The 2013 Filoil Flying V Preseason
Premier Cup opened yesterday with three mighty exciting games pitting some of
the most highly-touted teams in the collegiate hoops landscape.
Roundup:
In the first game, Ray Parks
forced overtime with 2.5 seconds to go by hitting a big triple against the San
Beda Red Lions. The NU Bulldogs then outplayed their Mendiola counterparts in
the extra five minutes, with 6’7” Troy Rosario putting the canines ahead for
good via a putback jam.
Parks had a great all-around game,
producing 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists, while new Cameroonian big man
Alfred Aroga tallied 16 points and 12 boards. For his part, Rosario had an
impressive double-double with 12 markers and 13 caroms. Rome Dela Rosa and Ola
Adeogun each scored 19 for San Beda, but Adeogun grabbed only 4 rebounds.
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| Jeric Teng exploded for 31 points, but he was still unable to give UST a win. |
The second game saw the UST
Growling Tigers leading most of the way before crumbling in the face of
unrelenting pressure by the DLSU Green Archers in the final frame. Rookie
slotman Jason Perkins was a revelation, scoring 17 points and grabbing 13
rebounds, while super soph Gabby Reyes was a picture of confidence with 13
markers.
UST was still up by 5 points late
in the game before the Greenies unleashed a searing 13-2 finishing kick to
upend the 2012 PCCL champs. The Tigers, who were without coach Pido Jarencio, leaned
on the dynamic duo of Jeric Teng and Aljon Mariano for most of the affair, but
they couldn’t contain Perkins, whose muscle was too much even for seasoned
campaigner Karim Abdul.
DLSU also exploited the void left
by Jeric Fortuna, who already graduated. The point guard trio of Robin Tan, Ed
Daquioag, and Jamil Sheriff struggled all game long. In the end, Teng and
Mariano paired up for 59 points, while stretch-forward Kevin Ferrer and Abdul
contributed just a combined output of 2 points. Ferrer also fouled out.
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| Gabby Reyes displayed great confidence and athleticism against the Tigers. |
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| Jason Perkins (L) and Norbert Torres (R) will team up for a solid DLSU frontline. |
In the closing game, Ateneo had to
scramble in the final minutes to stave off a spirited challenge from guest
team, Southwestern University, which was bannered by three African
reinforcements – Fabrice Siewe, Landry Sanjo, and Justin Aboude.
Wunderkind Kiefer Ravena teamed up
with Nico Elorde and the debuting Chris Newsome to lead the Eagles’ debut
Filoil win under new coach Bo Perasol. Ravena finished with 22 points, 7
rebounds, and 5 assists, while Elorde torched the nets with 4 treys on his way
to 19 points and 5 dimes. Newsome chipped in a nifty double-double line of 14
markers and 11 boards.
This game confirmed what many
observers had already assumed – that the six-peat-seeking Blues would have to
rely on their quickness and shooting in the face of the frontline vacuum left
behind by the departure of Greg Slaughter, Nico Salva, and Justin Chua. The
Ateneans visibly struggled against the more sizeable SWU frontcourt, even if
both veterans JP Erram and Frank Golla did play.
The Cobras’ game, though, was far
from one-sided, as Monbert Arong and Bon Guillena provided firepower from long
range. SWU actually whittled down Ateneo’s 14-point second half lead to just
single digits late in the fourth, but they just ran out of time. Guillena led
the Cobras with 23 points, while the 6’11” Siewe tossed in a dozen markers.
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| Bon Guillena led the way for the CESAFI champs. |
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| Kiefer Ravena and the Blue Eagles were able to escape the upset efforts of the Cobras. |
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| Landry Sanjo tries to drive strong against Frank Golla. |
For more detailed game recaps, check
out these articles on our affiliate site, InboundPass.com:
First Impressions:
Having maybe the most popular
collegiate teams all open the Filoil wars, and, by default, the college wars in
general, was a stroke of genius. And then having the SWU Cobras, the former
school of now-Archer Ben Mbala and maybe the most stacked team outside of the
capital, in the mix was also pretty awesome.
If the promise of each team’s
first day performance holds true, then perhaps the following
scenarios/impressions will manifest throughout the coming season:
- The most noticeable thing
yesterday was the big change in Ateneo. The departure of many key personnel
(Norman Black, Slaughter, Salva, etc.) clearly has effects that go deeper than
the cosmetic. The post game is practically absent. The offense almost always
will go through Kiefer Ravena, who, as my InboundPass.com boss Mike Abasolo
always reminds me, will have a much tougher time making plays as opposing teams
will build their defensive schemes exclusively around him. No more big guys to
draw the double-team and create creases in the defense. Ravena will have to be
much more creative this season. That doesn’t necessarily mean his numbers will
go down, of course. I mean, this is Kiefer Ravena we’re talking about. He’s a
once-in-a-generation talent in these parts, and we’re actually lucky enough to
have Ray Parks in the same generation as him, too!
- I am loving the confidence of De
La Salle’s rookies -- Jason Perkins and Robert Bolick in particular. If
yesterday was no fluke, then I think Perkins might actually replace NorBEAR,
AVO, or Yutien up front, while Bolick should be this season’s Luigi Dela Paz,
who seems like he won’t play much this summer (or even season). Another guy who
stood out was sophomore Gabby Reyes, who used to be the King Junior Archer in
Alabang during his Zobel days. He showcased his athleticism and range in
yesterday’s encounter, all of which were already part of his arsenal as far
back as Season 73 (again, in his Zobel days). I think he just might get the
playing time he needs this summer. This is what happens when someone like
Joshua Webb finally uses up his eligibility. J
- UST will be solid this season,
but someone will have to do a better job of calling the shots ala Jeric
Fortuna. I don’t think Tata Bautista can do it because he’s a born shooter. He was
a bit of a playmaker in high school when he was still with Benedictine International
School, but he has changed A LOT since then. The onus will be on the likes of Robin
Tan, Ed Daquioag, and Jamil Sheriff to grow up fast. I also want to see coach
Pido try using former Hope Christian HS star Janrey Garrido at the point. He was
a spitfire in the Tiong Lian league, and I think he has the tools to be
effective for UST. Oh well.
- I don’t think NU will be a
top-two team in the UAAP this season. Alfred Aroga, so far, doesn’t seem to
have the same fire as Emmanuel Mbe, and it will show in Season 76. Ray Parks
will always be awesome, but the same issue of whether he has enough support or
not will still crop up. Troy Rosario had a great first outing, and I think he
might be the better choice as the main frontline guy over Aroga. He just showed
a lot more versatility yesterday. I also want to see more of former RP-Youth
standout J-Jay Alejandro. This guy lit up the two FIBA Asia tournaments in
which he played (2011 U16 and 2012 U18), and I think he will be the perfect complement
to Parks on the wings.
- San Beda, despite the loss, is
going to be tough to derail in the NCAA. Ola Adeogun underwhelmed yesterday,
but he should still be a tremendous force for the Red Lions in their bid for a
four-peat. The re-entry of the Semerad boys should also shore up the frontline
along with Arthurr Dela Cruz and Kyle Pascual. The main challenge for new coach
Boyet Fernandez is how he’ll distribute the playing time. Also, Baser Amer with
11 assists?! WOW. This kid is maybe the best playmaker in all of college ball
already – NOT the best scorer, but the best playmaker.
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| Ray Parks launches the game-tying trey. |
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| Africans Alfred Aroga and Ola Adeogun went head-to-head. |
All images are by Jan Dizon/InboundPass.com.
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