UAAP Newsbreakers

This year's UAAP basketball tourney is becoming interesting; true to experts opinion. Here are two reasons why, so far.

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The UP Fighting Maroons scored a mini shocker in its opening game yesterday. It  finally remembered how to win after defeating the UE Red Warriors, 69-61. With new coach Ricky Dandan, UP finally ended its 18 game losing streak, dating back to its last victory on august 22, 2009, an 83-78 victory over the De La Salle Green Archers. Last year, it went scoreless. Its last win over the UE Red Warriors was still in 2006. After losing all its game last season, indeed there is no way but up for the Maroons.

I studied high school at UP Iloilo, now UP Visayas. So, my heart still goes with UP. We used to cheer, push on UP on going to win"; it's alright, its okay, we'll gonna beat them anyway, etc. Even during that time, UP has always been the cellar dweller. Except in 1986 when PBA stars Benjie Paras, Ronnie Magsanoc, Eric Altamirano,and co. ended UP's long, long drought by winning the championship (This was the time that my wife was in UP Diliman, so she had a really wonderful and memorable UAAP experience). Oh, UP Beloved! Incidentally, next week, we are going home to UP Visayas to attend our alumni homecoming where we are Jubilarians.

The other newsbreaker yesterday was the victory of the UST Tigers over the rejuvenated NU Bulldogs in overtime. The highlight of the game was the match up of the celebrated rookie Bulldog Bobby Ray Parks against UST's guard Jeric Teng. Suddenly, UST becomes now not just a growling tiger in the midst. Parks performance, 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks was more than just a respectable performance. The Bobby Parks-Jeric Teng one-on-one tussle reminds us of those one on one encounter in the PBA of  Jeric's father, Alvin,the "Robocop" defensive specialist with the San Miguel team against Bobby Ray's father, 7-time Best Import Awardee Bobby Parks. It's all in the family it seems.

Tale of Two Rookies

They are outstanding players from the junior ranks of basketball and tennis.

The first one has a sports pedigree; a father who was a former UE Red Warrior and a PBA star and a mother who was a former varsity volleyball player at UST. He was schooled in an elite school down Katipunaan Road in Quezon City. Surely, he was honed by formal training sessions. The other boy's background is almost a complete opposite. He comes from a poor family in far away Iligan City in Mindanao. His father works as a janitor with National Power Corporation (NPC)  in Ditucalan, Lanao del Norte, near the famous Maria Cristina Falls. A "pulot boy" (ball retriever), he was discovered playing tennis using a soft drink bottle as his racket.( I know the place. In the early 80's when we were first hooked to tennis, we would travel here, some 20-30 minutes from the city proper, to play in these courts. Our pulot boys then were using flat wood as racket until we lent or gave them real rackets. In a short time, they become unbeatable.)

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Keifer Ravena, the son of fomer PBA star Ferdinand "Bong" Ravena of the Purefoods Hotdogs team was recently promoted to the Ateneo Blue Eagles Senior basketball team after graduation from high school this year. He was expected to be a vital cog in their quest for a 4-peat championship. As a Junior stand-out, he led the Eaglets to 3 consecutive championships in the UAAP. He was also a mainstay of several national junior teams that competed in several international tournaments. We watched the UAAP opening basketball games  last Sunday, staying at the Big Dome for the 2nd game where Keifer would play. All told, his very first game as a senior was a flop, a disappointment. He was uncharacteristically scoreless on a single field goal attempt. I really don't know what happened. Coach Norman Black said he switched him to the No. 2 guard position which he was not comfortable. Whatever. Rookie jitters. For sure, he'll bounce back after this.

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The other rookie is Jeson Patrombon, the pride of Iligan City. After his discovery by his ever supportive coach, mentor, etc, Manny Tecson, he was brought to Manila and trained under the Jalosjos Alabang Tennis Club. This is the tennis club founded, financed and supported by former Zamboanga congressman Romy Jalosjos while he was in jailed Muntinlupa Bilibid prison. After dominating the local juniors tournaments, he campaigned abroad, earning him the top ten ranking at the end of last year. Significantly, he played in all the majors, Austaralian, US, French and the latest Wimbledon. Last week,for the first time, he formally joined the Philippine Mens team that played against New Zealand in their Asia-Oceana Davis Cup tie. Jeson played in the reverse singles in the last day of the tie ( by that time, the Philippines already lost the tie, 0-3). He won the first set but lost the next two sets and the match.


To these young rookies, their first game was their baptism of fire. But they hold a lot of promise. Watch them from now on. They'll soon dominate the headlines.

The UAAP Cage War Has Begun

The rains came, so did the crowds. We, my wife and two kids, came too to watch the opening of the UAAP Basketball Season 74. First game: La Salle vs. FEU. As we prepared to go, our first problem came: what color we will wear. My wife's animo is green, having finished her elementary and high school in La Salle Iligan (college was in UP Diliman). Me and my 2 kids go for FEU. No affinity whatsoever (I studied college in Iloilo) except that we just root for their players. We first sat with the green crowd but later, at my sons' request (they actually wore light green shirts), we transferred to a neutral corner near the FEU's yellow crowd where they were  free to cheer for the Tamaraws.

The game was a close one until late in the 3rd quarter when the Tamaraws started to pull away, courtesy of the 3-point clutch shooting of ace guard, RR Garcia. From there on to the end, the Archers never really threatened seriously. The Tamaraws fielded their reliable veterans, RR Garcia, Aldrich Ramos, Cawaling, Terence Romeo, Bringas and co. La Salle fielded a mix of new and old, putting more height in their new big men ,Torres and Von Opstal. But clearly, they were  outmatched in crunch time.

