In Defense of the NCAA

Photo by Angelo Falcon/ Rivals PH

By now, I guess you already read and watched the bench clearing brawl that has happened in the NCAA last Monday.

NCAA commissioner Bai Cristobal has already laid down the law, suspending 17 players and indefinitely relieving the three referees officiating the game.

I think we can all agree that the free-for-all was such an unfortunate incident, more that it has happened to a league like the NCAA.

But what prompted me to write about this are the uncalled for comments hurled in social media.

One comment which irked me reads: "Buhay pa pala yung NCAA. SMH."

Go ahead, shake you head. Ginusto mo yan eh.

Yes, the NCAA has really suffered a dip when it comes to media mileage. Even before when they were still with Studio 23, NCAA games were shown on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to give way to the playdates of the UAAP. That didn't help the connotation that the NCAA is a second-tier league compared to the UAAP.

There's a reason why MVP supports Ateneo more vocally than he does San Beda. There's a reason why La Salle is in the UAAP and St. Benilde is in the NCAA. And there's a reason why scalpers enjoy an Ateneo-La Salle rivalry game than a San Beda-Letran rivalry game.

We can never shape the public's minds enough when it comes to which league is better. It has already been judged.

But remember, the NCAA is where we got Calvin Abueva, Ian Sangalang, RJ Jazul, Raymond Almazan, and, in a stretch, Jayson Castro. It is where rookies Kevin Alas, Ronald Pascual, Harold Arboleda, and Juneric Baloria came from. And in the near future, this is where Baser Amer and Earl Scottie Thompson will look back at.

Yes, people might say that the NCAA is an inferior league compared to the UAAP, but there is no doubt that the current crop of guys can match pound-for-pound with their UAAP counterparts. It just so happens that you watch more UAAP games on TV.

We, the sports media, also agree that the level of physicality in the NCAA has better equipped the players when they take their talents to the D-League (That's right, the league your Daniel Padilla was supposed to join), and even in the PBA, while the UAAP has been more of a glamour league as of late.

I'm not a kissing a**es when I said that. This is coming from a writer who has covered both leagues this season. I cannot compare how it was in the past years, but I can talk about what I see when I cover the games.

All I know is that when an NCAA game is already on a halftime break, the UAAP game is just wrapping up its first quarter. You wonder why? Whistles.

The NCAA games have also been more competitive this year, and when you have Mapua, a cellar-dwelling team this season, beating Perpetual, a Final Four contender, you really know that every team, how weak they might seem to be, are really fighting for every game.

Did that make it to the nightly newscast? I doubt.

We can make an argument that the eliminated teams in the UAAP also fought tooth-and-nail in their games, and we're not discounting that. It is just that in the NCAA, "weaker" teams grab those wins and have obviously created crazy situations in the standings.

Did the Adamson win over UP, the Falcons' first victory of the season, make it to the news? I don't think so.

But UP's first round win did. But the Ateneo-La Salle encounters did.

See how the mainstream media primes the viewers' minds?

Which brings us to our next point. Another comment said, "Minsan na lang mababalita, ganto pa yung nangyayari. Way to build up your name, NCAA."

When was the last time the nightly news talked about FEU winning over UE? Or when Arellano won over JRU?

But when Renaldo Balkman choked Arwind Santos, that made the headlines, right?

As much as we try to groom sports as good news, they just won't pick it up. Of course, we can't force the networks to show clips about games, games which not much people care about.

More if that is the NCAA, a league which has been perceived as a lower class compared to that of the UAAP.

There's a reason why the former is holding the games at the San Juan Arena and the latter is juggling venues from Araneta to MOA. Because not much people pay attention to the NCAA, save if you're a student from one school or you're just a diehard basketball aficionado.

Going back, we're not saying that we tolerate John Tayongtong and the proponents of the EAC-Mapua scuffle. But you have to consider what these players had to endure.

The Generals are currently dealing with an internal issue which has gravely affected their season, which saw Igee King and their Cameroonian reinforcement Cedric Happi Noube leave the squad. The players have also been the collateral damage in this struggle, as reports say that the management has not provided them with enough help throughout the course of their campaign.

You don't see that problems arising with the heavily sponsored schools. But its a sad reality for these guys, and probably for other colleges, too, which doesn't have much support for their basketball programs.

The Cardinals, also, are not that fortunate, as even before the season started, their leader Josan Nimes went down with an injury. Thus, the continuous defeats. But they have gotten to a roll as of late, which allowed coach Atoy Co to eclipse their three-win total from last year.

