James Martinez (Cossack Blue) Martinez was supposed
to be playing his final year with University of the
East last season but a devastating ACL injury he suffered
during the championship game of a preseason tournament
forced him to miss out the rest of the UAAP campaign.
With that, he was forced to watch as the
Red Warriors, behind the amazing Paul Lee, made an incredible
run at the championship before bowing to eventual two-time
title-holders Ateneo in three games. This PBL tourney
would be his first campaign since the injury but Martinez
will be tasked upon to lead a young Blue Spirits to
respectability after several conferences of playing
the supportive role for Cobra Energy Drink.
Jonathan Banal (Ascof Lagundi) Here's
another cager who is looking to bounce back from a devastating
injury. Unfortunately, Banal suffered an ACL injury
in the dying seconds of a won game for Magnolia in last
season's first conference.
That also prompted him to miss the NCAA
season for the Mapua Cardinals, his absence perhaps
hurt the team's campaign also they managed to finish
the season with a five-game winning streak. Banal, a
2007 NCAA Rookie of the Year, will try to get back to
his usual form with the Cough Busters and if healthy,
will get solid minutes on the guard position.
Rex Leynes (Ascof Lagundi) Leynes gained
exposure last October when he played for the Liga Pilipinas
selection that beat the PBL team in the Ondoy Benefit
Game. In that contest, he wowed the crowd with some
dazzling plays that perhaps helped him gain more notoriety.
The 5-foot-9 guard was one of the key
players of the St Francis of Assisi team that won the
2007 UCAA title and the 2009 UCLAA basketball title
teaming with the likes of guard Leo Losentes and big
man Raymond Ilagan, among others.
He will compete heavily with Kojack Melegrito
for minutes on the guard spot now that the Cough Busters
lost league MVP Chris Ross to the pros. Jimbo Aquino
(Excel Roof) The 6-foot-3 Aquino became a big-time performer
in the 85th NCAA season when he led San Sebastian to
an improbable NCAA title conquest at the expense of
the four-peat seeking San Beda.
Aquino was named as the Finals MVP after
tearing the Red Lions during the championship series.
He also averaged 19.5 points per game and was supposed
to be named into the Mythical Five had he was not suspended
for an incident at the end of the elimination round.
Almost everyone thought that this will
be his debut in the PBL but contrary to that he once
played for Pharex in a very limited role. Team manager
Jean Alabanza described him as "being raw two years
ago but has improved tremendously."
Like Ciriacruz, Aquino is brace for a
strong showing when he leads Excel Roof in this tournament.
Calvin Abueva (Excel Roof) Abueva made waves for San
Sebastian in its NCAA championship run by posting a
number of double-digit games (he finished the year with
11.2 points and 8.4 rebounds). Aside from that, the
21-year old discovery out of Pampanga, backed it up
with his hustle and aggressiveness that helped the Stags
big time.
These qualities were shown in their epic
double-overtime marathon over San Beda in the first
game of the finals when he finished with 10 points,
23 rebounds and five blocks in the victory. The question
remains as to whether Abueva, who was the lone Stag
to be named to the Mythical Five, can do the same things
in the PBL against the likes of Edwin Asoro or even
Colina.
Ronald Pascual (Excel Roof) Pascual is
the third or four (yes, there's still one more) Excel
Roof cagers on this list. He is another San Sebastian
cager and Kampampangan who had a solid campaign in the
NCAA with 6.4 points and 3.9 rebounds.
But one thing impressive about the 6-foot-3
Pascual is that he has a wide wingspan and could be
used as an advantage against some of the tallest players
in the league whether it is going for a layup or grabbing
the rebounds.
Argel Mendoza (Excel Roof) Like Ciriacruz,
Mendoza became a revelation as he starred for the Emilio
Aguinaldo College's first season in the NCAA. The 5-foot-10
guard finished the year with averages of 20.5 points,
4.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists as the Generals placed
seventh.
And to repeat the comments on Ciriacruz,
this is really surprising. During EAC's tenure in the
UCAA and the NCRAA, Mendoza was playing backup to a
starting point guard named Karlo Castillo. Mendoza slowly
rose up to ranks, possibly during the 2008-2009 UCAA
and NCRAA seasons which EAC placed second and third,
respectively.
This will be his PBL debut although he
might not produce the same numbers he showed in the
NCAA. But we'll never know, Excel Roof's guard rotation
is quite shall and could be entrusted into the starting
lineup.
John Wilson (FERN-C) Wilson seems to have
shown the capability to dominate on the offensive end
during JRU's failed title bid against San Beda in the
2008 NCAA finals. A year later, the 6-foot-2 guard exploded
to become the league's Most Valuable Player. Wilson
averaged 19.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists despite
the Heavy Bombers losing to eventual champion San Sebastian
in the Final Four.
Wilson will try to play a starring role
for this new team. He has never taken such role in the
PBL before, particularly for Noosa Shoes, Toyota Otis
and Oracle Residences although he managed to have some
games that saw him lit up the scoreboard.
FERN-C is happy to have him on the roster.
Johnadel Cardel, who is the assistant coach of debuting
mentor Bal David, once told this writer that he is not
just an offensive spark but also a player who can make
contributions on the defensive end.
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