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..
1 comment:
A critique from a TRUE RP fan haha. I still believe but…. (sorry kung wrong grammar)
We love basketball, who does not? Everyone loves the game, but the game hates us. With this current line up, I feel that we will be trashed again by the other countries. Do not get me wrong, I love our RP team!
With Asi and Mick manning the paint, I think we would be in big trouble. Asi and Mick are too old to play with the giants of Asia. Do you think Asi can still keep up with giants of Asia? I do not think so. Defensively, I believe Asi can still defend, but how about in offense? Basketball is not just about defense, you also need to score. Coach Yeng is telling the whole Philippines that our superb guards will do all the scoring, but the big question is, is it enough? We must remember that basketball is a game of 5 men of who are working together in both offense and defense. We can not rely only to our guards; the big men must also do something in OFFENSE. Do you think our guards would have an opening if our big men are not threat in offense? My big answer is a NO. Our opponents would have no reason to double team our big men if they are not THREAT in offense. Our big men must also assert their game during offense; it is a must that our big men are also capable in scoring. Coach Yeng told us that he will be “mimicking” the offense of the Phoenix Suns, the “Run and Gun” style. In my opinion, he should stop dreaming, because we are no Phoenix Suns, we are Team Pilipinas! We should create our own style, because we do not have an AMARE and NASH type of players to lead our team. Besides, did the Phoenix Suns won the championship? NO… NEVER! PBA must also be blamed why we are like this. Do you think we could win when the PBA do not want to allow THEIR players to focus playing with the national team? HELL NO! The national teams of the other countries are now preparing for next year’s FIBA ASIA while our coach or should I say the PBA is just dreaming and wishing of something good to happen.
We are good, we all believe in that and we all know that, we are the best pound for pound in basketball, but the billion peso question is “are we still good enough to win?”
A bit off topic….
I respect coach Yeng, I have high hopes for him, but he should stop his stupidity and his bigheadedness. Coach Toroman is here to help us( the coach who led the Iran to the Olympics), so Coach Yeng should stop criticizing Coach Toroman, because Coach Yeng do not have an Olympics experience to show off in his coaching portfolio.
For the players, I do not believe that this is the best line up. Guard wise, yes it is, but as a whole I do not think so. They should look for a BIG foreigner who is willing to don the national colors of our country. This will ease our problems with the frontcourt problems. They should also add Greg Slaughter, I know he is still raw, but what can we do? We desperately need big men who can patrol the paint. Aguilar would also be a big help, if he can play for our country.
Post a Comment