 |
| (Photo Credit: @dbuzzketball) |
Getting to see the NCAA Juniors Basketball Tournament get going just felt right. It's been a while ever since High School basketball was talked about in the country, so just seeing the top Juniors teams slug it out was refreshing. It just felt right. There was a buzz in the air which surrounded the Letran gym as San Beda and San Sebastian opened Juniors basketball action for this season. By all accounts, High School basketball was back.
Fans expected usual High School basketball action. Fast-paced action between two young teams trying their best to run their respective systems. Once play started, that's exactly what we go. Action was incredibly fast. But we also saw some of the warts of High School basketball. The players playing are kids. For this go around, we saw some first game jitters get into players.
When you look at the stat sheet, it's easy to let out a groan once you look at the percentage. Basketball was far from efficient, with all teams in play clearly still trying to get their feet wet for this season. Sure, all four teams managed to play in the preseason. But the regular season is a completely different animal, and we saw that with how things managed to turn out.
The basketball may have been ugly, but at least we were treated to basketball. It was exciting, albeit frustrating at times. Don't worry, it only gets better from here. The NCAA Juniors Basketball Tournament is back in business, so let's stop with the talking and head on over to our rundown.
First-day scores
San Beda Red Cubs def. San Sebastian Staglets 86-75
Mapua-Malayan Red Robins def. Arellano Braves 78-75
Notable performances
Evan Nelle (SBC): 6 points, 5 rebounds, 14 assists, 7 turnovers
Addie Velasquez (SBC): 16 points, 9 rebounds
Damie Cuntapay (SSC-R): 25 points, 14 rebounds
Aaron Fermin (AU): 19 points, 19 rebounds, 5 blocks
Warren Bonifacio (MU): 14 points, 17 rebounds, 3 blocks
Will Gozum (MU): 12 points, 20 rebounds
Clint Escamis (MU): 11 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals
The Rundown
1. Play was ridiculously messy for the first day of Juniors Basketball action. All of the teams in play committed at least 26 turnovers. There were seven players who committed at least five turnovers. Those are ridiculously bad numbers, even for High School basketball. It should get better as the season rolls on though.
2. Evan Nelle was essentially unplayable when his shot wasn't hitting last year, and he made sure to work on that. He's turned himself into an ace playmaker, notching 14 assists despite a shaky 3/14 outing. He's not just a shooter anymore, scouts. Have to reduce those turnovers though.
3. By all accounts, San Beda did not exactly dominate versus San Sebastian. A big reason for that was the inspired play of Damie Cuntapay, who looks to follow the footsteps of former Staglets Enzo Navarro and Michael Calisaan (both of whom are Stags this season) as blue-chip players from Baste.
4. San Beda notched 31 ASSISTS versus the Staglets. That is an insane number in any level of basketball.
5. Last year, most fans had their eyes glued on Carlo Abadeza and Guilmer Dela Torre with regards to the Braves. Looming in the shadows was Aaron Fermin, who made a huge splash to start the season with a monster 19-19-5 statline. He's certainly an early MVP favorite.
6. On that note, Fermin needs help. He did it all for Arellano versus a stacked Mapua team, and if Arellano wants to contend for a title, he can't do everything. It's not just scoring. Rebounding is a necessity, as well as production on the defensive end.
7. The frontline of Mapua in Warren Bonifacio and Will Gozum is arguably the best in High School basketball, and they will be key for Mapua's bid for back to back titles. It's an unfair blend between the two. Bonifacio is the lengthy mobile big who blocks shots with ease while Gozum holds the fort down low with skilled and efficient play. They will be a handful for any team, even for San Beda's Sam Abu Hijleh and Germy Mahinay.
8. My eyes are still wide open as I stare at the stat lines of Bonifacio, Gozum and Fermin. A combined 56 rebounds between the three big men. What a treat. College teams in need of elite big men must be salivating right now.
9.. Clint Escamis is a player who may contend for MVP this season. He was more of a scorer in the preseason, but don't be surprised to see him as more of a swiss army knife for Mapua.
Hi, Really great effort. Everyone must read this article. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDelete