Moneyball

San Miguel head coach Leo Austria and new assistant coach Jimmy Alapag. Photo by Bong Lozada MANILA, Philippines—Good luck stopping the juggernaut that is San Miguel. In the day that Terrence Romeo officially became a Beermen, the league’s most illustrious club announced that it tapped the legendary Jimmy Alapag as the newest deputy in head coach Leo Austria’s staff. Team governor Robert Non formally introduced Alapag, Romeo, the returning Ronald Tubid, and Paul Zamar to the fold before the Beermen started its Thursday practice at Acropolis Clubhouse. Non said Alapag has been on San Miguel’s radar even before the six-time champion got drafted into the league and he also expressed his elation that the iconic point guard is now under his team in a coaching capacity. READ FULL STORY ON INQUIRER SPORTS. Written by: Bong Lozada https://bit.ly/3tFctRB

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net MANILA, Philippines—San Miguel will start its bid for a fifth straight Philippine Cup with a shorthanded starting five. Point guard Alex Cabagnot is set to sit out the Beermen’s first few games of the PBA 2019 season to allow his broken nose to get a full recovery after getting surgery in December. Cabagnot suffered a broken nose in December of 2016 after getting hit by Meralco forward Cliff Hodge in an accidental collision. “I have to get clearance from the surgeon, every two weeks they have to see if it’s healing correctly because they have to observe it,” said Cabagnot after San Miguel’s practice Wednesday at Acropolis Clubhouse. READ FULL STORY ON INQUIRER SPORTS. Written by: Bong Lozada https://bit.ly/3S1NwIr

MANILA, Philippines—San Miguel head coach Leo Austria made it clear that even with his caliber, Terrence Romeo still has to prove himself when he officially joins the Beermen. Austria is well aware of Romeo’s individual awards but as far as team trophies are concerned the polarizing gunner still has nothing to show for it. “He has a lot of achievements, individually, but as a team I think he hasn’t won a championship yet,” said Austria in Filipino after the team’s practice Wednesday at Acropolis Clubhouse. “That’s the first thing he has to do, and I think he wants to win a championship.” “Every time there are new players on the team, the incumbent ones will have to size him up and he too has to size his new teammates up. It will take a few days to be familiarized with the team.” READ FULL STORY ON INQUIRER SPORTS. Written by: Bong Lozada https://bit.ly/3S3qi5T

MANILA, Philippines—College pals June Mar Fajardo and Brian Heruela time as teammates in the PBA has come to an end after three years. It was a harmonious albeit polar partnership for the former University of Cebu Webmasters with Fajardo raking in two of his four MVPs in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 season while Heruela languished at the Beermen bench. San Miguel traded Heruela away with forward David Semerad and a 2020 first round pick to TNT for Terrence Romeo. Fajardo admitted that he was sad to see his pal go but he’s aware that the PBA is a business and no one player has full control of his career. READ FULL STORY ON INQUIRER SPORTS. Written by: Bong Lozada https://bit.ly/3NNC41v

MANILA, Philippines—San Miguel’s trade for Terrence Romeo in December certainly sent shockwaves across the PBA as the arguably best team of its era managed to add more talent to its already loaded roster. The Beermen have the most titles in PBA history with 25, winning six of the last 12 titles the past four seasons in the June Mar Fajardo era and with Romeo, a three-time scoring champion, in tow, the possibilities are endless for San Miguel. Romeo was initially scheduled to have his first practice with San Miguel on January 2 but team officials said it they opted to have the former TNT KaTropa report on Thursday. There’s no question that Romeo is one of the best guards in the league but the addition of the isolation-heavy guard to a team that has thrived in teamwork the past years can certainly be a cause of concern. READ FULL STORY ON INQUIRER SPORTS. Written by: Bong Lozada https://bit.ly/3RK4ISB

