Yesterday, the struggling UP Fighting Maroons chalked up their first win in UAAP season 72 against no less than the league-leading Ateneo Blue Eagles 75-65.
*for all the number-crunchers out there, sorry if you find any inaccurracies in the points I report. I wasn't able to watch the whole game and relied of the commentary to get my numbers right.
In an epic David-versus-Goliath struggle, the Eagles were able to grab an early lead, leading by 16 points at the end of the first half. UP came back firing on all cylinders, grabbing a slim 5 point lead as they went into the final quarter. The Maroons were able to keep their composure and stood their ground, playing solid defensive basketball against a strong run by the Eagles led by season 71 MVP Rabeh Al-Hussaini. The shots weren't falling for the Eagles as the normally steady three-point shooting of Emman Monfort, Jai Reyes, and Eric Salamat failed to connect at crucial points of the ballgame. Adding to Ateneo's woes were the highly spirited play of such UP stalwarts like the fearles Mark Lopez (who went for a breakaway layup despit the looming presence of last season's defensive player of the year Nonoy Baclao) and the hot hands of former Xavier skipper Woody Co who put up 3 cold-blooded three-pointers in the second half that sustained the winning effort of the Maroons. In a game where they were thought to be overmatched in rebounding, UP was able to get the critical boards down the stretch, denying Ateneo second-chance points and triggering fast break oppotunities.
The season has just busted wide open, with the lowest-ranked team beating what was percieved to be the best in the league. Its anyone's season now, and the games just got a bit more exciting.
Earlier, the DLSU Green Archers were able to pull off a sqeaker against the Adamson University Falcons, 64-63 (Didn't watch, but I heard they won by free throws by Maui Villanueva with 2 seconds remaining in overtime)
Here are my power rankings as of July 27, 2009 (which are not reflective of current team standings. Personal opinion lang ha? :P)
1. ADMU Blue Eagles - despite the loss against UP, Ateneo's towering lineup and depth on the bench is still a force to be reckoned with. There's just no real answer for Al-Hussaini's dominance in the paint. They also have so many options from the perimeter such as Eric Salamat, Emman Monfort, and even Jai Reyes. Nico Salva has been showing that effective mid-range jumper of his that gives ADMU a bit more versatility. Look for them to come back really strong after the loss as they take on Adamson on thursday (7/30)
Rookie watch: Typical of coach Norman Black not to use much of his rookies (unless you're as good as Ryan Buenafe, who has not been showing his usual game as of late)
2. FEU Tamaraws - Though they may not be too flashy, the Morayta-based dribblers have been playing steadily, anchored by veterans Andy Barocca, JR Cawaling, and Reil Cerventes. Aldrech Ramos is expected to take his game to a whole new level, as he's gotten bigger and stronger this season, but has yet to deliver on this promise. With four guards in the rotation, FEU will always have fresh legs for their highly effective pressing and trapping defense.
Rookie Watch: Hippo Nuondou has been a revelation for coach Glenn Capacio. He has a nice midrange jumper and passes well out of tight spots. His heft also allows him to snatch those rebounds despite being undersized compared to the other big men of the league. Ryan Roose Garcia is another rookie staring for FEU. Steady at the point, he gives Barocca a lot more fredom to move without the ball and get into scoring position. Oh, and he's got a decent shot as well. ;)
3. UST Growling Tigers - After losing Jervy Cruz and Japs Cuan to graduation, many naysayers have written off UST to fade into obscurity. But the lack of a legitimate big man dosen't seem to bother the Tigers as Dylan Ababou and Kasim Mirza have stepped up to the challenge to lead UST back to the Final Four. The UST players have really bulked up compared to last season, where they had a whole bunch of lanky long-armed wingmen who struggled at the post or while getting into position for the rebound. If UST is able to overcome to the adjustments that will inevitably be made against them in the second round, I look to them to take the number 2 or 3 spot in the Final Four.
