Salud rates refs an 8

PBA commissioner Rudy Salud was pleased, on the whole, with the officiating in the season opening game between Meralco and Barangay Ginebra at the Araneta Coliseum last Sunday.

The arbiters who worked the contest were Class C-2’s Sherwin Pineda and Reymond Maurillo and new Referee B Dennis Barbacena. Salud positioned himself at a courtside table with a TV monitor facing him during the game. Previous commissioner Sonny Barrios used to watch from the last row of the lower box section for a wide view of the action.

Someone mentioned that Salud is unnecessarily exposing himself in the line of fire by sitting close to the hardcourt. When coaches and players argue a call or a no-call, they usually stare down the PBA officials at courtside. Salud, however, couldn’t care less. He’s ready to take the flak. He’s serious about pursuing a policy of fairness, transparency and parity. If any coach has something to say to him, he’ll take it frontally.

“I thought the officiating generally complied with the new framework,” said Salud. “A little more focus, though, should be placed on away from the ball contact on offense where the offensive player is being impeded. Offense must be given freedom of movement. Grappling and arm-locks will be closely watched.”

Salud gave a rating of 8 for the referees’ performance on a scale of 1 to 10. Not a bad start considering the league’s three top referees weren’t picked to run the game. The top-rated referees are Class A-1 Luisito (Boy) Cruz, Class B-1 Art Herrera and Class C-1 Peter Balao. Additionally, the PBA Press Corps’ Referee of the Year awardee Manolito Quilinguen, rated Class C-2, sat out.

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Riel Banaria, who officiated five games in the NBA pre-season last year, was offered to join the PBA referees’ pool but begged off due to pressure of work. Banaria, a former NCAA Division I referee, was born in Manila and moved to Las Vegas when he was three. He resettled back here this year and initially thought of pursuing a referee’s career. Banaria, 39, has worked in four NBA summer leagues, the 2008 US Olympic exhibitions and the NBA pre-season. He also officiated in the Korean pro league.

Banaria is busy working for a company that distributes Korean goods, including the popular colored therapeutic tape, in the country. He would’ve joined the PBA if only weekend games were guaranteed but since assignments are drawn only before a contest, backed out. Banaria said he could serve as an officiating consultant if the PBA wanted.

Former PBA cager Johnedel Cardel was also on the short list of newcomers but in the end, only rookie Dexter See was signed up. See, 29, worked five years in the PBL and is a physical education graduate of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

This season, the PBA is employing 18 referees with a salary range of P15,000 to P45,000 a month, excluding game allowances of P2,000 for the eliminations. Referees are evaluated on a game-to-game basis and their classification may change in the course of the season to reflect performance.

Salud said the new officiating philosophy of calling only clear and hard contact will go a long way in giving the fans what they want – an exciting, free-flowing game. Ticky-tack or touch (in local basketball lingo, “manipis”) fouls won’t be called and marginal or incidental contact will be ignored.

In the Meralco-Ginebra encounter, the Bolts were whistled for only 12 fouls and the Kings, 17. Meralco went 11-of-21 from the line and Ginebra, 7-of-15. Last season, Sta. Lucia Realty (now Meralco) averaged 25 fouls and 28 free throw attempts a game compared to Ginebra’s 24 and 27. Clearly, the drop in numbers was an indication of the application of the new officiating philosophy.

The game was surprisingly low-scoring as Meralco won, 73-72. Defense made the difference with players taking more chances in going physical, realizing the referees won’t be whistle-happy. The Kings had difficulty finding their rhythm in transition because the Bolts were quick to sprint back and protect the basket.

With the referees making a conscious effort to let the players play, you’ll see less zone defenses and more face-to-face action. That’s how Meralco played Ginebra. Bitoy Omolon stayed glued on J. C. Intal, rookie Shawn Weinstein kept Willie Miller in check and Yousif Aljamal made life a little difficult for Ronald Tubid. The Kings played zone in the second quarter but went man-to-man down the stretch.

Meralco played physical, hard-nosed defense and it took a toll on Ginebra in the final minutes with Intal and Miller fumbling under pressure in losing crucial possessions. The Kings, on the other hand, weren’t too primed on playing defense, hoping their offense would be enough to carry them through.

Meralco played smart in not trying to engage Ginebra in a shooting match. The Bolts buckled down defensively and the trick worked. Kings coach Joseph Uichico’s gamble of sitting down Mark Caguioa for Miller didn’t pay off. Yo-yoing his players in and out of the game to maintain their minutes proved to be a costly misadventure.

“Our guys are still adjusting to the new officiating philosophy,” said a Ginebra team official. “The referees are adjusting, too. We didn’t play as physical as Meralco. It’s a long season. We’ll bounce back for sure.”