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| Two of the league's brightest young stars face off this afternoon at the Arena. (photo courtesy of spin.ph) |
Same teams, different faces. Very much different. First, let's see some of the new faces for both squads, and how they will impact their respective teams come game time.
New acquisitions for both teams
Ateneo Blue Eagles - Chris Newsome (6'2, SF although will play the PF spot), Jerie Pingoy (5'9, PG), Earl Murphy (SG, 5'10), Vince Tolentino (6'3, PF)
De La Salle Green Archers - Jason Perkins (6'3 PF/SF), Kib Montalbo (5'11, PG), Axel Torres (5'9 PG/SG), Robert Bolick (5'11, PG), Yankie Haruna (6'0, SF)
As you can see, La Salle has a number of acquisitions with Perkins and Montalbo being the most recognizable among the 5. Perkins has been a steady contributor for the Archers in the preseason, thus further deepening the already deep front line of La Salle. He's only 6'3, yet he weighs a WHOPPING 235 pounds. He's heavier than NBA Draft Prospect Nerlens Noel by 29 pounds. For sure, he's strong, CRAZY strong at that. Montalbo hasn't been getting as much playing time for Coach Gee Abanilla, so we can't judge him as well yet. Guys such as Torres, Bolick and Haruna will surely surprise teams, although we shouldn't expect much playing time for the three.
For the Ateneo side, obviously, the most recognizable name here is Jerie Pingoy, for good reason and bad reason. Good reason because he is crazy good (my tito has watched him play and he says he is legit), and bad reason because of that crazy crazy rule the UAAP named after him. Just crazy. Chris Newsome has been the most productive newcomer, using his freak athleticism to collar down rebounds for the Katipunan five. He has also created a pairing with Kiefer, thus creating the LeBron James - Dwayne Wade comparisons. Earl Murphy and Vince Tolentino have been getting some burn under Coach Bo as well, and they have provided quality minutes for the former Powerade mentor.
Projected starting line ups for both teams
Ateneo Blue Eagles - Frank Golla (Center), Chris Newsome (Power Forward), Kiefer Ravena (Small Forward), Juami Tiongson (Shooting Guard), Nico Elorde (Point Guard)
De La Salle Green Archers - Norbert Torres (Center), Jason Perkins (Power Forward), Jeron Teng (Small Forward), Almond Vosotros (Shooting Guard), Thomas Torres (Point Guard)
Key match ups and storylines to watch out for
The Ateneo "front line" vs. The La Salle front line -
This is probably the most key match up to see among all the match ups that we will see today. First of all, how will Ateneo's small front line match up against the gigantic front line of La Salle? You may argue that La Salle lost Yutien Andrada, but they still have a monster of a man in Jason Perkins, oh and those two beanpoles named AVO and Norbear. The tallest player in the rotation of Ateneo is JP Erram who stands at 6'7.. and he's injured. While the La Salle front line will definitely rely on their height and strength advantage,
Ateneo will use their athleticism to fight for the board. When I mean athleticism of the front court, I mean Chris Newsome, and to some extent, Kiefer Ravena. Believe it or not, they are actually the two best rebounders of the Eagles despite their lack of height (especially Kiefer). It will be interesting to see if the athleticism of Ateneo will be enough to trounce the power and brute strength of the Green Archers.
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| Expect Norbert to dominate against the front line of Ateneo. (photo courtesy of pinoyexchange.com) |
Kiefer Ravena vs. Jeron Teng: Battle of the Futures of Philippine Basketball
Both players have been hyped to be the future of Philippine Basketball. Kiefer is a 5'11 shooting guard, who can also play that point at times, but is a natural born scorer. Jeron on the other hand, is a 6'2 small forward, who is the more reputable scoring machine among the two. Among all things though, both are probably the leaders of their respective squads.
It will be interesting to see how both players match up against each other, now that both will probably be forced to defend each other. Kiefer and Jeron have shown a knack for taking over during the big stages of the game, so we can expect a royal rumble if this game goes down the wire. Plus, I'm pretty sure Jeron still remembers when Kiefer went supernova on him and La Salle a couple of months back during the Final Four, so he must want some pay back for that.
Will Von Pessumal, Ryan Buenafe, JP Erram, Kris Porter and Gwyne Capacio finally show up?
Ryan, Kris and Gwyne have not played a single game this whole tournament, but all three haven't had any recent major injuries (Kris is nursing an injury, but he should be fine by now). They are also being tagged as major pieces for Ateneo's 6Peat aspirations, especially with players such as Justin Chua, Greg Slaughter and Nico Salva graduating for the Blue and White
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| Will Ryan Buenafe finally suit up for the Blue and White? (photo courtesy of interaksyon.com) |
JP and Von on the other hand, have both seen playing time in the tournament, but injuries have come to nag them. JP's having trouble with his knees, while Von had that gruesome finger injury against Lyceum last month. They are definitely vital cogs for the Eagles, especially with Von's emergence as a long range bomber for the Eagles this summer. JP could've shored up the front line of Ateneo, but he is no where to be seen. Will they come back against the Green and White?
Will this game be a sign of things to come?
This has been the question after almost every Ateneo - La Salle Filoil match up. Is this match a preview of the UAAP season for both teams? Well, for the past two years, that hasn't exactly been the case. But, will this game finally be a preview of the UAAP season for Ateneo and La Salle? Or will it be just like the past two years?
Prediction: La Salle wins against Ateneo by 5 points
I expect another nail biter between these two teams. Honestly, La Salle is actually the favorite to win this match, and history is on their side, so I'm going with La Salle in this match up.
For sure though, Ateneo will be employing a fast breaking type of game, and expect some full court traps as well. La Salle will abuse Ateneo's front line by posting up a lot, so there won't be much Jeron Teng isolations in this one. Ateneo will also try to drive to the basket a lot to draw some fouls. They will want to place Norbert and AVO in foul trouble since they are La Salle's last line of defense.
In the end though, La Salle's front line will prove too much for the Blue Eagles. We all saw how Karim Abdul abused Ateneo's big men. Now, Ateneo will have to face not only one big man, but three (I didn't really count Papot Paredes). You have two beanpoles in AVO and Norbert Torres, and you also have a monster in Jason Perkins. The size of La Salle may end up being too much for the Eagles to handle.
Expect decent games from Norbert and Jason Perkins. Jeron won't have that much of a good game since most of the plays will be designed for the big men inside. Kiefer will definitely have a great game, and most of his points will probably come off free throws.
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