2008 June | De La Salle Green Archers

Jun 29
20082:00 pm

Green Archers Gear Up for UAAP Wars

Posted by Nel

Green Archers Prepare to Defend Their Crown

With the start of the UAAP season only a few days away, there is a lot of speculation about whether the Green Archers can successfully defend the UAAP title. Several key members of last year's rotation are no longer with the team. It will be difficult to fill the void left by the departure of team captain Ty Tang and Cholo Villanueva, who together with JV Casio formed the most potent backcourt in the UAAP last year. Brian Ilad finished his eligibility, while Kish Co and OJ Cua elected not to play out their final year. The experience and on-court smarts of these players is going to be hard to replace.

This year's team is an interesting blend of veterans and newcomers.

Holdovers from last year are: JV Casio, Simon Atkins, Bader Malabes, Peejay Barua, Rejan Lee, James Mangahas, Rico Meierhoffer, PJ Walsham, Ferdinand, and Marko Batricevic. Newcomers on the team are LA Revilla, Hyram Bagatsing, Maui Villanueva, David Webb, Jovet Mendoza, and Manoj Chandumal.

The Green Archers participated in the Nike Summer League and the Fil-Oil Invitational, and made it to the knockout stages of both tournaments before losing out to San Beda and Ateneo respectively. Injuries to our guards JV, Simon, Bader, and LA made it difficult for the team to compete against the stronger opponents, and the Archers were unable to retain both titles which they won last year. Mendoza, Rodriguez, and Chandumal were not on the lineup of the team that played in both tournaments. Sorela and Noble, two promising aspirants who could have immediate contributions were unable to meet the admission requirements and were dropped from the team.

Interestingly, our final 16-man lineup features five homegrown players: Atkins, Ferdinand, Batricevic, Webb, and Chandumal. This is probably the most of any team in the UAAP tournament this season.

So how does the team stack up for this season?

Guards: Casio, Atkins, Revilla, Malabes, Bagatsing, Chandumal

JV remains our premier offensive threat from the outside, and probably will put in more time as an SG but will also take care of ball distribution. Simon has refined his guard play and has unveiled his offensive abilities from the long court as a catch-and-shoot 2. Bader spent some time in sick bay, but has also improved on his ball handling and still deadly from the 3pt area.

Forwards: Meierhoffer, Mangahas, Barua, Villanueva, Webb, Mendoza, Lee

Peejay seems to have regained his form as a deadshot from the wings, and James is playing with increased confidence. Both figure to contribute heavily with the scoring chores this season. Rico has been spectacular at times, and the LA-Rico connection shows promise once they get it figured out. However, Rico still has to learn to stay away from silly fouls which keep him on the bench during long stretches of the games. Rejan will play guard or forward, and is expected to be one of our perimeter defenders against the gunners of the opponents.

Centers: Batricevic, Walsham, Ferdinand

PJ has become more of an inside threat, showcasing some nifty moves in the NSL games. Ferdinand has become accustomed to playing against taller and heftier players, and is starting to show his mettle on the boards. Marko has not quite recovered his game legs, but can light it up on occasion from the outside. His height and length will pose some problems for opponents around the board.

Rookies: LA Revilla, Hyram Bagatsing, Maui Villanueva, David Webb, Jovet Mendoza, and Manoj Chandumal

LA Revilla reminds many of a young Tonyboy Espinosa, with his speed, quickness, and ballhandling ability. Despite playing against taller guards, LA has shown that he can be a pg to reckon with, and became an instant fan favorite during the summer leagues. Maui Villanueva is a blue collar worker who doesn't need the ball to be effective. He does the tough jobs around the paint, boxing out, guarding the opposing big men, and going for the boards. Hyram took some time to adjust to actual La Salle games, then showed his abilities from the 3pt territory, and also demonstrated his ball handling and slashing abilities. Hyram will play some pg on occasion as well. David Webb brings the energy and fire he showed during DLSZ's title run last year, and is a threat in the long court as well as in the paint. Jovet Mendoza was a national youth team candidate from NU high school, and Manoj Chandumal suited up for DLSZ a couple of years ago. Incidentally, Manoj was the MVP of the recently concluded FIBL tournament.

