Realtors back on track

Since joining the PBA in 1993, Sta. Lucia Realty has played in only two finals. The breakthrough came in the 2000 Commissioner’s Cup but the Realtors failed to bag the crown in their first best-of-7 title playoffs, bowing to San Miguel Beer in five games. The next season, Sta. Lucia made it to the finals once more, this time capturing the Governors Cup title at San Miguel’s expense in a vengeful six-game series.

The victory in 2001 remains the sole jewel in franchise history.

Team manager Buddy Encarnado has never lost hope that someday, Sta. Lucia would bounce back with a vengeance. Painstakingly, he rebuilt the squad, moved out former MVP Kenneth Duremdes, brought in crack recruits from the draft, negotiated trades and gambled the future on a largely untested coach Boyet Fernandez.

For sure, there was reason to be alarmed as Sta. Lucia hasn’t made it to a semifinal since the 2003 Reinforced Conference. That’s a drought of seven straight conferences. Despite the tailspin, Encarnado remained calm – he’s not the panicking type. He’ll blow his top now and then, rally the troops and light a fire in their butts. But Encarnado always stayed in sight of the bigger picture – paving the way for what’s ahead.

This season, Encarnado decided to bite the bullet. He revamped the Realtors’ lineup, signing up five rookies and welcoming sophomore Joseph Yeo. The newcomers were Ryan Reyes, Dennis Daa, Christian Coronel, Melvin Mamaclay and Philip Butel. Back from the previous year’s roster were Bitoy Omolon, Paolo Mendoza, Marlou Aquino, Dennis Espino, Kelly Williams, Norman Gonzales and Denok Miranda. Gone were Ronnie Bughao, Mark Isip, Cesar Catli, Paeng Santos, Mark Magsumbol and Manny Ramos.

Encarnado actually began the overhaul the year before by shipping Duremdes to Coca-Cola for Miranda and Ramos and tapping Williams in the draft.

With young legs and a reinvigorated cast of veterans, Sta. Lucia has suddenly blossomed into a serious title contender. Encarnado’s calculated moves are now paying dividends and Fernandez, who understands a player’s mentality, is making things happen on the court.

The Realtors had a rocky start in the Philippine Cup, going 0-2 and 1-3 before slowly, finding their groove. Now, Sta. Lucia is the hottest team in the league with a six-game winning streak that includes decisions over Barangay Ginebra, Red Bull, Alaska twice and Talk ’N’ Text.

Defense has turned Sta. Lucia into a dangerous team. In the Realtors’ 10 wins so far, no opponent has scored over 96 points and seven went down by 90 or less.

While Williams and Reyes are leading the charge, Espino remains the team’s backbone. Espino, 34, anchors the frontline and sets the meanest pick in the league. Aquino, 35, is the team’s other senior statesman. He’s still a wily operator at the post and an intimidating shot blocker. In the twilight of a long career, the Skyscraper is adjusting smoothly to being a role player and accepting the challenge of playing quality time in less minutes.

But the Realtors’ unsung hero is Miranda, now the PBA’s undisputed Master Thief. He tops the league in steals with nearly two a game and his anticipation in defense often leads to easy transition baskets. Miranda doesn’t care to score and leaves the point-making to Williams, Reyes, Espino, Omolon, Aquino and Yeo. What makes Miranda special is his ability to set up his teammates for buckets.

In Sta. Lucia’s 107-93 win over Welcoat the other day, Miranda collected seven points, three rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Six teammates scored in double figures – which made the victory even sweeter for Miranda.

Miranda’s one-on-one defense is also remarkable. He gets in the face of every opponent – Willie Miller, Jimmy Alapag, Jay-Jay Helterbrand, whomever Fernandez assigns. In Sta. Lucia’s 92-91 victory over Talk ’N’ Text last Dec. 23, Miranda blanked Alapag the entire first half and caused the Mighty Mouse to miss a layup that would’ve won the game for the Phone Pals at the buzzer. Alapag drove the baseline and was distracted by Miranda going up for a block from behind. More importantly, Miranda avoided contact because a foul would’ve given Alapag two free throws to seal the outcome.

Sta. Lucia is now in solo second in the standings with a clear shot at clinching an outright semifinals ticket. Standing in the way of the Realtors’ surge are Magnolia on Jan. 6 and Air21 on Jan. 13, the last day of the eliminations. As the Beverage Masters are also in contention for a semifinals berth, the game against Sta. Lucia will definitely be a war.

Other teams in the hunt for an outright semifinals slot are Purefoods, Red Bull, Talk ’N’ Text and Alaska, meaning the race will be extremely close down the stretch.

Postscript: Don’t look now but Puma is reemerging as a major brand in the Philippine market with the growing trend of sportstyle wear. Golden Mane, Inc. now operates three Puma stores on Bonifacio high street, Glorietta 4 and Trinoma. In promoting Puma, Golden Mane works hand in hand with Cougar Athletic headed by Ryan Tee and Michelle Borromeo. Nicky and Mel Montoya, Andrew and Ana Gloria, and Auty and Gigi Villarama are Golden Mane’s principals. According to Auty, Golden Mane is in the “helps you look good and feel good” business. “The outstanding support given by consumers is a good sign that Puma has caught on and is becoming the preference for lifestyle sports,” he said. “Next up – more lines for motor sports, soccer, running, and golf.”