Title favorites Agdao District and Calinan District defeated their respective foes in the semifinals to forge a title showdown in the season 2009 of the Duterte Basketball League (DBL) Saturday at the Davao City Police Office covered court.
Agdao barged its way to the finals after besting Tugbok District, 112 – 102 while Calinan booked its own ticket with a 87 – 82 win over Talomo District in the pressure-packed cross-over semifinals.
The championship round is a best of three series with Game 1 set on Saturday.
Dela Pena brothers lived up to their billing carrying the offensive chores for Agdao which pulled away in the pay off period en route to victory.
Gerson and Ryan Dela Pena combined for 60 points scattering 35 and 25 points respectively.
Calinan banked on its second half onslaught to win the game and make it to championship round.
After trailing throughout the first twenty minutes of play, Calinan came out strong in the third period outscoring Talomo, 32 – 19 for a 68 – 60 lead going to the final quarter.
Talomo was up by five, 31 – 26 at the half.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Powerade-RP sweeps SEABA
Powerade-RP sweeps SEABA
MEDAN – Having conquered the 8th Southeast Asian Basketball Association Men’s Championship, Powerade-Team Pilipinas now confronts two contrasting realities and national coach Yeng Guiao faces one of the most difficult choices in his life.
The Queen’s Freddie Mercury took over from where Nat King Cole left off Tuesday night, belting out the anthemic “We Are The Champions” as Powerade-Team Pilipinas ditched a languid first quarter waltz to rock host Indonesia, 98-68, in the SEABA final at the Angkasapura Lanud Basketball Hall.
“It’s time for the real test and the real thing,” announced Guaio after the game. The win made official the entry of the Philippines and Indonesia as Southeast Asia’s representatives to the FIBA-Asia World Championship qualifier in Tianjin, China in August, and set up the Nationals for what coach Yeng Guiao calls the “real test” and the “real thing.”
Fashioned before a raucous hometown crowd that savored every minute of a riveting first quarter, the victory continued for another SEABA staging the country’s basketball dominance in the region.
The Nationals were held to a 22-all tie in the opening quarter but came out rumbling in the second half – after spending a few minutes with their mercurial mentor in the dugout – applying heavy backcourt pressure in stretching a 46-32 lead at the intermission to 91-54 on a three-point shot by Mick Pennisi with 4:20 left.
“We had our share of nervous moments not just in the championship game but the whole tournament,” said Guiao. “It really was a major experience, not just for the team but for me personally.”
Overwhelmed 103-64 in their elimination round meeting Sunday, Indonesia achieved a measure of respect by standing toe-to-toe with their pro rivals for the first 15 minutes of the final game. They hung on tenaciously, 31-30, with quickness and aggressiveness, five three-point shots and Team RP’s own atrocious outside shooting (4 of 19 from beyond the arc) before unraveling.
The hosts eventually surrendered to the inevitable as Powerade-RP turned serious, going on a 33-11 tear that bridged the third and fourth quarters and posting a 37-point spread. “We couldn’t match their speed in the second half, and we couldn’t handle their pressure on the ball,” said Indonesian coach Raoul Miguel Hidanoto.
Cyrus Baguio and James Yap each had 14 points while Asi Taulava added 11 with 10 rebounds. Jared Dillinger added nine rebounds as Team RP dominated the boards, 65-43. The Nationals didn’t have their way with the Indons early as they did before, but they came together at the appropriate moment before a bad start could turn worse.
Treated to classic hits from one of the ‘50s greatest crooners in their game with Singapore Monday, the Nationals put on their dancing shoes this time and took to the victory stands to the hard-pounding universal sports anthem by the late vocalist of the rock group Queen.
Guiao, who would soon need to cut a 15-man lineup to 12, left much of the celebration during the award ceremony to his players, sitting on one side of the court away from the bedlam going over the game stats with assistant coach Gee Abanilla. “Offensively, our three-point shooting is way below our expectations,” he said.
“We have good shooters in this team but for one reason or another, we’ve not been shooting that well, even during the All-Stars series.” Team RP shot 23.9 percent from rainbow territory in its first three games to the opposition’s combined 31.8 percent.
