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| (Photo Credit: Janine Torre, The GUIDON) |
Obviously, any Atenean is brimming with excitement right now after managing to secure (or is it really secure?) the services of the former NCAA Juniors MVP. But what else are the other implications of Troy Mallillin taking his talents to Katipunan?
Let's break it down:
In the short term
Right now, don't expect Troy to get a lot of minutes. As mentioned before, Ateneo is filled with a number of forwards in Mike Nieto, Vince Tolentino and Raffy Verano. Shaun Ildefonso is no longer in that fray of forwards after taking his talents to the NU Bulldogs, but that's still a tough crop of forwards that Troy has to battle minutes with.
It's not that Troy isn't a premier talent. In terms of pure talent and upside alone, he's arguably already the best in the Blue Eagles. It just so happens that Mallillin doesn't possess the skills necessary to match the talent and the physical tools that he has.
For now, expect Mallillin to be played as a spark off the bench. His freak athleticism and strong frame allow him to get a lot of offensive rebounds in the halfcourt, and at the same time, he's a capable trailer in transition.
The focus for Troy's first year as a Blue Eagle is development. What skills will the coaching staff of the Blue Eagles focus on with regards to molding Troy as a basketball player? A quick answer is to mold troy as a more athletic Mac Belo, one who can play the 4 and 3 positions. Or maybe Coach Tab decides to go a little crazy and molds Troy as a point forward, just like how Coach Aldin Ayo was planning to do with Mallillin's development. Or maybe they can turn him into Draymond Green minus the kicking of the nuts? We'll wait and see what Coach Tab and the coaching staff opt to do.
In the long term
Believe it or not, things actually don't get much better for Troy and his prospect as a Blue Eagle. Even though Vince Tolentino is bound to graduate next season, Mallillin still has a lot of competition when it comes to getting minutes.
First, we have to take note of Ateneo's homegrown program. Jason Credo and RV Berjay are two forwards who are still in the pipeline of the Blue Eagles. If they do decide to stay home and play for Ateneo, it gives Coach Tab two extra forwards to work with. Think about it. After losing one forward in Vince, he gains an extra two in RV and Jason.
For a coach, having that much talent is always a good thing. The more depth that one has, the more fun that there is. However for a player, having to face competition for minutes is an excruciating task. One could also look at it as an opportunity to grow. But we have to remember, one of the reasons for Troy's departure from La Salle is his desire for minutes. The question is, will Troy be able to develop well enough for Coach Tab to trust him to be oe of the key cogs of Ateneo?
In terms of pure upside, there's plenty of reason to believe that Troy will be able to live up to the hype. He's noted to be one of the most hardworking kids out there despite his accolades, but he always makes sure to continue to work. The challenge for him is whether he will be able to garner the correct skills to be a key cog for Ateneo, or he'll forever be stuck as a spark off the bench providing energy and tenacity when need be.
Overall
High risk, high reward. That's the line that you need to read when asking how Troy will be as a Blue Eagle.
No doubt about it, he has the tools to potentially turn into a special player. He has strength and athleticism which is tops in his batch, and his motor is decent enough. He's college ready, if you only expect him to play for a couple of minutes.
The challenge for Troy is to develop well enough to turn into a sure-fire college basketball starter. With Ateneo looking to add more forwards to their already deep crop, Mallillin has his work cut out for him if he hopes to gain the trust of Coach Tab Baldwin.
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