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•Talk ’N TextTropangTexters NEWDYNASTY

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BLACKtriumphs

BALKMAN IS THE NAMEBOOSTERS import splits the Ginebradefense. NUKI SABIO/PBA IMAGE

VOL. 1 NO. 1 • FEBRUARY 25-28, 2013

2 FEBRUARY 25-28, 2013

TNT: Loud and clearBy Francis T.J. Ochoa

I T IS now difficult to look back at the PBA Philip-pine Cup and look for that exact moment duringthe Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters’ campaign that

prompted coach Norman Black to label the team “awork in progress.”

Unless, of course, by “work”he meant “domination.”

After all, the Texters practi-cally waltzed through the elimi-nation round, losing just twicethere and then running a streakof five straight victories to bar-rel into the playoffs as the No. 1seed.

So there was a little adversi-ty in the playoffs. A slight scarefrom a gritty Air21 side thatpushed Talk ‘N Text to executein the last few plays of thequarterfinals. A coming-outstand by Alaska in the semifi-nals. But once the Texters gotpast that, it was a straightfor-ward match to history.

With a 4-0 dismantling of Rainor Shine in the Finals, the Textersbecame just the first team in threedecades to win the league’s crownjewel three straight times. Talk ‘NText is actually the first team topull off the feat in three straightseasons. Crispa’s trailblazing feathumped over a season whenthere was no All-Filipino confer-ence.

Deep. Talented. Mature. Ex-perienced. Unselfish.

With all that, Talk ‘N Textlined itself alongside the greatteams in the PBA pantheon.

“I have great players,” saidBlack. “They were mostly re-sponsible for this.”

Closeout games are the typeof matches when coaches throwout the Xs and Os and rely sole-ly on their players to executeand lower the hammer on theirfoes. And in Game 4 of thechampionship sweep, the Tex-ters did just that.

When Jared Dillinger buried atriple that sucker-punched theElasto Painters at the end of thethird period, it was as if he gavethe cue to the rest of his team-mates that there would be no ex-tension of the series. And the restof the Texters responded. The re-sult? A 105-82 triumph thatcapped just the fourth champi-onship sweep in PBA history.

“Sometimes, it happens,”said Black of the tenacity andfluidity by which the Textersclosed out the series. “Weplayed really good basketball[in Game 4].”

That may be an understate-

ment.Six players finished in dou-

ble figures, but the one key statthat showed just howmuch on the samepage the entire teamwas in their missionto crash into the his-tory books was this:Tak ‘N Text had 34 assistson its 42 made fieldgoals, in-cluding 19 feeds on the first 22shots the team made.

For many, though, Game 4was merely the icing on thecake. The championship waswon in Game 3 when Rain orShine drastically needed a vic-tory to keep the team afloat.

“If we lose Game 3, then it’slights out for us,” Painters coachYeng Guiao said before that cru-cial match. And Rain or Shineseemed to respond, taking anine-point lead in the fourthquarter to breathe life into theirsagging campaign.

But the Texters used a strongwindup for an 89-80 victory thatflicked the switch off on Rain orShine’s hopes of giving Guiao hisfirst All-Filipino trophy.

“We can’t even win one game,much less talk about making his-tory,” said Guiao after the match,adding that the team would justspend the rest of the series tryingto delay the inevitable.

But the inevitable refused totake its time. After all, progressdidn’t seem to want to wait.

MACHINE-GUNKELLYWILLIAMS draws afoul. AUGUST DELA CRUZ

DOMINATINGTHE Texters headed bycoach Norman Blackpose with theirprize. AUGUST DELA CRUZ

4

He remainshumble. Unlikeother players,Jason’s not agimikero, saidwell-knownPBA businessmanager DannyEspiritu.“”

TNT’S JASON CASTRO

Street vendor turns PBA superstarBy Dennis U. Eroa

H ESs on top of the world at the mo-ment, but Jason Castro’s feet remainfirmly planted on the ground.

With his pen-chant for ‘‘break-ing the ankles of

his rivals” and‘‘cooking his de-fender’’ with an as-sortment of shots,

the 5-foot-11 Castrois a coach’s delight.Dubbed as the ‘‘Blur”

by basketball geniuses, the5-foot-11 Castro added the2012-13 PBA PhilippineCup’s Best Player of the Con-ference to his trophy room.Bemedalled mentor NormanBlack lauded Castro’s con-tribution to the team.

But Castro, who oncesold candies and cigarettes

as a teenager in Guagua, Pam-panga, did not paint the townred, so to speak.

‘‘He remains humble. Unlikeother players, Jason’s not agimikero,” said well-known PBAbusiness manager Danny Espir-itu.

Fans glued to theirLCDs gained a bit ofCastro’s demeanorfollowing TNT’s de-molition of Rain orShine during the Com-missioner’s Cup titleseries.

As the Tropang Texterswhooped it up as the finalbuzzer sounded in GameFour, 105-82, Castro seemed

unaffected by the mayhemaround him.

When it was his turn to beinterviewed, Castro seemedapologetic and shy to a fault.

