 |
| Is he truly High School basketball's best? (Photo Credit: Arvin Lim, ABS-CBN Sports) |
Name: Encho Serrano
Age: 17
School/Team: Adamson Baby Falcons
Years of eligibility left: 1
Height: 5'11"
Position: Combo Forward
Projected Position: Combo Guard
Quick Hits
Strengths:
- Good strong body
- Considered as very athletic in any level of basketball
- Can play multiple positions
- Team player
- High basketball IQ
Weaknesses:
- Has limited upside given his size
- Jumper needs work
- Needs to transition to point guard to do well in the collegiate and professional level
Just recently, a group of coaches and basketball analysts came together to grade the top High School basketball players in the country. The four of the top five consisted of former national team players, while one of them is a controversial name in the High School basketball scene.
The other four? John Lloyd Clemente, SJ Belangel, Juan Gomez de Liano and Jonas Tibayan. The controversial name? Encho Serrano. The number one High School basketball player in the country? Lo and behond, it was Serrano who received the nod.
Serrano being named number one was met by criticism. The reality of it is that, his credibility as a High School player has been tarnished because of the issue that he had to face in the UAAP. Despite that, the group of coaches decided to place Serrano as the number one HS player given how he dominated the competition during the tryouts for the SM-NBTC tournament.
But is he truly deserving? Is he really as good as people believe him to be? Does he have what it takes to make it big in college?
To answer that, we'll be analyzing four key components of a player's game: Offense, Defense, Physical Tools and Basketball IQ/Intangibles.
Offense
If Serrano was deemed eligible during the UAAP season, he would have been ranked as one of the top two scorers in the league along with Juan Gomez de Liano. However, context matters in every statistic. You can't just say that Encho is a God-like scorer just because he was able to match a guy like Juan GDL's numbers.
How exactly was he able to get his points with a limited number of attempts? Simple. By playing in an Adamson team that happens to easily be the deepest team in High School hoops. Any time a guy like Jo Antiporda is played over a rookie like Rence Padrigao, you know that you have a team that is filled to the brim. Lucky for Serrano, his game is fit to blossom in an Adamson team that has a scoring spread that is incredibly balanced.
Serrano gets most of his baskets by being an off ball option. He's usually the cutter coming from weak side, exposing weak links in defenses to get baskets. Serrano is a master of scoring down low despite him standing at just 5'11", using strong drives to the basket and good under the goal jabs to give his team points. He can also score the occasional jumper, even creating for himself at times. But where he truly thrives is by using the amount of space which his teammates create for him. This leads to a ton of points for him, which then benefits his teammates as well.
Where Serrano hasn't proven himself just yet is by being the main guy. What Encho was in Adamson is the guy who's a result of the system. He's a system player. But as the main guy who you drop the ball to when all else fails, he hasn't shown that just yet. That title goes to Adamson's Gerry Abadiano. He hasn't shown just yet that he can surely create for others and even create for himself by using strong drives to the basket and pull up jumpers. As an off ball option? He's excellent. His skill set is built for a combo forward right now. As the main guy who you give the ball to when nothing is happening with your offense? He has a long way to go.
Defense
Serrano plays in an Adamson system that plays a lot of press. Just like how it is in their offense, Adamson's system defensively is also able to highlight that strengths that Serrano has on that side of the floor.
In the post, Encho often struggles since he doesn't have the length to defend bigger players. Where he thrives, however, is defending the perimeter, where he uses his blend of quickness, strength and athletic ability to stifle opposing offensive players. In the Baby Falcons, he was never tasked to defend the best player of the opposite team, since he reserved most of his energy on the offensive end. But he has shown from time to time that he has the tools to stop the best offensive player on the other end.
Other than stopping players, his rebounding ability also deserves to be give notice. He uses excellent timing, and him being a monster athlete simply helps his cause to grab rebounds. He's also a great offensive rebounder, knowing when to box out properly and when to jump to get them boards. This then leads to either a chance for Adamson to reset their play, or for the Serrano to score off the put back. '
However, the issue with him is size. He can definitely defend in the next level given his physical tools. But, can his rebounding ability translate to the next level? Is he strong, athletic and smart enough to outrebound the best of them? That's something we'll find out soon enough.
Physical Tools
Serrano's physical tools call for him to be a guard. In terms of skill, he isn't there yet. But at least the physical gifts are there for him to be a great guard come college.
For one, for someone who should be playing the 1 and 2 position, Encho has a considerable amount of length in him. He's long and tall enough to give opposing point guards issues, and he has a strong frame to tire out opposing guards from even scoring. In terms of that alone, he should just be fine.
But what truly stands out with Serrano is how strong and athletic he is. He's built like a tank, using his frame to score baskets down low and his athleticism to score over taller defenders. The player he's often compared to is Calvin Abueva given his strength and leaping ability. He isn't in the level that Calvin is in just yet, but he could very well get there given then God-given gifts that he has.
Basketball IQ/Intangibles
Serrano is a smart basketball player. He rarely takes bad shots, opting to pass the ball out when the situation is too difficult for him to handle. His passing ability isn't that good just yet, but at the very least we know that he has the capability to make good decisions on the fly.
He's also a good team player, never demanding anything from his coaches. He lets the system come to him instead of letting the system adjust to his play, which is a God-send for most coaches. He'll play to any role given to him by the coaches, whether it be to defend or to score off the ball.
In terms of being a leader, Encho has a long way to go before he establishes himself as an elite captain. He's not vocal in the team, often taking a step back from his veterans. He's a good team player, sure. But as a leader? He has a long way to go before he's able to establish himself as a true go to guy for his team off the court.
Overall
Best High School player in the Philippines? Given his athletic ability, physical tools for the High School level and skill on both ends of the floor, you can't be mad at the title being given to him. He's proven time and again that he can dominate using his blend of athletic ability and offensive skill.
College-ready? Sure. He's strong enough, and is skilled enough to be a rotation player come college.
College star? Franchise player? Hold your horses. He isn't in that level just yet.
Right now, Serrano is a combo forward trapped in a point guard's body. You can make the argument that Calvin Abueva went through the same phase and well, look at him now. But Serrano is different from Abueva. Calvin's strength is something unheard of. How vocal he is and the amount of effort Calvin put in to turn from being a combo forward to legitimate wing player resulted in the greatness The Beast has now in the PBA.
Serrano? He isn't that vocal just yet. He doesn't show that same amount of intensity as Calvin. He probably has a more polished game than Calvin compared to how Abueva was in this stage in his career, but Encho still has a ton to work on. His passing needs work. His handle isn't that sharp to get past other guards, As a shooter, he needs a ton of work to be a legitimate off ball option.
He's definitely the best in High School. In College, right now, he's a very good sixth man at best. But can he be a go-to-guy, or even a second option, heck a third option? Right now, in a very good team, he has to work on his game to reach those levels.
That's not to say that he won't ever reach that level. Given the development program Coach Goldwyn has in place for Encho and the Baby Falcons, it won't be surprising to hear Encho reach the level of a guy like Calvin Abueva. But the reality of it is that, Encho has got a ton of work to do before we even recognize him as a legitimate number one option.
Comments
Post a Comment