Noel did it again

Barangay Ginebra import David Noel proved his victory in the 2006 NCAA Slam Dunk competition was no fluke by topping the PBA version during the All-Star extravaganza at the Araneta Coliseum last Sunday.

Noel, 25, did a cartwheel and hand backspring before taking a pass from Kings teammate Paul Artadi to throw down a two-handed slam in scoring a perfect 50 in the two-round finals against Gabe Norwood. He also tallied 50 in his other dunk, a one-handed windmill rim-rattler.

In 2006, Noel executed the same acrobatics to win the NCAA title at the Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis a week before the Final Four. He faced University of Cincinnati’s James White in the finals. Noel wasn’t threatened as White missed his last two dunks to hand the title on a silver platter.

Noel reserved his best dunk, ironically after clinching the PBA championship over Norwood, winner of the locals division. With the crowd chanting for one more dunk, Noel obliged like a trouper and raced from the other end of the floor to elevate at the free throw line for a board shaker. That brought the house down.

Noel had nearly a free ride to the dunk-off. In the imports division, Gabe Freeman and Anthony Johnson flubbed their second attempts to wind up scratching their heads, wondering what happened. Freeman tallied 72, Johnson 57 and Noel, 83.

The five judges were US Ambassador Kristie Kenney, Australian Ambassador Rod Smith, Harlem Globetrotters visitor Anthony (Buckets) Blakes, PBA press corps president Nelson Beltran and this writer.

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The surprise was three-time champion Niño Canaleta’s exit after the double-round eliminations. He scored 89 to Norwood’s 91. Jared Dillinger was third with 67 although he emerged the fans’ favorite by wearing Nike’s new Manny Pacquiao T-shirt and shorts with boxing gloves. Unfortunately, Dillinger couldn’t handle Jimmy Alapag’s pass with the bulging gloves and failed to connect on two attempts in the first round.

Canaleta’s repertoire was difficult but not spectacular. He didn’t flush with the flourish that marked his previous romps in the annual contest. But I thought he deserved at least a dunk-off instead of an early send-off. I scored it dead even for Canaleta and Norwood at 18 points apiece after the eliminations. The consensus was Canaleta held back, keeping his best tricks for the finals which everyone thought he would easily make. The Elevator should’ve let it all out from the start.

Norwood, nicknamed Mr. President for his resemblance to US chief executive Barack Obama, was graceful but not impactful. He wore an Obama T-shirt for effect, once went down on his knees to plead for a high score from the judges and even unfurled a poster of “Gabe Norwood for President” with Rain Or Shine teammate Sol Mercado as his accomplice. The crowd went crazy over Norwood’s antics.

Fans expected more from Freeman who’s probably more graceful than Noel but not as forceful. He tried an intricate maneuver where San Miguel Beer teammate Jay Washington threw the ball on the side of the board and he was supposed to catch it on the rebound from the baseline before throwing it down. The trick backfired and Freeman settled for second place in the imports division.

What was initially a nine-man affair ended up a six-man joust. Defending champion Kelly Williams fell ill and begged off. Washington skipped the tournament, too. He backed out at the last minute. Purefoods’ Jahmar Thorpe also withdrew as Marquin Chandler had already flown in to take his spot in the Tender Juicy Giants roster. 

No doubt, Noel deserved the trophy and the P20,000 bonus he collected for winning the imports division and the overall title.

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Ambassador Kenney was impressed by the performance of all the dunkers. So was Blakes who commented on the players’ athleticism and potential as future Globetrotters.

In between dunks, I found out more about Ambassador Kenney’s passion for sports. She plays tennis, jogs and dives. For the All-Star festivities last Sunday, the Ambassador brought along some 30 Sisters of Mary Girls and Boys Town kids from Silang, Cavite, who were treated to an unforgettable experience.

Sitting beside Ambassador Kenney, I learned she follows the PBA. She knew Canaleta was a three-time Slam Dunk champion and Norwood’s nickname, too. Ambassador Kenney was familiar with Noel’s North Carolina history and nodded when I pointed to his shoes, the light blue-and-white Tar Heel sneakers with the university logo. What a coincidence that Noel and Norwood dunked off for the title. In 2006, Norwood played on the George Mason University team that beat North Carolina, with Noel playing, 65-60, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

I mentioned to Ambassador Kenney that former US Ambassador Nicholas Platt was a squash enthusiast and had a court built on the Embassy grounds many, many years ago. Ambassador Kenney said she doesn’t play squash because it affects her tennis but has played the game and the Embassy court is still very much alive. She mentioned her husband, US Ambassador to Colombia William Brownfield, is a regular squash player.