Among his fellow point guards in the UAAP and even
among some of his more illustrious teammates on the NU roster, Gelo Alolino can
be considered the forgotten one.
I mean, ask any UAAP fan about whom he/she thinks is
the best point guard in the league, and many will probably say UE’s Roi Sumang,
FEU’s RR Garcia, or even the up-and-coming Thomas Torres from DLSU. Simply put,
Alolino just doesn’t make any headlines.
 |
| Gelo Alolino is an unheralded vital cog for the NU Bulldogs. |
A quick look at his credentials, however, points to
something interesting – he might just be the most underrated playmaker out
there, which is something I am pretty sure his current coach, Eric Altamirano,
doesn’t mind.
I am sure coach Eric, in all his brilliance, would
rather have someone like Alolino who gets the job done sans the fanfare rather
than a hyped up top-biller who cannot hold his own on the court.
And against the hapless Maroons of UP, Alolino
definitely got the job done.
The former star for the Perpetual Help Junior Altas
reeled in a dozen points on top of 7 assists, 6 rebounds, and 1 steal, playing
34 minutes for the Bulldogs. I remember Alolino teaming up with Kiefer Ravena
in the backcourt of the 2010 RP-Youth team in Sana’a, Yemen, where they
finished fifth behind China, Korea, Taiwan, and Iran. I remember how he was the
primary floor general on that team, finding guys like Ravena, Ael Banal, Mike
Tolomia, and Von Pessumal on the wings for those open jumpers and Kevin Ferrer,
Russel Escoto, Jeron Teng, and Gwyne Capacio down low for the easy points. It
is worth noting that current Bulldogs Troy Rosario, Kyle Neypes, and Cederick
Labing-isa were also on that team.
So far this season, Alolino has actually done quite
well, improving on almost all the key stats of a PG. Compare his numbers from
last year to this year:
|
Season 75 (15 games, 27mpg)
|
6.9ppg, 2.8rpg, 3.9apg, 1.5 asst-to ratio
|
|
Season 76 (4 games, 32mpg)
|
7.8ppg, 5.5rpg, 4.5apg, 1.5 asst-to ratio
|
Not surprisingly, Alolino’s improved play has also
had sort of a trickle-down (or is it osmosis?) effect on several of his
teammates, as Ray Parks, Emmanuel Mbe, and Troy Rosario have all increased
their production, too.
The real challenge, of course, is whether Alolino can
be consistent, especially since he has yet to square off against Garcia and
Torres. If he can still manage to put up decent numbers against those guys,
then I guess he should be mentioned in the same breath as them, too. And should
he continue progressing a top-level PG, then I believe he will not only drive NU
in eclipsing its third-place finish last season, but also cease to be a
forgotten one.
 |
| Denice Villamor goes up for the deuce. |
 |
| Raul Soyud braves the defense of Emmanuel Mbe. |
NU
BULLDOGS over UP FIGHTING MAROONS, 74-60
NU 74 – Parks 18, Mbe 15, Alolino 12, Rosario 10, Javillonar
9, Rono 3, Alejandro 3, Villamor 2, Khobuntin 2, Porter 0, De Guzman 0.
UP 60 – Marata 14, Lao 11, Soyud 10, Ball 8, Gallarza 5, Pascual
3, Gingerich 3, Asilum 3, Wong 2, Ligad 1, Suarez 0, Paras 0, Desiderio 0, Amar
0.
QS: 21-13;
39-29; 53-47; 74-60.
Key
Performances:
Ray Parks (NU) – 18pts, 9rebs, 6asts, 1stl, 1blk
Emmanuel Mbe (NU) – 15pts, 12rebs, 1stl
Raul Soyud (UP) – 10pts, 20rebs, 2asts
All images by Jan Dizon/Inboundpass.com.
0 Comment