Hobbled B-Meg not giving up

Although crippled by injuries, B-Meg is in the thick of the battle for a slot in the PBA Governors Cup title playoffs with coach Jorge Gallent unveiling a new import against Rain Or Shine to start the semifinals at the Araneta Coliseum tomorrow night.  

The Derby Ace Llamados finished the single-round eliminations in a three-way tie for fifth and advanced by virtue of the quotient system. The semifinals will also be a single-round affair with six qualifiers carrying over their win-loss records. The top two finishers move on to dispute the championship in a best-of-seven series but any team that wins four of five semifinal games earns an automatic playoff for the second finals ticket as an incentive for a late bloomer. If two teams wind up tied for second with identical win-loss records and a third team wins four of five, the deadlock is broken by the quotient system with the survivor playing off against the wildcard late bloomer.

Out for the conference are B-Meg mainstays Kerby Raymundo, Jonas Villanueva and Rico Maierhofer. Raymundo suffered a fracture in his foot during a practice game against Lhuillier in Cebu during the offseason. He’ll be reactivated next conference. Villanueva played the first five games this conference then went down with an ACL injury, sidelining him until February. Maierhofer suffered an ACL tear early the previous conference and hasn’t played since going scoreless against Powerade in Tubod last Feb. 26. He reportedly said he’ll be ready for action if the Llamados make it to the Governors Cup finals but team manager Alvin Patrimonio isn’t taking any chances. Patrimonio said Maierhofer will be reactivated with Raymundo next conference. A premature return may be costly.

B-Meg started the Governors Cup with import Stefhon Hannah of the University of Missouri. Gallent’s original choice was Jeremy Wise but he ended up with the Petron Blaze. Hannah, 26, led the Llamados to a 2-2 record, not enough to keep him on the roster. Taking his place was Darnell Hinson, a Mike Tyson look-alike who averaged 24.4 points with Northeastern State in the NCAA Division II in 2003-04. 

Hinson came with some serious baggage. He played four games with B-Meg. In his debut, Hinson compiled 26 points and 10 rebounds as the Llamados surprised Talk ‘N’ Text, 111-105, in Dubai last June 30. The next game, he sputtered with five points. In his farewell outing last Friday, Hinson erupted for 31 points to lift B-Meg to a 111-89 blowout over Air 21.

Hinson supposedly asked for his release to attend to a child custody case in his Oklahoma hometown of Tulsa. That was the “official” reason but the grapevine leaked the rumor of a sensitive issue confronting Hinson. The scuttlebutt was Hinson’s mother was murdered by his stepfather last March. Hinson flew out of Manila last Saturday reportedly to attend the first day of the murder trial against his stepfather on Monday. Hinson didn’t want the news of the murder out in media while he was in town but now that he’s gone, his fans deserve an explanation for his mysterious exit. There is talk that if things work out in the trial, Hinson may be back to reclaim his job with B-Meg in time for the push to the finals. Hinson has nothing to be ashamed of – in fact, he is to be commended in his fight for justice at the expense of a playing contract.

Meanwhile, B-Meg will suit up Myron Allen as its third import tomorrow. Assistant coach Richard del Rosario said Allen is a combo-guard who has been impressive at practice. He arrived last Sunday.

Allen, 32, has played in Mexico, Israel, Bosnia and China. This season, he averaged 15.3 points with the Shandong Flaming Bulls in the Chinese league. Allen shot .547 from the field and .724 from the free throw line with the Bulls.

The good news in the B-Meg camp is new recruit Joe DeVance’s smooth transition as a starter in Gallent’s rotation. The other piece of good news is Rafi Reavis’ return to duty from a shoulder injury that sidelined him the entire Commissioner’s Cup and all but one game in the Philippine Cup.

James Yap, P. J. Simon, Marc Pingris, Roger Yap, Don Allado, Jerwin Gaco, Jonathan Fernandez, Josh Urbiztondo and Romel Adducul provide warm bodies for Gallent in the hunt for the title. B-Meg’s depth allows Gallent to use size or quickness, depending on the situation, as a weapon to stay competitive. James Yap’s ability to deliver as a go-to guy is a major boost. But what makes B-Meg tough as nails is its blue-collar attitude – the work ethic is evident in the way the players hustle on the floor. It remains to be seen if Allen is a right fit for the team.

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There’s a high-energy Filipino group called Legit Status leaving Manila this weekend to compete in the varsity 18-and-under division of the World Hip Hop Dance Championships at the Red Rock Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on July 26-31 and the team of eight is ready to unravel a two-minute routine that’s guaranteed to shake up the 30-nation competition.

The World Hip Hop Dance Championships is considered the most prestigious annual international competition of its kind in the last 10 years. Hip Hop International, creator of the TV show “America’s Best Dance Crew,” produces the event. It will be Legit Status’ third appearance in the contest. In 2009, the group placed seventh of 41 during the preliminaries and advanced to the finals and last year, it finished sixth of 42.

The Philippines is the first and only country to win the adult division crown twice in the meet in 2006 and 2008. Now, Legit Status is bidding to keep the country in the street dance map with a victory in Las Vegas behind founding coach Vimi Rivera of the University of the Philippines’ The Crew. Rivera is also the coach of the Skechers Streetdance Battle 2010 champion La Salle Greenhills Aoirforce and the NCC Dance 2011 champion St. Benilde Romancon Dance Company.

The team is made up of Justin Silva of La Salle Greenhills, Derek Clutario of UST, Gabby Dario of UP, Mark Tabangcura of UST, Korinne Aniban of La Salle, Leo Segundo of UP, Rammy Bitong of De La Salle University and Suzie Agustin of Ateneo. The dancers were hand-picked from several clubs and are mostly college freshmen, all full-time students devoted to their passion for dance. 

Last June 25, Legit Status headlined a concert at Market! Market! to raise funds for the trip to Las Vegas. It was the group’s third show at the venue and last year, over 1,300 showed up to support the fund-raiser. 

Teddy Dario, whose daughter Gabby is with the team, said the goal is for Legit Status to finish in the top three. “The eight dancers bested hundreds of aspirants in auditions,” he noted. “The Philippines has consistently ranked in the top 10 in the grueling annual dance festival the last few years. The team is again touted to be one of the favorites in this year’s championships. We are reaching out to prospective sponsors and benefactors to assist our team whose resources are only from what their families can contribute. Legit Status will be happy to perform for sponsors as a way of expressing gratitude. This is a world-class act and I think Legit Status is in a position to win the world championship. It’s a wonderful opportunity for a corporate sponsor to join hands with Legit Status in bringing honor and glory to the Philippines.”

For particulars on Legit Status, coach Rivera may be contacted at 0927-9439257 or Dario at 895-8110 or 0917-896-6264.