Neither Here Nor There
Bleacher Talk
Dec. 31, 2006
Dec. 31, 2006
Neither Here Nor There
Cebu Basketball was just that in 2006: neither here nor there. We were the same old Cebu Basketball that didn’t pull any surprises or raise eyebrows, but we still managed to do the same old stuff that we’re already getting used to already. We broke it down to different sections…
Our first section is called “What’s up?” (there in Manila). Acknowledging that Manila will still be the ultimate dream for Cebu’s top prospects, who are doing well at the top level of hoops in the PBA? Top-of-mind mention will have to go to Dondon Hontiveros of San Miguel and Junthy Valenzuela of Batang Red Bull. They’ve been the most consistent Cebu-bred performers with Dondon already being considered as one of the league’s biggest stars amidst the presence of those Fil-Ams. First honorable mention goes to Roger Yap while John Ferriols gets second mention. Something worth watching are the “comeback bids” up there being launched by Dale Singson (Alaska) and Jojo Tangkay (Welcoat). Both have been given a second chance and are contributing to their respective teams, getting that much-needed playing time to show their stuff.
At the PBL, Joseph Ronald Quiñahan, a.k.a. “Proctoy” or “Baby Shaq” has slowly but surely fit into the system of two (or is it three?) Manila-bred coaches, and it looks like he’s playing his best with his current team Mail and More. He currently leads the MVP race for the ongoing conference and it would be interesting to see if this could be the breakout tournament that will make Baby Shaq shine and be ready for the PBA. Reed Juntilla may have been orphaned by Hapee and Montaña, but has found a home in Harbour Centre. He continues to be an on-and-off performer, but when hot, he’s really hot.
In the “What else is new?” section, two major achievements stand out, although not surprisingly anymore. The UV Green Lancers romped off with their sixth CESAFI championship, as expected. They’ve lost only one game in the past six editions of the CESAFI as everyone else is playing for second place. But being top in Cebu doesn’t always mean being top anywhere else as the Lancers couldn’t get past the quarterfinal round and thus didn’t make it to another Final Four appearance of Collegiate Champions League.
M. Lhuillier wins another tournament! So what else is new with them? In fact, they won both conferences of the MVBA – Mindanao Visayas Basketball Association. With Yayoy Alcoseba, they always win the tournaments that they join and which they have a strong part in managing. Remember the URBL, NBL and all those CBL championships? I wonder how many trophies they now have at the M. Lhuillier headquarters and if they’ll ever lose a tournament they’ll organize/join.
Dynasty in the making? With the UV and M. Lhuillier dynasties already in place, Bleacher Talk has noticed something that could be brewing to becoming a dynasty if everything is managed well. Don’t look now but it looks like the University of San Carlos (USC) system (as in the entire university from grade school to university) is finally showing signs of dominance (with a small “d” for now). They’ve dominated the Milo BEST tournaments for the past years with USC South and USC North finishing top two in the SBP and Pasarelle versions of the Cebu tournament. South won the SBP title while North took care of the Pasarelle. At the rate they’re going, I could interchange the titles of either schools and it will still come out spelled as USC. What you’re seeing is the must-have fundamental base of a long-term program that should reap its fruits if and when these kids enter college. With the USC seniors team reaching the CESAFI finals for the first time, their younger versions now have something more concrete to look forward to in the future. It’s worth highlighting the fact that the core of the 2006 USC seniors team played in Milo BEST tournaments when they were younger. Can the USC success at the SBP and Pasarelle now be sustained through the high school (juniors) and collegiate level?
Players with a future? Many will come but a only few will be chosen. Where did we hear this before? In the same way that only the Dondon and Junthy’s will create an impact in the big leagues, only a handful will have a legitimate shot if they keep their heads on right and never lose focus of their dreams. The names of Jayford Rodriguez, Rino Berame and Jonathan Canceran have been mentioned as young players who are most likely to succeed, but then again, the same things were said about many other local Cebuano standouts who excelled here but wilted in Manila.
In our “On-Off” section, Cebu made its presence on, then off, then on again in the National Basketball Conference (NBC). After playing in pre-season tournaments early in the year, Tribu Sugbu took a leave in the NBC’s first conference. It later came back in the second conference as Tribu Sugbu-Arthro. Will they be back in the NBC’s first conference? Hmmm.
“What’s New?” The rise of the Visayas Amateur Athletic Association (VAAA) raised some questions on whether or not a home-and-away set-up can be implemented across the Visayas. But look no further, it’s up and running. While it may not feature the likes of UV, UC or West Negros College (Bacolod), it’s still a pretty good start. Will it last?
As we bring the year to a close, these were just the more colorful highlights of Cebu Basketball in 2006. But so much more took place in all those weekend warrior tournaments where I’m sure people like you played your guts out. All of these made Cebu Basketball another healthy year that was neither here nor there.
