Lights-out shooter available

Player agent Caloy Allado said yesterday the Charlotte Bobcats’ 2009 second round draft pick Robert Vaden is available to play in the PBA Governors Cup and at least two teams are interested to look him over.

“The benchmark for the Governors Cup has to be Tony Mitchell,” said Allado. “Coaches scouting for imports have Mitchell in mind. There’s no doubt he’s an NBA-type player. You give him the license to shoot, he’ll shoot. But you notice he doesn’t like contact, he complains about the physicality of the game and wants referees to make calls. Still, I think he’s a complete player – he shoots the three, drives, posts up. He can do it all.”

Vaden brings a different dimension on the floor as he’s a flat-out shooter. In two years with Indiana University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, he shot .382 from the three-point arc and .808 from the line over 127 games. When he played for Tulsa in the NBA D-League, Vaden hit .392 from triple range and .714 from the stripe. In his resume, Vaden is listed at 6-5, the limit for imports in the Governors Cup so it’s likely he’s about an inch shorter.

Vaden averaged in double figure points throughout his collegiate career. He left Indiana to follow coach Mike Davis to Alabama, an indication of loyalty. Vaden gave up the spotlight with the Hoosiers to transfer to a campus without even visiting the Birmingham school. He went with Davis in an act of faith. Before Vaden played his senior season, he shed off 46 pounds to weigh 205 and the reduction showed in his added mobility.

A veteran of the Italian and Slovakian leagues, Vaden is coming off a stint with Telekom Baskets of Germany. He averaged 13.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 30.4 minutes in 27 games for Telekom in the German league. Vaden shot .399 from three-point distance and .788 from the line. In the EuroChallenge, he averaged 12.8 points and 29.5 minutes in 14 games with Telekom, shooting .364 from three-point range and .750 from the stripe. A PBA team looking for a lights-out shooter might consider Vaden.

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Twice retired and twice unretired, Ginebra San Miguel forward Rudy Hatfield knows his game isn’t what it used to be when he was younger but he’s not threatened by the new kids on the block in the PBA.

Hatfield, 35, said recently it’s up to God how long he’ll keep playing. “It’s a blessing that I’m still playing and enjoying the game,” he said. “There’s a lot of young guys out there and it’s fun to watch them develop, guys like Calvin Abueva and Cliff Hodge. I can take the pushing and elbows but I can’t take Abueva’s flopping. Abueva’s tough, he’s a great player. With Ginebra, I understand my role. I’ve known coach Al (Chua) since we were with Tanduay in 2000. It’s wonderful to be playing for a team like Ginebra.”

Regarding Alaska’s emergence as the top seed in the Commissioner’s Cup, Hatfield paid tribute to the coaching staff and made special mention of assistant Alex Compton for his invaluable support to Luigi Trillo.

Hatfield played for the Laguna Lakers in the MBA before moving to Tanduay in the PBA in 2000. There were major breaks in his PBA career as Hatfield struggled to find himself, trying his luck as a pro wrestler and fireman before working with a publishing company. Hatfield eventually became a born-again Christian and discovered the light that guided his life back on track.

In 2011, Hatfield returned to the PBA for good. He was distraught after his marriage to long-time girlfriend Bethany wound up in divorce but continues to care for her particularly as she is now suffering from a lung ailment. Hatfield said he is inspired to make a difference in other people’s lives by his daughters Bella, 8, and Lylah, 4.

During the Commissioner’s Cup, Hatfield took two trips to the US to fetch Lylah, take her to Manila and bring her back. “She stayed with me a month in Manila,” he said. “I flew over to pick her up, met her in the airport then after three hours, was back on a plane this time going back to Manila. After a month, I took her home then came straight back to Manila.”

Chua said he couldn’t ask more from Hatfield. “He’s a very devoted father,” said Chua. “He always gives it his all on the court. If he played in Games 2 and 3 of the Talk ‘N’ Text series, we would’ve ended it sooner.”