Rich to play for sure

Shell coach John Moran slept in yesterday morning. He wasn’t available to take my 8 a.m. phonecall. A sleepless night, perhaps? Moran probably burned the midnight oil, preparing for the Turbochargers’ game against Talk ‘N’ Text at the Big Dome tonight.

But team manager Bobby Kanapi returned my phonecall bright and early. So did his assistant Vicky Araneta. They were both upbeat about Shell’s chances to bounce back from its 90-81 setback to Barangay Ginebra in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Fiesta Conference opener last Sunday.

Of course, the first question I asked Bobby was expected. It’s on every fan’s mind. Will the year’s first overall draft pick Rich Alvarez play against the Phone Pals?

Alvarez was benched by Moran in the Ginebra game, prompting catcalls from his multitude of fans. Despite the jeers, Moran stuck to his decision until the bitter end. It turned out to be a not-too-auspicious debut for Moran whose Shell contract was initially challenged by the Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines (BCAP) president Chito Narvasa. The BCAP later withdrew its protest.

"Rich is definitely playing," said Bobby. "Rich not playing against Ginebra was taken out of context. You’ve got to understand that Rich reported for practice only a few days before the Ginebra game and the other guys had been practicing for a month and a half. Coach felt Rich wasn’t ready for what he wanted to do in the game. Rich will get his chance to play but not in that first game. It’s just a question of timing."

Bobby explained that Moran didn’t want to ruin Alvarez’ debut by throwing him into the lion’s den without properly preparing him for the battle.

"Coach and Rich talked about it after the game," continued Bobby. "Rich appreciated it. I believe in John and his system which he’s introducing slowly. Against Ginebra, I saw a different Shell team out there from last year. I thought we would’ve been blown out if we played like before. But we stuck it out until the breaks went against us in the end. As far as management is concerned, we’re supporting Coach."

On a positive note, Bobby said he was pleasantly surprised to note how many fans Alvarez drew to the coliseum. "I was stunned," continued Bobby. "I didn’t realize how big a following Rich has. I apologize to his fans for not living up to their expectations of Rich playing that game. But I hope they understand what Coach tried to do. It’s for Rich’s own benefit. Coach didn’t want to risk a false start. If you take away the emotional dimension of Coach not playing Rich, you’ll realize why he did what he did."

As for the Turbochargers on the whole, Bobby said he couldn’t be more pleased.

"The guys are motivated and confident," said Bobby. "Take Chris Jackson, for instance. He’s the league’s oldest player–Chris is 38. But you should see the way he runs at practice. The guys are close. They do things as a team. There’s no superstar among them. After practice, they lift weights, go to the spa and hang out."

What about Moran’s dreaded midnight practices?

"That’s over with," replied Bobby. "He did several of five of those 10 p.m. to 12 midnight sessions, more for mental conditioning than anything else. Coach stopped that about a week and a half ago."

Bobby said he couldn’t ask more from Shell import Marek Ondera who played at the University of California-Irvine, a US NCAA Division I school, with Turbochargers teammate Tony de la Cruz. He described Ondera’s attitude as exemplary. "His attitude is great," said Bobby. "I’d really feel bad if later on, it’s decided to let him go for whatever reason."

Ondera, who is of Italian descent, played two years at Irvine under coach Paul Douglass. Writer Andy Katz said he has the ability to score from different spots on the floor. Another US college basketball scribe Stephen Dodge said Ondera is "relentless" on the boards.

Douglass said Ondera creates a problem for defenses because "he can take bigger forwards outside but he can also go inside and shoot over the top."

In 1997-98, Ondera averaged 19.7 points and 7.2 rebounds for Mira Costa Junior College and won MVP honors in the Pacific Coast Conference. He shot an eye-popping 65 percent from the floor. The next year, he transferred to Irvine where, according to Katz, he "brutalized the Big West’s small forwards with his leaping (40-inch vertical) ability." Ondera averaged 13.3 points and 10 rebounds in his last four games of the season.

Meanwhile, Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio confirmed the Tender Juicy Hot Dogs will play importless against Barangay Ginebra in the first game of a PBA twinbill this afternoon.

Troy Brown of Providence tried out as a walk-in but Gregorio said he wouldn’t fit the team’s style of play. "We got together as a group and we decided to play All-Filipino," said Gregorio.

The problem is Purefoods can’t play importless for too long. The Hot Dogs play Shell in General Santos City on Thursday and Alaska next Sunday.

Gregorio ruled out bringing back former import Derrick Brown because he’d be too short to match up against the likes of Asi Taulava, DaVonn Harp and Art Long. "We need someone like a Julius Nwosu," said Gregorio. "Last year, we needed a super import to do everything for us. Now, we’ve got enough scorers and we need a big rebounder."

Gregorio said he’s considering 6-8 Anthony Bonner of St. Louis to replace injured Lenny Cooke. Another candidate on standby is 6-8 Ivory Coast native Mohammed Woni of Clemson.

If things work out, Bonner could be here Monday morning at the earliest. Bonner, 35, played six years in the NBA. He’s averaging 14.2 points and 8.7 rebounds in 39 games for Great Lakes in the Continental league. Bonner is an experienced globetrotter with stops in Greece, Turkey, Puerto Rico, Spain and Russia.

Cooke underwent surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon at St. Luke’s Hospital last Wednesday night. The next morning, Dr. George Canlas released him. Last Saturday, he showed up in crutches at the Purefoods practice in the Sports Kamp and the players dropped everything to rush to him and wish him well. Cooke will stay here about a week more with his girlfriend Unique and their 4-month-old daughter Heavyn.

Flash. Moran phoned just as I finished this piece. He confirmed that Alvarez will play tonight. Moran explained his methods of practice and style of play in a long conversation. You’ll read all about it in The STAR.