Scott impressed by Japeth

NBA legend Byron Scott was at the Philippine Arena last Sunday to witness the Manila Clasico between Barangay Ginerba and Star. Scott, 55, was impressed not only by the Arena but also by Japeth Aguilar’s performance. He left Manila yesterday to return to his home in Los Angeles after a two-week visit with his Filipina girlfriend to attend a friend’s wedding in Boracay.

Aguilar couldn’t have timed his breakout showing any better as he fired a career-high 32 points, spiked by five-of-five triples, before a crowd of 23,000 on Christmas Day. Scott liked what he saw and was more impressed when he found out that Aguilar played out of his natural position to fill in for injured center Greg Slaughter. Aguilar is more comfortable facing up than playing with his back to the basket but against the Hotshots, did a little of both to throw off the defense. Scott noticed Aguilar’s ability to shoot the long ball, put it on the floor, elevate for rebounds and intimidate in protecting the rim.

Aguilar almost couldn’t believe what happened on the court. He didn’t miss from beyond the arc and overall, shot a lofty .667 from the floor. Aguilar was also nearly flawless from the line, hitting 7-of-8. But what brought a big smile on Aguilar’s face was Ginebra’s 86-79 win over the Hotshots.

In Ginebra’s previous game a week before, Aguilar reported for work late as he got caught up in a traffic jam and Coach Tim Cone played him off the bench. Aguilar finished with 12 points but didn’t grab a single rebound as Alaska won, 101-86. It was a forgettable game for Ginebra as aside from Aguilar, more players went zero in other statistical departments. L. A. Tenorio and Mark Caguioa were scoreless, Joe De Vance had no free throw attempt and Scottie Thompson wound up without a steal. It was the only game where Aguilar didn’t start this conference.

Defense was the key to Ginebra’s win. Before last Sunday’s Manila Clasico, Ginebra won two games by holding opponents to an average of 72 points and gave up an average of 100 in its three losses. Ginebra was No. 1 in field goal percentage allowed at .390. So if Ginebra held Star to less than 80 points and lower than 40 percent shooting from the floor, the probability was the Barangay would win. Sure enough, Ginebra ended Star’s three-game win streak by limiting the Hotshots to 79 points and 35 percent shooting.

Scott, who coached the New Jersey Nets in two NBA Finals, observed the contrasting styles of both teams as Ginebra tried to control the tempo by playing deliberate and Star wanted to pick up the pace with a running attack. Ginebra prefers a low-scoring game in contrast to Star’s high-scoring approach. There were other things that set them apart – Ginebra’s read-and-react offense compared to Star’s basic pick-and-roll and Ginebra’s reliance on starters compared to Star’s focus on continuity with its second unit.

Scott said he’s fallen in love with the Philippines and if possible, he’d like to come back and do his share in promoting basketball among Filipinos. He pointed out that in the evolution of the basketball game, countries like the Philippines with undersized players can become more competitive with the small-ball style popularized by the Golden State Warriors.

“Over the last few years, we’ve seen how Europe has influenced the NBA,” said Scott. “Now, we’ve got big guys stepping out to shoot the three, big guys who are quick on their feet and can put the ball on the floor. You don’t see too much of the low post power plays anymore. Of course, it used to be a big man’s game in the past with guys like Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) and Robert (Parish) dominating. Now, big guys like Dirk (Nowitzki) are hitting threes and the small guys are setting the pace. That’s a positive note for countries like the Philippines.”

Throughout his NBA career, Scott has played with stars like Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. As a coach, he’s worked with Jason Kidd, Kyrie Irving and Chris Paul. He said playing with legends is a lot more fun than coaching them. Johnson, for instance, was a special teammate. “Magic had this knack of finding you if you’re open,” he said. “Once, Magic threw a pass at A.C. Green and hit him on the head because A.C. wasn’t looking. I told A.C. to always be ready because Magic will find you and hit you with a pass if you’re open.”

A player whom Scott said has a tremendous upside is Fil-Am guard Jordan Clarkson. Scott coached Clarkson in the last two NBA seasons with the Lakers. Scott said Clarkson’s talent and conviction in working hard to improve his game are the ingredients that will elevate his status to superstardom.

In tomorrow’s column, find out what happened in Scott’s golf game where he teamed with Ginebra coach Tim Cone against TV5 president/Gilas head coach Chot Reyes and Meralco senior vice president/SBP president Al Panlilio.