The Competition

Making the final four is going to be tough this season. Last year's contenders UE, Ateneo, and UST still have very strong lineups as they retained the nucleus of their teams last year, supplemented by recruits and players who redshirted last year.

UE showcased its strength when it figured in the finals of both the NSL and the Fil-Oil invitational, bagging one championship and losing by a point to Ateneo in the other. Ateneo has the tallest lineup, and reportedly had the best rookie harvest in Buenafe, Chua, Salva, and Burke. UST also parades the core of its champion team two years ago. FEU, a very dangerous team last year which failed to make the cut, is back with a more experienced lineup. Adamson has been rejuvenated by the return of Coach Leo Austria, and gave the Archers a tough time in the encounters during the pre-season tournaments, beating the Archers and dragging them into overtime before losing out in the other. NU still has its wily coach Dandan, and the Bulldogs remain dangerous even as they lay low during the offseason. Only UP might be out if it all, as they attempt to reload after a disastrous season last year.

Outlook at the start of the tournament

Of particular concern at the start of the season is the health of the players. JV, Simon, Bader, and Marko are trying to recover from injuries, with JV and Simon not sure of being ready by next week. After a year off, Marko is not yet in game shape, and played sparingly in the pre-season.

Franz will not be able to devote his full attention to the Archers' title retention drive, as he will steer the National Youth Team in the SEABA Stankovic Cup in Thailand from July 23-27, and the Asian Youth in September. There are also plans to hold a Manila Youth Invitational tournament from August 14-17. While he has able assistants who can pinch hit during these periods, his presence on the Archer bench will be sorely missed.

In a related development, UE and Ateneo reportedly pulled out Dindo Pumaren and Sandy Arespacochaga from the national youth team to concentrate on coaching their respective school teams in the UAAP. They will be replaced by Derick Pumaren and our assistant coach Tonichi Yturri. While the youth team is participating in the Stankovic Cup (July 23-27) and FIBA Asia Youth championship (August 28-September 5) tournaments, we will lose three of our coaching staff, with only Tyrone Bautista and Cholo Villanueva on our bench during these periods. Bro. Bernie mentioned that La Salle will not request the UAAP board to reschedule our games. Talk about honoring our commitment to the national team!

The team is probably at 60-70% of its peak performance at present, and given the strength of the competition and the handicaps the team is operating under, the first round figures to be moderately successful. A 4-3 finish is probably realistic at this point.

11 Comments

Jun 29
20089:41 am

Green Archers Begin Defense of UAAP Crown

Posted by Lesmes Solanoy

Email This Post

Comments Off

On July 6, the De La Salle University Green Archers begin the quest to defend its UAAP Men’s Basketball title as it collides with the pre-season favorite Ateneo Blue Eagles. Everyone is asking: Can the Green Archers snatch its eight UAAP title and accomplish a third back-to-back feat?

Five members of the team that won the basketball championship for DLSU last year will no longer be around---court general TY Tang, clutch shooter Cholo Villanuva, big man Bryan Ilad, and role players OJ Cua and Kish Co. Although their departure will mean challenges and more adjustments for the team, Coach Franz Pumaren is not a bit worried. “That is the beauty of college basketball-- to develop new guys and to recruit the right players who will fit into the system.”

While the team focuses on developing players, leadership responsibilities will rest anew on the shoulders of UAAP Season 70 Mythical Team Members Rico Maierhofer and JV Casio, and both are very much up to the task.

“We’ll take our roles, kung ano ang dapat gawin. We’ll try to lead (and) do our best to work as a team,” remarked Casio, who will be playing his last season as a Green Archer. For his part, Maierhofer promises DLSU supporters his all-out performance. “Last year na ginawa ko, dadagdagan ko pa,” said the 6’4 Puerto Galera native.

Expected to log in more playing minutes are veterans Philip James Mangahas, Peejay Barua and Arthur Peter Walsham, each of whom is itching to finally nail that breakout season. Sophomores Bader Abdullah Malabes, Simon David Atkins, Marko Batricevic, Ferdinand and Rejan Lee will be bringing in to their games the invaluable championship experience they gained from the finals series with the University of the East.