When the microphone waspressed to his mouth, Castroturned to Espiritu, as if sayinghis adviser keyed his success.

Turned out, Espiritu’s alsoacting not just his manager butsecond father, as well.

‘‘Jason’s parents are in theUnited States,” explained Espiri-tu. ‘‘Jason’s down-to-earth. He isunaffected by all the attention.”

The veteran talent manager,who also handles the career ofblue-chip players like PetronBlaze’s Arwind Santos andGlobal Port’s gunner GaryDavid said Castro wiselyhandles his finances.

‘‘He’s better off than

other PBA superstars,” said Es-piritu, who is given by Castrothe leeway to find proper in-vestments such as houses andlots.

‘‘Because of his humble be-ginnings, he knows that hemust share his blessings withothers.”

The story of Castro’s rise tothe basketball ladder is tailor-made for the movies.

Because he was taller thanthe average Pinoy, Castro wasspotted by University of SantoTomas hotshot Richie Melencio,son of the famed Tembong Me-lencio.

He found himselfplaying for PhilippineChristian University un-der Olympian JimmyMariano in the NCAA.

Though over-

shadowed by Gabby Espinas,now with the Alaska Aces, andburly shooter Rob Sanz, Castroplayed a crucial role in the Dol-phins’ successful campaign in2004.

Castro also saw action forthe national team and playedfor Harbour Centre Batang Pierand Hapee-PCU.

But the Pampangueño stal-wart created a buzz in the bas-ketball circle when he wasinked to a contract by the Sin-gapore Slingers.

Castro’s rise didn’t stop here.The Slingers announced thatthey would be joining Austra-lia’s National Basketball Leaguewhich would make Castro thefirst Pinoy-ever to play in theprestigious league.

But the plan didn’t pushthrough due to financial con-

straints and Castro foundhimself playing for TNT,

which picked him thirdoverall in the 2008draft.

‘‘I’m very thankfulto MVP and TNT forgiving me thechance to show myworth. Our victories

became possible be-cause of my unselfish

teammates,” Castrosaid.

Don’t look now, butafter four titles with theManny V. Pangilinan-owned squad, Castro’s

desire to win isboundless.

ON TOP OF THE WORLDJASON Castro AUGUST DELA CRUZ

PICKCASTRO gets apick from JohnFerriols (right).

AUGUST DELA CRUZ

FEBRUARY 25-28, 2013

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Balkman fuels the Blaze

It might be too early totell but this flare at the initialstage of the eliminationround could be an indicationthat the Boosters are on theirway to shake off a poor per-formance last conference andfinally deliver the goods.

‘‘[Getting] three consecu-tive wins is always a goodsign for any team, more sofor us because we didn’t real-ly have a good showing lastconference,” Petron coachOlsen Racela said referring tothe team’s seventh place fin-ish in the Philippine Cup de-spite being a powerhousesquad.

Racela admitted thatmuch of the team’s recentsuccess had to be because ofits import Renaldo Balkman.

Balkman, who had playedfor Denver and New York inthe NBA, has turned out tobe a frontrunner among im-ports two weeks into the

tournament.But more than the scoring

and rebounding, Balkman’ssolid performance creates aripple effect in the team.

‘‘A major factor why we’re3-1 is because of our import.He brings so much energyand intensity in this teamand it rubs off on the otherplayers.” Racela said.

Racela added that thiswould give their opponents ahard time because theywould have to defend notjust Balkman but the otherplayers as well.

However, the team has alot to work on in terms of itsconsistency. In its last gameversus Meralco Bolts, Petronhad to overcome an endgamescare to bag the 88-86 windespite mounting a massive22-point advantage into thefourth.

The team’s consistencywill be tested in the coming

weeks as the Boosters facetough opponents includingAir 21 Express, Barako BullEnergy Cola and currentleader Alaska Aces.

‘‘This is going to be an im-portant part of our season tosee where we really are rightnow and if our winningstreak was just a fluke ornot,” Racela said.

It’s not just consistencythat the team has to dealwith but also the string of in-juries among the players.

Jay Washington, ArwindSantos, and Chico Lañete arehurting.

‘‘It’s a concern especially ifyou’re on a winning streak.Others will just have to stepup, get more minutes andplay big in the absence ofothers,”Racela said.

When asked what theteam has now that it lackedlast conference, Racela saidthat the players, as well asthe coaches, now have a bet-ter understanding of their re-spective roles.

‘‘Everything is clearer nowand we had time to prepareas a team with me handlingeverything,”he said.

By Ana Mae Roa

A FTER sweeping their last three games, thePetron Blaze Boosters, sporting a 3-1 win-loss card, have landed on the upper half of

the charts in the ongoing PBA Commissioner’s Cup.

They are down, but don’t count the Kings outBy Dennis U. Eroa

THEY are losing but don’t de-spair. Things are going to getbetter for the Barangay Gine-bra Kings in the ongoing PBACommissioner’s Cup.