We're not defending the Generals and the Cardinals for their actions, we're just putting perspective to what both of these teams had to endure before this fateful encounter.

Shifting back to the game, I was there to witness it first hand.

Considering it was a non-bearing game, things seemed to be heated in the last minute, where the Generals are comfortably ahead. And when Tayongtong bumped CJ Isit, and Leo Gabo saw his teammate fell to the floor, it was a recipe for disaster. Gabo shoved Tayongtong and then, as they say, the gloves are off.

The turn of events happened so fast that you cannot blame the referees for not controlling the situation. Even the bouncers were caught off-guard in what should have been the last 28.5 seconds of an already won game for EAC.

I agree that the referees should have called a foul in that Tayongtong shove which floored Isit. Even with the game out of reach and the players just running down the clock, frustration will always be there, and with one trigger, the riot ensued.

It is no different to those of barangay leagues, where tempers are sure to flare whenever an arrogant dayo (outsider) taunts the crowd and ensues a melee. We can't blame those on the bench for both squads if they want to stand up, defend, and retaliate on their teammate's behalf.

But we're not saying that is tolerable, nonetheless, acceptable. And the commissioner has dropped the axe.

It is what it is, and any league will not tolerate such hooliganism.

It was an unfortunate turn of events for the oldest collegiate league in the country, and as much bad rep it will bring to the league, NCAA will always have physical players banging bodies and laying it all for the win.

We just hope that next time, emotional players should be kept in check and the referees should handle the situation more carefully. Lessons learned.

As for those guys wondering if the NCAA still exists, don't you worry.

#HindiPaTaposAngNCAA

STILL OUT: Manila Bulletin Sports Digest September 2014 issue

UAAP MVP Kiefer Ravena and brother Thirdy of the Ateneo Blue Eagles graces our cover this month, as the siblings shared their own tales on and off the court!

Also this month, NBA 3X Philippines 2014, bag raid with V-League stars, the 10th Lago de Oro Perpetual Cup, and many more!

Grab your copies now!

Dilis Pilipinas

All photos are courtesy of FIBA.com

Twenty-four hours later, the loss still hurts.

It took me almost a day to finally accept what has happened.

But I asked myself, should it hurt the way it did?

We had a 1,000-to-1 chance of winning it all in the betting lines. We're ranked 34th in the world, and critics pegged us to finish 20th in the tournament. We're supposed to be routed by stronger, taller, and more experienced opponents. We are minnows, guppies, dilis stuck in an ocean lorded by whales and sharks.

But we proved them wrong.

We made Croatia, fourth-placer of last year's Eurobasket and ranked 16th in the world, sweat their pants and grind out a tough overtime victory. Their performance was so bad that standouts Bojan Bogdanovic and Damjan Rudez had to say they were "too nervous" with the game against Gilas.

What team is on its first world championship appearance since 1978 again? Last time I checked, Croatia almost got to the quarterfinals of the 2010 world championships if not for Serbia.

We made Greece, fifth-best in the world and one of the tallest squads in the tourney at 6-8 (compared to the Philippines' 6-3 average thanks to Blatche's 6-11 ceiling), lose its cool early behind our physicality. Nick Calathes was frustrated all game long that he had to pad the Greeks' lead in the end game.

So bad was their performance that 7-1 center Ioannis Bourousis shoved 5-7 LA Tenorio when the game ended. So much for sportsmanship from the squad which the Olympics originated.

And yesterday, we made Argentina, the 2004 Olympic gold medalists and third-best squad in the world, fight for their lives and play the toughest game they had to go through.

Yes, they didn't have Manu Ginobili and Carlos Delfino, but they are still the bronze medalists of last year's FIBA Americas. They are still Argentina – the home of Walter Hermann, Andres Nocioni, Pablo Prigioni, and (the late) Luis Scola.

Speaking of Scola, "Smile for the poster, Luis! You're on worldwide!"

But coach Julio Lamas stood there at the sidelines for two hours, nervous if he'll still have a job after the final buzzer with the way they were outplayed by the smaller Gilas squad. At the end of the night, it was status quo, as Argentina escaped with the W.

You know you made it when your opponents make excuses on how they played on a game they won.

You know you made it when one of the world's best squads make one of their NBA players shoot a three in the end game to make a nine-point lead a double-digit one, further improving their chances if everything ends up decided in quotients.

You know you made it when the winners feel like they just lost as much as the losers in the end game, prompting their coach to note that you are "the weirdest, craziest teams" he has coached against.

The minnows, guppies, and dilis of the blue ocean are really piranhas. Overlooked, underestimated, but unbowed.

