Learning from the Best

Every time a basketball team from Cebu (or other places outside Manila) troop to Manila to play Manila-based teams in a tournament, it’s almost a forgone conclusion that the Manila teams will dominate and win it all. At last weekend’s national finals of the Seaoil NBTC League, Chiang Kai Shek College and National University cleared the 12-team cast finals and ended up facing each other in the finals, with Chiang Kai Shek winning the championship.

While every probinsyano school’s dream is to beat a Manila team, what makes Manila teams so good? Is it the training? The nutrition? The coaching? The overall program of schools? The age? One of the most obvious things that one will see is that the Manila teams are always bigger and taller. And despite being wider and taller, they are as fast and as quick as all the teams that they face. A case study is NU’s point guard Hubert Cani who is headed for Ateneo de Manila. He is a legitimate Under 18 player; having been born in 1996 (he turns 18 this year). He stands around 5’9” but is pretty well-built. He is not your typical “skinny” athlete. But he’s fast, strong and quick, a unique combination found in big guys. He uses his body to create space between himself and his defender, and also overpowers smaller defenders thrown against him. The same is true for the big men like NU’s JP Cauilan and Salim of Chiang Kai Shek. At 6’5” and 6’4”, they’re taller than our “big men” who stand between 5’11” to 6’2”. Not only are the Manila guys taller. They’re also strong, agile and versatile. Cauilan is someone who has the green light to shoot a triple while Salim can play “face up” from the wings as if he were small forward.

An excuse that we always throw is that we’re younger than most Manila players. The seniors in the probinsya are usually a year younger than their Manila counterparts since we don’t have a Grade 7 in elementary school. We thus have a bunch of 17 year olds going up against 18 years old “older”, more mature players. Cani, Cauilan and Salim are players born in 1996 while most of the seniors of “promdi” schools are born in 1997, thus the one year gap. It can also be noted that the Manila players who come from the province are usually asked to repeat a grade level even go in reverse gear in order cover their residency and maximize their playing years for the school. Remember Rebreb Diputado? He once played in the CESAFI some years back as a junior before transferring to Manila and enrolled as a sophomore. He graduates this schoolyear.

While the “they’re older” excuse may be true, it must also be cited that JV Gallego, the Seaoil NBTC League’s tournament MVP from Chiang Kai Shek, is only 15 years old (born 1998) and turns 16 this year. He’s even a year younger that the promdi seniors. In fact, he was part of the school’s Passerelle team that also won the Passerelle division national championship over Cebu’s USC last November. Moreover, Janjan Jaboneta (also born 1998), SHS-Ateneo de Cebu’s third year power forward, also made it to the tournament’s Mythical Five. So is the age thing the issue?

Now this is one sure thing. Sports programs of Manila schools are miles ahead of ours. High school teams are managed as if they were commercial clubs, complete with scholarships, allowances and freebies for its players. Allowances, recruitment, shoes, meals, and accommodations? It’s all care of the “program.” And this program is supported by some very deep pockets of generous supporters like alumni. I can still remember how Shannon Gagate of Chiang Kai Shek scored on a dunk for the final score of the championship game against NU. This and his offensive rebounds plus putbacks drew cheers from the Cebu players in the stands. Why? Gagate once played for USC. And he’s not the only promdi player on that team. These various programs take care of players like Gagate. Thus, it came as no surprise that Hans Sy of the SM Group which owns NU, was there watching the games.

And so we draw the comparisons and reason out. We have bigger and taller players in Manila schools who recruit from all over the country. They take care of them by feeding them, giving them scholarships, allowances, free board and lodging and equipment/uniforms. And some of those players once played beside our very own players here. What do promdi schools have to offer? Or can they even match half of what is given by Manila schools? And by the way, we’re talking about high schools here.

Now, can you beat that?

*** Time-out: Join the BEST Center Basketball Clinic sponsored by Milo: May 12-17, 2014, at the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu Mango Avenue Campus. For more info, go to the Facebook Page “BEST Center Sports-Cebu.” >>> You can reach me at bleachertalk@yahoo.com.