After watching the opening weekend:
Adamson vs Santo Tomas
Adamson: They fell behind, fought behind, slid back, but almost won the game. Jan Colina knows how to use his height. Jerick Canada is a player. They should be a headache to the rest of the UAAP if they play like they did in the fourth quarter. Missed shot at the buzzer almost gave them the win.
UST: Ababou was not his usual self today. Three things, though. 1) Khasim Mirza is officially back to his sweet-shooting self, and has added a dribble-penetration to his moves. 2) Chris Camus will be a good player in the UAAP. 3) I hope Clark Bautista grows six more inches. He is an excellent shooter at his size, and he will be a pain in the @ss if he grows more. However, UST will struggle against teams with good frontlines, like Ateneo or FEU, or even UE.
East vs La Salle
UE: Paul Lee had a shooting off-night, but made up for it with his passing (seven assists). Pari Llagas was a monster inside, but I doubt if his lack of footwork will work against the likes of Baclao or Ramos. Espiritu was his usual flyswatter self. Very sloppy with the turnovers, though.
La Salle: For a while, I thought it wasn't a La Salle team playing. It was that bad. The inexperience was simply out there for everyone to see. Didn't help that 1) their main man at the point, LA Revilla, is out for the season; 2) Mangahas and Barua were covered very well; and 3) their big men had open-bar tickets to the Llagas-Espiritu Block Party. Don't even get me started on Yutien Andrada.
National vs State
Note: I was so busy 1) reading Pugad Baboy XXI; 2) ogling the UP female cheerleaders; and 3) ogling the UP female cheerleaders that I missed most of the game. Anyway.
NU: Didn't know mucn of the guys. But boy, did they lay it on UP. Joseph Terso will be a good player. They lack size (Jewel Ponferrada, BTW, is a good rebounder at 6'2"), which is why they use the zone a lot. Their zone defense was good this game, although I'm not sure if it will work against teams with better offensive sets and ballhandlers. In the UAAP, it means all teams not named UP.
UP: Had a good first half. Then it was a Marianas Turkey Shoot the rest of the way, with their players playing the role of the Japs. Carlo Gomez tried to keep them in the game. Reminded me of a young Nestor David. Outside Gomez, Alvin Padilla, and Martin Reyes (who had few touches), not much help. Magi Sison, for all his Rajko Toroman training, laid a big fat egg. Mikee Reyes was harassed all game long and showed his inexperience. Should be a long season for the Maroons if they don't get their act together.
PS. Did I tell you that the UP cheerleaders are cute?
Far Eastern vs Ateneo
Yes, I'm an Atenista, so this is gonna be more detailed.
FEU: Andy Barroca is a good scorer, but he is no point guard. Coach Capacio often had him and either RR Garcia or Jens Knuttel playing alongside each other, which made for a very speedy team that creates a lot of turnovers. However, JR Cawaling was not really in his element tonight. Aldrech Ramos was back to playing center again and did not show his Toroman-enhanced outside shooting that much. Still, he had blocks on Salva and Al-Hussaini that sent the Tamaraw crowd shrieking. The matchups inside were fun to watch. Also, Pipo Noundoo had a three-pointer in the third. Almost clawed back from a seven-point deficit with a minute to go. Really great second game.
Ateneo: Started out slow. Fell behind 8-2 or something to start the game. However, with Ateneo, it's not a matter of if, but when the shots will start falling in. Eric Salamat made a trey, then Eman Monfort (back from Team B duty), Nico Salva (this will be his breakout season), and Ryan Buenafe headed a run to give the Blue Eagles a double-digit lead at the half. Rabeh Al-Hussaini got banged around, double-teamed, had the kitchen sink thrown at him and then some, but still managed to get those points. Kirk Long and Salamat played excellent defense as Ateneo held off a furious FEU rally. Nonoy Baclao was also very good out there. No points, but he did have 11 rebounds and five blocks.
