It's a brand new UAAP season and here we are wondering if them kids be alright throughout the course of the year.
We had an entire year (well almost) off from the MoA Arena and Araneta Coliseum that you are left wondering if the points of each team will significantly go up instead of having to slog through games where it ends at 60, 70 because of chucksters that the analysts can't help but just label them as having a scorer's mentality just so we won't step on those dainty toes.
What is the offseason for? Is it to chow down (sorry Ryan, I had to)? Catching up on academics to be eligible to play next season? Shoot commercials (Oh hello there, Kiefer's busted ankle, nice to see you too)?
I wonder if and when a UAAP player suddenly jumps from chump to champ. It's the very thing I like with regards to college basketball. Is a player going to retool? What facet of his game will he improve on? Will he even improve at all or has he plateaued?
Come to think of it, the player that really made a mark off the top of my head that turned from chump to champ is still Ateneo's former monster Rabeh Al-Hussaini. I practically dare anyone to name me a player who went from being the ire of the fanbase to legend. As for those who dropped like a rock... well, that's another piece to digest (hi RJ Cawaling by the way!).
So. Who have made big leaps in the young UAAP season? I saw three from the curb. Could be four. But I'm very hard to please.
Let's start in Morayta.
It's quite early to leave this hammer of judgment on Ron Dennison. He made a reputation, and quite a reputation I might add, on the less glamorous end of the floor. After all, when you share floor duties with RR Pogoy, Mike Tolomia, and Mac Belo, what else you gon' do? Fire up the barbecue? Hell nah. You look for a way to get playing time. And how do you get playing time? By playing some damn shit good defense.
He'll annoy you, he'll pester you, aasawahin ka niya in kanto terms. But one thing's sure, he won't let you make a BBQ Chicken outta him. But this was with the three dudes around.
Coming into Season 80, only a few had a general idea with which the FEU scoring would come from. There was Arvin Tolentino (who was SEVERELY misused by Bo Perasol in Ateneo), who could drop an entire house on yo' head. Wendell Comboy was promising in Season 79 as an option. Ron Dennison? No one considered him as someone who could lead the offense of this FEU team. (Heck, I didn't even put him in my Top 10 list. Dumbass. - Ed)
From averaging 3.5-3.5-1.5 per game in Season 79, Dennison has been playing like one hell of a superstar with vast improvements across the board. His numbers carrying the Tamaraws' offensive load thus far? 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists while throwing in a combined 2.0 steals and blocks and shooting an absurd 63% from the field. All career highs. Oh and uh, he continues to shade the opposing team's best player.
Let's delve into more numbers here. The senior guard is shooting a blistering 13/22 or 59.1% from the floor on his field goals that are defended, meaning he has a hand, a man, or hands and men, on his grill within arms reach. When wide open, Dennison has been cash money and that has only happened five times in two games. Come to think of it. 22 attempts with a hand and a man on your face, and drop it at a 59.1% rate? Not even Jeron Teng or Kiefer Ravena can break into the 40s when they were defended one-on-one.
But that's not all. Fundamentally, Dennison has improved all aspects of his game. He now has a handle and can go coast to coast in a zigzag pattern (dude, lemme tell ya, he could only run straight before this season), incorporating an in-and-out even to break his MEN down and finish nicely with a layup. He can now initiate offenses as the primary ballhandler, for let's face it, FEU's current PG rotation is absolute garbage. He reads cutting lanes better and even has a reliable jumper that only stretches up to 20 feet.
To put it simply, for someone who hasn't watched the PBA since God knows when (my last was in uh, '03?): Dennison has been playing like Kawhi Leonard in terms of offensive and defensive load for a team that looks deep but really isn't when you take into account how the numbers have translated in value.
It's also quite noticeable how FEU gets torn to shambles when Dennison has to take a breather. You just don't know who will score outside of Tolentino, who's not even operating at full power, when their star senior sits. There's no semblance of an offensive set, the perimeter is easily attacked, and just all out garbage basketball. And this is why I have learned to embrace the Ron Dennison wagon fully.
If I may add a super old PBA comparison, and as a prospect grade card, he's a poor man's Rodney Santos. I hope Dennison can keep this pace up. He's the only chance at victory Olsen Racela has especially if Tolentino is either injured or having an off night.
Players making a huge jump in terms of their level of play is always something that gets my adrenaline pumping. You don't know they had "it." That special sauce that makes people turn into stars in their own right through sheer hard work and betting on oneself.
That's what makes college basketball special.
That's what makes each season different.
And Ron Dennison, man, you're mighty impressive.
