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| This season, it seems like "Live and Die" is an ominous theme. |
The UE Red Warriors will live and die with Roi Sumang.
The Ateneo Blue Eagles will live and die with Kiefer Ravena.
Has Roi Sumang regressed?
Last weekend, we witnessed how Roi Sumang, who is supposed to be a
leading candidate this season, melted down amidst the pressure, missing a
potential game-winner against the league-leading NU Bulldogs. He actually shot
relatively well in that game, making 44% of his field goals (his season peg is
just 33%), but he misfired on the one that counted the most. He ended up with
16 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 turnovers. Meanwhile, the Red Warriors
have dropped their third straight game and are just one notch higher than
cellar-dwelling Adamson and UP.
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| Is Roi Sumang actually regressing in Season 77? (image by Marlon Bernabe/Burn Sports) |
What gives? Is coach Derek Pumaren’s system “too team-oriented” for
someone as ball-dominant as Sumang? Has the entry of Moustapha Arafat and the
emergence of guys like Dan Alberto and Gino Juamo-as eaten into Sumang’s
possessions? I’m not quite sure, but we still have the rest of the season to
find out. Here’s something, though — numbers don’t lie, and Sumang’s numbers
are far from MVP-level.
How long can Kiefer carry
Ateneo?
Now let’s talk about a guy who’s playing like an MVP — the King
Eagle himself, Kiefer Ravena. As I write this, I’m still replaying his awesome
game-winner over UST yesterday. Wow. Whattashot. He wasn’t exactly having a
sharp afternoon from the field, too. Prior to that shot, Kief had missed 11 of
his 17 field goals and all of his threes. In fact, Kief has gone 2/18 (11%)
from downtown in his last three outings, which is in stark contrast to the
first three games where he shot a blistering 7/13 (54%) from rainbow country.
The reality was he was building a brick mansion against UST, but, as has always
been the case with Kiefer and other greats, he delivered when it counted the
most.
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| Ronnie Magsanoc directs as Kiefer Ravena pulls up. Winner. (image by Philip Sison/Fabilioh) |
He was also great against FEU and rival Mike Tolomia last weekend,
playing a major role in the three-point W for Ateneo. Despite struggling again
from the floor (he shot 5/15 or 33%), he still managed to drop 23 markers,
mainly because he was aggressive and rewarded with 15 FT attempts (he made 11).
Moreover, he collared rebounds and got his teammates involved. Kief handed out
a season-high 7 assists in that match. Strangely enough, this season, Kief is
enjoying a higher average in terms of scoring and assists. It’s pretty amazing
when you think about it. The Phenom is getting his and helping his teammates
get theirs, too.
My only problem with this set-up is this: Ravena is playing a
career-high 33 minutes per game. Yes, he’s played a ton of minutes ever since
his high school days, but he has never been given this big a burden as before.
The last time he player upwards of 30 minutes a game was way back in Season 75,
when he still had guys like Greg Slaughter, Nico Salva, Ryan Buenafe, Justin
Chua, and Juami Tiongson to take much of the offensive load. This time around,
however, he’s playing more minutes than ever AND he has less help. Yes, I love
the games of Chris Newsome, Von Pessumal, and rookie Arvin Tolentino, but, by
and large, this is Kiefer’s team to carry, and I just don’t know how much
longer he can keep on bailing the Eagles out.
In other news…
New Kib in town!
I have to admit, I’m no Kib Montalbo fan. This is a guy who looked
like he was headed to Ateneo from high school and then chose to go green. This
was a kid who averaged about 1.5 points and 1 rebound per game in just 8
minutes an outing last year. He scored a total of just 8 points in DLSU’s first
four games of the season. He had no assists (as in ZERO) prior to the Green
Archers’ game against the Falcons last weekend. When Thomas Torres was ruled
out for an extended period of time, in the back of my mind, I thought, “This is
the end for La Salle. Montalbo cannot run this offense, and they cannot burden
Vosotros too much with playmaking. He’s a natural SG.”
And yet here we are. DLSU is in solo third, winning its last four
games, and Montalbo has been a big part of that.
His performance against Adamson stands out, of course. Montalbo
played the game of his life in that one, shooting an unbelievable 75% from the
field to end up with a career-best 18 points. He also grabbed 5 rebounds and
had 4 assists. 18-5-4. That’s a superstar stat-line right there.
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| Kib Montalbo lit up the Big Dome against the Soaring Falcons. (image by Kristine Barreiro/GoArchers) |
He followed that up with a respectable 5-point, 7-rebound,
3-assist, and 2-steal effort yesterday as DLSU blew the Maroons out of the Big
Dome, 74-53.
As of now, Kib is averaging about 5 points, 3 boards, and 1 assists
per game while shooting 46% from the field. He has looked more confident, and
if he continues his progress, then I don’t think a lot of people will really miss
Thomas Torres’s presence.
#NUrising
If you love basketball, then you have to love how the NU Bulldogs
are playing. Unlike the recent past, NU has looked less reliant on superstars.
Instead, this NU squad looks more like a bona fide five-man team. The numbers
won’t show it outright, though. This NU squad of Season 77 is averaging fewer
assists, slightly more turnovers, and a slightly lower FG%.
But, get this, there are four NU Bulldogs averaging 8 or more
points per game this season compared to just two guys last year. In Season 76,
Ray Parks and Emmanuel Mbe paired up to score nearly half of the Bulldogs’
scoring average, but this time around the scoring is much more spread out.
The biggest thing we should consider, however, is this: even
without Parks and Mbe, NU has risen to the top of the league standings.
Undoubtedly, coach E and his wards are definitely doing something right.
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| Troy Rosario has been enjoying a breakout year for NU. (image by Marlon Bernabe/Burn Sports) |
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| Alfred Aroga has been giving foes the fits this season. (image by Marlon Bernabe/Burn Sports) |
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