PCCL 2010 Updates

[Jumperman]

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It's not too late for Fajardo to train in Manila. Im not belittling Slaughter, I've also seen his improvement. But Fajardo will be that much better when he gets the training Slaughter's getting right now.

Si Pao of UC ba, Am-boy diay ni siya? Maayo lagi mu-English, ni-duol siya dapit sa akong seat nya naay kastorya nga Am-boy sad. Sabot sila nga magkita diri Manila hehe. Pagkahuman nila storya nagbinisaya dayon, maayo sad kaayo mu-bisaya haha

Bobby Parks and RP-team prospect Ray-Ray are also in attendance.

[taga_ipil]

La Salle Green Archer against Adamson University.
Whoever loses this game will face UC! (3rd Place)

[pranchiz]

if only naay support si fajardo ganina or ni.click ang outside shooting sa UC, basin lahi unta ang resulta. lahi rjud ang confidence level sa manila boys, klaro jud nga intimidated ang UC, especially ang mga guards nila...

basin mkabawi pa sila sa battle for third, ok nana nga consolation

[[Avenging PIRANHA]]

ot: is coach Tim Cone scouting on Fajardo? hmmmmmm well see


ont: waaaaaaaaaaaa pildi ang UC magsalig lang sila ni Fajardo dili pwede si Fajardo ra tanan ang molihok sa opensa bawi na lang for the third hehehe hope UC win this time

[dropdeadgorgeous]

pildi ang UC... UC's shooters didn't play that well though compared to their performance here in Cebu... Heruela, Bercede and Juliane didn't made so much points to compliment Fajardo's...
nonetheless, it was a game well played by junemar!

for some reason, it made me smile when i saw coach tim cone watching the game bringing along a notepad...hahaha

Si Pao of UC ba, Am-boy diay ni siya? Maayo lagi mu-English, ni-duol siya dapit sa akong seat nya naay kastorya nga Am-boy sad. Sabot sila nga magkita diri Manila hehe. Pagkahuman nila storya nagbinisaya dayon, maayo sad kaayo mu-bisaya haha

yes, Pao is an am-boy but well versed in bisaya

[Jumperman]

My only decent shot from the game. Nalingaw ko gud, wa kaayo ko ka-picture2x. Uwaw sad ko kay ako ra sige picture2x.

[black_mamba]

bad news!

[taga_ipil]

Guys,

Kinsa ni daug sa game between La Salle and Adamson?
gduka naku wa ko ka tiwas hehehe

[Jumperman]

Notes from the Ateneo-UC Game
by Jumperman

Manila people weren't in The Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan earlier this afternoon in the hopes of seeing reigning UAAP champs Ateneo lose to the lone provincial team left in the PCCL 2010 tournament. Rather, it was more because they wanted to see if indeed Junmar "The Gentleman Giant" a.k.a. "Man-Mountain" Fajardo was worth all the hype. It's a safe bet to say they weren't disappointed, as they finally saw for themselves that indeed, they were looking at possibly the best big man in the amateur ranks today. The final score does not really reflect how the game went, although it is understood that the Ateneo team is notches above UC.

It's a given that the engine behind the machine known as the UC Webmasters is named 'Junmar', but I have to say the rest of the team is not that bad. Pao, Heruela, Bercede, Mohammad, Juliane, and the rest are really a solid bunch but are inconsistent, error-prone, and small (compared to Ateneo at least). Also, they lack a Robin to Fajardo's Batman. They are too predictable. What happens every possession for UC is they surround the arc with shooters, and wait for Fajardo to get into position. This takes a lot of seconds off their clock, and when Fajardo gets too crowded inside they chuck up 3s. They changed their strategy in the 2nd half and went for the run and gun but Ateneo is no chump in defending against a running team so the UC plan was foiled. They lack a real slasher, someone like a Sam Hermosa. If they had someone like that, perhaps the score would have been a lot closer. And you also can't help but notice that Fajardo does not have an able backup. Kirby Cabrera (#14? That's him right?) is still raw, and it was obvious in today's game. He was very erratic, but then it comes with youth so hopefully he develops into a solid contributor.

Ateneo wasn't really shooting very well; UC did a pretty good defensive job, even if Fajardo only got like a single block or maybe two. They anticipated the Ateneo passes well. What did UC in was actually Ateneo's outside shots. Since coming into the game they probably knew that it'd be a tough task to score inside what with a 6-9 behemoth guarding the hoop, Ateneo must've spent some extra time to practice shooting. Salamat, Monfort, Juami Tiongson, Tonino Gonzaga, and even Bacon Austria converted their outside shots, and that's how they grabbed and maintained the lead. UC on the other hand failed to do that, hence they fell behind and could not keep up.

But notwithstanding the loss, the big story is really Junmar himself. Compared to last year, he has really taken strides in his development. Whereas last year, after a few sprints up and down the court he'd already be gassed, this year there was no sign of slowing down. He has added to his face-up moves and does not only score using his bulk and height. He can make his freebies also, and he's very effective fishing fouls off of the opposing big men. The sky's really the limit for him, and as earlier said he really is the best big man in the amateurs today, or at least the most effective. People can no longer say he's scoring 30 and getting 10-15 or even 20 rebounds because he plays in a 'lesser' league, because he did just that against the UAAP champs no less. (Of course, we Cebu people already saw him match up against Ateneo in the Friendship games last year, but you know what they say, to see is to believe.)

The battle for 3rd should be interesting. DLSU has in its arsenal 3 big men to match up against Fajardo (Papot Paredes, Ferdinand, and Yutien Andrada). It will be another great inside battle on Thursday, and hopefully Fajardo does not disappoint. IMO the La Salle game will be a better gauge for him, since they have more big bodies who are all known shot-blockers (compared to Ateneo who pitted Frank Golla, Chua, and Jumbo Escueta against Fajardo; those three aren't exactly known for their shot-blocking).

I'm really excited for Thursday. I'm not expecting UC to win, but as long as we all continue to see Junmar eat all these chumps, I'm happy! A win would be the perfect icing on the cake! Tim Cone scouted Junmar today. Who knows, it could be a contingent of other coaches who we'll be seeing on Thursday after the performance he put up.

[taga_ipil]

@ Jumperman

Nice article their Jumperman.