Their substandard sniping, Guiao said, is something the coaching staff will be working on when practice resumes on June 16, a day before Powerade-RP team manager and Coca-Cola governor JB Baylon flies to Tianjin to attend the draw for groupings to the 25th FIBA-Asia Men’s Championship set Aug. 6-18.
“I’m sure we’ll be encountering a lot of zone defenses in China,” Guiao said. With the “first big step” toward the World Championship qualifier over and done with, the Nationals proceed to embark on the next – the Jones Cup next month in Taipei.
“The Jones Cup is the real test; the FIBA Asia is the real thing,” Guiao said during dinner hosted hosted by Baylon at the Marriott Hotel. “This tournament (SEABA) is just a confidence builder, a way to see the character of these guys. Now we move on to tougher things.”
Scores:
POWERADE-TP 98 – Baguio 14, Yap 14, Taulava 11, Miller 10, Santos 10, Dillinger 8, Raymundo 8, De Ocampo 8, Norwood 8, Pennisi 7.
INDONESIA 68 – Sudiadnyana 14, Wuysang 11, Purwanto 11, Sigar 7, Thoyib 6, Poedjakusuma 5, Agustinus 5, Suro 4, Budianto 3, Fitzgerald 2, Wibawa 0, Sumargo 0. Quarters: 22-22, 46-32, 77-49, 98-68.
MEDAN – Having conquered the 8th Southeast Asian Basketball Association Men’s Championship, Powerade-Team Pilipinas now confronts two contrasting realities and national coach Yeng Guiao faces one of the most difficult choices in his life.
The Queen’s Freddie Mercury took over from where Nat King Cole left off Tuesday night, belting out the anthemic “We Are The Champions” as Powerade-Team Pilipinas ditched a languid first quarter waltz to rock host Indonesia, 98-68, in the SEABA final at the Angkasapura Lanud Basketball Hall.
“It’s time for the real test and the real thing,” announced Guaio after the game. The win made official the entry of the Philippines and Indonesia as Southeast Asia’s representatives to the FIBA-Asia World Championship qualifier in Tianjin, China in August, and set up the Nationals for what coach Yeng Guiao calls the “real test” and the “real thing.”
Fashioned before a raucous hometown crowd that savored every minute of a riveting first quarter, the victory continued for another SEABA staging the country’s basketball dominance in the region.
The Nationals were held to a 22-all tie in the opening quarter but came out rumbling in the second half – after spending a few minutes with their mercurial mentor in the dugout – applying heavy backcourt pressure in stretching a 46-32 lead at the intermission to 91-54 on a three-point shot by Mick Pennisi with 4:20 left.
“We had our share of nervous moments not just in the championship game but the whole tournament,” said Guiao. “It really was a major experience, not just for the team but for me personally.”
Overwhelmed 103-64 in their elimination round meeting Sunday, Indonesia achieved a measure of respect by standing toe-to-toe with their pro rivals for the first 15 minutes of the final game. They hung on tenaciously, 31-30, with quickness and aggressiveness, five three-point shots and Team RP’s own atrocious outside shooting (4 of 19 from beyond the arc) before unraveling.
The hosts eventually surrendered to the inevitable as Powerade-RP turned serious, going on a 33-11 tear that bridged the third and fourth quarters and posting a 37-point spread. “We couldn’t match their speed in the second half, and we couldn’t handle their pressure on the ball,” said Indonesian coach Raoul Miguel Hidanoto.
Cyrus Baguio and James Yap each had 14 points while Asi Taulava added 11 with 10 rebounds. Jared Dillinger added nine rebounds as Team RP dominated the boards, 65-43. The Nationals didn’t have their way with the Indons early as they did before, but they came together at the appropriate moment before a bad start could turn worse.
Treated to classic hits from one of the ‘50s greatest crooners in their game with Singapore Monday, the Nationals put on their dancing shoes this time and took to the victory stands to the hard-pounding universal sports anthem by the late vocalist of the rock group Queen.
Guiao, who would soon need to cut a 15-man lineup to 12, left much of the celebration during the award ceremony to his players, sitting on one side of the court away from the bedlam going over the game stats with assistant coach Gee Abanilla. “Offensively, our three-point shooting is way below our expectations,” he said.
