciding to join the draft, a lot of hype surrounded him, and what lucky team will be able to get hold of him.
Alas, GlobalPort is very, very lucky indeed.
Though Pido Jarencio must find a way on how to rotate him, Alex Cabagnot, and Terrence Romeo in the line-up, Pringle will obviously contribute in his own way, whether it may be in the form of scoring, passing, or rebounding.

Round 1 Pick 2 – Kevin Alas (Rain or Shine Elasto Painters)

Grade: A+
With the imminent departure of star guard Paul Lee, Terry Yu needed an immediate replacement for him.
Then comes Kevin Alas, the Letran standout.
Kevin, having tons of international experience on his belt, has Lee’s upper body strength, the uncanny ability to create for his teammates, and his fearlessness in attacking the rim, whether its a 6’10 center or a 6’0 guard.
His three-point shot, though, is an entirely different story…

Round 1 Pick 3 – Ronald Pascual (Barako Bull Energy, traded to San Miguel Beermen for Duncil, Lanete, 2014 2nd-rounder and 2016 first rounder)

Grade: B+
Honestly, I never expected Ronald Pascual here at #3.
Pascual, an athletic forward with a deadly outside shot, is a great 3rd pick for the Beermen. However, he may find himself scrapping for minutes against the likes of Arwind Santos, Doug Kramer, Justin Chua, Rico Maierhofer, and June Mar Fajardo. Best-case scenario is Pascual  playing alongside Kramer and Fajardo in a big line-up, while at worst, he’ll be SMB’s James Forrester.

Round 1 Pick 4 – Matt Ganuelas (NLEX Road Warriors)

Grade: B+
Although Ganuelas is one of the cornerstones of Sinag Pilipinas, he does not fill NLEX’s (then called Air21) greatest deficiency: a true point guard.
Ganuelas can dish the ball all right, and with that, he is able to play a point forward role. However, his inconsistency within the game, lack of confidence, and a shaky mid-range jumper makes him more of a liability on the offensive end. His defense though is his calling card. He can swat shots like a flyswatter with incredible timing.

Round 1 Pick 5 – Chris Banchero (Alaska Aces)

Grade: A-
Alaska needs a back-up point guard for JVee Casio. Luckily, Chris Banchero fell down the draft ladder this far.
While initially pegged as a top-3 pick, other teams had other things in mind on draft day. It’ll probably be a blessing in disguise for Banchero, as he will have a lot of playing as a primary back-up to Casio.
In any case, Alaska may opt to start Casio and Cyrus Baguio, then Banchero and RJ Jazul will be the relievers.

Round 1 Pick 6 – Rodney Brondial (Barangay Ginebra San Miguel)

Grade: B
Barangay Ginebra fans, rejoice!
Finally, someone who can ably back-up on any of the feared twin towers. Brondial is a 6’5 forward with a rebounding tenacity that rivals that of Marc Pingris. He can also bang bodies with other big men. However, his lateral quickness may be an issue, but that is hardly needed in a triangle offense that Juno Sauler is implementing.
 
Round 1 Pick 7 – Anthony Semerad (San Mig Coffee Mixers, traded to GlobalPort with 2016 1nd-rounder for this pick, 2016 first-rounder, and 2018 second-rounder)

Grade: A-
One-half of the Semerad Twins, Anthony is a strech forward capable of shooting the three-point shot. However, unlike other strech forwards (Jay Washington, Mick Pennisi), Semerad is perfectly capable of posting up against big men, which puts him in a huge advantage.
Surely, Anthony Semerad is an upgrade from the likes of Jewel Ponferada.

Round 1 Pick 8 – Jake Pascual (Barako Bull Energy)

Grade: B+
The man widely known as “The Snake” is probably your average big man: scoring from the post, crashing the boards, occasionally swatting shots. But one thing sets Pascual apart from other bigs; his passing sense. He is 6’5 big man, yet he passes like Gabe Norwood or any other point forward.
And in a team that has an extremely stagnant offense that lacks an efficient reserve big man, Pascual is water in the middle of a desert. A really dry desert.

Round 1 Pick 9 – Jericho Cruz (Rain or Shine Elasto Painters)

Grade: B-
Knowing Rain or Shine already has a lot of go-to guys (Jeff Chan, Gabe Norwood, Beau Belga, to name a few), it’s hard to think where Cruz will go with this team.
With that being said, Coach Yeng Guiao has a knack of making players effective with minimal playing time. Just ask Jervy Cruz and other Rain or Shine bench players. And there is always a place for a scorer in any team.

Round 1 Pick 10 – David Semerad (Barako Bull Energy)
 

Grade: A-
Given the lack of young big men in this team, it only seemed natural that Barako got their hands on David Semerad.
And for good reason.
He may be a bench-warmer in San Beda, but given the minutes, he sure can play. Once upon a time, he led San Beda in a title-clinching match in ’86 with 15 points, 3 boards and a block in 22 minutes. Isn’t that enough proof?

