NCAA Season 88 Finals: San Beda versus Letran – Play by Play

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Just like in the UAAP, there is a Dominican team in the NCAA Finals.

Just like in the UAAP, there is a MVP-backed team in the NCAA Finals.

And just like in the UAAP, the MVP-backed team will whoop ass on the Dominican team and will finish the series with a nerve-racking Game Two win.

Wait…

Oh hell no!

Despite the current slump of Kevin Alas and the overexcitedness of his dad, Stone Cold Steve Austin (aka Louie Alas’ Undertaker/Steve Austin hand gestures), the Letran Knights have made this a series against the dynasty-seeking San Beda Red Lions.

Welcome to my play-by-play of this season’s climax! For those who watched this live… good for you. But for the guys who failed to see it and the its repercussions in the future, this is your chance!

Who will take their 17th crown?

Game starts now!

The atmosphere in the Smart-Araneta Coliseum is awesome. Ola Adeogun had the loudest cheer for SBC while Kevin Alas had it for Letran.

FIRST QUARTER

First quarter is underway. Baser Amer scores the first basket and then Anjo Caram steals the ball en route to a shot. And then my fiance called me on the cellphone and all I see randomly was an Adeogun alley-oop and a Kevin Alas’ floater. The Lions are up 7 to 5. Ola makes it a four-point lead after an offensive board putback. Aljo Caram looks and plays like Borgie Hermida and drains a triple. This is looks like a kid even if this is his final year of eligibility.

Ryan Gregorio is so enthusiastic!

Timeout Letran!

12 to 5 San Beda!

Caram steals the ball and fortunately for Letran, Ola gets slapped with an offensive foul. Kevin Alas is on a tear right now dwindling the SBC lead to five. Raymond Almazan fouls Ola… and the big guy sinks both.

Timeout! Beda still leads 14 to 7.

By the way, a sucky stat here. Kevin Alas is the only player that has scored for the Knights. Sorry misses from the Knights and thankfully it didn’t translate into points. But Amer says otherwise with a triple to extend the lead to 17 to 7 with less than three minutes to go in the first. An Almazan drive gives Ola his second foul. The free throws are killing Letran but Almazan thankfully makes the second shot. Beda leads 17 to 8. Letran was forced to a bad play but Beda messed up on their own with a minute left. Kevin Racal and Raymond Almazan combined for four of the five shots via offensive rebounds but to no avail. Arthur Dela Cruz splits his charities to make it 18 to 8. Almazan finished the quarter strong by taking an offensive rebound en route to a footback and then sending away a San Beda shot.

Quarter one is over with San Beda leading Letran, 18 to 10.

SECOND QUARTER

Anjo Caram starts the second salvo with jump shot. Meanwhile, Mark Cruz was called for a ward. San Beda is up 20 to 10… and Caram’s nine points makes it 22 to 10 via a floater. Wow! Baser Amer nails an almost fast break three! This is the highest lead so far with 24 to 10 and it forces Letran to call a timeout.

Kevin Racal nails one of his two free throws to send the game to a 24-11 visual. Baser Amer gets a foul and makes both free throws to make it 26 to 11 in favor of Beda. Now it’s 28 to 11 thanks to Jake Pascual’s hit. Kevin Alas finally breaks their five minute field goal drought and then Jam Cortes gets a rare fast break opportunity to force Ronnie Magsanoc to a timeout with the Lions still leading 28 to 15.

By the way, Ai Dela Cruz has a nice voice while Rizza Diaz sounds like she’s shouting.

A Sudan Daniel sighting. Where’s Sam Ekwe?

Wow! Seconds after Adeogun entered, he was called for his third foul and Mark Cruz loves this development as he successfully drove to the basket. And then Letran forced San Beda to a possession violation. Kevin Alas gets a steal but missed a floater. They are getting the opportunities but they need to work on their shot selections. Letran calls a timeout and they are behind, 28 to 17.

