MANILA, Philippines – As the start of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) season looms, another cycle of graduation and recruitment has been completed. The big names have moved on, the Chris Tius, the JV Casios, the Jervy Cruzes. It’s now time for other, less familiar players to become household names.
These eight players will have to take on bigger roles, and their success as key contributors may decide whether or not their teams book a spot on the Final Four. Watch out (and cheer) for them this season.
Eric Salamat: “The Man of Steal”
Ateneo Blue Eagles
2008 Season: 20.2 minutes, 8.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 2.1 steals (17 games)
If there’s a single mental image that can capture the essence of Eric Salamat, it would be of this pesky defender, cleanly ripping the ball off his opponent and zooming down the lane for an open lay-up. As the first guard off the Ateneo bench, Salamat was instant offense, usually in transition, where he was a one-man fastbreak. But he faded down the stretch, and was limited to being a minor contributor during the two-game set that ended with an Ateneo championship. As the incumbent starting shooting guard for the Blue Eagles, he’ll be asked to do much more then just steal the ball every now and then.
2009 Outlook: For Salamat, it’s all about putting everything together. He can torch you from outside sometimes (4/5 from long distance in the second round versus FEU). He can slash inside and give you three-point play after three-point play occasionally. He’ll make nifty passes every now and then. This lack of consistency can be maddening for the coach, the team, and the fans. Toss in the fact that the new referees might be more inclined to call more reach-in fouls, and it becomes clear that in order to repeat, Salamat will need to open up and diversify his game.
James Mangahas: “The Last Old Gun”
De La Salle Green Archers
2008 Season: 24.4 minutes, 9.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.3 blocks, 0.4 steals (18 games)
Gone are the days when James Mangahas was the third, or even lower option. Gone are the days when he could sit patiently in the corner, waiting for the kick-out, watching as JV Casio and Rico Maierhofer put the team on their backs. Now it’s up to him to lead a, well, green team, full of rookies, possibly back to the finals. He scored in double digits eight times last season, and had seven games with more than five rebounds, but he’ll have to average at least that, while still shooting daggers from afar. Sounds tough? Maybe, but it’s his time now.
2009 Outlook: The onus is on Mangahas to score, but he can’t rely on his jumper alone, not when each team’s best defender will be gunning for him. Mangahas will need to learn how to put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket. Also, as one of the few veterans left, he’ll need to lead this Green Archers team, both on the court, by upping his assists, and by example, hustling for rebounds and loose balls. If his team can feed off his energy, then it’s back to the Final Four for these guys.
Leo Canuday: “The Prodigal Son”
Adamson Soaring Falcons
2007 Season: 25.6 minutes, 9.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.8 steals (14 games)
After missing the entire 2008 season with a shoulder injury, Leo Canuday returns, only to find himself as the oldest tenured Falcon on the squad. He also finds himself as the walking solution to the Falcons’ ills last season: Their outside shooting, or lack thereof. Despite playing on a team that starred the never-shy-to-shoot Patrick Cabahug, Canuday still got a lot of touches from beyond the arc, and he converted on more than 30 percent of them, a high percentage, given how the shooting guard corps of last season barely reached that mark, shooting only in the high 20s.
2009 Outlook: Canuday can play both guard positions, which will be a great boon to their coach, Leo Austria. Canuday will make the wide-open threes, courtesy of Jerick Canada drives that Paul Gonzalgo missed. Also, he’s a more natural back-up to Canada, which was something Gonzalgo did horribly last season when he had to go out of position and run the team. If the Falcons are to soar, Canuday will definitely need to provide some lift.
Riel Cervantes: “The Forgotten One”
Far Eastern University Tamaraws
2008 Season: 22.8 minutes, 9.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.2 blocks, 0.3 steals (16 games)
When Macmac Baracael had to miss games recovering from his gunshot wound, Riel Cervantes slipped into the power forward position at FEU and it fit him like a glove, perhaps, even better than the aforementioned Baracael. And during summer league play, when three of his teammates, JR Cawaling, Aldrech Ramos and Mark Barroca spent most of their time with the RP Youth Team, it was Cervantes again to the rescue. Combining a ferocious desire to scoop up rebounds and a smooth mid-range jumper, Cervantes may be flying under the radar for now, but if pundit predictions come true and FEU does in fact go the distance, he’ll be a big reason why it was possible.
