SJ Knights: Harder the 2nd time around

Controversy has swirled around the Metropolitan Basketball Association since its birth in 1998. Each year has brought a different set of rules, platoons of new players, and varied forms of excitement. Some say it has brought out the true nature of Filipino basketball. This year, with its downsizing from 14 teams to eight, what will the souped-up MBA look like? Will it still have the same fiery brand of play that has catapulted unknowns from obscurity to the national spotlight? Here’s the first team preview.

There is a saying that goes "Heavy is the head that wears the crown." It certainly rings true for the MBA’s defending champion San Juan Knights. In only their second year in the league, the Knights climbed rapidly, first claiming the MBA Crossover Cup, then took the big one, defeating the Negros Slashers in six games in the National Finals.

This year, though, the task will be tougher. With other teams deciding to merge, San Juan stood alone. They lost 6-9 Bonel Balingit to Tanduay, while back-up bruiser Mackie de Joya migrated to the US. That left them younger and less experienced overall.

"We might be a little weaker this year," admitted assistant coach Allan Borromeo. "But the talent is there. If the young guys play well, we’ll definitely go far."

The frontline will literally be thinner. Starting at center will either be 6-6 Omanzie Rodriguez or 6-8 Rafi Reavis, presuming the Knights come to terms with the latter. Rodriguez, the league’s leading shot-blocker (tallying 10 in one contest), has seen his skill and confidence boosted by stints with the national team and sister franchise Pharmaquick in the PBL. When he recovers from his sprained ankle, expect "The Eraser" to be even more aggressive. Reavis, meanwhile, is the supreme athlete, capable of flying down the floor on the fastbreak.

Last year’s revelation was Mindanao-born discovery Bruce Dacia. A fearless flying machine, the quiet six-foot swingman wowed the league with acrobatic moves to the basket in 2000, and, without fanfare, has become Pharmaquick’s leading scorer in the interim.

The safety valve of this team is still its starting guard combination of Chito Victolero and Chris Calaguio. Also starting for the national team, they have proven to be one of the most effective and efficient tandems in the league. Victolero has the best assist-to-turnover ratio among the guards, and former NCAA MVP Calaguio was the only Knight to average in the high teens last season.

There is still a lot of talent on the San Juan bench, and coach Philip Cezar has a more leeway to blend his greyhounds’ skills. There is the athletic guard pair of Kalani Ferreria and Philip Newton, the instant offense of Randy Alcantara, and the low-post option of Danny Capobres, who have all played well despite the late start of the team’s practice. Now, the role players will have more of a chance to prove themselves.

If San Juan’s youngsters mature fast enough, they will be even deadlier than last year. There were stretches of games where they had to walk it up and wait for their big men. Now, with Reavis, Rodriguez, Victolero, Calaguio, Ferreria and Newton, it’s full speed ahead.