Almost 18,000 people are in Araneta right now. The Reds and Blues are making this game highly enjoyable. Cortes starts the timeout play with a turnover and Jake Pascual smacks a jump shot to make the lead 13. Almazan made an adorable play to no avail but on the other side, Jake Pascual made another basket to make the lead 32 to 17. And then Ryusei Koga storms the other side and hits the and one play but missed the and one play…. and the other play after that.

It’s halftime and the pro-Beda crowd is loving the action with their boys up by 17 – 34 to 17.

Anjo Caram is the half’s best player with 9 points and 5 rebounds.

THIRD QUARTER

Mark Cruz starts the quarter with two back-to-back hits. Letran is now down with 13 points. Mark Cruz then drops the dime to Jam Cortes. The lead goes down to eleven, 34 to 23. Timeout by San Beda. Hopefully this Letran run leads to a better match.

Jake Pascual stops the bleeding for the Lions with a leaner. A loose ball play sent Kevin Alas to the sidelines and shows a grittier side of their defense but Jake Pascual somewhat scores in a gimme that made Kevin Alas seriously pissed at his teammates. Kevin Racal scores in a jumper but Anjo Caram continues to shoot the lights off Araneta with a booming triple. Letran takes a timeout with a 41 to 25 deficit.

Jake Pascual already 8 points and 7 rebounds.

Arthur Dela Cruz mades up with the air ball by stealing Kevin Alas’ pass. Letran is struggling because they can’t mesh properly. Jonathan Belorio made a sorry play by fumbling a gimme because he travelled. Almazan then blocks a shot but on the other end, Alas and Cortes missed the baskets. Meanwhile Ryusei Koga puts in a baseline drive to send the lead to 43 to 25.

Who needs Ola at this point?

Almazan swats another shot – this time it’s Amer’s. Kyle Pascual missed the putback but the second chances are with the Lions. Jaypee Mendoza gets on the scoring fray thanks to a Jake Pascual handoff.

And this ends the third quarter.

25 points at the start of the fourth quarter? It’s not even a worthy second quarter stat!

FOURTH QUARTER

Baser Amer continues with his charge by giving San Beda a 22-point lead, 47 to 25. With the way Letran is playing, this is the proverbial nail in the coffin. Kyle Pascual then makes a thunderous putback to make it 49 to 25! Anjo Caram gets fouled en route to the basket and he will have the chance to double Letran’s output.

He does when he splits his charities.

Sorry Letranites but this is NOT the game that I wanted to see.

Jam Cortes gets fouled and he makes both free throws. Ola Adeogun returns to the game… as if he’s needed. Him sitting out is the only good thing Letran did all game long. Ola then passes it to Rome Dela Rosa for an uncontested fast break. Caram wants to give it again to Dela Rosa but then he gets fouled. Letran calls for a timeout. Lead is 52 to 27.

Coming off the timeout, Dela Rosa makes both charities to make it 54 to 27. Mark Cruz gives the Knights their fourth point in the quarter and then Ronnie Magsanoc signals a timeout. Beda is dominating with a 54 to 29 lead.

With six minutes to go, Ola Adeogun is the fresh man prying on the disappointed Knights in the offensive rebounding department. A Jake Pascual fast break resulted into a foul and Pascual makes both free throws. Ola badly passes it to Caram after a rebound… and it resulted to a Mark Cruz shot. Then Cruz steals the ball but Kevin Alas can’t sink the ball. Baser Amer then scores a banda triple to make it 59 to 31!

The Reds are up on their feet and an Anjo Caram three doubles the Letran output! A few ticks later, Letran has made it 62 to 33 and Raymond Almazan can’t hit his free throws. Anjo Caram missed one of his free throws to make the lead 63 to 33. Someone in Letran scored to make it 63 to 35. Carlo Lituania scored and Melo Lim is closing the series.

All is Red now… especially with San Beda wearing their championship tees.

And it’s over!

San Beda solidifies their dominance 67 to 39!

San Beda Lions repeats their three-peat and they are now the winningest team in NCAA history! Ronnie Magsanoc highlighted their sacrifices to the top and this I think is a wonderful start on their quest to the top. There is no question that after the Super Six first game leading to their title win, he is a fitting choice to win NCAA Coach of the Year. The Season 88 Most Valuable Player in the Finals is none other than Baser Amer. He is said to be Kiefer Ravena’s counterpart in the NCAA and he played extremely well all conference long.