2009 Outlook: While opponents map out strategies on how to contain his three more famous teammates, Cervantes will quietly make the most of his opportunities. It’s his small forward-like athleticism that makes him such a difficult power forward to guard, and if he extends his range further out to the three-point line, then the Tams can be considered a lock to go to the Championship round.
Jewel Ponferrada: “The Diamond in the Rough”
National University Bulldogs
2008 Season: 17.7 minutes, six points, 5.4 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 1.1 blocks, 0.4 steals (14 games)
How much of a big deal can be made of one game? If you’re Jewel Ponferrada, one game last season against FEU might be enough to give NU fans even just a slight glimmer of hope. In their last assignment in the first round, Ponferrada had 16 points on six of seven shooting, six rebounds and a whopping four blocks in a career-high 29 minutes. Now with Edwin Asoro and Raymond Aguilar gone, the minutes and touches are there for Ponferrada. Will that one game be a big deal, a sign of things to come, or no big deal at all?
2009 Outlook: NU is more well-known for taking ill-advised triples despite having some behemoths patrolling the painted area, and so step one for the Bulldogs ought to be looking for Ponferrada underneath the basket first, before spotting up for a forced trey. Then, with the ball in his hands, it’s just a matter of aggressiveness. Ponferrada had a grand total of 21 free throw attempts last season despite appearing in all of their games, and that has got to change.
Magi Sison: “The Gentle Giant”
University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons
2008 Season: 22.2 minutes, 6.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, one assist, 0.7 blocks, 0.3 steals (14 games)
Can you be big during one half of the game and small during the other half? It’s reality for UP center Magi Sison, who routinely notches more rebounds than scores points, despite his giant-like stature. He’s not afraid to bully his way into the middle and sky for a rebound, but on the other end, he’s timid, and overly reliant on a jump shot, not a post move. Toss in the fact that he’s more likely to be called for a foul than to draw a foul, and you have a unique problem for the Maroons.
2009 Outlook: Sison has a lot in common with Ponferrada of NU. Like Ponferrada, Sison had one game last season that got everyone talking: A 20-point, 13-rebound performance against UST. After that, he only had two other games where he scored in double digits, both 10-point games. If Sison can put together some semblance of a post-game, or adjust to having UP point guards throw him lob passes for lay-ins, then opponents of the Maroons will definitely have a fight on their hands. Otherwise, there’s no incentive for opposing teams to have someone guard him.
Khasim Mirza: “The Man Without Aim”
University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers
2008 Season: 15.2 minutes, 5.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.1 blocks, 0.2 steals (12 games)
In 2007, Khasim Mirza joined a storied line of multi-positional, long-armed UST marksmen, the type that, along with Jervy Cruz, shot their way to a 2006 UAAP Championship. In 2008, Mirza could play multiple positions and had the long-arms, but couldn’t make a shot to save his life (29 percent from the field and from three). His minutes were wildly inconsistent, and he even sat during two games in the first round. But now, with the graduation of not only Cruz, but of almost all the other UST forwards, he’ll really need to make a shot, not just to save his life or career, but the basketball life of his team as well.
2009 Outlook: True, it’ll be much tougher for UST players to get wide-open looks now that there’s no threat in the post for defenses to double team, but that just means that several players, including Mirza, will have to adjust their style of play. With the Tigers looking to run, Mirza will need to work on his athleticism and his ability to finish at the rim.
Paul Lee: “The Lone Gun”
University of the East Red Warriors
2008 Season: 14.3 minutes, 6.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.7 steals (13 games)
Like Eric Salamat, Paul Lee will be making the transition from sixth man to starting shooting guard. Unlike Salamat though, Lee will be in a worse position. The Red Warriors lost their most productive big man in Hans Thiele, as well as veteran Marcy Arellano. To make matters worse, starting point guard James Martinez could be out for the season thanks to an ACL-injury. An offense that used to be balanced, is now Lee-centric, and although Lee had some success with the ball in his hands all the time in the PBL, there’s no way of knowing whether or not such an offense would work in the UAAP.
2009 Outlook: It’ll be tempting for Lee to fully embrace his role as the first and best offensive option for the Red Warriors, but a look at his own team will show that he still has quite a few weapons at his disposal, including big men Elmer Espiritu and Pari Llagas, and sophomore Paul Zamar. If Lee can embrace more of a facilitator or decoy role to get his teammates shots, then UE might be able to scrape together a Final Four appearance.
