Wednesday, November 14, 2007
PBA and Basketball Schools: How do they Fare?
Originally published at http://carloricohermoso.net/blogView.php?id=533
Yesterday night, I was resting my head back at home (after a basketball game with the CS Stromboys at Ateneo) while watching the PBL game between Harbour Center and Toyota Otis, when I got struck by familiar faces in both line-ups. It's kinda amusing (err... not to Rocky, of course) to see the core players from De La Salle University go at each other. On the Harbour side, they have TY Tang, Jerwin Gaco, and Rico Maierhoffer. Meanwhile at Toyota, they have JV Casio, Cholo Villanueva, and PJ Walsham. Meanwhile, I had to ponder on the fact that only Ford Arao and Team-B mainstay Jeff de Guzman are the only Ateneans playing in the PBL right now. Maybe if you add Chris Tiu in the list (who's trying out on the Harbour-RP squad for the SEA games), you have three.
Which makes you wonder, how do amateur players juggle playing in a commercial league and study (well, maybe) at the same time?
***
This evening, I watched the game between Welcoat and Talk 'n Text until Nic Belasco's winning trey at the buzzer. Great game, I must say. It's also amusing to see Ryan Arana and Mac Cardona defend each other. Renren Ritualo and Adonis Sta. Maria's also there. Man, is it just me or the basketball scene is full of Lasallians?
I tried disproving myself that there are plenty of Lasallians around by coming up with a list (done in Excel!) of current basketball players in the PBA against their respective alma maters. Great discoveries, I must say.
***
So who's the better basketball school? I'd say it's a tie between the green and the blue school with 12 players each. For Ateneo, there's the core of the 2002 UAAP champions in Enrico Villanueva, Rich Alvarez, Larry Fonacier, Wesley Gonzales, LA Tenorio, Gec Chia, JC Intal, Doug Kramer, Macky Escalona, plus 2002 injured players in Paolo Bugia and Magnum Membrere. You've got Olsen Racela too.
Then for the green side, there's Mike Cortez and Junjun Cabatu (for Alaska), JR Aquino (for Ginebra), Willie Wilson (Magnolia), Carlo Sharma (Red Bull), Don Allado, Renren Ritualo, Macmac Cardona (TnT), Mark Telan (Coca-cola), Ryan Arana and Adonis Sta Maria (Welcoat), and Joseph Yeo (Sta. Lucia). Even if you add batchmate Mike Gavino (Coke, reserve list), they're still tied since Sta. Lucia's reserve player Ronnie Bughao came from Ateneo (although he never played for the Eagles). Adding CSB players in Sunday Salvacion (Ginebra), Jondan Salvador (Purefoods), and Jay Sagad (Welcoat -- err, where's he right now?) is subject to debate though.
Taking runner-up honors is FEU Tamaraws, with notable players from the 2003-2005 UAAP champs in as Arwind Santos (Air21), Mark Isip, RJ Rizada, and Cesar Catli (Coke), Denok Miranda (SLR), Jonas Villanueva (Magnolia), and Francis Barcellano (TnT). There's Johnny Abarrientos (Ginebra), Celino Cruz and Francis Adriano (Red Bull) which round them to 10 players. Where's Leo Avenido?
These top three schools have crowded the draft scene lately. It's either their exposure in the UAAP helped their careers or PBA's just entering a transition stage wherein the Fil-ams of the old are slowly replaced by UAAP holdovers.
Three NU Alumni are playing in the big league right now: Lordy Tugade and Danny Ildefonso (Magnolia), and Froilan Baguion (Welcoat). Baguion is a 2001 UAAP mythical five awardee but wasn't too lucky in the PBA draft until Welcoat picked him as a free agent. Tonight, he just played a great game with 20 points and crucial shots against Talk 'n Text.
UST have kalat-kalat players in the league right now, most of them played in various UAAP eras. There's Rey Evangelista (1994), Dennis Espino (1995), Estong Ballesteros (1997), Richard Yee (1999), Gilbert Lao (2002), and finally Cyrus Baguio and Nino Gelig (2004) and Jojo Duncil (2007).
UE meanwhile have franchise players in the league in Nino Canaleta and James Yap. There's Ronald Tubid, Paul Artadi, and reserve Philip Butel and Paolo Hubalde too.
NCAA players meanwhile are not doing bad either. San Sebastian and Letran are tied with 6 players coming from their schools that are playing in the PBA right now. Coming from Letran are Willie Miller (Alaska), Chris Calaguio (Magnolia), Kerby Raymundo (Letran), with recent NCAA players in frankenstein Mark Andaya (Red Bull), Aaron Aban (Alaska), and Jason Misolas (Coke). Knights Ronjay Enrile and Boyet Bautista once strutted their stuff in the PBA too.
For San Sebastian, Ginebra used to be the San Sebastian alumni club but everything's changed. The two remaining are Mark Macapagal and Rodney Santos. There's Topex Robinson and Leo Najorda for Red Bull, Christian Coronel for Sta. Lucia, and Baste's biggest player as of late: Romel Adducul (I think I saw in TV Romel Adducul's hardships in San Sebastian as far as sweeping the gym floor or eating little food. Great to see him where he's at right now).
Meanwhile, there are 26 recorded Fil-Foreigners who played their amateur hoops in the US. Most Fil-Am laiden team is Ginebra with 6 players. If you add former Ginebra players Rudy Hatfield and Andy Seigle, you've got 8 Fil-ams for Ginebra. Kinda ironic, since Ginebra's the team of the masses.
