Is Watkins too tall?

After Shell eked out a 91-89 decision over Talk N’ Text in a Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Fiesta Conference game at the Big Dome the other night, an exasperated Phone Pals fan texted this message to me:

"How on God’s good earth could this guy Watkins be 6-8 only?"

I texted back, saying Shell’s new import Jameel Watkins was measured at 6-7 7/8 by PBA officials with TNT assistant coach Aric del Rosario witnessing and certifying the proceedings.

He sent another message.

"We are checking what Aric did. Nonetheless, it is clear that the PBA’s measurement process is defective. I understand (Jerald) Honeycutt was measured 6-5 1/ 2. What a joke. Why not get someone certified already at around 6-7 or 6-8 like Asi or whoever and make Watkins stand beside him. Watkins stood two inches above Asi."

I also received this text from a PBA observer:

"The PBA’s integrity can be questioned when it comes to measuring. Everyone knows a lot of players are over height whether there was a witness or not. If a player is over height then he’s over height. You can put all these 6-7 and 6-8s in one line and you can see the disparity in height. But it’s never brought to the attention of everyone and the public. It’s so obvious, isn’t it?"

I was told TNT official Ricky Vargas has asked PBA commissioner Noli Eala to remeasure Watkins. But as a matter of procedure, it may not be possible. It is PBA policy to measure an import only once—in the presence of witnesses from another unrelated team. Once the measurement is witnessed and confirmed, it becomes undisputed.

Watkins was listed at 6-10 in the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook but in the US, it’s common for players to add a few inches to their ceilings to improve their marketability. They justify the extra inches because of the soles of their shoes. After all, they argue that they don’t play the game barefooted.

In the PBA office, an iron bar juts perpendicular out of a straight wall at a height of 6-8 and imports must stand upright to determine if they’re within the limit.

A PBA insider said the bar was removed in Watkins’ case to measure him freely because of speculation that he may just try to squeeze his head under. Without the bar, Watkins was measured on his bare feet to take as accurate a reading as possible.

With and without the bar, a PBA source confirmed that Watkins was measured at 6-7 7/8—-no more, no less. And so he was cleared to play for Shell.

Watkins was a tower of power against the Phone Pals. He dominated the shaded lane,collaring 23 rebounds and firing 29 points on 14-of-20 from the field. There was little anybody from TNT could do to stop Watkins once he maneuvered into scoring position close to the bucket. He threw up baby and jump hooks. He scored on tip-ins and alley-oops. He split double teams and threw down thunderous dunks.

On defense, Watkins was an intimidating force. He collected seven blocks and his presence alone often made the Phone Pals change their shots in driving to the hoop.

Shell coach Leo Austria said Watkins is like manna from heaven. "He’s just what we need," gushed Austria. "Watkins is a natural center, a big man who can get rebounds and defend inside. Now that Watkins is here, we can create mismatches with our other big men."

What’s more, Watkins is fundamentally sound. He polished his skills under coach John Thompson at Georgetown University, the same school that produced Alonzo Mourning, Pat Ewing and Allen Iverson. Watkins plays with hardly any wasted motion. His timing on defense is near perfect. And he does what he’s supposed to do. "Alam niya ang kanyang role," said Austria."Sabi ko sa kanya, he doesn’t have to score too many points kasi we have a lot of scorers. He’s content to just get rebounds and play defense. When he’s doubled, he looks to pass off. He doesn’t force his shots."

Austria said in his third game at the Shell helm, he finally felt comfortable on the job.

"Sa aking second game, I almost wanted to quit," he confessed. "Ang dami naming injured players. Pito lang ang available na maglaro. But talagang ganoon kung minsan. You just have to do your best. In my first two games, isip ako ng isip. Hindi ako makatulog sa gabi kaya uminom pa ako ng halahating dormicum. Ngayon, okay na ang tulog ko. The players are responding. The Fil-Ams—-like Tony (de la Cruz), Kalani (Ferreria), Mike (Hrabak) and Chris (Jackson)—-are working hard. Same with the locals. Maganda ang samahan naming lahat."

Austria was Shell’s fourth round pick in the league’s first-ever draft in 1985. He played for Shell from 1985 to 1991, was traded to Pepsi in 1992 and retired the next year. In the Philippine Basketball League, Austria coached four championship teams for Chowking, Shark (twice) and Welcoat. He’s Shell’s 11th head coach after Freddie Webb, Ed Ocampo, Joe Lipa, Dante Silverio, Bobby Parks, Arlene Rodriguez, Rino Salazar, Chito Narvasa, Perry Ronquillo and John Moran.

To allay suspicion that some imports are taller than they’re supposed to be, perhaps in the next conference, the PBA should completely remove height restrictions and give teams the freedom to choose their reinforcements of whatever shape, size, color or creed.

Imposing height limits was meant to make imports reasonably defensible by locals. The notion was imports who were too tall would dominate the action to the point of making the locals irrelevant. But it’s not necessarily so in today’s game. A coach picks an import who fits his system, regardless of height.

Endlessly debating whether an import is 6-8 or a shade under or over it takes away from the focus of competition. The iron bar shouldn’t be a gauge of eligibility. What an import brings to the court should be the only gauge.

If a team thinks it can capture a championship with a seven-foot giant, then recruit him by all means. But you and I know recruiting a mastodon is no sure-fire formula to bagging a title. Balance, chemistry and coachability are more critical factors in determining a team’s winnability.