My hat’s off to San Beda for their dominance but I was expecting a lot from Letran. 67 to 39 is like Beda game against a lowly NCAA college. Still, Letran did shock a lot of people by defeating Calvin Abueva’s and San Sebastian’s monster season. No one saw the Knights defeating the Pinatubo Trio.

I hope the Dominican teams will destroy the MVP-backed teams next season especially since UST will have an easier time defeating MVP’s newest team, the UP Fighting Maroons.

Congratulations to San Beda!

Game over!

Stags win over Chiefs, 5th straight

San Sebastian Stags back at the top spot of the standings as they crippled the Arellano Chiefs today, 91-70, in the 1st round of the NCAA 88 held at The Arena in San Juan.

Ian Sangalang spearheaded the Stags as he collected 27 points, 17 rebounds and 3 steals that sent the Chiefs near the bottom of the standings.

James Forrester was the missing link for the Chiefs as he only tallied 7 points. However, AU rookie Nard Pinto stepped-up on this match as he led his team with his 18 points.

Stags pressured the Chiefs and forced turnovers resulting to a blown up lead by the Stags. Chiefs, in the third quarter, tried to trim the deficit but the Stags were unstoppable on the final quarter.

Chiefs outrun Pirates

Arellano Chiefs registered their 2nd straight win as they ruled in the court against Lyceum Pirates, 83-52, for the 1st round of the
elimination of the NCAA season 88 held at San Juan Arena.

Fil-Canadian rookie James Forrester steered his squad as he tallied 19 points and 6 rebounds.

Coach Koy Banal revealed that “there’s nothing extraordinary we did against LPU… and just want to be consistent and improve
everything.”

Pirates’ Chris Cayabyab and Rich Guevarra (who fouled out after receiving his 5th foul in the 4th), tried to cut down the deficit but Vergel Zulueta halted the Pirates with his 12 second half points.

The Hypothetical Smart Gilas 2013 Machine

Kudos Smart Gilas Pilipinas! Despite the so-called “National Heartache” that you’ve given us according to one overzealous writer, it would never account to the sense of pride and happiness that you’ve delivered to Filipino basketball fans when they saw you competing and beating some of the best basketball teams in Asia.

But if there’s one thing that I would agree with Mr. Trinidad’s column, it’s that we really came up short. In the semi-finals, we were beaten in the end game by a clearly superior and hungrier Jordan team. In the last medal game, we lost a won game by again breaking down in the end game against Korea. While I look at our recent setback in a positive manner, it really wouldn’t take an ultimate nay-sayer to say that there are still a lot of things to improve on in order for us to reach the most elusive Olympic dream.

But unlike Mr. Recah Trinidad who keeps on blabbering about the failure of the system without actually giving better alternatives, the proper response to this setback is to stick with the program, retain coach Toroman and prepare for the 2013 championships because I truly believe that not every loss should result into a total revamp of the system.

What would happen to Manny Pacquiao if he sacked Freddie Roach after losing to Morales and settling for draw against Juan Manuel Marquez? Would a four-peat be even possible if Ateneo parted ways with Norman Black after their  heartbreaking loss to UST in Season 69?

The thing is, what the nation needs to understand is that losses do happen and success stories doesn’t happen overnight. What Rajko Toroman did was to turn a slumping system, which finished 8th and 9th respectively in the last two qualifiers, into a winning system. Yes, they did break on two of the biggest games of the tournament, but that doesn’t mean that it warrants an automatic curbing of the whole program.

The most logical solution here would be to carry on with what Toroman started, retain him as coach, and well, retain most of the players which played in Wuhan this year. With the addition of some of the best collegiate players today and some pro-cagers, we could have a formidable lineup by 2013.

So with that being said, here’s my proposed 12 man team for FIBA ASIA 2013.

