continuation of RP Team...

Now after analyzing the guards for the RP team...Here are my analysis on the forwards...





(Named to the team were Ranidel de Ocampo and Arwind Santos of Air21, Willie Miller and Sonny Thoss of Alaska, Barangay Ginebra’s Jayjay Helterbrand, Asi Taulava of Coca-Cola, Purefoods 1-2 punch of Kerby Raymundo and James Yap, this season’s No. 1 overall pick Gabe Norwood of Rain or Shine, Cyrus Baguio of Red Bull, San Miguel’s Mick Pennisi, Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes of Sta. Lucia and Talk n Text rookie Jared Dillinger.)



Forwards:

1. Ranidel de Ocampo-I like him because he can shoot from the outside and can play post...He is a match up problem in the PBA because of his size and shooting. Though it might just be a big problem when he starts playing international because he's short at PF and slow for SF, though he's been in that line-up last year but he hasn't played much. Maybe he'll need to improved his speed, but overall, he's ok.



2.Arwind Santos-He's not called "Spiderman" for nothing, because of his highflying dunks and dipsy doo..with the weak side blocks and long thin arms stealing balls..not to mention his speed..no wonder he's your friendly neighborhood. I like him play since in his FEU days where he led FEU to champions(not sure of how many times). In just his third season in the PBA, he'

s been efficient with his stats. He can score from the outside and a good cutter to the basket. Though again short for his position, he can still use his speed in the SF position.



3. Kerby Raymundo-At 6'6, he's small to play Pf position, but i think with his speed and touch from the outside, he can outplay taller defenders. As proof, i watched him play last year in the jones cup and has played well. He is also a good passer, but i'm not sure if he's a willing passer. Sorry for purefood fans, but I think when he plays for purefoods, he always wants to play one-on-one. But i think he'll play another role here with Coach Yeng(his former coach in Red Bull). For me, for him to be effective in international plays is to move without the ball well.



4. Gabe Norwood-The No. 1 overall draft pick this year, why? It's because of his height,ability, and intelligence. At 6'5, playing SF, but can play the point and off guard, is really versatile. He plays point guard when he was still with George Mason Univ.,when he entered PBL, he also plays point but usually off guard because he's tall for the guard position.Now in the PBA, he plays 1,2, and 3 position. He has that speed and highlight dunks that can give intensity to the players. But he should improve his shooting and more cuts to the basket.



5. Kelly Williams-MVP of last season(07-08 season), no doubt he can play. He can run the floor well and very athlethic. But recently, he as not shot well from the floor or even plays hard. But during his stint in the last FIBA asia, he played well, defending bigger opponents and get those loose balls. For me, if he can't make shots, he should just stay inside and get those rebounds. He is strong getting those rebounds. He likes to dunk the ball which really excites the fans, but he just needs to be consistent on the floor.

6. Jared Dillinger-Another fil-am in the line-up. He can play different positions at either 1, 2, or 3. He can shoot from the outside and can drive to the basket because of his upper body strength. It is just his first year in the PBA but he has shown the fans that he can be a match up problem. I think he should be a good addition to this team. I haven't been watching him play but I think he should do better in defense and learn to pass the ball whenever he goes to the basket.

that's all for now, I'll continue next time with the centers...

I would love to hear comments from you...tnx

PBA RP Team

Now that Coach Guiao has finally decided his 14 man roster for the RP team, they can now start practicing...

Named to the team were Ranidel de Ocampo and Arwind Santos of Air21, Willie Miller and Sonny Thoss of Alaska, Barangay Ginebra’s Jayjay Helterbrand, Asi Taulava of Coca-Cola, Purefoods 1-2 punch of Kerby Raymundo and James Yap, this season’s No. 1 overall pick Gabe Norwood of Rain or Shine, Cyrus Baguio of Red Bull, San Miguel’s Mick Pennisi, Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes of Sta. Lucia and Talk n Text rookie Jared Dillinger.

At the guard position:

1. Ryan Reyes- A new recruit from Sta. Lucia and a new member of the RP team. I think he's a good addition to this team because of his size, speed, and strength. I like his fastbreak game and will certainly help the team. Other countries have big men inside, so the chances of winning is big guards who can run the floor well. He may have the quickness, but I haven't seen him shoot so well from the perimeter which we will need in the international games.

2. Willie Miller-Also, a new member of the RP squad, actually his first stint in the national team has been considered by coach Yeng, not because of his height, but his basketball IQ. At 5'11, he is quite small when it comes to international basketball, but what I like about him is his IQ, he doesn't force his shots and he knows how to draw fouls especially if the opponent is agressive in the defense. He is also called "the thriller", not just because of his "grind" look...but when he gets in the zone, he's very hard to stop.

3. Cyrus Baguio-Once a growling tiger(UST), then into the PBA, but now he is representing the country. He plays the shooting guard position but a little short for the position, but the coaches like about him is his speed and good at finishing fastbreak, he also has the touch from the outside. He has improved in all of his game since he took over the leaders role in Red Bull.

4. JayJay Helterbrand-He has the height and the touch from the outside, that's why he's been part of the national team during the FIBA championships in Tokushima, Japan last year. He is considered by coach Yeng because of his height and good decision making. The PBA has a lot of good point gurads, but unfortunately, not all have the height that the team needed, that's why he continues to be the floor general of this team.

5. James Yap-Also known as Big Game James because of his hot shooting from the outside. He also creates situation for the team. What I like about him is his unselfishness on the court. He is considered one of the best scorer in this league but yet he still pass the ball to his teammates which makes him hard to guard. He can also drive to the basket and sets his teammate with an open shot. I think he's the most perfect scoring guard in the league, but I think he needs to improve in his defense. We all know his scoring abilities, but we will need defense in order to win games.

*For me, I would want Jimmy Alapag to be in the line-up because he has a big heart in playing. He's not afraid to take it to the basket and draw foul. He also has that great speed that usually leave his defenders behind.

*I also like Gary David to be in the line-up because of his scoring ability, he has a strong upper body strength that can "bang" with big defenders. He is also a good cutter to the basket.

That's all for now, I'll continue with the forwards and centers next time...

I would like to here comments from others...tnx..