Sweet as Honeycutt

Transparency is something you’ve got to give Barangay Ginebra coach Allan Caidic credit for. He’s not the type to sneak in a player for a tryout to replace an import and spring a surprise on an unsuspecting lameduck.

Take Ryan Fletcher’s case. Caidic brought back the former University of Cincinnati mainstay for a return engagement in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup this year. As an insurance policy, Caidic sent for Jerald DeWayne Honeycutt.

Caidic hid nothing from Fletcher. And Honeycutt was told if he wasn’t good enough to bump off Fletcher, too bad. So at practice, Fletcher and Honeycutt gave it their all. One fought to save his job, the other battled to take it. The competition was intense – that’s exactly how Caidic wanted it.

Fletcher, 24, enjoyed the benefit of the incumbent. Ginebra, however, sputtered to a 2-3 start as the "Bodyguard," his nickname as Kenyon Martin’s backup at Cincinnati, averaged 26.8 points, 15.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.2 blocked shots. His saving grace was a near triple double performance against Tanduay last June 20 – Fletcher compiled 32 points, 18 rebounds, and nine assists in Ginebra’s 96-82 win.

But a groin injury finally put Fletcher in cold storage. Caidic relegated Fletcher to the injured list and activated Honeycutt for the Alaska tiff last Friday. Honeycutt flew in overweight – by at least 20 pounds – but slowly worked back into shape as Caidic pushed him to the limit in nearly three weeks of backbreaking drills.

The hard work paid off. In Honeycutt’s debut, he was as sweet as bee nectar. He shot 32 points, including 3-of-7 treys, grabbed eight rebounds, and dished out six assists as Ginebra upset Alaska, 96-83. What sealed the victory was Honeycutt’s 11-point burst in the fourth period–taking the starch out of the Aces’ hard-working Terrance Badgett.

Now, Caidic is in a quandary. He’s got a week to make up his mind–will he recall Fletcher, who should be ready to report back for duty soon, or will he stick it out with Honeycutt? Ginebra’s next game is against Pop Cola on Friday then there’s San Miguel Beer to take care of in a rematch of the All-Filipino Finals on July 11.

Honeycutt is a more potent offensive force than Fletcher. He’s got a nice touch from the perimeter and a wide repertoire of shots. Honeycutt invites the double team – Fletcher doesn’t. Fletcher is a more ferocious rebounder and a tougher defender. Honeycutt has more natural skills but isn’t as fit as Fletcher. And Honeycutt is more used to the go-to guy role–in the NCAA, he was Tulane University’s main man while Fletcher came off the bench and never averaged in twin digits.

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Honeycutt, 26, played four years at Tulane and finished as the varsity’s all-time leader in points, assists, free throws, and three-point conversions. He started in 122 of 125 games and averaged 19.9 points as a senior in 1996-97.

Once, in his junior season, Honeycutt made headlines when he threw up a miracle, off-balanced shot from behind the board, adjacent to the bench, as he headed out of bounds in sinking the marginal triple to beat Florida State at the buzzer.

"He’s got the ability to shoot the ball in traffic and he can also go out and knock down threes for you," said Tulane coach Perry Clark. "He’s got a lot of skills."

Writer Mike DeCourcy noted: "Honeycutt is a good ballhandler and passer for a player his size with large hands to snatch down rebounds. He has an amazing knack for finding the passing lane and disrupting the opposing defense. He has fine shooting form for a power forward. . . (and his) agility would make him a dominant post player."

As a high school junior at Grambling, Honeycutt earned the nickname "Bayou Bully" for powering the varsity to a 34-1 record and the Louisiana Class A state title. He averaged 21.3 points, 15 rebounds, and six blocked shots that season. In his senior year, he hit at a 23.8 clip and grabbed 9.8 rebounds to steer Grambling to a 31-2 mark. Honeycutt was ranked among the top 15 prepsters in the US and described by former NBA coach Hubie Brown as a "guy who plays with a lot of authority."

Honeycutt’s high school coach Mike Lyons said: "Jerald plays any position from center to offguard, never misses practice, is a student of the game, is coachable, follows instructions, is team-oriented, runs the floor well for a player his size, and his future in basketball is definitely ahead of him."

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Honeycutt was the Milwaukee Bucks’ second round pick in the 1997 NBA draft. He averaged 6.4 points and 2.4 rebounds as a Bucks rookie then was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers two years ago. His NBA single-game highs included 20 points, nine rebounds, and six assists.

In the 1999-2000 season, Honeycutt averaged 18.6 points and 7.9 rebounds for the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) club Idaho Stampede. He shot 43.1 percent from the field and 69.7 percent from the line.

Honeycutt, who has two brothers and a sister, is a huge Karl Malone fan – which explains why he plays like the Utah Jazz star. His dream is to someday become a coach.

Honeycutt or Fletcher? Offense or defense? It’s Caidic’s call.