For more boring stuff, check out the Excel spreadsheet that I created. So much for trivia, I'm that bored. haha.
Yesterday night, I was resting my head back at home (after a basketball game with the CS Stromboys at Ateneo) while watching the PBL game between Harbour Center and Toyota Otis, when I got struck by familiar faces in both line-ups. It's kinda amusing (err... not to Rocky, of course) to see the core players from De La Salle University go at each other. On the Harbour side, they have TY Tang, Jerwin Gaco, and Rico Maierhoffer. Meanwhile at Toyota, they have JV Casio, Cholo Villanueva, and PJ Walsham. Meanwhile, I had to ponder on the fact that only Ford Arao and Team-B mainstay Jeff de Guzman are the only Ateneans playing in the PBL right now. Maybe if you add Chris Tiu in the list (who's trying out on the Harbour-RP squad for the SEA games), you have three.
Which makes you wonder, how do amateur players juggle playing in a commercial league and study (well, maybe) at the same time?
***
This evening, I watched the game between Welcoat and Talk 'n Text until Nic Belasco's winning trey at the buzzer. Great game, I must say. It's also amusing to see Ryan Arana and Mac Cardona defend each other. Renren Ritualo and Adonis Sta. Maria's also there. Man, is it just me or the basketball scene is full of Lasallians?
I tried disproving myself that there are plenty of Lasallians around by coming up with a list (done in Excel!) of current basketball players in the PBA against their respective alma maters. Great discoveries, I must say.
***
So who's the better basketball school? I'd say it's a tie between the green and the blue school with 12 players each. For Ateneo, there's the core of the 2002 UAAP champions in Enrico Villanueva, Rich Alvarez, Larry Fonacier, Wesley Gonzales, LA Tenorio, Gec Chia, JC Intal, Doug Kramer, Macky Escalona, plus 2002 injured players in Paolo Bugia and Magnum Membrere. You've got Olsen Racela too.
Then for the green side, there's Mike Cortez and Junjun Cabatu (for Alaska), JR Aquino (for Ginebra), Willie Wilson (Magnolia), Carlo Sharma (Red Bull), Don Allado, Renren Ritualo, Macmac Cardona (TnT), Mark Telan (Coca-cola), Ryan Arana and Adonis Sta Maria (Welcoat), and Joseph Yeo (Sta. Lucia). Even if you add batchmate Mike Gavino (Coke, reserve list), they're still tied since Sta. Lucia's reserve player Ronnie Bughao came from Ateneo (although he never played for the Eagles). Adding CSB players in Sunday Salvacion (Ginebra), Jondan Salvador (Purefoods), and Jay Sagad (Welcoat -- err, where's he right now?) is subject to debate though.
Taking runner-up honors is FEU Tamaraws, with notable players from the 2003-2005 UAAP champs in as Arwind Santos (Air21), Mark Isip, RJ Rizada, and Cesar Catli (Coke), Denok Miranda (SLR), Jonas Villanueva (Magnolia), and Francis Barcellano (TnT). There's Johnny Abarrientos (Ginebra), Celino Cruz and Francis Adriano (Red Bull) which round them to 10 players. Where's Leo Avenido?
These top three schools have crowded the draft scene lately. It's either their exposure in the UAAP helped their careers or PBA's just entering a transition stage wherein the Fil-ams of the old are slowly replaced by UAAP holdovers.
Three NU Alumni are playing in the big league right now: Lordy Tugade and Danny Ildefonso (Magnolia), and Froilan Baguion (Welcoat). Baguion is a 2001 UAAP mythical five awardee but wasn't too lucky in the PBA draft until Welcoat picked him as a free agent. Tonight, he just played a great game with 20 points and crucial shots against Talk 'n Text.
UST have kalat-kalat players in the league right now, most of them played in various UAAP eras. There's Rey Evangelista (1994), Dennis Espino (1995), Estong Ballesteros (1997), Richard Yee (1999), Gilbert Lao (2002), and finally Cyrus Baguio and Nino Gelig (2004) and Jojo Duncil (2007).
UE meanwhile have franchise players in the league in Nino Canaleta and James Yap. There's Ronald Tubid, Paul Artadi, and reserve Philip Butel and Paolo Hubalde too.
NCAA players meanwhile are not doing bad either. San Sebastian and Letran are tied with 6 players coming from their schools that are playing in the PBA right now. Coming from Letran are Willie Miller (Alaska), Chris Calaguio (Magnolia), Kerby Raymundo (Letran), with recent NCAA players in frankenstein Mark Andaya (Red Bull), Aaron Aban (Alaska), and Jason Misolas (Coke). Knights Ronjay Enrile and Boyet Bautista once strutted their stuff in the PBA too.
For San Sebastian, Ginebra used to be the San Sebastian alumni club but everything's changed. The two remaining are Mark Macapagal and Rodney Santos. There's Topex Robinson and Leo Najorda for Red Bull, Christian Coronel for Sta. Lucia, and Baste's biggest player as of late: Romel Adducul (I think I saw in TV Romel Adducul's hardships in San Sebastian as far as sweeping the gym floor or eating little food. Great to see him where he's at right now).
Meanwhile, there are 26 recorded Fil-Foreigners who played their amateur hoops in the US. Most Fil-Am laiden team is Ginebra with 6 players. If you add former Ginebra players Rudy Hatfield and Andy Seigle, you've got 8 Fil-ams for Ginebra. Kinda ironic, since Ginebra's the team of the masses.
For more boring stuff, check out the Excel spreadsheet that I created. So much for trivia, I'm that bored. haha.