Frontliners

Marcus Douthit – Unless we can actually find a younger, more athletic player with Marcus’ size, I say stick with him. Marcus’ performance in the recent qualifiers is MVP caliber. He led the league in points and rebounding and played a major role in intimidating opponents underneath. He might not be a Filipino by blood, but he damn sure played like one.

Japeth Aguilar – Much like in 09, he saw limited minutes in the court for whatever reasons.  But I’m not ready to give up on this kid yet. He’s explosive, he can shoot, he can defend and he has ceiling. If only he could add a few pounds to his frame.

Greg Slaughter – This 6’11 prospect was already training with the team before his stint in Ateneo. Still a raw and undeveloped talent now, the whole nation is hoping that he would somehow develop into a reliable bigman under the tutelage of Coach Norman Black and he will be further polished under Toroman by 2013. With Asi’s age, he could be the perfect replacement as Douthit’s backup.

Joe de Vance – Now hear me out here. A lot of people aren’t really high on JDV but I truly believe that this guy flourishes under the right system. He posted career highs in points, rebounds and assists under Tim Cone and that goes to show you how  he responds with the proper system and with proper coaching. He’s the type of guy who could stretch the defense all the way to the three point line, can put the ball in the floor and finish on the break. Ideal 4 guy for Smart Gilas right here.

 

Swingers

Marcio Lassiter – In most games in the last qualifier, Marcio Lassiter was the second best player of the team. He’s by far their best on ball defender for Team Philippines and he’s probably also the best finisher of the team. On half court sets, he can create off the dribble and take threes. Perfect fit.

Kelly Williams –  While Kelly played the role of a scapegoat after missing two crucial foulshots against Korea, we should never forget what kind of impact Kelly made in the concluded qualifiers. Kelly should not be too old by 2013, and he’s just the type of swinger Gilas needs, a 6’7 guy which can play both forward spots.

Arwind Santos – Arwind is someone who truly deserves a spot in the national team roster. His versatility on both offense and defense could be utilized well under Toroman’s system. He’s quick enough to guard the likes of Rasheem Wright and Cho Seong Min and long enough to guard agile power forwards.

Ronald Pascual – This shouldn’t come off  as a surprise if you’ve been following NCAA basketball. Ronald Pascual deserves a spot in the 2013 Gilas team. Probably the best shooter in college ball today, Pascual is having an MVP season with the yet to be defeated San Sebastian Stags, averaging 20 points a game, 5 boards and 3 assists. But let’s forget about his actual stats right now and look at his potential. This guy is 6’4, can jump out of the gym effortlessly and can nail down long bombs. Just exactly what this team needs.

Backcourt

Chris Tiu – He’s no flashy scorer but I think his decision not to join the PBA speaks a lot about his dedication to this team. As cliche as this may sound, Chris is the heart of this team. He’s the leader of the previous delegation to Wuhan and should be the leader of the team in 2013. With his defense, timely shots and leadership, Chris Tiu should be a vital cog come 2013.

JV Casio – With injuries slowing down JV Casio in the recent qualifiers, I say this guy deserves one more shot at the team. JV of course is a deadshot from beyond the arc which could improve more after his stint in the pro league.

Keifer Ravena – Now, it’s time to give some young blood the exposure that they need. Keifer should be the youngest member of the team in 2013 but with the rate that he’s going now, he should be ready by that time. A smart player with a knack of taking over during big games, Keifer could definitely be the future of Philippine Basketball.

Bobby Ray Parks – The reigning UAAP MVP will play for our national team, one way or another. So why not put him in by 2013? Bobby Ray Parks is just what the national team needs. A scorer who could put the ball on the floor, pull up in the perimeter, take set threes, attack the basket and penetrate and kick-0ut. He’s the type of player who could take over when the offense is going nowhere. He’s the type of player that the previous team was missing.

Now that’s my 12 man team. I know a lot of  previous players who played well in the previous qualifiers got booted out but that’s the way it goes. Injuries and basketball-politics aside, I see this team making it big in 2013 with the proper system and the proper support hat it deserves from Philippine Basketball Tycoons and Philippine Basketball fans alike.