Six rookies earned a slot in the final team lineup. De La Salle Zobel standout and UAAP Junior Basketball Team Most Valuable Player Joshua David Spider Webb, former San Beda Red Cubs Luis Alfonso Revilla and Hyram Bagatsing, former National University Bullpup and RP Youth standout Mark Jovet Mendoza, Filipino-Indian Basketball League MVP and former De La Salle Zobel Junior Archer Manoj Kumar Chandumal, and Maui Villanueva of UPIS.

Notwithstanding its young lineup, DLSU is still seeded along with UE, Ateneo, FEU and UST. Credit this to the Pumaren system that has continuously worked wonders for the team year in and year out, even amidst the loss of key players. Nonetheless, the players and coaching staff admit that a lot of adjustments and practice are needed to be fully ready for the cage war. As Webb stressed, “It is a learning process.”

Judging from the Green Archers’ pre-season performance, it is safe to say that the rookies are adjusting well into the system. Although the Green Archers failed to defend its crowns in the Nike Summer League and the Filoil/Flying V Tournament, placing in the Final Four of both tournaments is a good enough achievement. Nothing was put to naught. Coach Pumaren stressed that “The purpose of joining these tournaments is “exposure for the new guys, (and they) performed pretty well.”

As usual, defense, specifically their highly vaunted pressing defense, will still be the main arsenal of DLSU this season. But, Coach Pumaren is exploring other options. “(Our game style) depends on the materials. I adjust brand of game with the materials available. We have a very small team. Our weaknesses in other departments can be offset by our quickness on the floor” New assistant coach, Cholo Villanueva added that compared to last year, this year’s team is quicker and more athletic, and can run both ends of the floor and execute the designed plays.

As last year, rebounding will be a weakness for the Green Archers. The plan is for the team’s big men to help each other in ensuring that the team earns that extra shot and on the other side, to prevent the opponents from taking second chance points.

One particular concern for the Green Archers for this season is the health and physical well-being of the players. The team was plagued with injuries during the pre-season tournaments. But Casio, Malabes, Atkins and Batricevic are now on their way to full recovery and have been already practicing vigorously with the team. They all confidently claimed that they are ready for the game against Ateneo.

So, can the Green Archers defend the crown?

“Hard to predict. (The) hardest part is staying on top. Everyone will try to unseat you. You will be challenged. But hopefully, we can come up to the challenge. We’re here. Hopefully we can sustain the run,” replied Coach Franz.

No Comments

Jun 29
20088:31 am

Coach Cholo

Posted by Lesmes Solanoy

Email This Post

12 Comments

He successfully transformed from being one of the team relievers into one of the team’s go-to guys. He skillfully mastered the art of clutch shooting, striking arrow spears into the hearts of the opposing teams. In his final UAAP season, he gave his all out performance to bring the crown back to De La Salle University. And when the final buzzer signalled the Green Archers' victory, he broke down in tears. Then, he bid the Lasallian community goodbye…but not for long.

When the curtains rise for the opening of the UAAP Season 71, Pocholo “Cholo” Villanueva will once again be back on the DLSU bench. This time, he will no longer don his familiar No. 9 jersey, but will be clad in the usual green and/or white polo shirt and will be part of the talent-laden coaching staff of DLSU. Yes, he is now Coach Cholo and he will join the ranks of fellow former Green Archers, Tonichi Yturri, Tyrone Bautista, Joey Sta. Maria and Assistant Coach Jack Santiago.

Photo courtesy of absolutverde

“Ang task na binigay sa akin ni Coach Franz, ako nag-eexplain sa mga rookies how the system goes and explain to them the timing of the plays, and (I also do) scouting,” said Villanueva. With six rookies in the lineup, the task is not easy, but thankfully the neophytes are responding very well. “They are learning the system but they are very talented, very promising, lot of potential. Give them a year, (they will become) star players," he added.

Having played the maximum years of eligibility, there is no doubt that Cholo Villanueva is possessed of valuable experience and knowledge about the system of Coach Franz Pumaren and the rigors and pressure involved in playing in the UAAP, and he is more than willing to share some pointers of his own to the new recruits.