MANILA, Philippines—Phoenix’s first playoff stint has left the team with invaluable lessons. After finishing at no. 2 heading into the playoffs of the PBA Governors’ Cup, the Fuel Masters plummeted once the big lights shone bright and lost their twice-to-beat edge to seventh seed Meralco. With three shots to make it to the quarterfinals again in PBA Season 44, star guard Matthew Wright and the Fuel Masters know exactly what they need to work on to make a deeper playoff run. “It’s the same team, the same feeling, the same games, it’s just more games in a shorter amount of time and we just have to play better,” said Wright during Phoenix’s practice before the New Year. “I guess there’s a little bit of playoff atmosphere but whatever that is we can’t let it bother us or change the way we play because at the end of the day we’re playing the same games.” Phoenix had a lackluster performance in the first two conferences failing to enter the playoffs on both the Philippine and Commissioner’s Cups but things changed when the team acquired the mercurial Calvin Abueva in a trade with Alaska right before the Governors’ Cup. Abueva averaged 15.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.3 blocks during the eliminations for the Fuel Masters but the whole team hit a snag against the Bolts in the playoffs. The loss is what Wright and his team are looking to avenge in their quest to become a better team in 2019. “We still haven’t won our first playoff game as a franchise so we’ll start there,” said Wright. “We lost twice to Meralco and that’s something we want to avenge but we have a long way to go to think about the finals. We’re going to take it one game at a time.” “We have to be a lot more disciplined come playoff time.” Written by: Bong Lozada https://bit.ly/3tLkEvA

MANILA, Philippines—Stanley Pringle boosted his bid for a first MVP plum as he became the PBA’s leading scorer for the 2017-18 season. NorthPort’s star guard averaged a league-best 21.0 points per game, ahead of reigning MVP June Mar Fajardo’s 20.6 ppg, while also averaging 3.03 three-pointers a game. Fajardo, meanwhile, is the league’s best rebounder with an average of 12.36, topping both the defensive and offensive categories. San Miguel’s jovial giant, who is second in the statistical race for MVP, is the best under the offensive glass with 5.0 rebounds per game and also in the defensive end with 7.36 rebounds per game. Alaska’s dashing guard Chris Banchero was the best playmaker of the season with 5.8 assists per game Blackwater’s defensive-oriented center Poy Erram was the league’s shot blocker with an average of 1.93 blocks per game. NorthPort’s Swiss Army knife Sean Anthony led the league in steals averaging 2.0 per game. Kiefer Ravena, who was suspended midway through the season due to anti-doping sanctions, was the best-scoring rookie of his class. NLEX’s young star averaged 16.13 points per game while San Miguel’s Christian Standhardinger was at second with 16.07 points per game. Standhardinger, though, was the best rebounder among rookies and the fourth-best overall in the league with 9.26. Written by: Bong Lozada https://bit.ly/3NNC3KZ

https://www.instagram.com/p/Br3-hAgA6BN/ James Yap is set for the long haul with Rain or Shine after signing a three-year extension on Thursday. The two-time MVP signed his fresh contract with team owner Raymond Yun and team governor Atty. Mamerto Mondragon present at the Elasto Painters’ office. Yap, who spent his first 12 years with the Purefoods franchise, became part of the Elasto Painters roster in 2016 in a direct swap for Paul Lee. “First of all I would like to thank the Lord and my Rain or Shine family,” said Yap in an Instagram post. “Boss Raymond Yu, Boss Terry Que, Atty. Mondragon, Mr. Edison Oribiana, coach Caloy [Garcia], teammates, my family, friends, and to all my fans.” Despite being 36 at the time of his signing, Yap is still considered as one of the more lethal shooting guards in the league. Last season, Yap averaged 10.3 points on 39% field goal shooting and 36.3% from deep along with 2.6 rebounds. Written by: Bong Lozada https://bit.ly/3NLyoxl

MANILA, Philippines—Rain or Shine is heading overseas to beef up its preparation for the coming 2019 PBA season. The Elasto Painters are set to fly to Bahrain to take on clubs Al Muharraq and Al Manama, the finalists of the Bahraini Premier League, in a couple of exhibition games on January 3 and 4. Al Manama has former PBA import Wayne Chism as its naturalized player while Al Muharraq has former De La Salle Green Archer Bader Malabes. Rain or Shine head coach Caloy Garcia said their trip to Bahrain is a good boost to their preparations even if Gabe Norwood, Jay Washington, and Maverick Ahanmisi won’t be able to join them. “This will be good for us because we can see what the other guys can bring,” said Garcia after their 102-90 loss to NorthPort in a tune-up game Saturday at Green Meadows Clubhouse. Norwood, Washington, and Ahanmisi are all in the United States spending the holidays and won’t be able to join the team in Bahrain since all we’ll be back in the Philippines on the third of January. “As of now we’re working with whoever is with us and I hope that when the three guys come back they’ll be able to quickly pick up the new offensive system,” said Garcia whose team will fly to Bahrain on Jan. 2 and go back to the Philippines on the sixth. Assistant coach Mike Buendia said the trip to Bahrain is not just part of the team’s preparation for the upcoming season but also as a treat for overseas Filipino workers who weren’t able to spend time with their families during the holidays. “This is also for the Filipinos there, sort of like a treat and to bring them some joy,” said Buendia in Filipino. Written by: Bong Lozada https://bit.ly/3tFctkz

