The Rock moves to Red Bull

There’s a Rock that’s rolling at Red Bull and it’s not Asi Taulava.

Ramel Lloyd, nicknamed the Rock, is in town to play for the Barako in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Third Conference starting Aug. 30.

One look at Lloyd and you’ll know why he’s called the Rock. He’s built solid like his 225-pound frame was chiseled out of granite. His biceps aren’t only big–they’re bulging. He looks more like a heavyweight boxer than a basketball player.

Legend has it that his mother Pamela dubbed him the Rock because he weighed an incredible 10 pounds at birth.

Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao dismissed two walk-ins–Mustapha Hoff and Wayland White–before settling for Lloyd who planed in last weekend.

The Barako took a brief break after losing to FedEx in the Invitationals playoff for third place last Sunday and returned to the gym yesterday.

Guiao said he’s impressed by Lloyd’s ability to penetrate. "He’s quick going to the basket," noted Guiao. "He’s still a little out of shape. With more conditioning, he should be able to show what he can do on defense. He’s about 6-3 and comfortable playing either two or three."

If Jimwell Torion and Willie Miller play in the backcourt, will Lloyd fit in as a small forward? Guiao anticipated no problem in working the potentially explosive combination on the floor.

Guiao said there’s no doubt the Rock has the skill and talent to compete in the PBA. "We’re going with him," confirmed Guiao. "We’ll just have to work overtime on his conditioning."

The 25-year-old guard averaged 24 points as a senior at Cardinal Hayes High School in 1995-96 and was named to the All-New York State first team. He was also a third team Parade All-American.

As a Syracuse freshman in 1996-97, Lloyd averaged only 4.6 points and 11.8 minutes under coach Jim Boeheim. He closed out the season with 14 points and seven rebounds in an 82-67 Syracuse loss to Florida State in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament.

When Syracuse assistant coach Wayne Morgan left to take over the head bench chores at Long Beach State, Lloyd went along. He redshirted in 1997-98 to gain eligibility then stormed back to average 18 points with the 49ers varsity the next season. Lloyd scored over 30 points in three games and shot 45.2 percent from three-point range.

In 1999-2000, Lloyd tallied 14.6 points a game and hit 46 percent from the floor as Long Beach State posted a 24-6 mark. As a senior, he averaged 19.4 points and 3.8 boards. He topped the Big West Conference in scoring in 2000-01.

Writer Andy Katz described Lloyd as "a creator on the wing who can handle the ball like a point guard and get to the basket."

Morgan said: "Lloyd can score and people can’t stop him from scoring. He’s got a body like (football star) Herschel Walker and Arnold Schwarzenegger. He looks so strong. He has the ability to take over a game and when he does, there’s nothing anybody can do about it."

After leaving Long Beach State, the muscle-bound Lloyd went on to play for the Fayetteville Patriots in the National Basketball Development League, Cocolos San Pedro and San Lazaro in the Dominican Republic, the One World All-Stars touring team, and Gaiteros de Zulia in Venezuela.

Lloyd will be among several first-time imports playing in the Third Conference. The others are Talk ‘N’ Text’s Damien Cantrell of San Francisco, Purefoods’ Harold (The Show) Arceneaux of Weber State, San Miguel Beer’s Kris Clack of Texas, Barangay Ginebra’s Ricky Price of Duke, Sta. Lucia Realty’s Nate James of Duke and FedEx’Darrin Hancock of Kansas. The returning imports are Coca-Cola’s Artemus McClary of Jacksonville, Alaska’s Chris Carrawell of Duke and Shell’s Sedric Webber of Charleston.