UAAP Layup Lines - Season 76 week three

UAAP Layup Lines is a regular compilation of thoughts, musings and ponderings on the previous week's UAAP men's seniors division basketball games. From the mighty to the mundane, the analytical and the surreal, our group of writers has you covered.


The line-up:

• Lao, Perkins, Newsome, are the rookies to watch so far
• Dear coach Bo Perasol - Unsolicited advice from an Ateneo fan
• Ateneo's season finally begins after notching their first win
• Who gets to make noise on Twitter?
• Roider BANG

Lao, Perkins, Newsome, are the rookies to watch so far
by Carla Lizardo, writer, Humblebola
 
Basketball fans usually don’t expect much from rookies, due to their lack of experience and jitters from being new to college ball. A player’s first year is supposed to be all about learning how to play in the seniors division.  However, as we approach the halfway mark of the first round of games, three rookies have been making quite the splash. UP Fighting Maroon Kyles Lao, DLSU Green Archer Jason Perkins and ADMU Blue Eagle Chris Newsome have been stepping up for their respective teams, and playing beyond expectations.
 
Chris Newsome
 
Newsome leads his team in points per game (15.8), scoring all of that on an efficient 53.5 percent clip, and is tied with fifth-year player Ryan Buenafe in minutes played (34.0). But aside from eye-popping numbers, it's his versatility and athleticism that really makes him standout in the Ateneo offense. Despite his height, or lack thereof, the 6'2" Fil-Am logs most of his time at the power forward position, which gives the Blue Eagles an advantage when isolated against taller, but slower big men.

Newsome's best game so far game in their loss to arch-rivals DLSU Green Archers, where he tallied 27 points, including a perfect 10-for-10 clip from inside the arc, seven rebounds and four assists. It's definitely impressive for a rookie to be able to put up those numbers, and he's been one of the bright spots so far for the 1-3 Blue Eagles.
 
Jason Perkins
 
Jason Perkins is averaging 30 minutes per game, putting up a near double-double with 13.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. This rookie has been flashing his grit n’ grind style of play, providing La Salle with some much-needed physicality. His toughness is what DLSU has been missing since the likes of Jerwin Gaco, Mac Cardona and Ryan Arana.
 
During their game against UP, Perkins was able to show the kind of damage he can do, putting up 20 points and hauling in 13 rebounds, six on the offensive end. In their last game versus FEU, he even showed off his perimeter game, making 2-of-3 triples. He's quickly become a crowd favorite among the green-and-white, someone who will keep the DLSU fans on the edge of their seats with his hustle plays.

Kyles Lao
 
Kyles Lao follows in a long line of standouts from Xavier School, a list that includes the likes of Chris Tiu, TY Tang, Joseph Yeo, and the Teng brothers, as well as a pair of Fighting Maroons, former Rookie of the Year Woody Co and former Most Improved Player Jett Manuel. He got just limited burn (14 minutes) versus Adamson in their season opener, but with the departure of Mikee Reyes, Lao has shown what he can do with an increased amount of playing time.             

Against DLSU, Lao was arguably his team's best overall performer, with 18 points (5/9 from the field, 8/8 from the foul line), five rebounds, and three assists in 33 minutes. He was also perfect from the line, shooting eight out of eight. Then versus NU, he was once again the team's second-best scorer, with 11 markers, four boards and two dimes. With UP at the bottom of the scoring charts, in all likelihood, he will be called upon to produce more in their upcoming games.


Dear coach Bo Perasol - Unsolicited advice from an Ateneo fan
by Polo Bustamante, From the Stands, contributor to GMA News Online Sports

Dear Coach Bo,

Congratulations on your first win! Feels good to get that monkey off your back huh?  

Fair warning though, things are not going to get easier after your first win.

You have to remember that the Ateneo community has been spoiled by five consecutive championships. Just one win doesn't cut it anymore. Your first victory now raises all the expectations for you. The volume of the six-peat chatter will definitely be turned up after your triumph, as the triumph proved that the Blue Eagles can win with Kiefer Ravena not at a hundred percent. It erases all excuses anyone had for Ateneo. From hereon out, it’s all about delivering improving results.

The important thing to do right now is to manage those expectations. Feed the media and the Ateneo fanbase a steady dose of “this is a work in progress” and “we still need to get better” press releases. It’s important to remind everyone that this is a team that lost their core, that this is a team still learning to regain that championship identity.

But at the same time, keep the team focused. One of the best things Norman Black did in his tenure as Ateneo head coach was to shield the boys from all of the public's noise. He kept everyone motivated, unfazed by the distractions that surround a high-profile team like Ateneo. It was always about taking it one win at a time, “no yabang” as he used to say.

The Blue Eagles have faced several Final Four quality teams to start the season. Amidst their 0-3 start, their improvement has been steady and sure. This is not lost on the Ateneo faithful. Just keep chugging along. Rest assured that the community will continue to support you and the rest of the coaching staff. Ateneo’s got your back.

PS: Please shut Kiefer down for the first round. You’re going to need him at full strength for your second round push.


Ateneo's season finally begins after notching their first win
by Nico Baguio, owner and editor of Humblebola, columnist for GMA News Online Sports

So Ateneo won their first game last Sunday, beating their avian rivals from Adamson. Rejoice blue-and-white!