“I share with them some things I know, things I learned from Coach Franz,” he disclosed. Villanueva also pointed out that while the DLSU rookies are all promising, it is crucial that the mental conditioning of the players is in top shape. "Halos kalahati ng team, new guys and haven't experienced playing in the UAAP Senior Basketball. We really do not know how they will react." This is where Villanueva's presence in the coaching staff will be of great help.

However, the new road that last year’s Finals MVP has taken is not going to be a walk in the park.

“Of course, I’m still adjusting. It’s very different sa coaching (compared to playing). As a player kasi, you just think about your opponent. Pero in coaching, there are a lot of things going on. You’re supposed to know all positions, you’re supposed to know the tendencies of your opponents, everything. (But) having been a player and then a coach right away is an advantage, because you already know the system and you can empathize with the players,” Villanueva commented.

With only a few days to go before their first game and his debut as an assistant coach, Villanueva is excited and upbeat about his new role in the team and expressed optimism about the Green Archers and its chances for this season.

“Malaki ang chance natin. Kasi, we still have Rico, JV, Walsham and (the) other sophomores and juniors will step up. (This year’s team is) quicker (and) more athletic than last year,” he concluded.

12 Comments

Jun 4
20088:25 pm

BACKTRACK: DLSU’s last game in the NCAA

Posted by GREENARCHERS.PH

Email This Post

6 Comments

It has been twenty two years since De La Salle University became a resident of the Universities Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). And in a span of a decade and a half, the mighty Green Archers have been a perennial fixture in the finals and have snagged four UAAP men's basketball titles to the dismay of rival universities.

Older people could remember that before De La Salle's fruitful tenure in the UAAP, it has also dominated in the oldest collegiate league in the country, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). But not too many know the reason why La Salle decided to leave the NCAA and pack its bags for the UAAP.

On August 17, 1980, La Salle tangled with Letran in a basketball tiff at the Rizal Coliseum. Students from both universities were at their barbaric best, taunting each other even before the tip-off.

Physical play was apparent. The affair turned ugly when Letran, leading 22-18, called a time-out in the middle of the first half.

All that taunting led to an altercation in the bleacher section between the supporters of both schools.

The fracas started when a Letran student was ganged up and beaten by La Salle students, igniting a riot. Fans inside the arena began to throw objects into the hardcourt and sporadic clashes erupted in the stands.

As a result, the players from both teams rushed to the dugouts for safety. So catastrophic was the atmosphere inside the coliseum along Vito Cruz that a large number of spectators were hurt, prompting NCAA officials to call off the game. So serious was the riot that a great portion of the coliseum was damaged.

After deliberation, league honchos considered replaying the game behind closed doors but the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) took matter into its own hands, ordering the NCAA to cancel the remainder of the basketball season.

Thus, no men's basketball champion will be crowned for 1980. La Salle tried to appeal to the basketball-governing body for the games to resume but to no avail.

That's why by September of 1980, De La Salle officially withdrew its alliance with the NCAA, fed up with all the uncontrollable violence that was happening. It became the second university to pull out from the league, its archrival Ateneo De Manila being the first.

La Salle then attempted to apply for admission to the UAAP but was rejected by the member schools, most vocal of which were the University of Sto. Tomas (UST) and of course, Ateneo. The Jesuit-run school insisted that La Salle's entry would only renew the heated rivalry and the games might be blown out of proportion once again.

La Salle then partook in various minor tournaments. But in 1986, De La Salle's insistence bore fruit, as it was officially accepted as the 8th member of the UAAP.

And the Green Archers immediately buckled down to work, striking fear into the hearts of their opponents upon their entry while establishing themselves as contenders for the title.

And it just took three years for La Salle to regain basketball supremacy, capturing its first UAAP men's basketball crown in 1989 thanks to main man Zandro "Jun" Limpot at the helm, who got his Most Valuable Player citation to boot.

And the rest, as they say, was history.

-Orginally Posted in Greenarcher.net (July 2000)

6 Comments