Let’s go Team Pilipinas! Never stop dreaming, we’re almost there.

MOA Arena, Raising the Stakes

Last Thursday, June 23 2011, I had the privilege to attend a press conference in the IMAX arena of the SM Mall of Asia, it basically introduced the partnership of SM MOA and the NCAA. So what does the Sy-ran company have to do with the oldest collegiate league in the Philippines?

Well, for starters, a new arena is about to unfold before our very eyes.

The MOA Arena, which will be erected in the Mall of Asia complex in Pasay City will be the new home of the NCAA after this year’s season. Letran, which will be hosting the 88th season of the NCAA, will have the privilege to conduct games under the new state-of-the-art sports complex which if I listened to the speakers correctly, should be the best arena that we’ll be having in the Philippines.

Yes. You heard it right. It is indeed promising.

The proposed arena, which should be finished by April 2012, can hold more than 20,000 people, with 16,000 guaranteed seats. It will feature suites for VIPs who would want to watch the games at the comfort of their own privacy and it will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities that are being used already in NBA arenas like The Philips Arena, the home-floor of the Atlanta Hawks.

So, what could be the implications of SM creating a new avenue for Philippine sports and the likes?

Big time implications. Big time.

UAAP season 75 will be hosted by NU, and since we all know that the NU Bulldogs are now being ran by the Sys, we can all expect the 75th season of the UAAP to be played in the new MOA Arena. This means, by next year, once the UAAP and the NCAA season goes full circle again for the 75th and 88th seasons respectively, we should all expect to see games at the Mall of Asia Complex.

Well, ugh, so what?

Well, duh, let us look at the big picture here, now that SM has raised the stakes for sports complexes and entertain venues here in the Philippines, we should expect more from their counterparts. Right now, I think it is just fair to expect the Araneta Colisuem, the arena that we are now considering as the best complex for major sports and entertainment events to try, and be competitive with SM’s new planned arena.

You know what that means? Better arenas are equal to better events.

Who knows, because of the recent developments, maybe watching an NBA game or a U2 concert here in the Philippines is not that far-fetched at all?

New Nike Video, New Breed

Nike Basketball – “New Breed, New Game, New Legacy”. Featuring Ateneo Blue Eagles, FEU Fighting Tamaraws and San Beda Red Lions channeling the strength of their respective team animals and transforming into today’s new breed of basketball players.

Roar or Soar? Who’s the best Collegiate team this year?

I really hate to do this mainly because of..

1) They are from two different leagues so comparing these teams would really be pointless. They could meet at Champions cup but.. I don’t think both teams will play with a complete line up in this year’s Champion’s Cup.

2) I’m 100% certain that I’m going to take heat from the red or blue guys after writing this entry and since I’m a peace loving guy, I don’t want that. lol

But since I have nothing else to do and I already told a reader that I’ll do it, fine. I’ll break it down, take my pick in a 3 game series and justify my claim. Alright let’s begin..

Ateneo just finished a dominating UAAP run, taking all but a single game against FEU, taking out UE in the Semis and then sweeping their rival La Salle in the Finals. While on the other hand, San Beda came off a tough NCAA season losing games to JRU, Mapua and even CSB (Technically). San Beda took out Mapua in the Semi Finals and then dispatched a tough tough JRU team in 3 games to complete a grand slam.

Now, looking at the way they ended their campaign.. it’s easy to assume that Ateneo would take out San Beda easily. But come on, you guys have to admit, San Beda had a tougher run to the title and as much as I’m afraid to say it, most of the UAAP teams are a tad overrated this year.

With that being said, lemme try to breakdown this “fantasy” match up between Ateneo and San Beda.

Frontline

Ateneo possesses two of the best bigmen in the UAAP today on their starting line up. Rabeh Al Husseini (2008 MVP) and Severino “Nonoy” Baclao (2008 Finals MVP, 2007 Champions Cup MVP) while on the other side of the fence, Beda plays with Sam Ekwe (2 time NCAA MVP) and JR Taganas to start for them. Justin Chua and Jobe Idon’tknowhowtospellhissurname mans up the Ateneo bench while Jake Pascual and Dave Marcelo does the substitute role for the Lions.