“We have good shooters in this team but for one reason or another, we’ve not been shooting that well, even during the All-Stars series.” Team RP shot 23.9 percent from rainbow territory in its first three games to the opposition’s combined 31.8 percent.
Their substandard sniping, Guiao said, is something the coaching staff will be working on when practice resumes on June 16, a day before Powerade-RP team manager and Coca-Cola governor JB Baylon flies to Tianjin to attend the draw for groupings to the 25th FIBA-Asia Men’s Championship set Aug. 6-18.
“I’m sure we’ll be encountering a lot of zone defenses in China,” Guiao said. With the “first big step” toward the World Championship qualifier over and done with, the Nationals proceed to embark on the next – the Jones Cup next month in Taipei.
“The Jones Cup is the real test; the FIBA Asia is the real thing,” Guiao said during dinner hosted hosted by Baylon at the Marriott Hotel. “This tournament (SEABA) is just a confidence builder, a way to see the character of these guys. Now we move on to tougher things.”
Scores:
POWERADE-TP 98 – Baguio 14, Yap 14, Taulava 11, Miller 10, Santos 10, Dillinger 8, Raymundo 8, De Ocampo 8, Norwood 8, Pennisi 7.
INDONESIA 68 – Sudiadnyana 14, Wuysang 11, Purwanto 11, Sigar 7, Thoyib 6, Poedjakusuma 5, Agustinus 5, Suro 4, Budianto 3, Fitzgerald 2, Wibawa 0, Sumargo 0. Quarters: 22-22, 46-32, 77-49, 98-68.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Powerade-RP faces Indons in SEABA championship
Powerade-RP faces Indons in SEABA championship
MEDAN – Nat King Cole may again be singing in the background, but Powerade-Team Pilipinas will be dancing to rock ‘n roll music all championship game long.
The Nationals battle host Indonesia in a rematch Tuesday night, hoping to silence the raucous hometown crowd early in the final of the 8th Southeast Asian Basketball Association Men’s Championship at the Angkasapura Lanud Basketball Hall.
With the legendary crooner’s unmistakable velvety voice filling the venue Monday, the Philippines ripped Singapore, 117-69, to sweep the elimination and claim the first berth to the FIBA-Asia World Championship qualifier in August.
On the instructions of coach Yeng Guiao, the Nationals shifted into fast break overdrive right away, running down the Singaporeans behind Cyrus Baguio, virtually untouchable in going 10 of 14 from the field and 8 of 9 from the free throw line for 28 points – a tournament high. Ranidel de Ocampo slashed for 17 points with 10 rebounds, and team captain Asi Taulava, in his best performance so far, muscled his way to 14 points with 13 rebounds. “Our emphasis is to really ingrain the fast break concept on the guys, whether we’re playing a strong, big team or a small team that’s also quick like Singapore,” said Guiao.
“The important thing for me is to be consistent with the running game.” In the do-or-die second game, the Indons forced Malaysia into 24 turnovers in scraping a 74-67 victory, gaining a title showdown with the PBA-backed RP team at 7 p.m. and securing the second spot to the 25th FIBA-Asia Men’s Championship in Tianjin, China.
Both the Philippines and Indonesia made it to the 24th FIBA Asia Olympic qualifier two years ago in Tokushima, Japan after topping the 7th SEABA elimination in Ratchaburi, Thailand, and their return reaffirmed their dominance in the region.
Though nothing much is at stake except the placing and the bragging rights, neither team entertains the thought of leaving this capital of North Sumatra province with its head bowed. Indonesia, comprised mainly of the No. 2 club team in the country, absorbed a 103-64 beating from the Nationals Sunday and is not likely to aim for an upset as much as respect from its opponent, a galaxy of professional superstars.
Powerade-RP, on the other hand, would want nothing more than to put behind the SEABA as quickly as possible in order to attend to more pressing matters – the Jones Cup in Taipei next month and the World Championship qualifier four weeks later.