I know, I know, it's just one game, but it was an important win nonetheless. Falling to 0-4 would have made the grind to get into the Final Four much harder than it already is. Had Ateneo dropped that game, that would have been three consecutive outings where they played well in the first half, only to collapse late. Putting the statistical bearing aside, the mental stress that the team would have taken would have been enormous, almost to the point of no return. Afterward the win, ADMU coach Perasol said he had never received this much flak in his career. Imagine the uproar that would have ensued had the Soaring Falcons bounced back in the third and fourth quarters.

Now Ateneo can look towards playing two of their fellow cellar dwellers – the UE Red Warriors (Net efficiency of -7.7 points per 100, mostly for their non-existent defense which allows 98.8 points per 100 possession) and the UP Fighting Maroons (the worst team in the league by far, with a net efficiency rating of -17.2 points per 100). If all goes well, Ateneo could then enter their Finals rematch versus a UST team still without their captain, Jeric Teng, with a 3-3 record, a three-game winning streak, and maybe even a healthy Kiefer Ravena (who played sparingly against Adamson). That's a far cry from the train wreck they started with.

The question now shifts to Ravena’s health. After missing two games, Ravena came off the bench to play 11 invisible minutes. The limp that was so evident against NU seems to be gone and he was moving really well (compared to his eight minutes of playing time against NU). The goal now is to get him back into basketball shape, get him back to his basketball rhythm and take the mental fear away – those same fears that prevented him from attacking the rim, forcing him to settle for step-back jumpers (most of barely grazed the rim). Can he be completely (physically and mentally) healthy by the time they matchup against UST? Can he somehow live up to the hype he built in the preseason? We’ll have to wait and see.

What I do know is that winning that game against Adamson was a crucial step towards Ateneo’s bid to retain the crown for a sixth straight year, and likely the turning point in the defending champions' season.


Who gets to make noise on Twitter?
by Job B. De Leon, writer, GMA News Online

I think that largely, Twitter is for regular guys like you and me, for the guys who want other people to hear what they're yelling at their televisions.

That’s why it was a bit surprising to see @ateneodemanilau, the Twitter account for all official, university-related matters, call out a couple of questionable officiating decisions made during the Ateneo-Adamson match.

Referee # 10 claims Golla committed a foul, Blue Eagles in penalty

— Ateneo de Manila (@ateneodemanilau) July 14, 2013

Referee 28 claims Tiongson stepped on the baseline. Blur Eagles' defense holds off a last attempt. Ateneo leads, 32-28, halftime.

— Ateneo de Manila (@ateneodemanilau) July 14, 2013

These weren’t momentous calls that affected the outcome. There were no ejections, no crucial baskets, no punches thrown. The call on Golla was a blow to the Eagles' thin front court. The one on Tiongson kept Ateneo from taking the last shot of the half. That’s all they were, unpopular calls, calls that happen over the course of any given game. Like the consequences of those calls, the tweets went largely unnoticed. They were stated very matter-of-factly and they’re not the worst things we’ve heard about referees.

But I’d think we ought to hold official accounts to higher standards. If Ateneo has any issue with the referees, they can talk to commissioner Loyzaga, who’s been vocal about improving the officiating. They can influence policies in board meetings. The difference between them and the other catcallers online is they’re a somebody who can do something. I’d like to think official channels are above and better than joining the rabble.

But on the other hand, it’s exactly that: they’re just pointing out facts, like the rest of us who rant, swoon or rave over an emotionally-charged event, and they’re throwing in their official two cents.

If you follow me on Twitter, you’d know I’m probably one of the last people on earth whom you should listen to about social media etiquette, but I'm throwing this out there anyway. Am I making too much of a big deal over this?


Roider BANG
by Chuck Araneta, From the Stands, contributor to GMA News Online Sports

Roider Ross Cabrera is one of my favorite players in the UAAP. He is an old-school gunslinger, in the mold of unconscious shooters who have come and gone in the league like Rainier Sison or Mike Bravo. He knows no shot that cannot be attempted, and there is no efficiency or true shooting percentage that can scare him off.

In the span of one game, Cabrera can put a game out of reach with consecutive back-breaking treys, and just as soon allow a comeback by the opponent when his bullets go blank. For better or worse, he is the best of times and worst of times for Adamson. When he soars, most likely his team does as well. But when he crashes, they fall with him.

Roider Ross Cabrera is one of my favorite players in the UAAP because he is consistent in the methods to his genius and madness. Check the box scores or even the video of previous games, and it follows a similar script. No matter what the circumstance, this man will keep shooting. There’s something honorable in that to me. The stubbornness to believe that the next one will always go in, if you but hoist it up. The supreme confidence and belief based on hours of practice off the court, as well as the trust of teammates and coaching staff to keep shooting no matter what.  In his final year in the UAAP, Cabrera has already been blessed with the short term memory that is a prerequisite for shooters. And it’s served him well, as his percentage from the perimeter has increased this year (from 27% last year to 32.5% this year)

Whenever Roider Cabrera takes and makes a trey, I always make it a point to tweet out “Roider BANG!” It’s my way of paying tribute to Cabrera’s makes in a sea of misses. It’s like finally getting a stuffed toy in those UFO crane games in video arcades. Once you get one, you forget about all the misses in the past.

You can have your star guards with fancy crossovers, or your hulking big men with refined post games. I’ll take my shooter who will shoot no matter what. That’s why Roider Cabrera is my guy. - AMD, GMA News