Frontline breakdown: Rabeh won’t be as effective and as dominating as he was in the UAAP because he’ll be hounded by four different defenders, specifically Sam Ekwe and JR Taganas. Now, this would most definitely be in favor of the Lions considering that their offense doesn’t rely heavily on Ekwe and Taganas while the Eagles almost instantly goes to Rabeh every single time they set up. I expect Ateneo’s frontline to produce more points but I’ll have to give the frontline advantage to San Beda because of what I’ve said above.

 

Wingmen

On the blue side: Chris Tiu, Eric Salamat and Ryan Buenafe. In the red corner: Ogie Menor, Bambam Gamalinda and JR Tecson.

 

Wingmen Breakdown: Ateneo has better wingmen. Hands down. Chris Tiu, Ryan Buenafe and Eric Salamat can explode any given Sunday on the other hand, Beda’s wings are at times inconsistent. Ogie’s game can either help his team big time or pull it down in the Abyss. Tecson and Gamalinda are solid players, but like what I’ve said, they’re inconsistent. Wing advantage goes to Ateneo.

Backcourt Breakdown

The Hermida-Escobal-Tirona backcourt is prolly the most underrated backcourt in Collegiate Basketball today. All of those guys are solid point guards which can shift to the two guard spot easily. On the other hand, I think Ateneo’s soft spot is in their backcourt. Jai Reyes, Yuri Escueta and Kirk Long doesn’t really match up well to the experienced trio of Beda. Backcourt advantage easily goes to San Beda here.

The Verdict

I know I’m going to recieve (as usual) hate mails for saying this, but I’m actually picking San Beda to win against Ateneo in three tough tough games. It’s really hard for me to pick between two great teams but I feel San Beda is still, the best Collegiate basketball team today, as it was in the past three years.

 

Anyway, I’m all done now. You can send your hate mails after the tone. :D

The Araneta Chronicles: San Beda College vs Jose Rizal University

How about this for a change huh? Ever since last week, it has been all about La Salle vs Ateneo, Ateneo vs La Salle, Green vs Blue, Blue vs Green, Chris Tiu on TV, Rabeh for MVP, Shawarma Parties, Bonfires and so forth. That’s why I’m feeling a bit down for the guys over at the other side of the world, just so you know, the NCAA had it’s craziest season so far. And it’s not over yet.

On one side, here’s a team looking to create a dynasty. On the other, a team trying to break a 38 year drought. How’s that for a change huh?

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Chris Speaks: Breaking the Pros

Hi guys, welcome to another edition of Chris Speaks and today we’ll talk about Breaking the Pros. What exactly is this entry all about? You’ll soon find out.

For many years now, we’ve seen great prospects from the UAAP and the NCAA, dominating the collegiate ranks and turning the whole Philippine basketball world crazy with a variety of moves that gives them a nod in the pro world. People would then go on and make crazy statements like.. this one is the future of Philippine Basketball and this guy will soon overtake this guy in terms of popularity and court dominance. But I’m surprised with how much most of the guys who were “supposed to dominate” the pro league would most likely end up on the team’s bench, a journeyman or to amateur leagues like the PBL, NBL/NBC and now an alternative pro league in Liga Pilipinas. Read more

The Hoops.Blink.Ph 2007 Hoops Awards!

What’s up hoopsters? Today you’ll be witnessing history, for this day, January 6th 2008 we will be holding the first ever annual hoops award!

I was supposed to choose my own set of winners but since I haven’t consulted any of the writers and the readers then I figured it should be called the Chrisangelo 2007 Hoops awards and that name would suck. So I decided to wait post an initial entry, wait for your response and create another blog post to determine the winner, cool huh?

Note: To gain more response and thus make this a more formal *pukes* thread, I’m going to post this everywhere, my blogger, my multiply and other forums… I suggest you post this to your blog too.. just don’t forget to put the original url.

Voting ends next Sunday, January 13 2008

So here we go!

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