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net MANILA, Philippines—It may be the holidays but NorthPort rookie Robert Bolick isn’t letting off the intensity. Bolick, chosen third overall in the 2018 PBA Rookie Draft, showed his wares for the Batang Pier scoring 15 points in their 102-90 win against Rain or Shine in a tune-up game at NorthPort’s practice gym at Green Meadows Clubhouse Saturday. The former San Beda star wasn’t afraid of going up against the physicality of the Elasto Painters and all the while learning the ropes from one of the best point guards in the PBA in Stanley Pringle. READ: Robert Bolick signs 2-year max deal with NorthPort “He’s a great player,” said Bolick of Pringle in Filipino. “Whatever he tells me to do, I’m just going to follow because he’s that great of a player.” Bolick, a three-time NCAA champion with the Red Lions, is considered as one of the best floor generals in college and he’s now under the tutelage of Pringle who’s often considered as one of the top point guards in the PBA. NorthPort rookie Robert Bolick on playing with Stanley Pringle and coach Pido Jarencio’s personality. Posted by Inquirer Sports on Friday, December 28, 2018 Pringle averaged a league-best 21.0 points-per-game among local players with 6.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.5 steals. NorthPort’s superstar is also in the running for the MVP plum after accumulating an average of 35.5 statistical points across 33 games, the top mark in the league and 2.4 points ahead of four-time winner June Mar Fajardo. Batang Pier head coach Pido Jarencio also has high hopes for the backcourt of Bolick and Pringle for the upcoming PBA season. “Bolick is an intelligent player, an A1 player and he’ll be a good complement for Stanley,” said Jarencio in Filipino. “Also Stanley likes the type of Bolick who can understand his style of play.” Bolick said he’d be a keen student of Pringle throughout the season. “I’ll just continue learning from him because that’s the most important thing right now,” said Bolick. https://bit.ly/3S09KLP

Calvin Abueva. PBA IMAGES ANTIPOLO–Playing with an immeasurable amount of energy right from the get-go, Phoenix Pulse went on to blow Blackwater to smithereens, 114-95, on Friday night as the Fuel Masters kept their unbeaten run going in the PBA Philippine Cup eliminations at Ynares Center here. With a balanced offensive and a defensive stand that didn’t budge an inch, the Fuel Masters led by as large as 85-48 on the way to improving their league-leading record to 4-0–the only unblemished card remaining. READ FULL STORY ON INQUIRER SPORTS. Written by: Musong R. Castillo https://bit.ly/3RID349

Paolo Taha vs Jackson Corpuz. PBA IMAGES ANTIPOLO–Columbian grabbed command late in the third quarter on Friday night and claimed another big fish in the PBA Philippine Cup eliminations after posting a 110-100 victory over NorthPort at Ynares Center here. The Dyip came roaring back from 10 points down in that quarter and took an 86-79 lead into the fourth, which they protected with much ferociousness on the way to handing the Batang Pier their first defeat in three games. In tying their victims at 2-1, the Dyip survived a huge first half by Mo Tautuaa by getting him to pick up a fourth foul early in the third and holding down NorthPort’s prolific rookie Robert Bolick to just three points. Jackson Corpuz and pint-sized rookie point guard John Paul Calvo were big during the breakaway with the NorthPort coaching staff never finding ways to stop them when it mattered. Stanley Pringle scored 14 points in the third quarter built around three triples that had NorthPort threatening to break the game wide open. But the lack of support later on–and with Tautuaa never getting back in the groove after 20 first half points–sealed the Batang Pier’s doom. There were seven players in twin digits for the Dyip, whose first big victim was four-time defending champion San Miguel Beer two weeks ago. Written by: Musong R. Castillo https://bit.ly/3Rz4Iog