Round 1 Pick 11 – Manny Pacquiao (Kia Sorentos)

Grade: B+
In case you’re wondering, Sorentos is now Kia’s official monicker, derived from one of their car model’s names.
Back to the draft, Kia made a good move getting Pac-man. Why? Because, obviously, Pacquiao is the face of this franchise. He may not play as well as his cousin (who was also drafted by Kia), but he’s probably the only guy the average Juan may know.
Now to prove he can be a good playing coach…

Round 1 Pick 12 – Juami Tiongson (Blackwater Elite)

Grade: A
Though Tiongson never suited up in the D-League, he played in a few ligang labas games for the Elite. And, boy, he did impress! With Blackwater getting two brick-throwing-from-rainbow-country quarterbacks in Paul Artadi and Chris Timberlake, the sweet-shooting guard from Ateneo will prove to be an excellent choice. (GS)

Team USA: An Abundance of Guards

First of all, I would like to apologize to any John Green fans who may have felt insulted with the teeny-tiny reference. However, that is what most defines Team USA today.

The undisputed favorites of this tournament, USA trots out an 15-man lineup with 9 guards. 9. EFFIN. GUARDS. Though you can count some as swingmen (SGs who can play the 3), that is still an awful lot of guards. So how did this situation come about? Lemme tell you how.

Before anyone else, LeBron James, Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, and Carmelo Anthony called it quits, deciding to watch the tournament on their screens rather than from the bench. Then came Blake Griffin’s (injury), Kevin Love’s (free agency situation), and LaMarcus Aldridge’s (no one knows) decision to leave the team. Afterwards, Paul George suffered a horrific leg injury that made him miss not only the FIBA World Cup, but the entire NBA season. Lastly, things may have took a turn for the worst when Kevin Durant exited the team for some reason.

However, the overpopulation of 1’s and 2’s in this lineup isn’t as bad as it sounds. If anything, it makes me want to watch USA more (though I support my home team). Any basketball fan will drool when you combine two of these sights:

    a) Kyrie Irving’s insane handles

    b) Steph Curry’s lights-out shooting and overlooked dribbling

    c) Damian Lillard’s athleticism and clutch shooting

    d) Derrick Rose’s energy. ‘Nuff said

What might happen if: you  take all four of them, along with any of two terrific three-point gunners (Kyle Korver and Klay Thompson), a creative offensive specialist (James Harden), a handful of energetic big men (DeMarcus Cousins, Andre Drummond, Paul Millsap, and Kenneth Faried), and one uni-browed freak of nature (Anthony Davis)? You get an automatic semi-final slot in the FIBA World Cup!

 

The reason why I only granted the Americans an assured semi-final slot is because of the gaping hole in the 4 spot. With the absence of notable players such as Love, Aldridge, and James, a void is left at the power forward slot. And if predictions are correct, we may see an early semi-final showdown between USA and Spain, setting up a showdown between the Spanish triumvirate of Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol, and Serge Ibaka, and the American bigs. And frankly, I could not think of how Faried or Drummond can outmuscle Marc, much less his brother Pau.

However, setting aside that notion, I believe that USA still has a strong chance of retaining the title of the world's best basketball nation. Unlike the previous tournaments though, it's not a lock for the crown, mainly because of the lack of natural forwards. -GS-

The Argentines: Powerhouse of Group B

FIBA Men’s Basketball Ranking	3rd
Notable Players	Scola, Luis [F/C, 6’9, 18.8 PPG (2013 FiAm)]
	Prigioni, Pablo [G, 6’3, 4.2 PPG, 6.5 APG (2012 LoOl)]
	Nocioni, Andres [F, 6’7, 10.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG (2011 FiAm)]
	Campazzo, Facundo [PG, 5’10, 13.5 PPG, 6.2 APG (2013 FiAm)]
	Mata, Marcos (F, 6’7, 7.2 PPG, 4.4 RPG (2013 FiAm)]

Argentina is, frankly, the team to beat in Group B. Even without their main weapon, San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, the roster is completely solid. Though lacking in NBA talent (Nocioni, Prigioni, and Scola are the only NBA players), the remaining team members are able to compete against other NBA-caliber players. Most notable of them is  Facundo Campazzo, who at 5-foot-10 is small compared to other team members. However, his exemplary passing skill, accompanied by a steady three-point shot, to the tune of 41.9 percent from beyond the arc, makes him stand out against the rest of his teammates.

However, if one thing may trip this mighty team, it is their free-throw shooting. Contrary to the popular belief, free throws are of utmost importance to any team, most especially during the end-game. During the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship for Men, where they clinched the 3rd spot, the Argentines shot a measly 68.1% from the charity stripe. This immense free-throw problem may prove to be a wrench in the Argentinian dream for glory.

