Kelly king of slams; Renren is top gun

BACOLOD – Kelly Williams barely made it past the preliminary round but pulled off tricks that brought the house down in the finals to crown himself the sultan of slams in the 2008 Smart PBA All-Star Friday at the West Negros University gym here.

Three entries, including three-time champion KG Canaleta, backed out of the event but it didn’t make Williams any less a champion dunker with the Sta. Lucia top gun coming through with stuffs ranking among the best ever dished out in the history of PBA dunking competitions.

The University of Oakland-Detroit product scored 48 points and a perfect 50 in the finals, emerging as the overwhelming winner of the event beating Ronald Tubid, Arwind Santos and former titlist Joey Mente.

“I’m taking it this year minus KG (Canaleta) but I’m sure it’s gonna be a battle next year,” said Williams in ruling the All-Star Friday highlight event also skipped by another former champion Cyrus Baguio and hometown bet Reynel Hugnatan.

Canaleta said he hurt his right patella as he was preparing for his title defense. Baguio and Hugnatan said they’re also hurt, thus, missing the contest in the annual mid-season spectacle sponsored by Pigrolac, Mighty Bond, Coke and Yakult and supported by Rain or Shine, Air21, Purefoods, Magnolia Pure Water, Fruit Magic, Accel, Yes FM 105.5 and Burlington Socks.

Urged by the fans to showcase at least one stuff after Williams had topped the event, Canaleta obliged, soaring for a thunderous jam that drew applause from crowd and his fellow players.

“I’ll be back next year,” said Canaleta.

Earlier, Renren Ritualo, three times first runner-up in the three-point shootout, finally bagged the championship, beating defending champion Dondon Hontiveros and John Arigo in a fierce final shootout.

Ritualo, the Talk n Text off-guard with a silky touch from the outside, rifled in 19 points to Hontiveros’ 18 and Arigo’s 17.

“I’m glad to finally win it. I took some of the jumps away from my shots. It’s not my game shots,” said Ritualo.

Arigo topped the elimination round with 20, followed by Hontiveros with 18, Ritualo 17, Willie Miller 16, Mike Hrabak 15, James Yap 14, Canaleta 13, Joe Devance 12, Junthy Valenzuela 12 and Nelbert Omolon 10.

In the Coca-Cola Obstacle Challenge, Willie Miller, despite some distraction from pal Asi Taulava, was flawless and quick, establishing a new record of 25.5 seconds in successfully defending his crown.

The two-time league MVP winner pulled off a perfect run through an obstacle course of dribbling, passing and shooting in defeating crowd favorite Hontiveros and Ronjay Buenafe of Coca-Cola in a record time.

Miller blazed up, down and around the floor a second ahead of the old record of 26.4 seconds set by then Purefoods player Rob Johnson in winning the event in 2004 in Cebu.

Out after the elimination round were Air21’s Marvin Cruz (32.8 seconds), Mente (37.7), Sta. Lucia’s Ryan Reyes (33), Purefoods’ Chico Lanete (39.7), Talk n Text’s Jimmy Alapag (36.4), Tubid (32.6) and Red Bull’s Topex Robinson (32.2).