Defending champs uneasy on throne

Coca-Cola coach Chot Reyes expects rough sailing in defending the Tigers’ All-Filipino Cup crown in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) this season.

What bothers Reyes is the league’s new bracketing system where Coca-Cola is grouped with Ginebra, Red Bull, Talk ‘N’ Text, and Shell. The other group is composed of Alaska, FedEx, Purefoods, San Miguel Beer, and Sta. Lucia Realty.

In the All-Filipino Cup format, the top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals. All 10 teams will play 18 games each in the double-round eliminations then the top four teams in each bracket move on to play three games against groupmates in the quarterfinals.

Reyes says Coca-Cola’s bracket seems tougher than the other, at least on paper. Red Bull is the consensus preseason favorite while Talk ‘N’ Text and Ginebra are also hot picks to contend for the crown. Then there’s Coca-Cola, the defending titlist. Shell is the darkhorse in the group. Three of the five teams will miss the semifinals.

PBA sources explain the basis for the bracketing was the alphabetical order, crisscrossing from one group to the other. According to the sources, it was the only system that made sense, considering last year’s standings were skewed because of the absence of key players in two of the three conferences due to the Asian Games. Besides, the alphabet order came closest to the S-shaped order of battle in ranking the teams on the basis of their performance in the All-Filipino Cup last season. The S-shaped order is what is used to determine the bracketing in the Asian Games basketball competitions.

Reyes, 39, says mainstays Johnny Abarrientos and Freddie Abuda will start the season in the injured list. They will be eligible for duty only after sitting out five games. Both players underwent offseason surgery and are still in the process of recovery.

Abarrientos had facial surgery to repair the cheekbone fractures he suffered during the All-Filipino Finals against Alaska last year. Abuda went under the knife to fix his ankle problem and in the process, Dr. George Canlas removed bone spurs. Abuda has joined his teammates in drills but is still not scrimmaging.

To fill in the void, Coca-Cola signed up free agent Rob Wainwright to a six-month contract and rookie Jec Chia to a one-year deal. The Tigers’ first round pick Reynel Hugnatan was inked to a P3.36 Million, two-year pact. Under PBA rules, a drafted rookie must be signed to at least a one-year contract.

Reyes says when Coca-Cola’s turn came to draft last month, Jimmy Alapag was still available but he decided to pick Hugnatan instead. "At first, Rudy (Hatfield) thought we should’ve picked Jimmy," relates Reyes. "Now, after seeing Reynel play, Rudy’s convinced. Reynel’s not as polished as Jimmy but he brings a lot more to the table. Besides, with Johnny, Ato (Morano) and Leo (Avenido), we didn’t need another point guard. So we went for a big man. Reynel’s a hard worker. He’s got a good sense and knowledge of the game. He’s smart. He’s a smooth operator. He can play the three, four and five spots. He’s a good perimeter and post defender. He’s our understudy for Freddie. He’s a better post player than Freddie but Freddie has more range in his shot. I drafted Freddie for Purefoods in 1993 and I see a lot of Reynel in him–they both deliver a lot of intangibles."

Hugnatan, 24, is a 6-5, 200-pound multi-purpose player who’ll probably settle in at the three spot in Reyes’ rotation.

As for Chia, Reyes says he reminds him of Olsen Racela. "I also drafted Olsen for Purefoods in 1993," recalls Reyes. "Initially, we thought of signing up Olsen as a practice player and we offered him only a one-year contract, just like Jec. But Olsen proved himself as the season went on. Jec and Olsen are a lot alike. They’ve got the same work ethic. Pareho pa silang sakang–kung tumakbo, they’re like twins. We’re converting Jec from a two-guard to a point guard."

Chia, 23, is a 6-1, 170-pound guard. He was a vital cog in the Ateneo team that won the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) title last year. Chia was voted the UAAP’s Most Improved Player.

Missing in this year’s lineup are Estong Ballesteros, Jovy Sese, Cris Bolado, and Jason Misolas. Reyes says he’s farming out the players to keep them active. Misolas, for instance, will play for Viva Mineral Water in the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) while Sese will suit up for Jazz Cola in Cebu.

Also missing is assistant coach Binky Favis who moved to Ginebra. Reyes says he recruited Racela’s brother Nash, a former Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) and PBL head coach, to fill in the void. Reyes’ other assistant coaches are Biboy Ravanes and Salvador (Aboy) Castro.

"Of course, we’ll miss Binky," says Reyes. "But remember, he couldn’t work with us anyway in the first two conferences last year because he was assigned to the national team. So Biboy and Aboy got a lot of experience in Binky’s absence. Aboy was a senior manager, almost a vice president, at Procter and Gamble. He finished chemical engineering at UP and is a thesis short of earning a Master’s degree in human resources. But he gave up his job to coach because he just loves the game."

Without Abarrientos and Abuda, the Tigers beat FedEx, 101-77, and Shell, 86-73, in the preseason. Against the Turbochargers, five Tigers scored in twin digits–Hatfield, Wainwright, Hugnatan, Jeffrey Cariaso, and Rafi Reavis. Jojo Manalo chipped in eight points and Chia, six.

Back to lead the charge for Coca-Cola is Cariaso who’s fresh from inking a P13.2 Million, three-year renewal. Cariaso was the league’s third leading local scorer last season, behind Asi Taulava and Mark Caguioa. He hit at a 13-point clip in 33 games, including 22 with the national team.

Despite the Tigers’ tough bracket, Reyes says they’re determined to defend their crown. It won’t be easy because the other teams have gotten stronger. But Reyes promises Coca-Cola will be in the thick of the fray all the way.