Skip to main content

UAAP Season 79 Juniors Basketball Day 2 Round Up

Title favorites, they could very well be. The Adamson Baby Falcons
are looking like a well-oiled machine. (Photo Credit: Arvin Lim, ABS-CBN Sports)

Results:

UPIS Junior Maroons def. DLSZ Juniors Archers 81-59

AdU Baby Falcons def. FEU Baby Tamaraws 78-65

UE Junior Warriors def. UST Tiger Cubs 87-77

NU Bullpups def. Ateneo Blue Eaglets 73-68

Notable Performances:

Juan Gomez de Liano (UPIS): 20 points (6/9 shooting), 9 rebounds, 6 assists 

Kenji Roman (FEU): 12 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists

Dustin Angeles (UE): 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals

SJ Belangel (ADMU): 23 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists

Winderlich Coyoca (NU): 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals

John Lloyd Clemente (NU): 14 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists

Inand Fornillos (UST): 17 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals 

Key Storylines

The UE Junior Warriors finally win one!

The last time the UE Junior Warriors won a basketball game in the UAAP...
  • Barack Obama was still President of the United States
  • 1 US Dollar was equal to 44.4 Philippine Pesos 
  • One Direction was still a thing
  • Facebook comment sections were more peaceful
  • Kevin Durant was on his way to winning his first MVP
  • The Warriors had not blown a 3-1 lead just yet
It's been quite some time. So it must feel damn good for the UE Junior Warriors to get this victory against the UST Tiger Cubs.

After an impressive performance against the Ateneo Blue Eaglets for their opening game, the Tiger Cubs were expected by many to run over the Junior Warriors... except that wasn't the case. UE ran over the Tiger Cubs, being up by as much as 20 points. With 4 of their players led by Dustin Angeles scoring in double digits, the Junior Warriors were finally able to win a game. Things can only get better from here on out.

The DLSZ Junior Archers are having trouble moving on from Aljun Melecio

Any time you lose a player in the caliber of Aljun Melecio, a drop-off of sorts is expected to happen in terms of overall production from the team. That was certainly evident against the Baby Tamaraws. Even more so could it be seen against the UPIS Junior Maroons.

To be honest, this game should have been closer than how it really was. Sure, UPIS had Juan Gomez de Liano leading the charge, but the Junior Archers have enough talent at their disposal to put up a decent fight. That wasn't the case, facing a lead as big as 27 against the Junior Maroons. If Zobel is serious about contending for a Final Four spot, they have to remedy whatever is up right now, fast.

The consistency of the Bullpups and the growth of the Blue Eaglets

These were the two things which were most evident in NU's win against Ateneo. Let's start off with the Bullpups.

People expected a drop-off in terms of performance for the Bullpups after Justine Baltazar's graduation. That hasn't been the case at all, as NU has played excellently to start off the season. My tito put it best: "Kung may Mayhem defense ang La Salle, yung NU naman, Mayhem offense." They will fizz (shoutout to Leigh Ellis! #TheStarters) the ball around until the defense is left dizzy, and thinking of what to do next at the offensive end. A repeat of last season's end result for the Bullpups is looking more likely with each passing game.

For the Blue Eaglets, the team has to grow up fast. To be honest, I expected something close to a blow out once the Bullpups started to pull away given the edge NU has in experience and age (more developed bodies). Instead, Ateneo fought back and made a game out of it, losing by just 5 points. With a phenom in SJ Belangel leading a young, hungry, deep and talented team in the Eaglets, don't be surprised if the Blue Eaglets make it to the Finals come the end of the season. 

Next Schedule of Games: 

November 19, 2016 Saturday (All at the San Juan Arena):

9:00 AM: NU vs. AdU

11:00 AM: ADMU vs. FEU

1:00 PM: DLSZ vs. UST

3:00 PM: UP vs. UE

Comments

Popular Posts

Scouting the Opposition: Troy Mallillin, future King Archer?

(Photo Credit: SLAM Philippines) Basic Information Name: Troy Mallillin Age: 18 School/Team: LSGH Greenies Years of eligibility left: 0 (Graduating)  Committed to: None (Choosing between UST, NU, Ateneo) Height: 6'3" Position: Combo Forward Projected Position: Small Forward/Shooting Guard/Point Forward Quick Hits Strengths: - Strong, college-ready body - Athleticism is off the charts - Speed is already fit for his ideal position - Versatile thanks to blend of size, athleticism, and skill - Very high upside Weaknesses: - Relatively raw - Has to work on his jump shot - Handle needs improving but is workable - Effort on defense is inconsistent Troy is best known as the NCAA MVP, but receiving the title of MVP is a tricky thing. Just because you were the MVP in the High School division doesn't mean that you'll be able to replicate those feats on the collegiate level. Former NCAA Juniors MVP Prince Rivero is undersized compared to other college big

The effects of Goldwin Monteverde's reported resignation from Adamson

On the afternoon of April 11, 2017, SPIN.ph reported that coach Goldwin Monteverde has resigned from his position as head coach of the Adamson Baby Falcons. Rumors of coach Goldwin's resignation has been going around High School basketball circles, so the news of the resignation didn't come as that much of a surprise for insiders. (Photo Credit: Hazel Siy) But for fans, the move came as quite the surprise. After all, the Baby Falcons were still projected to contend for a championship despite the controversial end that they had to their Season 79 campaign. They weren't losing that much key players to graduation, and the desire for redemption was the most important part in all of this. The fact of the matter is, Goldwin Monteverde could very well be going out of the Adamson basketball program. This move creates then a number of effects not just for the San Marcelino-based school, but also the rest of High School basketball.  1. The effect it has on the Adamson Ju

Troy Mallillin is a Blue Eagle. Now what?

(Photo Credit: Janine Torre, The GUIDON) Against the JRU Heavy Bombers, Troy Mallillin finally made his much awaited debut as a Blue Eagle. Just seeing him in uniform was already enough for fans of the Blue Eagles to go wild. Seeing a NCAA Juniors MVP wear an Ateneo jersey feels weird, for any fan. Seeing a former La Salle Greenhills player wear the blue and white? It's like an Ateneo High School boy wearing a La Salle jersey. Oh.. wait... Obviously, any Atenean is brimming with excitement right now after managing to secure (or is it really secure?) the services of the former NCAA Juniors MVP. But what else are the other implications of Troy Mallillin taking his talents to Katipunan? Let's break it down: In the short term Right now, don't expect Troy to get a lot of minutes. As mentioned before , Ateneo is filled with a number of forwards in Mike Nieto, Vince Tolentino and Raffy Verano. Shaun Ildefonso is no longer in that fray of forwards after taking his talen