Where was La Salle's vaunted stiffling pressure defense? Instead, they opted to the man zone. Curiously, they lacked or had no firepower outside. Yet coach Dindo Pumaren fielded 3-point artist Sam Marata only midway in the 3rd quarter. He came  cold, though he managed a three. In the closing minutes, he was fielded back but it was too late.

The final score: 74-65. La Salle also lost in two other fronts; the cheering crowd and the pep squad in the intermission. They lacked intensity in their yells and cheers, even when the game was still close. The Animo was lacking. They were outcheered, outshouted and outperformed by the yellow and green crowd of FEU, which included showbiz personality Vice Ganda, an FEU alumnus who reportedly played basketball in those days of yore. In the intermission, FEU performed stunning acrobatic and gymnastics routines compared to La Salle's plain calisthenics performance.

If I could write a headline story out of it, I would report: Tamaraws Gore Archers! But oh yes, my wife still stood and sang her La Salle Alma Mater song.

We stayed a little while to watch the Ateneo-Adamson main game I just wanted to take a look at these two teams touted as contenders for the championship. Most especially I wanted to see the much talked about players of Ateneo, the 7" Greg Slaughter and the fancied rookie Keifer Ravena. We left at the half after the pep squad presentation with Ateneo laeading by a small margin.  Later we learned that the Blue Eagles defeated the Falcons in a low scoring game, 55-51.

It's too early yet. In fact it has just begun. But my crystal ball says it's gonna be a repeat of last year: Ateneo vs. FEU in the finals.

Saturday's Sports Special

The local sports scene is buzzing.

From the Azkals date last week to a full load weekend. The biggest and most talked about is the UAAP Season 74 opening today at the Marikina Sports Complex. An innovation which is a first in its history, it will open a la Olympic style with some 3,700 athletes from all 15 sports in the calendar expected to march.

Ateneo is this year's host and  Blue Eagle and PBA legend Olsen Racela will carry the torch and light the cauldron signalling the opening of the games. In the real Olympics, the identity of the who will do this lighting honor is the best kept secret of the opening and is only known or revealed when his moment of glory comes.

Tomorrow, the most prestigious event, basketball unfolds at the Big Dome and expect a full raucous crowd in attendance of the double header; FEU vs. La Salle in the 1st game and defending champion Ateneo against Adamson in the 2nd game.

News from Down Under of the Philippines
New Zealand Davis Cup tie looks bleak. Our Cecil mamiit and Ruben Gonzales lost their opening singles matches putting the Philippines i a 0-2 deep hole. Gonzales succumbed in 3 straight sets, 6-4,6-4,6-4 while our top netter Mamiit put in a good fight in 5 sets, 6-7(6), 7-6(4), 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. They now face the tough task of winning their crucial doubles match today and win the reverse singles matches tomorrow.

As a trivia, do you know that Cecil Mamiit is currently the hitting partner of the darling of women's tennis, my idol, Maria Sharapova?

UAAP Sidelights: The Eligibility Case of Greg Slaughter and Bobby Ray Parks, Jr.

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All's well that's ends well. The UAAP 74 Basketball Season unfolds this Sunday with experts saying that this is one of the toughest editions in years. This after the UAAP Board cleared and gave the go signal to play to Ateneo's prize recruit, 7' behemoth Greg Slaughter and NU's celebrated rookie, Bobby Ray Parks. Slaughter, who once led the University of Visayas (UV) Lancers to four (4) straight championships in the Cebu Collegiate Meet, and Parks, the talented son and namesake of many time PBA Best Import, Bobby Parks, were hounded by eligibility questions decided only this late by the UAAP Board. This now make NU a serious contender and a step closer for the Blue Eagles in their drive for a rare 4-peat championships. Expected to crowd them are last year's runner up, FEU Tamaraws, La Salle Geen Archers and Adamson Falcons. Of course, upsets from the UE Red Warriors now coached by PBA veteran Jerry Codinera and Pido Jarencio's UST Fighting Tigers can't be ruled out.

Slaughter's short stint with the Smart Gilas national team while in residency was the issue. UAAP rules states that a player in residency is barred from playing in any other league though it was reasoned out that there's an amended rule to the effect that this will not apply when the player suited up with the national team. For Parks, he needed one more year residency after studying 3 years high school in the US. But there is also a rule that when at least one parent worked as an OFW, this 2 year residency does not apply. Parks was born in Batangas, finished elementary in Manila and spent 3 years in high school in the US when his Filipina mother worked there as OFW. He came back last year for his 4th year. And in his personal appeal to let him play, he pleaded his case in fluent Filipino (Tagalog) in a presscon the other day.

I fully agree with my favorite sports columnist Quinito Henson of the Phil. Star when in his column yesterday he said that this eligibility issue could have been resolved by the board a long time ago. They knew full well that these two players are geared up to play for their respective schools months ago. Were the schools also remiss in this? After all, Aldrech Ramos who also once played for Smart Gilas was cleared early this year but it was because FEU officials then wrote the Board to decide on his case.

This issue somehow, in my view, put a dent in the spirit of fairness and fair play and may, as Henson added, "put unnecessary ill will among member schools."

Be that as it may, this gonna be another blockbuster Sunday. Roll out the drums. Blare the trumpets.Put on your school colors. Hail, the gang's all here. See you at Araneta!