.
The Top 10 'Flex' Players of the Conference
By Jonas Terrado (February 7, 2009)

The 2009 PBL PG Flex Linoleum Cup is nearing its conclusion as Harbour Centre and Magnolia Purewater are in a tight battle for the championship.

In a season filled with rookies (41 of them to be exact), some blossomed in only their first season in the league and a few of them even contented for the coveted Best Player of the Conference award. The veterans also proved that they can still perform their best in the PBL.

And with that, we came up with the list of top 10 players that we believe that stand out during the season-opening tournament.

Note: Honorable mention goes to Burger King's Ogie Menor, Toyota Otis' Erick Rodriguez, Hapee's Lance Convento, Harbour Centre's Benedict Fernandez and Pharex's JR Gerilla but unfortunately, we can put them in this list.

*10. Mac Baracael (Burger King)* - A few months ago, Baracael was involved in one of the near tragic events in Philippine basketball history when he was gunned down outside of the school gym during the height of his UAAP campaign with Far Eastern University.

But it's amazing to see how he managed to recover and became one of the cornerstones in Burger King's stint this conference. In 10 games, he averaged 12.3 points on 42 percent shooting along with 2.8 rebounds in 24.1 minutes that saw him put up a career-high 25 points when the Stunners defeated Toyota Otis that put them in the quarterfinals.

And if his return to the floor is not enough. Baracael earned a berth in the RP developmental pool of Rajko Toroman and even played for the team that won an invitational tourney last December in China.

*9. Mark Barroca (Harbour Centre)* - One of 41 rookies that saw action this conference, Barroca showed little nerves in his first season in the league as his fierce work on the floor earned him as one of the team's top reliable players alongside Reed Juntilla and Rico Maierhofer, among others.

Through 16 games of the conference, the Zamboanga native averaged 10.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists. His best output came against Burger King when he scored 14 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists.

Barroca's future is in good hands. Aside from his stint with the Batang Pier, he is also a part of the RP team pool, ripped 37 points for the nationals in an exhibition game against the pro incarnation of Burger King and is favored to further develop his game in next season's UAAP wars.

*8. Al Magpayo (Magnolia Purewater)* - The veteran forward remains a vital cog in Magnolia's title bid.

The former CSB Blazer remains a force in the Wizards team filled with battle-tested players, posting 12.1 points on 42 percent shooting, together with 7.8 rebounds as he had four games with a double-double and nine near double-double matches.

With his PBL career nearing its end became of a trimmed-down age limit, Magpayo's goal is to help Magnolia win a championship before he could no longer be eligible to play in the near future.

*7. Reed Juntilla (Harbour Centre)* - After spending time with the star-studded Hapee squad last season, Juntilla made his second stint with the Batang Pier this conference a great homecoming of sorts.

The Cebuano swingman averaged a team-high 14.0 points through 17 games on 40 percent from the floor together with 4.4 rebounds per game.

In most games, he was there to make key shots in the second half and in the homestretch that enabled Harbour to pull off several escape acts during the elimination round.

The only hope for this erstwhile University of the Visayas Green Lancer is to help the team win a six-peat (he played for the Batang Pier when they won their second straight crown in 2007) before he moves on to the professional ranks next conference.

*6. Dylan Ababou (Magnolia Purewater)* - Head coach Koy Banal once said that he was ecstatic to learn that they got this University of Santo Tomas star prior to the start of the conference.

And from the onset, Ababou didn't disappoint as he norm 13.3 points on a league-leading 56 percent shooting while hauling down 3.9 rebounds through 18 games. Surprisingly, he only started six times during the tournament.

Last year, he saw little action for Harbour Centre when they won two championships as he was overshadowed by his more celebrated teammates while suffering a season-ending injury. This time, Ababou hopes to prove that he can be a star in the PBL, especially against his former team, whom they are facing in the finals.

*5. Neil Raneses (Magnolia Purewater)* - The former star of the UV Green Lancers has been one of the silent operators for Magnolia but he was still effective nonetheless.

But after years of being a role player for the San Miguel franchise (even had a short stint in the pros), Raneses rose as one of the top contributors in the Wizards' quest to win another championship this conference despite the additions of some celebrated players from the collegiate ranks.

Through 19 games, the 6-4 southpaw led the team in scoring at 14.8 points per contest while making 35 percent threes to go along with 7.2 rebounds and is a candidate to win the Best Player of the Conference award. He made six double-doubles during the conference and hit a conference high 25 points in Game 2 of the finals.

*4. Rico Maierhofer (Harbour Centre)* - The lanky star of De La Salle University has continued his strong play in the PBL with Harbour Centre.

The athletic big man has been a solid presence in the paint with six double-doubles and a conference average of 11.8 points and 8.8 rebounds through 16 games. Maierhofer has teamed up with bruising big man Jerwin Gaco in helping their team dominate the boards each game.

Maierhofer hasn't won a MVP plum in his UAAP career but a BPC award appears to be a possibility, especially now that the Batang Pier is aiming for a sixth straight crown in their finals series against Magnolia.

*3. Jervy Cruz (Hapee Complete)* - Hapee's dream team turned to a near-nightmare squad prior to the start of the tournament. But the Complete Protectors were fortunate enough to have Jervy Cruz on their fold.

The former UAAP Most Valuable Player with UST took the leadership role this conference while resuming his play as a dominant big man, averaging 13.8 points and 9.4 rebounds. Cruz registered a conference-best seven double-doubles that saw a near 20-20 game of 17 points and 16 boards against Pharex.

With Hapee out of the tournament after a third-place showing, Cruz appears to be a long shot contender for the BPC plum but who knows, his efforts deserve another look.

*2. Chris Ross (Pharex)* - If someone is able to organize a PBL Fantasy League tournament, perhaps this former Marshall University Thundering Herd would be groomed as the top pick in the draft.

Although he will be an unlikely winner for the conference's best player, the number one pick during the rookie draft was still able to overcame a slow start to become the cornerstone of the Generix's comeback from a 0-6 start and a 1-7 record to eventually fall a game short of entering the semifinals.

In a virtual knockout match for the last quarterfinals berth against Toyota Otis, Ross tallied 23 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and three steals while hitting the game-winning shot with three seconds left. For the tournament, he averaged 11.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 3.0 steals in 14 games.

*1. Paul Lee (Bacchus Energy Drink)* - Nobody who would have thought that Bacchus would turn out to be a surprising semifinalists this conference. But almost everyone was surprised that this rookie out of University of the East would put up an explosive showing in his maiden campaign.

Not even a number one option for his team during the UAAP season, Lee benefited from the free willing system of coach Lawrence Chongson to record a surprising 15.1-point (to lead the league, he also shot 47 percent from the field), 6.3-rebound and 3.8-assist output in 18 games. The conference also saw him ripped Hapee apart for 27 points and 11 rebounds in an overtime victory during the second round.

Leading a perennial loser to a near finals berth while putting up an unexpected showing in his PBL debut is certainly worth enough to be tagged (in this writer's opinion) as the top player of the conference. But will he eventually be named as the PBL's Best Player of the Conference?

We'll soon find out.

Back to top