Rookie Watch: Former Stallion captain Jeric Teng has been seeing considerable minutes for coach Pido Jarencio, putting up an average of about 10-12 PPG and giving UST yet another offensive threat from beyond the arc. "Robo-kid" just needs to work on his free-throw shooting though. :P
4. UE Red Warriors - I would have to say that UE is a bit more of the same when compared to last season. Despite the loss of James Martinez due to illnes, their nucleus of veterans is still intact with Elmer Espiritu, Paul Zamar, Paul Lee, and Parri Llagas (who seems more dominating in the paint this season). Neophyte head coach Lawrence Tiongson has made some tweaks in the game of the Warriors, but they are still the same high-octane team (only a little stronger, wiser, and better as compared to last year). I'll skip the rookie watch for this team because I don't know their rookies. :P
5. AdU Falcons - Still sporting a seemingly unremarkable lineup (except for maybe former Green Archer Michael Galinato), coach Leo Austria seems to have made headway with his team, as they seem to be playing more organized basketball this time around. With plays centered around Galinato, the Falcons have beeen able to get a lot of different good looks at the basket and made their opponents pay with their good ball movement. If Adamson stays true to form, and follows their coach's system, they may just have a shot of breaking into the #4 spot. No rookie watch here either. Sorry. :P
6. UP Fighting Maroons - Long since removed from the glory days of Ronnie Magsanoc and Benjie Paras. the state university has been through season after season of heartache and disappontment. The talent pool is just too limited for UP, however this year's lineup shows great promise, as evidenced by their shocking 10-pont victory over the highly touted Ateneo Blue Eagles. I believe that the game was no fluke, and is a foreshadowing of what this UP team can achieve. Magi Sison is showing a lot more bulk this season, while retaining the quickness at the low block which made him one of UP's scoring options last season. the undersized Mark Lopez has made his presence felt all over the court, from excellent transition defense, to fastbreak points, both against bigger opponents. Martin Reyes is always a marked man, and thus his numbers seem to have dipped considerably. He has to find a lot of other ways to create scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates to be more effective. Playing on his fourth year, Woody Co is slowly showing the form he once had when he led Xavier to the 2006 Tiong Lian title. Seemingly able to score from anty point on the floor, his versatility is a headache to any team's defense. Ditto on the rookie watch, as coach Aboy seemingly uses a short rotation list during games.
7. DLSU Archers - Although they are not at the bottom of the standings, the Archers seem to have been performing way under par this season. Compared to LaSalle teams of the previous years, this year's crop of veternans seems pretty weak. Led by Hyram Bagatsing, PJ Barua, Bader Malabes, and the under-performing James Mangahas (whom I expected to take over the void left by Rico Maierhoffer), I don't think DLSU will make it very far this season unless the veterans really shape up. Through the years, DLSU always seemed to be an underdog team, and that made them pretty exciting to watch. Despite the underdog label, they always had someone they could really count on to make the "miracle shots" that would bring them home. Not so with this team, which seemingly has an entire bunch of role players without anyone really taking the lead.
Rookie Watch: DLSU was able to bring blue-chip rookie Arvie Bringas into their fold, probably half-expecting him to bring a ready-made A-class game to the seniors division (like his SSC Staglets teammate Buenafe who took the UAAP by storm last season). However, things don't always turn out as planned. I think that all the hype must be getting to him. Instead of the killer look that Buenafe sported last year, Bringas looks like a deer caught in the headlights, groping for form and seriously struggling with his game. The sooner he can shake this off, the better the prognosis for LaSalle. Sure, they can very easily pull off a miraculous turn-around this season, but until that happens, at the bottom they will stay. :P
8. NU Bulldogs - Now under new management by the SM group, the Bulldogs are expected to make waves in the UAAP as the team's resources expand a great deal However, don't expect them to do anything fantastic just yet. :P Despite coach Manny Dandan's best efforts, NU still plays very disorganized basketball (Larong Kalye kung tawagin). They still have a lot of growing up to do in terms of basketball IQ. The best example I can think of is they way their point guard often looks over his shoulder back to their bench for instructions after he's just crossed the half-court line, providing a dangerous situation for a quick steal and a transition basket. Ponferada has been the cornerstone of this NU team, and can hold his own against the big men of the league.
Rookie Watch: Anjeet(?) Singh was reputed to be a sparkplug for the Bulldog offense. He isn't afraid to drive to the basket and works hard on perimeter defense. Admittedly, I am unable to give a fair assessment as I have only seen him play sparingly.
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