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UAAP Season 71 Preview: UE Red Warriors
Mon, Jun 23, 2008 by Pandaemonaeon
Overview: Known for their stellar regular season play and uncanny ability to sweep inter-collegiate tournaments, yet always stumbling upon the arrival of the post-season (including choking a twice-to-beat advantage to the would-be champions in 2002), many pundits believed that with the introduction of the new "step-ladder" format last year UE might finally get the chance to hoist that piece of golden hardware that have always eluded them. But alas, the more things change the more they stay the same, and the Warriors fuck up yet another golden opportunity, losing to the Archers in 2.
Why you should root for them: Outstanding basketball pedigree
Why you shouldn't: Bonbon Custodio
Roster Changes: UE will lose quite a number of significant contributors from last year's historic 14-win team including outside shooting big man Kelvin Gregorio, Jorel Canizares and Mark Fampulme's nape. Also as of press time, UE's top scorer and lone Mythical Team selection Mark Borboran has declared for the PBA Draft. But all of those pale in comparison to the departure of the team's heart and soul, their emotional and most especially vocal leader in Tracy Abad. So that leaves Marcy Arellano and the high-flying Elmer Espiritu as the only relevant starters. However, the resilient Warriors have shown time and time again their ability to thrive in the midst of attrition, as exemplified by their recovery from the loss of franchise cornerstone Roberts Labagala, so this situation would be nothing they haven't handled before.
Bench: One of, if not the deepest bench in the league, giving Dindo the luxury of having a 10-man rotation and staying fresh throughout the course of the season. Rarely do teams have a double-double machine in Hans Thiele ready to come in at anytime, much less a bevy of guards (i.e. James Martinez, Paul Lee) capable of putting points in hurry.
Go-To Move: Taking a page out of his brother's playbook, Dindo utilizes a variation of the press called the full-court zone press. Since this defensive scheme is predicated by gambling, this puts the "safety" on a spot if the gamble doesn't pay off. But then again, it can be counted in one hand the number of teams that can dribble the basketball, so it's relatively a very effective strategem.
The Monkey: According to a 2007 research conducted by 15 independent fortune tellers, they unanimously voted the "Bane of Boyzie" as the top sports-related curse, well over the likes of the "Curse of the Bambino" and "Karl Malone". Named after former head coach Boysie Zamar, the curse hibernates during the regular season as the Red Army goes by their regular routine of decimating opponents, leading to writers and bloggers across the nation to proclaim them as the "team to beat". It then awakens at the sight of Nestle ice cream products which signals the start of the post-season and heralds their inevitable demise.
How To Get The Monkey Off Their Back: Even if you're not superstitious, just do what the Romans do while in Rome (pun intended). Try not sweeping an inter-collegiate tournament for once, see what happens. No wait, you stopped doing that during the last two years. Okay, how about winning only a few games? You know, just good enough to make the playoffs? Oh, you already did that before. How about securing the top sp-- right. Well, I tried.
Outlook: Final Four and well, you know what's next.
Mon, Jun 23, 2008 by Pandaemonaeon
Overview: Known for their stellar regular season play and uncanny ability to sweep inter-collegiate tournaments, yet always stumbling upon the arrival of the post-season (including choking a twice-to-beat advantage to the would-be champions in 2002), many pundits believed that with the introduction of the new "step-ladder" format last year UE might finally get the chance to hoist that piece of golden hardware that have always eluded them. But alas, the more things change the more they stay the same, and the Warriors fuck up yet another golden opportunity, losing to the Archers in 2.Why you should root for them: Outstanding basketball pedigree
Why you shouldn't: Bonbon Custodio
Roster Changes: UE will lose quite a number of significant contributors from last year's historic 14-win team including outside shooting big man Kelvin Gregorio, Jorel Canizares and Mark Fampulme's nape. Also as of press time, UE's top scorer and lone Mythical Team selection Mark Borboran has declared for the PBA Draft. But all of those pale in comparison to the departure of the team's heart and soul, their emotional and most especially vocal leader in Tracy Abad. So that leaves Marcy Arellano and the high-flying Elmer Espiritu as the only relevant starters. However, the resilient Warriors have shown time and time again their ability to thrive in the midst of attrition, as exemplified by their recovery from the loss of franchise cornerstone Roberts Labagala, so this situation would be nothing they haven't handled before.
Bench: One of, if not the deepest bench in the league, giving Dindo the luxury of having a 10-man rotation and staying fresh throughout the course of the season. Rarely do teams have a double-double machine in Hans Thiele ready to come in at anytime, much less a bevy of guards (i.e. James Martinez, Paul Lee) capable of putting points in hurry.Go-To Move: Taking a page out of his brother's playbook, Dindo utilizes a variation of the press called the full-court zone press. Since this defensive scheme is predicated by gambling, this puts the "safety" on a spot if the gamble doesn't pay off. But then again, it can be counted in one hand the number of teams that can dribble the basketball, so it's relatively a very effective strategem.
The Monkey: According to a 2007 research conducted by 15 independent fortune tellers, they unanimously voted the "Bane of Boyzie" as the top sports-related curse, well over the likes of the "Curse of the Bambino" and "Karl Malone". Named after former head coach Boysie Zamar, the curse hibernates during the regular season as the Red Army goes by their regular routine of decimating opponents, leading to writers and bloggers across the nation to proclaim them as the "team to beat". It then awakens at the sight of Nestle ice cream products which signals the start of the post-season and heralds their inevitable demise.
How To Get The Monkey Off Their Back: Even if you're not superstitious, just do what the Romans do while in Rome (pun intended). Try not sweeping an inter-collegiate tournament for once, see what happens. No wait, you stopped doing that during the last two years. Okay, how about winning only a few games? You know, just good enough to make the playoffs? Oh, you already did that before. How about securing the top sp-- right. Well, I tried.
Outlook: Final Four and well, you know what's next.
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