UAAP 82 Preview: Can Adamson's rookies fuel their title dreams?

MANILA, Philippines – The Adamson Soaring Falcons have made great strides under head coach Franz Pumaren, but strides do not cut it for him.

The goal is a championship and he’s brought in a lot of help to his squad that made the Final Four the last few years.

Key losses: Sean Manganti and Jerie Pingoy (who graduated), CJ Catapusan (who transferred to UP), Jonathan Espeleta (who I am not sure is ready after suffering an injury that kept him out of the summer leagues)

Key additions: Joem Sabandal, Aaron Fermin, Joshua Yerro, Adrian Manlapaz

As of today, the Adamson coaching staff hasn’t announced whether it will be Papi Sarr or Lenda Dounga who will man that slot. But if I read it right, they will lean toward 6’11 Congolese center Lenda over veteran Papi Sarr.

Why am I leaning toward Lenda (based on observations, performance, and info)? It is because of the shot of energy and youth he injects. And the same goes for the newbies. They have a lot of fight in them and they have gotten huge minutes.

While Manganti is the biggest loss from last year, the kids will more than make up for it as they have all significantly contributed in their preparations for this season.

The loss of Manganti and Espeleta’s injury greatly change the look of this team. When Pumaren came in, the team had this Fil-American flavor, much like his first teams with La Salle. Manganti and Ahanmisi will be the only ones to finish their tours of duty with Adamson. The others left or were cut. Now, Pumaren has recruited heavily locally. 

It is possible that the Doria brothers Adam and Andrey will make it and if they do, that brings to four the call-ups from their juniors squad that includes Sabandal and Manlapaz, who are shoo-ins.

Sabandal brings in a lot of leadership, creativity and a willingness to take the big shot. He could start or spell Jerom Lastimosa. He doesn’t mind; he just gets the job done. For his part, the unflappable Manlapaz is a silent worker who gets things done in and around the basket. Fermin will stretch defenses with his outside shooting. Yerro, that hotshot out of Cebu, is a great backstop to Jerrick Ahanmisi.

The new additions have greatly added to Adamson’s firepower and that will help Dounga, team captain Simon Camacho and veteran Khristian Bernardo for open shots.

I don’t think this team lost a step defensively because they have players and newcomers who are willing to stop an opponent. Whether it is Lenda or Sarr, they will have that rim protector too. Without sacrificing that, they have also improved their offense and that makes them even more dangerous.

Should the rookies falter, they still have the reliable Lastimosa, Ahanmisi, Camacho (who has gotten better offensively) and Bernardo (who can contribute, but he is inconsistent). Yes, the veteran core is depleting fast, but they have blue chip recruits who will step up.

Now they even have more players who can fire away from the outside and that will open up their game to a lot of incursions. 

If Adamson’s rookies hold firm, they will go deep into the tournament.