Singapore, led by a Joseph Yeo look-alike point guard named Wong Wei Long who gave Willie Miller and Gabe Norwood fits, was out of it early, falling behind 33-14 after the first quarter, 58-25 at the half, and 93-45 at three-quarter’s end. With the jeering pro-Indonesian crowd not yet in full force during the Singapore match, the atmosphere in the arena was light, courtesy of some silky ballroom tunes.
And though it offered little of the electrifying slam-dunk sideshow that marked the RP-Indonesia game the night before, Day 3 of competition will be remembered for the unconventional music played during the pre-game shootaround, as well as in the timeout and halftime breaks. Long used to warming up to hard-pounding, ear-splitting Top 20 music or classic rock beats, the Nationals were pleasantly surprised to hear the silky voice of one of the ‘50s greatest balladeers wafting out of the public address speakers, someone vaguely familiar to only two or three of them.
As it turned out, Col. Lee Kak Kuan, the 69-year-old SEABA commissioner and trusted colleague of FIBA-Asia secretary-general Dato Yeoh Choo Hock, brought with him a CD of the “Unforgettable” and “Mona Lisa” singer and had it played.
“The music they were playing here was too loud for me, too noisy,” said Col. Lee, who assigns referees in FIBA-Asia tournaments. “This one’s better, see? Nice for dancing, right?” RP assistant coach Roehl Nadurata apparently agreed.
Nadurata, himself from that golden era, grabbed PBA media bureau chief Willy Marcial by the hand and the two improvised a quick waltz just before the buzzer, delighting PBA commissioner Renauld 'Sonny' Barrios and team manager JB Baylon.
Scores: POWERADE-RP 117 – Baguio 28, De Ocampo 17, Santos 16, Taulava 14, Raymundo 10, Yap 9, Norwood 7, Dillinger 6, Pennisi 6, Miller 4.
SINGAPORE 69 – Oh 11, Wong 10, Wong 10, Khoo 10, Hong 8, Lin 5, Matialakan 4, Lim 2, Tan 1, Lo 0, Teo 0. Quarters: 33-14, 58-27, 93-49, 117-69
MEDAN – Nat King Cole may again be singing in the background, but Powerade-Team Pilipinas will be dancing to rock ‘n roll music all championship game long.
The Nationals battle host Indonesia in a rematch Tuesday night, hoping to silence the raucous hometown crowd early in the final of the 8th Southeast Asian Basketball Association Men’s Championship at the Angkasapura Lanud Basketball Hall.
With the legendary crooner’s unmistakable velvety voice filling the venue Monday, the Philippines ripped Singapore, 117-69, to sweep the elimination and claim the first berth to the FIBA-Asia World Championship qualifier in August.
On the instructions of coach Yeng Guiao, the Nationals shifted into fast break overdrive right away, running down the Singaporeans behind Cyrus Baguio, virtually untouchable in going 10 of 14 from the field and 8 of 9 from the free throw line for 28 points – a tournament high. Ranidel de Ocampo slashed for 17 points with 10 rebounds, and team captain Asi Taulava, in his best performance so far, muscled his way to 14 points with 13 rebounds. “Our emphasis is to really ingrain the fast break concept on the guys, whether we’re playing a strong, big team or a small team that’s also quick like Singapore,” said Guiao.
“The important thing for me is to be consistent with the running game.” In the do-or-die second game, the Indons forced Malaysia into 24 turnovers in scraping a 74-67 victory, gaining a title showdown with the PBA-backed RP team at 7 p.m. and securing the second spot to the 25th FIBA-Asia Men’s Championship in Tianjin, China.
Both the Philippines and Indonesia made it to the 24th FIBA Asia Olympic qualifier two years ago in Tokushima, Japan after topping the 7th SEABA elimination in Ratchaburi, Thailand, and their return reaffirmed their dominance in the region.
Though nothing much is at stake except the placing and the bragging rights, neither team entertains the thought of leaving this capital of North Sumatra province with its head bowed. Indonesia, comprised mainly of the No. 2 club team in the country, absorbed a 103-64 beating from the Nationals Sunday and is not likely to aim for an upset as much as respect from its opponent, a galaxy of professional superstars.
Powerade-RP, on the other hand, would want nothing more than to put behind the SEABA as quickly as possible in order to attend to more pressing matters – the Jones Cup in Taipei next month and the World Championship qualifier four weeks later.
