UAAP big men Lhuillier’s gems

Coach Luigi Trillo isn’t promising anything when Cebuana Lhuillier-Pera Padala returns to the PBL starting with the staging of the Silver Cup on Nov. 11.

For one, Trillo will have two of UAAP’s imposing big men — Adamson’s Ken Bono and Ateneo’s Doug Kramer. Put in Macky Escalona, Ramil Tagupa, Erick dela Cuesta, Emerson Oreta and Mark Abadia and Cebuana Lhuillier’s rivals are indeed in for a big surprise.

Trillo also tapped a pair of veteran 6-foot-5 players in Abby Santos and Alwyn Espiritu, both a threat inside and outside, and a rugged player in 6-foot-3 Mark Yee, who despite his lean frame is as tough as nail in defense skills.

Also in the roster are former National University star Rey Mendoza, Mapua’s Joeferson Gonzales and Don Dulay.

The 6-foot-5 Bono is the hottest collegiate player these days, having won the MVP honors in the UAAP after beating Ateneo’s JC Intal in one of the league’s most tightly-fought contests for the highest individual award.

Actually, it’s a reunion of sorts for Trillo and his former Adamson boys, including Bono, Tagupa and Abadia.

"At least they know my system already but the rest, they are still trying to adapt to my system and that’s my concern right now," said Trillo. "PBL is a different league compared to UAAP and other leagues so Bono and the rest of the members of the team will have to raise their game."

But it’s not going to be a problem for Bono.

In the Unity Cup early this year, the beefy center from Iloilo won the Quantum Leap award for being the most improved player, a feat that earned him a spot in the Second Mythical Team.

"We should not rely much on Bono, we must be flexible so that we can adapt to any kind of game," said Trillo, hoping that they could find the right chemistry before the tournament starts.

But with a tall and star-studded line-up, they are expected to reclaim the status the team enjoyed during the time of Samboy Lim and company.