Interbasket

This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to attend the 2008 Fil-Oil Tournament.  Below you’ll find a recap of the De La Salle and Ateneo game from June 7th as well as some observations about both teams’ future.

De La Salle Green Archers 78, Ateneo Blue Eagles 72 (Game boxscores)
Games between the Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles and the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers tend to always be close games, and the latest one I watched at the end of the elimination round (Saturday, June 7, 2008) of the 2008 Fil-Oil Tournament was no exception.

The Game Proper
The game started off very slow, an incredible 9-6 in 1st quarter with ADMU leading, and only 22-20 again with ADMU leading at the half. ADMU stretched its lead slightly at the end of the 3rd quarter, 43-38, but DLSU got back to tie the game in regulation period. The Archers eventually found their bearings in Overtime, while the Eagle’s shooting faltered, hence the Archers ended up winning the game, 78-72.

The Blue Eagles’ Future
All three of the Blue Eagle’s “name” rookies gave a good account of themselves, and the Eagles even had its biggest lead in the 3rd quarter when all three rookies, Nico Salva, Ryan Buenafe and Justin Chua was out there on the floor at the same time.

One thing I noticed about Norman Black’s rotation, though, was that he would pull out Rabeh Al-Husseini at Center, put in Nico Salva at Power Forward while asking Nonoy Baclao to switch to the Center position. Nico is only about 6′2″-6′3″, and I don’t think he will be particularly effective at the no. 4 spot. Besides, Justin Chua is there, so wouldn’t it be better to have him sub for Al-Husseini than Salva? Just my opinion, of course.

Buenafe: Future King Eagle
Among the rookies, though, Ryan Buenafe had sort of a breakout game, against last season’s champion, no less. He was the only rookie who started, and the only rookie on the floor for the Eagles in the end game. In the 4th quarter, Ryan surprisingly even became the go-to guy for a stretch there, with clear out plays designed for him to create his shots. And he delivered.

Ryan’s asset is that he has good height (around 6′1″-6′2″), good bulk, excellent coordination (i.e., great ballhandling, etc.) and a great first step. He is not a great leaper, but he has great upper body strength, enabling him to hit difficult shots, or change his shots in the air. His favorite move is that “Hesitation Shot”, wherein he would jump ready to take a shot, bring the ball down slightly, then up again for a shot. Very deceptive, evades most defense, and he made most of those types of shot.

If he has a weakness, its his outside shot. When the Archers shut down his driving lanes in the 4th quarter, he missed about 3 of his open shots from the perimeter. If and when he starts hitting those mid-range jumpers consistently in the future, expect 20-point games from him.

The Green Archer’s Future
DLSU’s rookies also played well in the game.  Hyram Bagatsing (6′1″, Shooting Guard), helped DLSU win the game with his outside shots, including 2 near the end of the 4th quarter.

Joshua Webb (6′2″, Forward) also did well on defense, shutting down Ryan Buenafe from driving to the lane in the 4th quarter.

LA Revilla: Small But Terrible
But special mention should be given to LA Revilla. When he first came in to the game, I wondered how come a Grade School student ended up in the court. In the Green Archer’s uniform. Probably only about 5′6″, and medium built, he easily was the smallest player on the court.

Despite his size, ADMU did not have the players at point to take advantage of the mismatch, so LA did not end up being a liability on the court. Far from it, he in fact did the opposite: He scored on drives, hit an outside shot or two, was “pesky” on defense all throughout the game, and showed his passing skills by coming up with alley-oop passes that would’ve been spectacular had Maierhoffer finished off on both passes.

I think LA would be just too small for the PBA, but his future in college with the Green Archers is secure if he continues to play this well. He even got as good as playing time, if not slightly better than Simon Atkins in the game. I have a nagging feeling, that by the 2009 season, LA will be the Green Archer’s starting Point Guard.

Parting Shot
Not to take anything away from the veterans, Chris Tiu, Jai Reyes and Rabeh Al-Husseini hit some clutch baskets in the end game for the Eagles. On the other end of the floor, though, James Mangahas had a good offensive night to keep the Archers in the game, while Rico Maierhoffer got going with spectacular rebounds and points at the clutch.

Overall, a great game for the Archers, winning the game even without JV Casio.

For the Blue Eagles, this is just the pre-season, enough time for them to adjust for the real wars in the coming UAAP season. I feel Norman just needs to go and pull out all the stops for his name rookies, give them the confidence and tools to go out and show what they can out there on the floor.

Sources and Links: The Inbounds Pass Website (Inboundspass.com), Sources and links: Philippine Basketball Forum (Interbasket)