***Time-out: Now that 2007 is only hours away, let’s give thanks to God for the year that passed and pray for a bountiful 2007 for all of us. >>> You can reach me at bleachertalk@yahoo.com.
Our first section is called “What’s up?” (there in Manila). Acknowledging that Manila will still be the ultimate dream for Cebu’s top prospects, who are doing well at the top level of hoops in the PBA? Top-of-mind mention will have to go to Dondon Hontiveros of San Miguel and Junthy Valenzuela of Batang Red Bull. They’ve been the most consistent Cebu-bred performers with Dondon already being considered as one of the league’s biggest stars amidst the presence of those Fil-Ams. First honorable mention goes to Roger Yap while John Ferriols gets second mention. Something worth watching are the “comeback bids” up there being launched by Dale Singson (Alaska) and Jojo Tangkay (Welcoat). Both have been given a second chance and are contributing to their respective teams, getting that much-needed playing time to show their stuff.
At the PBL, Joseph Ronald Quiñahan, a.k.a. “Proctoy” or “Baby Shaq” has slowly but surely fit into the system of two (or is it three?) Manila-bred coaches, and it looks like he’s playing his best with his current team Mail and More. He currently leads the MVP race for the ongoing conference and it would be interesting to see if this could be the breakout tournament that will make Baby Shaq shine and be ready for the PBA. Reed Juntilla may have been orphaned by Hapee and Montaña, but has found a home in Harbour Centre. He continues to be an on-and-off performer, but when hot, he’s really hot.
In the “What else is new?” section, two major achievements stand out, although not surprisingly anymore. The UV Green Lancers romped off with their sixth CESAFI championship, as expected. They’ve lost only one game in the past six editions of the CESAFI as everyone else is playing for second place. But being top in Cebu doesn’t always mean being top anywhere else as the Lancers couldn’t get past the quarterfinal round and thus didn’t make it to another Final Four appearance of Collegiate Champions League.
M. Lhuillier wins another tournament! So what else is new with them? In fact, they won both conferences of the MVBA – Mindanao Visayas Basketball Association. With Yayoy Alcoseba, they always win the tournaments that they join and which they have a strong part in managing. Remember the URBL, NBL and all those CBL championships? I wonder how many trophies they now have at the M. Lhuillier headquarters and if they’ll ever lose a tournament they’ll organize/join.
Dynasty in the making? With the UV and M. Lhuillier dynasties already in place, Bleacher Talk has noticed something that could be brewing to becoming a dynasty if everything is managed well. Don’t look now but it looks like the University of San Carlos (USC) system (as in the entire university from grade school to university) is finally showing signs of dominance (with a small “d” for now). They’ve dominated the Milo BEST tournaments for the past years with USC South and USC North finishing top two in the SBP and Pasarelle versions of the Cebu tournament. South won the SBP title while North took care of the Pasarelle. At the rate they’re going, I could interchange the titles of either schools and it will still come out spelled as USC. What you’re seeing is the must-have fundamental base of a long-term program that should reap its fruits if and when these kids enter college. With the USC seniors team reaching the CESAFI finals for the first time, their younger versions now have something more concrete to look forward to in the future. It’s worth highlighting the fact that the core of the 2006 USC seniors team played in Milo BEST tournaments when they were younger. Can the USC success at the SBP and Pasarelle now be sustained through the high school (juniors) and collegiate level?
Players with a future? Many will come but a only few will be chosen. Where did we hear this before? In the same way that only the Dondon and Junthy’s will create an impact in the big leagues, only a handful will have a legitimate shot if they keep their heads on right and never lose focus of their dreams. The names of Jayford Rodriguez, Rino Berame and Jonathan Canceran have been mentioned as young players who are most likely to succeed, but then again, the same things were said about many other local Cebuano standouts who excelled here but wilted in Manila.
In our “On-Off” section, Cebu made its presence on, then off, then on again in the National Basketball Conference (NBC). After playing in pre-season tournaments early in the year, Tribu Sugbu took a leave in the NBC’s first conference. It later came back in the second conference as Tribu Sugbu-Arthro. Will they be back in the NBC’s first conference? Hmmm.
“What’s New?” The rise of the Visayas Amateur Athletic Association (VAAA) raised some questions on whether or not a home-and-away set-up can be implemented across the Visayas. But look no further, it’s up and running. While it may not feature the likes of UV, UC or West Negros College (Bacolod), it’s still a pretty good start. Will it last?
As we bring the year to a close, these were just the more colorful highlights of Cebu Basketball in 2006. But so much more took place in all those weekend warrior tournaments where I’m sure people like you played your guts out. All of these made Cebu Basketball another healthy year that was neither here nor there.
***Time-out: Now that 2007 is only hours away, let’s give thanks to God for the year that passed and pray for a bountiful 2007 for all of us. >>> You can reach me at bleachertalk@yahoo.com.
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