Singapore, led by a Joseph Yeo look-alike point guard named Wong Wei Long who gave Willie Miller and Gabe Norwood fits, was out of it early, falling behind 33-14 after the first quarter, 58-25 at the half, and 93-45 at three-quarter’s end. With the jeering pro-Indonesian crowd not yet in full force during the Singapore match, the atmosphere in the arena was light, courtesy of some silky ballroom tunes.
And though it offered little of the electrifying slam-dunk sideshow that marked the RP-Indonesia game the night before, Day 3 of competition will be remembered for the unconventional music played during the pre-game shootaround, as well as in the timeout and halftime breaks. Long used to warming up to hard-pounding, ear-splitting Top 20 music or classic rock beats, the Nationals were pleasantly surprised to hear the silky voice of one of the ‘50s greatest balladeers wafting out of the public address speakers, someone vaguely familiar to only two or three of them.
As it turned out, Col. Lee Kak Kuan, the 69-year-old SEABA commissioner and trusted colleague of FIBA-Asia secretary-general Dato Yeoh Choo Hock, brought with him a CD of the “Unforgettable” and “Mona Lisa” singer and had it played.
“The music they were playing here was too loud for me, too noisy,” said Col. Lee, who assigns referees in FIBA-Asia tournaments. “This one’s better, see? Nice for dancing, right?” RP assistant coach Roehl Nadurata apparently agreed.
Nadurata, himself from that golden era, grabbed PBA media bureau chief Willy Marcial by the hand and the two improvised a quick waltz just before the buzzer, delighting PBA commissioner Renauld 'Sonny' Barrios and team manager JB Baylon.
Scores: POWERADE-RP 117 – Baguio 28, De Ocampo 17, Santos 16, Taulava 14, Raymundo 10, Yap 9, Norwood 7, Dillinger 6, Pennisi 6, Miller 4.
SINGAPORE 69 – Oh 11, Wong 10, Wong 10, Khoo 10, Hong 8, Lin 5, Matialakan 4, Lim 2, Tan 1, Lo 0, Teo 0. Quarters: 33-14, 58-27, 93-49, 117-69
Executives take 2 - 0 lead over Legislative
The Executives banked on their second quarter surge to score an 117 - 102 come from behind victory over the Legislative and grabbed a 2 - 0 lead in their best of seven series of the Executive-Legislative 19th season Friday night at the Davao City Recreation Center.
Christopher" Bong" Go, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte's executive assistant, scored 10 of his total 30 points in the pivotal second period where the Executives staged a mighty run for good.
Highlighted with sweet-shooting Go's two triples, the Executives outscored the Legislators, 32 - 19 to take a 57 - 47 lead at halftime and never looked back.
Ryan Alquizar, Eugene Labor and Roy Bangkas chipped in 19, 14 and 13 markers respectively to help the Executives move closer to another title.
The Legislative came out hot early taking a 28 - 25 advantage after the opening canto.
But the Exectuives strong showing in both ends of the floor took the balance and rhytm out of the Councilors Diosdado Mahipus and Dante Apostol led Legislative.
Vincent Plarisan scored 27 points for the Legislative which failed to recover after being downed and absorbed their second straight loss in the series.
Go continued to sizzle hot in the third period, adding 15 points on his remarkable output in the first twenty minutes of play.
Christopher" Bong" Go, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte's executive assistant, scored 10 of his total 30 points in the pivotal second period where the Executives staged a mighty run for good.
Highlighted with sweet-shooting Go's two triples, the Executives outscored the Legislators, 32 - 19 to take a 57 - 47 lead at halftime and never looked back.
Ryan Alquizar, Eugene Labor and Roy Bangkas chipped in 19, 14 and 13 markers respectively to help the Executives move closer to another title.
The Legislative came out hot early taking a 28 - 25 advantage after the opening canto.
But the Exectuives strong showing in both ends of the floor took the balance and rhytm out of the Councilors Diosdado Mahipus and Dante Apostol led Legislative.
Vincent Plarisan scored 27 points for the Legislative which failed to recover after being downed and absorbed their second straight loss in the series.
Go continued to sizzle hot in the third period, adding 15 points on his remarkable output in the first twenty minutes of play.
