What is possibly the last Rookie Rankings before the end of the elimination round, I noticed that Kia has signed up Jeremy Bartolo. He failed to suit up in their last game though – almost making him the 12th rookie the Sorento acquired this conference.
Don’t fret though – because this conference had 37 new faces – a league record unless you count the inaugural season.
Without further adieu, game starts now!
Outside looking in
We have two rookies dropping from the Top 10 list and a host of others who have been part of the ranking at some random point in the conference. To give you an insight with regards to the best half of the 37, here are the players that almost made the Top Ten list.
20. Harold Arboleda (NLEX)
19. Juami Tiongson (Blackwater)
18. Eder Saldua (Kia)
17. Juneric Baloria (NLEX)
16. Rodney Brondial (Ginebra)
15. Jopher Custodio (Kia)
14. Joshua Webb (Kia)
13. Kyle Pascual (Kia)
12. Alvin Padilla (Kia)
11. Ronald Pascual (San Miguel)
Note: In the previous list, Jopher Custodio ranked seventh while Ronald Pascual ranked eighth.
The Top 10
10. Karl Dehesa (Kia)
Last Week: Not Rated
5.9ppg • 3.2rpg • 1.7apg • 1.1spg
A virtual no-namer, Karl Dehesa became Kia’s key shooting guard out of nowhere and surprised many by logging heavy minutes for the squad. At the end of their Philippine Cup campaign however, his minutes got slashed with the arrivals of Eluid Poligrates, Hyram Bagatsing and Jopher Custodio. Kia officials are on the lookout for new blood and with the incoming import-laden conference, hopefully Dehesa did enough to still be in their rotation.
9. JP Erram (Blackwater)
Last Week: 10
5.4ppg • 4.9rpg • 0.9apg • 1.2bpg
Before the arrival of Brian Heruela, JP Erram was Blackwater’s standout rookie. Possibly getting the minutes vacated by Danny Ildefonso when him and Blackwater were unable to agree on the contract terms, his minutes were of high value especially when it comes to defense (he once ranked first among rookies on blocks). His minutes have waned down and he’ll probably ride the reserve list with the entry of the imports but Erram proved to all that he belongs in the big stage.
8. Kevin Alas (Talk n Text)
Last Week: 9
8.2ppg • 1.8rpg • 1.4apg
Rain or Shine was right to draft him as their second overall and Talk N Text is right on the money when they traded for the Letran Knight, but they just need to use him properly so that he can amount to something this season. Kevin Alas has the tendency to light it up despite the miniscule minutes the Texters give to him. As it is, I can easily compare his rookie year to that of Macmac Cardona. Captain Hook languished on the bench before exploding and hopefully Alas will have a similar fate.
7. Anthony Semerad (Globalport)
Last Week: Not Rated
9.7ppg • 3.0rpg • 1.3apg
During his absence, GlobalPort plunged downwards, which caused the eventual dismissal of Pido Jarencio. Returning to action after an extended period of DNPs, Anthony Semerad went back to work to help the Batang Pier claim a win against the Barangay Ginebra Kings. Semerad gives GlobalPort an offensive-minded combo forward that can help the team in terms of frontline support. He is slowly rubbing off San Beda’s winning tradition to his teammates, which is something Kyle Pascual has yet to accomplish in Kia.
6. Chris Banchero (Alaska)
Last Week: 4
5.6ppg • 3.1rpg • 1.8apg • 1.0spg
When Chris Banchero was taken as the fifth pick overall, heads turned as they thought Alaska had a gold mine. The consensus continues to stick – but just like Alas, the former San Miguel Beerman is unable to show his true potential with the time constraints he is getting. I guess this is why his scoring average continues to plummet. The only good thing about this combo guard is that he is multi-dimensional and if he can’t get the points, he will find a way to pad his stats.
5. Jericho Cruz (Rain or Shine)
Last Week: 6
8.0ppg • 2.8rpg • 1.5apg • 1.2spg
Jericho Cruz was the top guy on Blackwater’s wish list that Rain or Shine whisked away. Rain or Shine initially used Cruz as insurance policy to Alas, who was also their insurance policy just in case Paul Lee asks for his release. And with Ryan Arana, Chris Tiu, Jeric Teng, Jireh Ibanes and the vastly improved Jonathan Uyloan still in the mix, the Adamson Falcon isn’t getting any luck. But Cruz doesn’t want to depend on luck as he played the same gung-ho style he popularized in the UAAP; and it gave Yeng Guiao a spitfire off his bench that could school his rotation-mates if they can’t get their act on.
4. Jake Pascual (Barako Bull)
Last Week: 5
8.1ppg • 6.6rpg • 1.2apg • 0.9spg
It took time for him to get going but it seems like Jake Pascual is on track to wow people. Now contrary to other people’s opinions, the Mick Pennisi trade will help Barako Bull in the long run. While yeah, it’s another shady trade to acquire a starter for a set of benchwarmers, it’s also a chance for Jake Pascual and Dave Marcelo to develop. With the departure of Pennisi comes the entry of the new import as well as the comeback of Dorian Pena so he really needs to exert his force in the playoffs to warrant a sure rotation spot.
3. Brian Heruela (Blackwater)
Last Week: 3
9.3ppg • 4.8rpg • 5.0apg • 1.0spg • 1.3bpg
We have seen him play and for some reason, the mystique of Brian Heruela hasn’t been fully grasped. Part of the blame goes to Blackwater – who would probably have won their initial contest against Kia if they had June Mar Fajardo’s former college teammate in the mix (remember that it was the diminutive LA Revilla that keyed Kia’s victory). I would look at Blackwater with utmost disgust if they would just disregard his current awesomeness and bench him in the Commissioner’s Cup. If you don’t get what I’m saying, this third round pick is a steal in the draft and should be used thoroughly from here on out.
2. Matt Ganuelas-Rosser (Talk n Text)
Last Week: 2
7.8ppg • 5.8rpg • 2.4apg • 1.2bpg
When Matt Rosser entered the PBA, people tagged as the end product of a Kelly Williams/Jay Washington/Gabe Norwood consummation. If you check his numbers and his game style, this is probably true. But this early in his career, Rosser wants to be known as part of Talk N Text’s future. His offense isn’t there yet no thanks to Talk N Text’s many options and perhaps he’s got more “Chris Ellis” in him to merit as such (high-flying junkie that with inconsistent scoring spurts) but playing for a team rich in championship flurries, you can be sure that this guy is someone you can watch for in the future.
1. Stanley Pringle (Globalport)
Last Week: 1
13.5ppg • 6.5rpg • 4.9apg • 1.9spg
Ever since he placed his name on the proverbial draft hat, Stanley Pringle has latched on the Top Rookie tag. Not only has Pringle been able to light up the scoring albeit the other things, he has been able to work despite the presence of Alex Cabagnot and Terrence Romeo. Such is the case in their win over Ginebra in which Pringle just scored two points but did the other things to help the team seal the victory. With this combo guard helping the other two combo guards, they were able to lift the Batang Pier to a respectable elimination round finish. This is considering the team doesn’t have a dominant big man after Jay Washington got traded and the coaching row they got into when Pido Jarencio was relieved as coach.
Did you like what you saw? Are you going to rant or rave on the things that you saw?
Anyway, check out my blog at www.sydrified.org!
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Syd Salazar is a guest blogger for Philstar.com. The views expressed in this blog do not reflect those of Philstar.com.