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The four teams that failed to make the cut
by Jonas Terrado (March 22, 2010)
There are four teams that made it to the
semifinals of the 2010 PBL PG Flex-Erase Placenta Cup
but there were the same amount of squads that were suffered
the contrasting fate in this short tournament.
Three of the four squads were first-timers
in the country's premier amateur league while the other
one was a title favorite that is coming off a strong
showing during the previous conference.
Let's take a look at these teams:
Ani-FCA Cultivators (0-7)
On paper, the Cultivators are capable
of at least reach the semifinals thanks to a number
of ex-collegiate players in Christian Luanzon, James
Sena, Neil Pascual and Marc Cagoco who are still capable
of making big contributions.
But alas, chemistry problems hurt Ani-FCA
during the tournament although it could have won one
or two games if not for wasting big leads against Cossack
Blue and Cobra Energy Drink.
Despite being one of the league's oldest
players at 27, Luanzon, who averaged 11.3 points per
game, was able to prove his worth as a lethal scorer
like during his heydays with the University of Santo
Tomas in the UAAP although his shooting consistency
and being turnover prone affected his play.
Sena led the team in scoring with 13.9
points along with 7.6 rebounds but at times the former
JRU Heavy Bomber struggled in the first half at the
same time when Ani-FCA opponents take the early lead.
One of the few bright spots for the squad
of coach Toto Dojillo was Jopher Custodio. The lanky
6-foot-3 forward out of Manuel L. Quezon University
finished the tournament with 11.2 points on a 38-percent
clip. At one point of the tournament, he registered
consecutive 10 or more points games.
Fern-C Ferntastics (1-6)
Bal David experienced his baptism of fire
in his coaching debut as the Ferntastics struggled during
the season-opening conference with just one victory
that came at the expense of Ani-FCA.
But the lack of depth was also the factor
for the team's seventh-place finish as it only had NCAA
Most Valuable Player and scoring machine John Wilson
to rely upon.
Wilson, whose stock rose after his stint
with Jose Rizal University, had his best conference
in his PBL career averaging 25.7 points and made 39-percent
of his shots aside from his 7.3-rebound, 3.1-assist
and 2.0-steal numbers. The problem, though, was that
the 6-foot-2 guard turned the ball less than five times
a contest, leading all players while making just 25-percent
of his three-point attempts.
Although Wilson was all alone to lead
Fern-C, he also got significant help from former UST
big man June Dizon, who registered 11.3 points and 6.0
rebounds as he took advantage of the significant minutes
given to him.
At times, Anthony Espiritu and Allan Evangelista,
two members of the UST team that won the 2006 UAAP crown,
and ex-Ateneo guard Yuri Escueta, who played for the
Eagles' 2008 UAAP title team, were able to play minor
roles for the Ferntastics.
AddMix Transformers (3-4)
Many also thought AddMix would at least
be one of the lower two semifinalists in this tournament
but unfortunately suffered the similar fate of the UAAP
team it sponsored for this tournament - the Adamson
Falcons.
The Falcons, who finished the collegiate
season with a 5-9 record, could have won two or three
games but suffered last-second defeats. The Transformers
endured the same scenario and it played a big part in
them getting the early boot.
Jan Colina, one of several Falcons on
the team, maintained his strong play in the UAAP and
in the previous conference when he played for Cobra
Energy Drink averaging 9.7 points and 6.0 rebounds.
However, NCAA stars Gio Ciriacruz and Jeff Morial struggled.
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