We had an entire year (well almost) off from the MoA Arena and Araneta Coliseum that you are left wondering if the points of each team will significantly go up instead of having to slog through games where it ends at 60, 70 because of chucksters that the analysts can't help but just label them as having a scorer's mentality just so we won't step on those dainty toes.
What is the offseason for? Is it to chow down (sorry Ryan, I had to)? Catching up on academics to be eligible to play next season? Shoot commercials (Oh hello there, Kiefer's busted ankle, nice to see you too)?
I wonder if and when a UAAP player suddenly jumps from chump to champ. It's the very thing I like with regards to college basketball. Is a player going to retool? What facet of his game will he improve on? Will he even improve at all or has he plateaued?
Come to think of it, the player that really made a mark off the top of my head that turned from chump to champ is still Ateneo's former monster Rabeh Al-Hussaini. I practically dare anyone to name me a player who went from being the ire of the fanbase to legend. As for those who dropped like a rock... well, that's another piece to digest (hi RJ Cawaling by the way!).
So. Who have made big leaps in the young UAAP season? I saw three from the curb. Could be four. But I'm very hard to please.
Let's start in Morayta.
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| (Photo Credit: Tristan Tamayo, Inquirer.net) |
Ron Dennison, G, FEU Tamaraws (Super Senior)
It's quite early to leave this hammer of judgment on Ron Dennison. He made a reputation, and quite a reputation I might add, on the less glamorous end of the floor. After all, when you share floor duties with RR Pogoy, Mike Tolomia, and Mac Belo, what else you gon' do? Fire up the barbecue? Hell nah. You look for a way to get playing time. And how do you get playing time? By playing some damn shit good defense.
He'll annoy you, he'll pester you, aasawahin ka niya in kanto terms. But one thing's sure, he won't let you make a BBQ Chicken outta him. But this was with the three dudes around.
Coming into Season 80, only a few had a general idea with which the FEU scoring would come from. There was Arvin Tolentino (who was SEVERELY misused by Bo Perasol in Ateneo), who could drop an entire house on yo' head. Wendell Comboy was promising in Season 79 as an option. Ron Dennison? No one considered him as someone who could lead the offense of this FEU team. (Heck, I didn't even put him in my Top 10 list. Dumbass. - Ed)
From averaging 3.5-3.5-1.5 per game in Season 79, Dennison has been playing like one hell of a superstar with vast improvements across the board. His numbers carrying the Tamaraws' offensive load thus far? 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists while throwing in a combined 2.0 steals and blocks and shooting an absurd 63% from the field. All career highs. Oh and uh, he continues to shade the opposing team's best player.
Let's delve into more numbers here. The senior guard is shooting a blistering 13/22 or 59.1% from the floor on his field goals that are defended, meaning he has a hand, a man, or hands and men, on his grill within arms reach. When wide open, Dennison has been cash money and that has only happened five times in two games. Come to think of it. 22 attempts with a hand and a man on your face, and drop it at a 59.1% rate? Not even Jeron Teng or Kiefer Ravena can break into the 40s when they were defended one-on-one.
But that's not all. Fundamentally, Dennison has improved all aspects of his game. He now has a handle and can go coast to coast in a zigzag pattern (dude, lemme tell ya, he could only run straight before this season), incorporating an in-and-out even to break his MEN down and finish nicely with a layup. He can now initiate offenses as the primary ballhandler, for let's face it, FEU's current PG rotation is absolute garbage. He reads cutting lanes better and even has a reliable jumper that only stretches up to 20 feet.
To put it simply, for someone who hasn't watched the PBA since God knows when (my last was in uh, '03?): Dennison has been playing like Kawhi Leonard in terms of offensive and defensive load for a team that looks deep but really isn't when you take into account how the numbers have translated in value.
It's also quite noticeable how FEU gets torn to shambles when Dennison has to take a breather. You just don't know who will score outside of Tolentino, who's not even operating at full power, when their star senior sits. There's no semblance of an offensive set, the perimeter is easily attacked, and just all out garbage basketball. And this is why I have learned to embrace the Ron Dennison wagon fully.
If I may add a super old PBA comparison, and as a prospect grade card, he's a poor man's Rodney Santos. I hope Dennison can keep this pace up. He's the only chance at victory Olsen Racela has especially if Tolentino is either injured or having an off night.
Players making a huge jump in terms of their level of play is always something that gets my adrenaline pumping. You don't know they had "it." That special sauce that makes people turn into stars in their own right through sheer hard work and betting on oneself.
That's what makes college basketball special.
That's what makes each season different.
And Ron Dennison, man, you're mighty impressive.
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