CJ Perez impressive in PBA debut. PBA IMAGES CJ Perez said he wanted to find out what he and Columbian are made of. The top overall pick of this season’s PBA draft got his answer when the Dyip carved out a gritty 124-118 win over San Miguel Beermen in the curtain-raiser of the 2018 Philippine Cup on Friday at Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay. Perez unleashed 26 points as he paired with Jackson Corpuz and Reden Celda to hand the reigning conference champions a stunning loss in the two teams’ all-Filipino debut. “I told the boys before the game, ‘If we apply the [what we learned from] three weeks practice and the [week-long] camp, we’ll have a chance,” said Columbian coach Johnedel Cardel said in Filipino. READ FULL STORY ON INQUIRER SPORTS. Written by: Denison Rey A. Dalupang https://bit.ly/48Ue5WP

TNT KaTropa. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net MANILA, Philippines—TNT team consultant Mark Dickel has drawn up a system suitable for his undersized lineup, but he still rued the glaring size difference between his team and Barangay Ginebra was still a tough bind. The KaTropa lost to the Gin Kings 90-79 in the PBA season opener in Dickel’s first game running the offense. Although the team had some semblance of success going up against the big guys of Ginebra in 7-foot Greg Slaughter and 6-foot-9 Japeth Aguilar, there was still the factor of getting banged up throughout 48 minutes. “We’re king of out of position, no matter who we put in now,” said Dickel Sunday at Philippine Arena. READ FULL STORY ON INQUIRER SPORTS. Written by: Bong Lozada https://bit.ly/48yG0ew

For someone picked fourth in a draft that was supposedly lacking in depth, Paul Desiderio will have some of the spotlight trained on him. Most of it will be residue sheen from his stint with University of the Philippines in the UAAP, where he ended a career that took on folk hero proportions when he led the Maroons to their first Finals stint in decades. But he feels little pressure. What he embraces is the challenge. “At this point, all I really want to gain is the experience,” Desiderio told the Inquirer during the recent PBA media day. He knows he has to find his niche in Blackwater coach Bong Ramos’ system, a search that should be easier after the Elite dealt away Paul Zamar. REAL FULL STORY ON INQUIRER SPORTS. https://bit.ly/3ROXMDM

Phoenix coach Louie Alas isn’t ready to measure his squad against the top teams of the league just yet. Right now, he wants to look at the squads his team is realistically competitive against. “We must be able to beat teams we are supposed to beat,” Alas said in Filipino during the PBA’s recent media day. “That’s where we will start.” Phoenix goes into a second season with Calvin Abueva now fully absorbed into its system and with additions Alex Mallari and Dave Marcelo, Alas feels he has the pieces to finally take it to the big guns of the league. “We’re deeper now,” Alas said in Filipino. “So I guess this season, we can really compete. I always felt that we were three pieces away from competing but now that we have two, we should be good.” More than the added depth and skill, Alas feels Mallari and Marcelo will bring their winning ways to the Fuel Masters, who were often caught fumbling in tense endgame situations during crucial ballgames. READ FULL STORY ON INQUIRER SPORTS. Written by: Denison Rey A. Dalupang https://bit.ly/48CjO3m

PBA fans may have just seen the last of Arwind Santos’ patented “Spiderman” dunk last season. While the San Miguel Beer forward could still do it, he risks getting penalized after the PBA issued a memorandum deeming the “Spiderman” dunk or monkey ride as how the league called it in the memo “unsportsmanlike.” According to the memo, “a player who hangs onto the rim after a dunk and places either or both of his feet onto the backboard, shall be assessed with an unsportsmanlike technical foul.” Free Spider-Man! pic.twitter.com/xxhGhvFlrl — alex cabagnot (@askcabaggie) January 15, 2019 The memorandum also cleared that “a player may still hang on to the basket rim, backboard or its support, to prevent injury to himself or another player with no penalty.” The league said a player is still allowed to “momentarily” hang on to the rim after a dunk. Written by: Mark Giongco https://bit.ly/3vrfdT1