THIS Hoopster has been chronicling youth basketball in the Chinese-Filipino community for nearly two decades now and nothing beats covering the games in the multi-sport Philippine Ching Yuen Athletic Association (PCYAA) league that is in its seventh year of operations.
I have been attending the PCYAA games in the Developmental (12-U) and Aspirants (14-U) divisions since October and it was surprising to find out some 12-year-old kids are so advanced that they could easily dominate at a higher level and a number of 14-year-old teenagers that may be ready for the high school or juniors ranks.
The PCYAA finals in Developmental and Aspirants divisions will get underway Tuesday, November 26, at the tradition-steeped Uno High School gym.
History beckons for Jubilee Christian Academy, which is the unblemished top seed in the best-of-three finals in both divisions simultaneously for the first time in school history.
Jubilee tangles with No. 2 seed MGC New Life Christian Academy in the Developmental and it takes on the No. 3 seed Philippine Cultural College in the Aspirants.
In the past, the Quezon City-based school made it to the Aspirants finals in 2015 but lost to MGC NLCA in the New Lifers’ second of a three-year title reign. The team also fell short in the 2017 Developmental finals against St. Stephen’s High School.
However, things are different now. The Jubileeans are the prohibitive favorites to rule both divisions and succeed 2018 double winner SSHS with identical 8-0 records heading into this year’s competitions.
During the semifinals, JCA eliminated PCC, 92-77, behind the joint 56-point effort of its dynamic duo Sheehan Tan (33) and Karl Uy (23) and a surprise package in Robert Pornel (four triples and 14 points).
MGC NLCA, meanwhile, blasted Saint Jude Catholic School, 73-64, behind its Big Three – Trey Chua (12), Sean Lim (24) and goggles-wearing Adam Uy (16) – to arrange a titular showdown with Jubilee.
Both teams employ similar styles – a running game and a mesmerizing pressure defense to create turnovers that lead to easy transition-basket opportunities. Often the word “push” can be heard from coaches of both sides to attack to produce points in a hurry and annihilate the opposition into submission just as quickly.
In Uy and Tan, Jubilee owns a pair of athletic 12-year-olds with a skill set that is a couple of notches beyond their level. A slashing, flashy type with a good perimeter shooting range, Uy is averaging team bests of 22.5 points (on .512 field shooting) and 8.4 steals along with 11.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists an outing. Tan, a hard-hat inside operator with a penchant to pound the boards, is norming 19.1 points, team highs of 16.5 boards and 5.6 assists along with 5.63 steals every time out.
The shocktroopers like Pornel (9.2 ppg), Paul Calamiong (3.8 ppg), Carl Tan (4.4 ppg), Adrian Ng (2.4 ppg) and big fella Jairus Co (2.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg) need to be ready if either Uy or Tan goes into a funk or is clamped down by the defense.
Jubilee defeated MGC NLCA, 77-65, in their elimination-round encounter, but don’t count out the New Lifers with their aggressive and physical play.
MGC NLCA (6-2) has five players with at least 20 minutes of service. Trey Chua is the team’s meal ticket with his multi-dimensional effort, leading the team in points (16.4 points), rebounds (10.9 rpg) and steals (4.8 spg) while ranking second in assists (3.1 apg) to pint-sized Adam Uy.
Uy, who turned just 11 last April, is a heady guard whose hands are their deadliest when hoisting three-point shots. Mr. 96 owns averages of 12.8 points, a team-best 4.4 dish-offs and 3.1 steals per game.
Perhaps the X-factor for James Sia’s charges is Sean Lim, who stunned the SJCS Green Knights in the semis with his 24-point, 16-rebound, 7-assist, 5-steal feat. With averages of 13 scores, 8.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.5 steals, Lim could well be the straw that stirs the New Lifers’ drink.
Mammoth center Kurt Sotingco (7.3 ppg and 9.3 rpg) could present some problems for Jubilee with his size and heft. Looking to step up also are Adrian Tan (5.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg), Jacoby Tan (3 ppg, 2.8 apg and 2.5 spg) and Miles Co (1.8 ppg and 5 rpg).
Jubilee Christian Academy is favored in the best-of-three finals but MGC New Life Christian Academy will give its foe a run for its money.
In the Aspirants finals, Jubilee Christian Academy owns so many weapons in its offensive arsenal that it could be a pick-your-poison thing for Philippine Cultural College.
The Jubileeans have relied on a share-the-wealth offensive philosophy with six youngsters averaging six or more points per game. The goggles-wearing Matt Sio (10.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 3.5 apg), he with the hard-driving acrobatic moves, got off to great start during the season. But coming out strong in the playoffs has been the underrated shooter Jude Hao, who off the bench exploded for a career-high 27 points spiked by five triples in the 72-43 semis romp against Uno High School that boosted his scoring clip to a team-best 13.6 ppg.
Other JCA marksmen capable of making shots from deep are Jowen Ng Lio (7.1 ppg) and Bryce Barraza (3.9 ppg), who turned just 13 last May. The regular rotation also includes bigs that can run and play physical such as Marcus Raymundo (7.5 ppg and 10.3 rpg), reserves Gus Norman Tan (6.3 apg and a team-best 11.6 rpg) and Jericho Bautista (5.8 ppg ) and frontline starters Jared Ty (3.6 ppg and 6.4 rpg) and Dean Yulangco (2.3 ppg and 4.6 rpg).
For No. 3 seed Philippine Cultural College (8-3), upsetting Jubilee in the Aspirants finals will take a herculean task but ain’t no mountain high enough for the Golden Seagulls to climb, which was exemplified by its dethronement of twice-to-beat No. 2 seed St. Stephen’s High School with a pair of low-scoring games in the semifinals.
Cultural’s passport to success in the playoffs have been its suffocating defense, which limited the Stephenians to 40 and 37 points during the semis and made life hard for Charles Ong and Sam Ng to puncture the hoops from the inside and outside.
It’s said that offense wins the regular games but it’s the defense that wins in the playoffs – and these are the “real games” and it’s all for the marbles.
The hustle and aggressiveness of the Golden Seagulls’ Big Three in Renjiro Chavez, John Shi and Jason Dong have been evident in their four postseason assignments.
Chavez, he with his bicycle-like driving scoop shot under the basket, is the heart and soul with team-high 21.8-point clip along 9.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists an outing. The razzle-dazzling Shi, with his well-oiled running engine, is contributing 14.2 points, a team-high 14.7 boards, 3.3 dimes and 3.1 thefts. And there’s the long-distance shooter Jason Dong (13.5 ppg), who has fallen in love with his corner triples, making a team-best 34 so far from that distance.
Cultural has turned up a notch in the playoffs with the insertion of hefty center Aaron Cai in the starting lineup. Cai is norming just 0.8 ppg (along with 7.5 rpg) but his mere big-bodied presence in the middle can be a menace to Jubilee’s bigs.
Expected to help in a supporting role are Christian Yulo (1.7 ppg and 3.2 apg), Brent Lao (1.6 ppg and 8.4 rpg) and Developmental scoring leader Froil Aizer Limson (1.2 ppg).
In the end, it won’t be a walk in the park for Jubilee Christian Academy. Philippine Cultural College is capable of an upset, like David slaying Goliath in biblical times.
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