Is the South ready?

Could this be the year that a Southern Conference team finally wins the MBA national championship? There are two teams hoping to make it so.

In 1998, the Pampanga Dragons and the Negros Slashers unseated traditional powers Manila and Cebu in their clash for the league’s first title. The Dragons prevailed. The following year, the Manila Metrostars rode a 22-game winning streak to repel the upset-minded Cebu Gems. Last season, the San Juan Knights, a younger team, kept the Negros Slashers at bay in six games of the Finals.

This year, with all that has taken place, and with the June 3 opening oh so close, the question is this: Is the South ready?

On opening day, the Negros Slashers host the Cebu Gems in what is believed to be a preview of the Southern finals. Of all the teams in the league, Cebu has beefed up the most, like a Leviathan that is now a Hydra.

Tonichi Yturri’s frontline is awesome, with Homer Se growing up fast while playing for the national team and teaming up well with Matt Mitchell and Jan Montalbo. They’ve also picked up the cream of the best players in their part of the country. Cagayan de Oro’s Peter "The Twister" Naron can still shoot the lights out and now won’t have to worry about rebounding, while Socsargen’s Max Delantes can now pound on players smaller than him, for a change. Add defensive stopper, steel-jawed Melvin Taguines (Pampanga) and rapidly improving Wily Mejia (Surigao), and they’ve filled up quite well.

Cebu’s backcourt is a little lean, but nothing to sneeze at. Stephen Padilla has gotten a confidence boost with the RP team, and should play heavy minutes. Roy Lura will be the unknown quantity for the Gems. Once Dondon Hontiveros’ alter ego, here’s a talented 6’2" swingman whose upside is almost limitless.

The Negros Slashers, for their part, have wisely decided not to tamper with success. After all, they just came two games short of a championship twice.

The Slashers still have the unstoppable John Ferriols, who will be even more of a monster now that he has a SEABA title under his belt. He and Johnedel Cardel will still carry this team. But the guard rotation is more solid now, and Maui Huelar will get a chance to rest his aching knees more with the emergence of Dennis Madrid and the addition of outside bomber Jomar Tierra (Davao) and rookie Dino Aldeguer (De La Salle). The question mark for the Slashers is still the middle. Last year, they played center by committee and it worked. They’re still a dominant big man away from lording it over the land.

The Socsargen Marlins will be the monkey wrench in the South; Boycie Zamar only has forward Alwyn Flores from last year’s team, and a platoon of veterans from other teams. Leading the charge will be Bong Alvarez, who opted to stay in the MBA. The guard line, albeit small, will be quite solid, with national team point guard Egay Echavez making his MBA debut. He will be joined by returnee Aldrich Reyes, who spent last year with Negros. Firepower will not be a problem, with the likes of Cris Bade (Laguna), Paeng Santos (Davao) and Giovanni Pineda. Throw in rookie like Arnel Mañalac, Bong Salvador and Bong Reynoso (a chip off the block of PBA All-Star Big Boy Reynoso), and you have a very intriguing mix. They will surprise some teams.

Lastly, the Davao Eagles are hastily trying to slap a team together. Management attempted to put together an all-Davaoeño squad, but needed to find veteran leadership. They kept Bong Marata and took in Mike Mañigo, Richard Caliao and Mike Almonte from Cebu, and picked up center Ryan Bernardo from Laguna. There are five rookies on the squad as of now, four of them hometown boys: Peter Simon, Dennis Concha, Chris Jatico and Ian Daja. Honestly, it will take a lot of doing for this bunch to make waves in the south. But bringing in an experienced coach like former Negros mentor Jun Noel will certainly channel their energy in the right direction. But how soon this team matures will determine their fate.

In a nutshell, it will be very difficult for either Socsargen or Davao to break into the tug-of-war between Cebu and Negros. They don’t have much time, either. The Gems and Slashers, meanwhile, look ripe for a championship. They’ve already paid such high prices for one.