Powerade-RP whips Indons
Powerade-RP whips Indons
MEDAN – The torrential jeers from the boisterous hometown crowd and the steady chanting of In-do-ne-sia! rained down on Powerade-Team Pilipinas from the onset late Sunday.
Then James Yap and the rest of the national team decided they had enough of the local abuse heaped on them.
Yap poured 13 of his game-high 21 points in the first half, drilling in three consecutive triples in one breathtaking run in the second quarter as Powerade-RP clobbered host Indonesia, 103-64, for its second straight win in the 8th Southeast Asian Basketball Association Men’s Championship at the Angkasapura Lanud Basketball Hall.
The PBA-backed national team, bound for the 25th FIBA World Championship qualifier in Tianjin, China in August, was to play winless Singapore Monday night with the intention of moving into the final game Tuesday against the winner of the Indonesia-Malaysia encounter later that evening.
The Nationals blasted the Malaysians, 100-73, Saturday, a game where the Nationals lost point guard Ryan Reyes to a pulled hamstring muscle on his left thigh.
Reyes joined injured teammates Jayjay Helterbrand and Sonny Thoss in serving as utility personnel during the pre-game shootaround, and they sat together at the far-end corner of the bench whopping when the Nationals started ripping the Indons apart.
A different version from the one the Chot Reyes-mentored RP team pummeled in Ratchaburi, Thailand two years ago, took a 5-2 lead as Powerade-RP went blank on its next six possessions after Asi Taulava broke the ice.
But the Nationals got going with an 11-0 run to silence the packed spectators, and the closest the Indons came to an upset was 13-11 before Yap turned hot.
As expected, the opposition got a boost not only from their compatriots.
Yap picked up two quick fouls eight minutes into the game, and Jared Dillinger got whistled for three halfway through the second quarter.
With less than a minute left in the half, Yap was called for his third personal, but not after the Purefoods hotshot had drained three consecutive triples to give the Philippines its first 20-point lead, 42-22.
Indonesia picked up just four fouls in the first 20 minutes.
Just about everybody got into the act from there, with Gabe Norwood and Arwind Santos throwing down vicious dunks one after the other and Willie Miller and slasher Cyrus Baguio turning the Indonesian shaded lane into a freeway.
In the trenches, Kerby Raymundo grabbed 10 rebounds, Mick Pennisi 9 with 2 blocked shots, Ranidel de Ocampo 8, and Dillinger and Taulava 5 each.
The lead was 75-45 after three quarters and 97-56 – a whopping 41 points – by the time the slam-dunk exhibition had reached its peak.
“I feel a lot better. I’m actually relieved,” said national coach Yeng Guiao. “I knew we could play better than we did against Malaysia.
“It was, after all, our first game since the All-Stars plus it’s a new environment. But once they got used to the conditions here, they became what we want them to be – a fast-breaking team with hustling defense. They just pushed themselves."
Meanwhile, PBA commissioner Renauld 'Sonny' Barrios arrived from Manila in time for the second half of the RP-Indonesia game, joining the Nationals at the locker room and taking a seat beside team manager JB Baylon.
Scores:
POWERADE-RP 103 – Yap 21, Santos 18, Miller 12, Norwood 11, Taulava 10, Baguio 8, Raymundo 8, Dillinger 7, Pennisi 5, De Ocampo 3.
INDONESIA 64 – Sumargo 11, Suro 10, Wuysang 9, Poedjakusuma 9, Agustinus 9, Sudiadnyana 6, Wibawa 5, Sigar 2, Thoyib 2, Purwanto 1, Fitzgerald 0, Budianto 0.
Quarters: 20-14, 46-25, 75-45, 103-64
LIFE GOES ON FOR KINGS WITHOUT CAGUIOA
THERE won’t be a Mark Caguioa suiting up for Barangay Ginebra in the Final Four of the Motolite-PBA Fiesta Cup.
Make that up to the best-of-seven Finals should the defending champion Kings reached that far in the season-ending tournament.
Coach Jong Uichico bared the high-scoring guard will be out for the remainder of the season as he continues to rehabilitate from his knee injury.
