All-Star duel looms for PBA locals, Fil-fors

San Miguel Beer forward Danny Seigle led all vote-getters for the 2004 Philippine Basketball Association All-Star game, which unwittingly took a new twist and virtually turned into a match pitting homegrown bets against Fil-foreign players at the end of the balloting for the starters on both sides.

Seigle, on the comeback trail after an injury-plagued 2003 season, garnered 223,009 points from in-venue voting, texting and on-line balloting to earn one of three starting frontline spots in the South team alongside fellow Fil-foreigners Eric Menk of Ginebra and Asi Taulava of Talk n Text.

Jimmy Alapag, also of TNT, and Purefoods rookie James Yap earned the two backcourt spots to complete the starters for the South team that will enjoy homecourt edge in the match serving as highlight of a week of fun and thrills in Cebu City from Aug. 9 to 15.

On the other hand, former league MVP and perennial All-Star standout Vergel Meneses garnered the most number of votes for the North side, where he will be joined by Ginebra’s Romel Adducul, San Miguel’s Danny Ildefonso and Olsen Racela and Purefoods freshman guard Paul Artadi in the starting unit.

Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao and Ginebra’s Siot Tanquingcen will call the shots for the two teams, earning the right for leading their respective teams in the finals of the Gran Matador Fiesta Conference semifinals.

Guiao and Tanquingcen will be joined by the coaches of the league’s eight other ballclubs in a separate poll that will fill the seven remaining berths on both sides in the mid-season extravaganza.

Taulava, the reigning league MVP, got 88,054 points and Menk 117,390 to run away with the two other starting center-forward spots in the South team, easily bumping off South Cotabato pride Kenneth Duremdes of Sta. Lucia Realty (51,731).

The biggest surprise in the South team was Yap, a 6-3 gunner from Escalante in Negros who not only earned a trip to the All-Star on his first pro season but will also start alongside Rookie of the Year awardee Alapag (106,694).

Yap will be the only non-Fil-foreigner in the South team starting unit. His 81,953 points bumped off Cebuano hero Dondon Hontiveros of San Miguel (54,899) from the South side’s backcourt. Joining Yap in the All-Star game is Artadi who will start with veteran Racela for the North team.