At 0-3 and two games left, the Philippines' chances of advancing from the group stage is as slim as ever. But we'll take it.

Dray might be too hurt, Jimmy might be too old, LA might be too small, Jeff might miss too much threes, Jayson might be too tentative, Gary might be too cold, Ranidel might be too slow, Gabe might be too overexcited, June Mar might be too undersized, Japeth might shoot too much jumpers, and coach Chot might be too proud, but we'll still cheer on.

Coach Yeng Guiao said, "No top team in the world is going to take us for granted from now on." Its not tsamba that we stayed in step with the world's bests in our first three games. It's heart – puso.

So to answer my question, yes, it should hurt. Losses should always hurt, no matter how outmatched you are. Throw away all the rankings and past achievements. We are back in the world stage. We deserve it because we are one of the best teams in the world. Its time to prove all the doubters wrong.

There's a part of the song "Coming Home" which goes like this: "Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday."

Coincidentally, rain poured down moments after Gilas fell to Argentina on the sleepy Tuesday dusk. But the rain has stopped now, and there's nothing else to do but to bounce back.

Moral victories are over. Time to rack up those real wins, Gilas.

#LabanPilipinas #PUSO!

STILL OUT: Manila Bulletin Sports Digest August 2014 issue

#LabanPilipinas #PUSO! Gilas Pilipinas is now in Spain and is also on the cover of this month's issue! Get a glimpse of Jayson Castro, Marc Pingris, and Japeth Aguilar as they try to encapsulate the mystique that surrounds the whole Gilas squad.

Also this month, UAAP volleyballes EJ Laure, Jia Morado, and Bernadeth Pons, SoleSlam Manila, Azkals' Simone Rota, Ninja Academy, and many more!

Grab your copies now!

#TBT: 'When you play Gilas, you play against a country'

Just before Gilas Pilipinas takes on the world at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup this Saturday, here's a throwback piece I wrote when I was working as a liaison officer at the 2013 FIBA Asia Championships.

*****

FOR many years now, it has been said that Philippines is a basketball-crazy country. It’s hard to see what that means until you see it with your eyes.

The decision to hold the 27th FIBA Asia Championship here on our home turf was such a monumental step for the basketball followers of this nation. All 90-plus million buzzed and dreamed big for our national team, the Gilas Pilipinas.

It’s not just going to be a home court advantage for our boys, the games will be played in the Filipino home court, an environment like no other.

We shout whenever our team is up and are making baskets. We boo almost everything in the court even though the opposing teams haven’t done anything yet. We react to bad calls, missed calls, and calls that make us scratch our heads. It is that kind of an unforgiving atmosphere that can really send chills down the spine for the guys on the other side of the floor.

Achieving the dream of winning a ticket to the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup to be played in Spain from Aug 30 to Sept 14 next year was just the icing on the cake for all the thousands who made it to the Mall of Asia Arena, and many more thousands who missed it.

Whether it may be filing in long queues just to buy the hottest ticket in town – an incomparable chance to see our national team tussle it out with the giants in Asia here on our land, or may it be doing the Mexican wave electrifying the crowd and being the most imposing sixth man on the floor, the Filipinos have done it, willing the team to remember their battle cry going into this tourney which is “para sa bayan (for the country)”.

We smiled whenever coach Chot Reyes strut down the court with his colorful polos. We shouted every single time LA Tenorio and Jayson Castro William outsmarted bigger guys and made baskets on their fearless drives. We gasped when Marcus Douthit limped down the floor. We went loud in every Japeth Aguilar dunk. We soaked Gary David with cheers of his name, willing him to deliver – and he did. We were left in awe when Gabe Norwood shut down the team’s best offensive threat. We watched all those long bombs from Jeff Chan, Larry Fonacier, and Jimmy Alapag from their hands through the air and through the net, then we went bananas.

Most importantly, we cried when they won.

That’s why almost 20,000 strong Filipinos rocked the Mall of Asia Arena every time the Philippines took the court. It was such a rare moment that Filipinos of all shapes and sizes – a hodgepodge of diverse cultures based on different influences all in the past, have come together and united as one.

We always were a basketball-crazy country. We cheered “Gi-ne-bra!” for one of the most popular ballclub in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

But this? Singing your hearts out for your country right in front of our very eyes with the chance to be tagged as an Asian royalty after long years of wait?

This is just priceless. It’s incomparable!

As they say, to see is to believe, and you haven’t seen how big basketball is to the Filipinos until you become a part of it.

Coach Chot Reyes said it best. “When you play Gilas Pilipinas, you don’t just play against a team. You play against a country.”