Uichico said the team already left Caguioa out of its official lineup going into the semifinals.
May 30 was the cut-off date for all teams to submit their final rosters to the PBA office.
“We finally decided not to put him in the lineup,” said the soft-spoken mentor. “He can play, but hindi talaga 100 percent.”
Caguioa has not played a single game for the league’s crowd darling this season owing to a knee injury, a condition that also cost him a slot in the Powerade Team Pilipinas of coach Yeng Guiao.
The prolific Ginebra stalwart has since undergone knee operation and rehabilitation in the U.S. since early this year, with a hope of him joining the team midway into the Fiesta Cup.
But Uichico said at this point, Caguioa is still 80-90 percent healed from the injury.
“Maganda `yung improvement niya from February until April, that’s why we’re hoping he could make a comeback by May. But somehow, nitong mga nakaraang araw medyo bumagal `yung recovery niya.
“So we deemed it more proper not to let him play na lang. Huwag na lang muna madaliin dahil sayang lang kung ma-injured siya uli.”
The Ginebra coach said he’s in constant talk with Caguioa and even with his therapist.
“Right now, we’re trying to get him over here para ditto na siya mag-continue ng rehabilitation,” Uichico added.
Without their top leading scorer last season, Uichico said the Kings have lost one major offensive option, a big factor the team will be missing in their title retention bid.
“Mark is always good for 15 points or more on any given night. He’s always a scoring threat for our opponents,” Uichico admitted.
But even without Caguioa, life goes on for the Kings, who clinched an outright semifinals berth two weeks ago by beating the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in a playoff, 114-71.
The Kings won seven of their last eight games in the eliminations to turn things around following a slow start that saw them struggle with a 1-5 record.
“We’ve survived at this point without him (Caguioa). So we’re keeping our fingers crossed that we’ll be able to go farther now that we’re fully aware Mark is not going to play for us,” said Uichico.
Ginebra will be meeting the winner of the quarterfinals series between Rain or Shine and Purefoods in the semis.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Williams leads MVP derby
Sta. Lucia Realty do-it-all forward Kelly Williams may already be out for the rest of the season but he has piled up much statistical points making him among the top contenders for the season's Most Valuable Player award.
Though down with a blood disorder, Williams is in the running for the coveted individual award, giving him a chance at becoming only the fourth PBA player ever to win the MVP honors in two successive seasons.
Should he get it, Williams would join Bogs Adornado (1975-76), Alvin Patrimonio (1993-94) and Danny Ildefonso (2000-01) in an elite cast.
The energetic 6-foot-4 Fil-Am still leads all players in the statistical points race although he's been out since the resumption of the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference after the All-Star Week where he suffered his health problem.
Through the Fiesta Conference wildcard round, Williams has a league-leading average of 32.2 SPs with Asi Taulava (32.1) closely behind, followed by Arwind Santos (30.6), Jayjay Helterbrand (29.5) and Mark Cardona (29.4).
Making up the next five are Kerby Raymundo (28.67), Philippine Cup Best Player Willie Miller (28.66), Jay Washington (28.6), Dondon Hontiveros (28.4) and Jimmy Alapag (28.2).
Taulava, Cardona, Miller and Alapag have no more chance to improve their stats as their teams have taken the exit in the season.
Rain or Shine teammates Gabe Norwood and Sol Mercado are running one-and-two in the race for the Rookie of the Year award.
Norwood is on top with 26 SPs a game, followed by Mercado (23.6) then Jared Dillinger (21.9), Bonbon Custodio (20.2), Larry Rodriguez (16.8), Jeff Chan (15.8), Beau Belga (14.0), Tyrone Tang (13.5), Rob Reyes (11.0) and Kelvin Gregorio (10.4).
Among the rookies, Norwood, Solomon and Dillinger are those in the top 30 overall, making them contenders for the Mythical First and Second Teams.
Jason Castro is not eligible for the Rookie of the Year award since he has played pro ball with the Singapore Slingers. The former PCU Dolphin is at No. 23 in the stats race, ahead of Talk n Text teammate Dillinger at No. 28.
The league honors the season's top achievers during the Leo Awards set before Game Four of the coming Fiesta Conference finals.
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