Welcome to the Class of 2017 Scouting Reports and Rankings. This part of the site provides to you the rankings of the recruits who are part of the aforementioned class, some details regarding them, and most importantly, the school which they have committed to play for in college. Linked to the name of each player is the scouting report that has been written about them in this website. For those without any links just yet, their scouting reports are on the way. (Photo Credit: The Philippine Star) With that, I present to you the rankings for the Class of 2017. Ranking Name Position Played Height School/Team Committed To 1 Juan Gomez de Liano PG/SG 6’3” UP Fighting Maroons 2 John Lloyd Clemente SG/SF 6’3” NU Bulldogs 3 Troy Mallillin SF/PF 6’3” None (Choosing between NU, UST and Ateneo) 4 Jonas Tibayan PF 6’3” NU Bulldogs 5 Guilmer

(Photo Credit: SLAM Philippines) Basic Information Name: Carlo Abadeza Age: 20 School/Team: Arellano Braves Years of eligibility left: 0 (Graduating)  Committed to: San Beda Red Lions Height: 6'4" Position: Power Forward/Center Projected Position: Combo Forward Quick Hits Strengths: - Skillset and height have a good match well with each other for the college game - Offensively skilled already - Has range for a big his size - Post defense is elite - Has a ton of experience Weaknesses: - Slow foot speed makes the transition to becoming a small forward difficult - Has weight issues - Needs to tighten his handle for penetration to be better - Lack of speed is an issue Going up and down is nothing new for future San Beda Red Lion Carlo Abadeza. Back then, he was just a player in the Passarelle leagues with the La Salle Greenhills, Eventually, he made it to the NCAA roster, and consequently, the Batang Gilas U16 team that made it to the FIBA World Champions

(Photo Credit: SLAM Philippines) Basic Information Name: Guilmer Dela Torre Age: 19 School/Team: Arellano Braves Years of eligibility left: 0 (Graduating)  Committed to: Arellano Chiefs  Height: 5'8" Position: Combo Guard Projected Position: Point Guard  Quick Hits Strengths: - Speed is fit for the college game - Has range - Is skillful - Already a capable two-way player - Hard worker Weaknesses: - Size limits his upside - More of a points guard rather than a point guard at this stage of his career - Shooting form needs work, current one may not work well against bigger, faster defenders - Needs to be a better leader No doubt about it, Guilmer Dela Torre has cemented his status as one of the top High School prospects in recent memory. Multiple Mythical Five accolades, practically a lock in the High School All-Star games which SLAM and the NBTC hold. He was able to do all of that with a fiery offensive game, with incredible range. There's no doubt

(Photo Credit: SPIN.ph) Last April 23, the Batang Gilas U16 team was pit up against the defending UAAP champions La Salle Green Archers. The National Team had plenty of reason to feel good about themselves entering this upcoming clash against La Salle, as they gave Lyceum and Ateneo a heck of a hard time in the respective games that they had the week previous. But as Kai Sotto's dad, Ervin Sotto, told his son, this wasn't just any team they were about to go up against. This was arguably the best collegiate team in the country, who also happened to have on board the best foreign-student athlete in Philippine collegiate basketball history. As a result, the Youth Team got trampled, losing against the Green Archers 124-73. It was a demoralizing loss, that's for sure, but we were able to pick up some things from the loss of Batang Gilas. Here are some quick hits. KAI SOTTO BLOCKED A BEN MBALA DUNK ATTEMPT It really happened. I swear to God. Asking Big Ben about it,

(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

With Andray Blatche not getting younger and our FIBA continental zone adding Australia and New Zealand to the mix, the need for a new naturalized player for Gilas has began. Current PBA import Alex Stepheson has been thrown into the mix as someone who coul serve as a candidate, while dream candidates such as Javale McGee, Robin Lopez and even San Antonio Spurs center Dewayne Dedmon have also been mentioned. Of course, Jordan Clarkson will forever be in discussions. Sadly, those players are just pipedreams at this point. They're either bad fits, or they're just unattainable because of the insane asking price that they present. If there's a realistic option that we have in finding a decent naturalized player, we may have that in current Blackwater Elite import Greg Smith. (Photo Credit: SPIN.ph) Chatter regarding having Smith as a naturalized player began when he was found practicing with the Gilas Pilipinas team in the Meralco Gym last April 20. When asked by a gr

(Photo Credit: FIBA) Basic Information Name: Jonas Tibayan Age: 18 School/Team: CKSC Blue Dragons Years of eligibility left: 0 (Graduating)  Committed to: NU Bulldogs Height: 6'3" Position: Power Forward Projected Position: Combo Forward Quick Hits Strengths: - Strong body - High Basketball IQ - Very coachable - Is a great team player Weaknesses: - Limited upside - Still relatively raw - No clear position yet in collegiate basketball Only a select few people are given the opportunity to play for the National Youth Team. It's a honor anyone would grab in an instant. To be named a Batang Gilas standout is something special. But to be named a Gilas Cadet member at the tender age of 17? It's something else. At first glance, it means that you're a player who's more than ready to make it to the big leagues. You're not just expected to do well in the collegiate level. Some expect you to go ahead and dominate in an instant. Jonas Tibayan

(Photo Credit: FIBA) The Batang Gilas U16 team is set to play in the SEABA tournament that's going to be held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum from May 14-18. To help with their preparation, the team is set to join the 23rd Fr. Martin's Cup that's set to start tomorrow, April 20 at the San Beda Gym. Their schedule as of this writing is as follows:  April 20 (Thursday) Venue: San Beda College  Time: 8am U16 vs ADMU April 22 (Saturday) Venue: Lyceum College Time: 7am U16 vs Lyceum April 24 (Monday) Venue: San Beda College Time: 11am U16 vs DLSU With a team that features towers Kai Sotto and Geo Chiu and star guard Rence Padrigao, it's easy to have high expectations from a team with a core that's looking very good. But we do have to remember, this is a bunch of High School kids who's set to do battle against an Ateneo team that has a crop of experienced pieces, a Lyceum team that has monster CJ Perez, and a La Salle team that'

The difference that a year makes. When you look at it, the shift from 2016 to 2017 doesn't sound all that big. 50 years from now, when the future generation studies the history of the world, there won't be much discussion regarding the year of our Lord going from 16 to 17. It just doesn't seem like it's that big of a difference. But when we, our generation, try to remember the events the occurred between those two years, the amount of stories which we can share are limitless. One number just separates those two years. But somehow, I can see it now with my magical tool for predicting future events (It says the Warriors are going to blow a 3-1 lead soon), we'll be telling our kids or our grandkids, "The difference that a year makes." Ask the Ateneo Blue Eagles right now regarding the shift from 2016 and 2017, and there's a big chance they'll be saying the very same thing. (Photo Credit: John Oranga, The Guidon) Just last year, the