Notable Player

Pablo Prigioni (PG, 6-foot-3, 185 lbs)

 

Plays for: New York Knicks (NBA)

Prigioni, though not well-known like his teammates Ginobili and Scola, has been an effective contributor to his team, the New York Knicks. Though often seen sitting on the bench, he is already proven to be an effective contributor for his team. He is an effective ball-handler like Campazzo, however, he has a deadlier outside stroke (46.4 percent, mind you), making him the probable scoring leader of this team. Of course, there’s also a chance Scola outwits Father Time and revert to his more lethal form. But until that thought comes to life, the Argentine fans should pray that Prigioni plays his best game every day.

Rain or Shine forces rubber match, delays Grand Slam

PBA/Nuki Sabio | Paul Lee takes on three blue shirts yesterday

No Grand Slam celebration is happening just yet.

Rain or Shine, showing their real form in tough defense and balanced scoring attack, foiled San Mig Coffee's one of two Grand Slam shots, 88-79, to set-up a winner-take-all, rubber match come Wednesday night. Rain or Shine will gun for just its second championship despite its strong line-up, while San Mig Coffee is seeking the eluded "triple crown".

It was a tightly contested first quarter, with the score tied at 21-all. But seldom-used third-stringer Jonathan Uyloan brought the spark that Rain or Shine badly needed, scoring eight points with two three-pointers, a steal and a block off Peter June Simon.

After a 12-0 outburst, followed by trading of a couple of baskets, it was Norwood's turn to shine. The Gilas stalwart had a pair of and-one's - one off a fast break stretch lay-up and the other on a putback - and added a triple and an assist to an Arizona Reid triple for good measure. The gap ballooned to 20 points before settling for a 53-38 lead at half time.

The Mixers, though, had the last five points of the half, and continued on a 9-0 blast at the onset of the third to reduce the E-Painters lead to a mere six points.

A trey from Paul Lee stopped the bleeding, and San Mig Coffee found itself at the receiving end of a 6-0 finishing kick to head into the final canto with a 69-55 advantage.

Once again, the Mixers, now led by Philippine Cup Finals MVP Mark Barroca, defiantly shook the Elasto Painters, going into an 11-2 run to start the fourth quarter.

But Rain or Shine quickly recovered, this time with nine consecutive points, to finish San Mig Coffee off. Coach Tim Cone waved the white flag by benching his starters 87-69 with approximately two minutes left.

Reid contributed 22 points -a far cry from his 31.7 output - but this time, he had backup. Lee and Norwood each had 14 points. Gilas bruiser Beau Belga also had 13 points, while hot shot Ryan Arana had 10 points. (GS)

The scores:

RAIN OR SHINE (88) – Reid 22, Lee 14, Norwood 14, Belga 11, Arana 10, Uyloan 8, Almazan 3, Cruz 2, Tiu 2, Chan 2, Ibanes 0, Rodriguez 0.

SAN MIG COFFEE (79) – Blakely 21, Yap 12, Devance 9, Sangalang 8, Simon 8, Barroca 7, Maliksi 6, Pingris 4, Taha 2, Melton 2, Mallari 0, Reavis 0.

Quarterscores: 21-21, 53-38, 69-55, 88-79.

GlobalPort fends off Alaska for first W

Last game, GlobalPort's locals, save for Alex Cabagnot failed to contribute for the team, which ultimately led to their demise.

This time though, they went on a tear.

Despite dropping a 17-point lead on the final canto, the Batang Pier held on to beat the Aces 95-91, to win their first game in the PBA Home TVolution Governor's Cup.

Cabagnot and returning import LeRoy Hickerson once again led the parade for GlobalPort, but the help was there. Come-backing rookie Terrence Romeo exploded for 18 points, while Jay Washington added 13 for good measure.

After trailing by 14 after the half, Alaska slowly but surely chipped away at the lead. After the third canto, the score was 66-62, still in favor of the Batang Pier.

With two minutes left and GlobalPort's lead sitting at 11, all-around import Henry Walker shot the Aces back into the game with four consecutive points. A silence ensued, and GlobalPort seems to have won the game.

But Calvin Abueva had other ideas. With 20.9 seconds left, the Rookie of the Year put the Aces back in striking distance after a tip-in and a quick steal off Jondan Salvador. The lead is at 93-88.

Romeo split his free-throws on the ensuing possession. Walker then nailed a long three-pointer to put the Aces within 3.

Alaska opted to foul Washington with about 12 seconds left, but unexpectedly of the veteran out of Eckerd missed both foul shots, supposedly leaving Alaska a chance to send the game to overtime.

But Hickerson recovered the loose ball to set up Cabagnot for two more free throws. He answers by splitting his charities to seal the game. (GS)

The scores:

GLOBALPORT (95) -- Hickerson 25, Cabagnot 24, Romeo 18, Washington 13, Garcia 8, Ponferada 4, Macapagal 2, Matias 1, Taha 0, Menk 0, Hayes 0, Salvador 0.

ALASKA (91) -- Walker 22, Casio 16, Espinas 14, Abueva 14, Baguio 8, Jazul 6, Hontiveros 5, Manuel 4, Thoss 2.

Quarterscores: 24-22; 48-34; 66-62; 95-91.