Just ask Ginebra fanatics.‘‘Ginebra’s like the late

Fernando Poe Jr. He wasmauled at the start of themovie but got back at his tor-mentors at the end,” quippedPampangueño Jun Lacap, amember of Bgy. Ginebra.

Neighborhood comic Boy

Tisoy, who also peddles ba-nana cue to make a living,isn’t in the mood to surren-der. Hope springs eternal forthis fiftyish Ginebra follower.

‘‘We’re down but not out,”said Tisoy. ‘‘Just wait.”

It’s understable that Kingsfanatics aren’t losing hope.They may be losing sleep afterGinebra suffered its fourthstraight setback after bowing toAlaska Aces, 84-69, recently inan out-of-town game at theMindanao Convention Centerin Tubod, Lanao del Norte.

Ginebra’s import HerbertHill was rightfully blamed forthe Kings’ first three losses.The management brought inVernon Macklin but it did notprevent the Kings from enter-ing the win-column.

If any consolation, theKings played with energyagainst the Aces which wasnot evident during their firstthree outings.

If only for this, there’s nostopping the crowd fromchanting GI-NE-BRA!, GI-NE-BRA!

YOUNGSTRATEGISTOLSEN RACELANUKI SABIO/PBA IMAGE

PBA-Libre Hard Court Action is a joint undertakingof INQUIRER LIBRE and the PBA.

Willie O. Marcial- PBA Media Bureau ChiefRickie B. Santos - PBA Operations DirectorRhose G. Montreal- Business Development Director

FEBRUARY 25-28, 2013

7

PBA-NSJBI PARTNERSHIPNEW San Jose Builders, Inc. (NSJBI) signed up as the official sports condominium property developer of the Philippine BasketballAssociation (PBA). The partnership is in line with Victoria Station 2 and Victoria de Manila 2 social marketing efforts to increaseawareness of the soon to be launched sports condominium projects in Quezon City and Manila. Leading the signing are PBACommissioner Chito Salud (third from left) with NSJBI Chair Jose L. Acuzar (fourth from left). Also shown, from left, are: NSJBICo-Chair Isagani Germar Phd, NSJBI President (Engr.) Cesar Sanqui and NSJBI Consultant Jose C. Nograles. Standing, from left,are: Corporate Communications Head Gina Virtusio, Sales Heads' Hazel de Dios and Kaye Hernandez.

Aguilar finds a homein GlobalportBy Denison Rey Dalupang

A TENEO Blue Eagles. Division-I NCAA WesternKentucky Hilltoppers. Smart Gilas-Pilipinas.That’s Japeth Aguilar’s resume going into the

NBA Development League months ago where he waspicked 13th in the seventh round by Golden State War-riors D-League affiliate Santa Cruz, making him thefirst Filipino to be drafted in the league. He was even-tually waived by the end of the rookie tryouts.

But while the feat was historic onits own, the achievement may haveput Aguilar in a turbulent spot uponhis return to the Philippines.

To fit right in, adjustments are to bemade, according to Aguilar.

‘‘I had to be virtually contributingon every aspects,” he said.

‘‘There’s a difference in the style ofplay,” said Aguilar. ‘‘In the [NBDL],they’re all long and athletic. Medyonakakasabay ako. In the PBA there area lot of smaller guys—they tend playon the ground instead of in the air.”

‘‘Every [player has his own advan-tage.] I would like to believe it (D-League workout) could give me anedge but I still have to exert a lot ofeffort. I have help them in virtually ev-ery aspect,” said Aguilar. ‘‘My strengthhinges on running up and down thecourt and playing defense—blockingshots, getting rebounds.”

Getting traded to Globalport at thestart of the PBA Commissioner’s Cupsoftened his return somewhat. It gave

Aguilar the chance to start on a freshslate—with a team that was still writ-ing the opening lines of its PBA history.

‘‘It’s a relatively new team for all ofus. New coach, new guys--we’re alltrying to blend,” he said.

But the 23-year-old might alreadybe a step closer in proving his worthafter his rescue of GlobalPort afterwhat seemed like a lost cause. ImportJustin Williams was banished to theshowers and the team’s conference de-but—against powerhouse Petron, noless. Aguilar showed his worth, chalk-ing up 16 markers and hauling crucialboards for the Batang Pier’s impressivevictory.

“His potential is limitless and wefeel he’s perfect for our team,” saidGlobalport team manager BJ Manalo.

Globalport is also the perfect teamfor Aguilar, who has found his home,so to speak, in the PBA. But thatdoesn’t mean he’s giving up on hisdream to make it to the NBA. Aguilarsaid he’s still hopeful. His drafting

109th overall renders him available forany squad to pick up, the first step toa possible call-up to the big leagues.

‘‘It was hard. I took it out on my-self, but Dad reminded me that when-ever God closes a door, he opens a[window.]” said Aguilar of his D-League waiving.

‘‘As of now, my career is with Glob-alport. I have to concentrate here,” hesaid.

HAPPYJAPETH shifts to high gear.

AUGUST DELA CRUZ

FEBRUARY 25-28, 2013