Scoping rookie camp

Admission was free in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) rookie camp at the Quezon City Memorial Circle last Sunday and fans came out in droves to watch 46 draft applicants showcase their skills.

Coach Norman Black and 10 PBA assistant coaches conducted a variety of drills designed to bring out the best–and worst–of the candidates. There were three no-shows among the original 49 applicants–Cesar Catli of Far Eastern University, Ryan Dy of the Salazar Institute of Technology and Ricky Ricafuente of the Technological Institute of the Philippines. A PBA source said Catli withdrew from the draft before the start of the camp.

A standout in the three-hour camp was 6-5 Jean Marc Pingris who’s seen action in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, the Metropolitan Basketball Association and the Philippine Basketball League. He was among the top scorers in the five six-minute scrimmages that highlighted the camp. Pingris displayed excellent timing, positioning and leaping ability in grabbing offensive and defensive rebounds. The power forward–born to a French father and a Filipina mother in Pozorrubio, Pangasinan–also held his own in defense. More than anyone, Pingris boosted his stock as a possible first overall pick.

Pingris, 22, worked his butt off, tirelessly running up and down the court. He was a picture of intensity on the floor. I overheard a fan commenting, "Talaga naman magaling si Pingris–kung serosyo maglaro, ang problema paminsan-minsan, parang nakakaloko sa loob ng court at ngiti ng ngiti."

I noticed Pingris was a picture of concentration, too, during an intermission dance number featuring the PBA Honeyshots. It must be his French blood.

On the low side, fans got a kick out of 5-8 guard Lyndon Lagat’s unspectacular play. In last year’s camp, gangling Khomar Khansroff was the crowd darling. Lagat was Sunday’s comic relief, much to his displeasure. Lagat threw up a string of air balls, once imbounded a weak, telegraphed pass that was easily picked off and looked lost trying to play point guard. Each time he held the ball, the unforgiving crowd howled and heckled.

"Malamang, umuwi na ‘yan," said a fan. Lagat, 26, never played college ball. In his resume, Lagat noted he was a playing assistant coach for the Coke team in the Filipino-Canadian Basketball Association.

The most applauded rookies were James Yap and Richard Michael. Yap, in contention as the first pick, missed his first three shots, hit a layup from a Lou Gatumbato pass and sank the free throw to complete a three-point play then flubbed his fifth try. The 1-of-5 showing, however, didn’t diminish his star billing. In the shooting drills, Yap and Gary David were easily the deadliest.

Michael, a Fil-Australian who’s a parttime commercial model, brought along his glamorous pals from the ramp and they cheered for him lustily. An inspired Michael shot six points in the scrimmages. One of his shots was an acrobatic circus layup on the break. Scouts pointed to his lack of defensive ability as a weak spot.

La Salle center Carlo Sharma got a lift in the ratings sheet. He showed a soft touch from 15 feet, knocking down back-to-back jumpers, in the scrimmages and also scored from up close. The 6-5 Sharma will likely go in the first or second round.

The shot of the camp was connected by Ronald Cuan who netted a bank shot off a spin at the shot clock buzzer. Cuan showed up wearing shiny earrings which he had to take off before the scrimmages. Cuan and Alvin Pua were the only rookies sporting ponytails.

SCOPE All-Stars talents Denver (The Nugget) Lopez, Kim Valenzuela and Nick Fasano reported wearing identical Pac Rim red shorts. Pac Rim is a Los Angeles league where Fil-Ams play. The trio did a lot more passing than shooting. They’re all point guards. Valenzuela is an Allen Iverson lookalike–cornrows and all. He was a blur on the court, a Moochie Norris-type. Fasano’s highlight was feeding Rich Alvarez a perfect alley-oop pass for two points.

Lopez may not be in Jimmy Alapag’s class yet but showed maturity and class on the floor. He could be the top point guard in the draft.

A disappointment was the much-ballyhooed, Olongapo-born Fil-Am Theo Hawkins. The 6-4, 210-pound power forward appeared clumsy, once losing the ball to the sidelines uncontested, after hauling down a rebound. He was off the mark on two open 10-footers. Hawkins’ release on his jumper is awkward–the shot comes off with a push from close to his chest. Whoever said he’s the next Harvey Carey is grossly misinformed.

The draft’s tallest applicant, 6-7 Joachim Thoss, was a letdown. A PBA insider described him "a project, at best." He won’t make an immediate impact as a rookie, that’s for sure. Thoss is a bit wet behind the ears, raw and soft. In the scrimmages, he was repeatedly outmuscled under the boards. A bright moment was when he dribbled from the foul line, going one-on-one, and scored on a drive.

Big men Ranidel de Ocampo and Ervin Sotto confirmed some scouts’ doubts. They’re not back-to-the-basket types. They’d rather play away from the low block and take outside shots like Yancy de Ocampo. Too bad. If they only showed some toughness at the post, scouts would be drooling.