Song of the South - THE GAME OF MY LIFE by Bill Velasco

BOCOLOD– The City of Smiles is humming again, and it has nothing to do with sugar. The Negros Slashers are playing their first home game of the 2001 MBA season, and as early as noon, Negrenses swamp the gates of the University of St. La Salle for the 5:30 game.

Will this be the year the Southern Conference breaks the stranglehold the North has had on the MBA championship? There are strong indications that this may be the new song of the south. If they stay healthy, the Cebu Gems are deep and tall at every position, and could finally break out of their stalemate with the Slashers. The two have been alternating as champions of the south since 1998, but each has fallen short in the National Finals to a northern team.

The Gems have had their ups and downs in the pre-season. Max Delantes, who rounds out their potent bench, has a partial tear in his ACL, and will undergo strengthening in lieu of an operation. He’ll be out for a few weeks. Matt Mitchell is still recovering from a dislocated left thumb, and by now you’ll have seen what shape he’s in. Jan Montalbo had his forehead split open in a fracas with Socsargen two weeks ago, and needed sixteen stitches. But he’s okay. But the big catch for the Gems may be Al Solis, who found himself without a team when he wasn’t renewed in the PBA, and joined the Gems just two weeks ago.

"The older guys have had a really good effect on my young players," says Gems coach Tonichi Yturri. "Now, the young guys see the reasoning behind the things I make them do in practice. When they see the veteran players following, they know there’s a reason. Young players have great talent and energy, but they still need guidance, especially at the end of a game."

"I thought I was going to retire," Solis admitted. "But while the opportunity is there, I’m going to take it. We’re in a really good situation here."

Even some of the more experienced players have taken a new tack to their playing. Peter Naron used to despise weight training, but, as you’ll see, his endurance and strength have improved under the watchful eye of assistant coach Jay Ramirez.

"Now Peter sees the value of weights," Ramirez revealed. "And he’s going to get banged because he is a scoring threat."

For the Negros Slashers, another year together also means more confidence going into the season.

"My boys are really more confident now, I see it," Robert Sison told The STAR. "And the additions of Dino Aldeguer (La Salle) and Jomar Tierra (Davao) have given us the depth we need."

"They’ve been a really big help," adds John Ferriols, the league’s most popular player. "They play the positions we really need."

Of course, the Slashers are still considered a doughnut, having no true center. But, with the strongest second unit in the league, they more than make up for this deficit, as proven by their runner-up finish last season.

"Now I know our system works," Sison continues. "It was just my first year, but we really did quite well. And our second unit really boosted us, especially when we lost Ferriols to injury."

Ferriols and swingman also benefited from playing for the national team and winning the SEABA crown. The increase in their confidence is palpable, even in practice.

Looking at the rest of the south, the Socsargen Marlins and Davao Eagles are rebuilding. Marlins coach Boycie Zamar and new Eagles mentor Jun Noel each have only one player from last season, and working with entirely new material. The situation will be more difficult, though, for Noel, since half of his players come from Davao and have no pro experience.

The way it looks, it will probably be Negros and Cebu slugging it out for top honors in the south. They’re each praying they go all the way to the top of the mountain this time, so that the song of the south will, for a change, no longer be a swan song.