Fil-Am ready to invade D-League

SAN FRANCISCO – Fil-Am swingman Robbie Herndon said yesterday he’s ready to take the PBA D-League by storm preparatory to making a splash in the PBA next season the same way that his play-alike Klay Thompson splashed his way to stardom with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA.

Herndon, 22, was in Manila for three weeks last August with another Fil-Am prospect Mikey Williams and their San Francisco-based Filipino agent Jason Aniel to test the basketball waters. They played practice games with Rain Or Shine, Alaska and Kia and got positive reviews. Aniel, a lawyer, is finalizing their citizenship documents for the D-League draft on Nov. 19 and hopes they’ll be in uniform when the PBA farm system begins its next season in January.

Herndon said he was impressed with Rain Or Shine’s competitiveness during his coming-out practice games and singled out Jericho Cruz for his quickness and court smarts. “Rain Or Shine impressed me the most by the way they competed at practice and how physical they were,” said the 6-3 former San Francisco State cager. “I felt they knew what type of team they would like to be and they had a goal in mind and wanted to accomplish it.”

Like Williams, Herndon has played Rep. Manny Pacquiao in pick-up games in Los Angeles and Manila. “Manny is an awesome guy,” he said. “He’s very humble and welcoming. There’s always a bunch of people around him so I know things must get crazy for him but he handles it all very well. I’ve played with him in a handful of pick-up games in L. A. and in the Philippines. I’ve also visited his home in Forbes Park. You can tell he loves the game of basketball. I haven’t been able to see any of his fights live but it would be awesome to, though.”

A criminal justice major, Herndon is in his last semester of studies and will earn his degree by the end of the year. “I’m currently a full-time student and a single man,” he said. “If I didn’t have basketball, I would be working towards becoming a fireman or something along the lines of criminal justice. I’m very excited to start playing in the Philippines. I’ve been working hard to stay ready and be prepared for when my opportunity comes. People can expect an all-around scorer who wants to win and will make it tough for the guy I’m guarding to score. They will see some very deep three-balls going in. I’m comfortable at the two and three positions. I don’t really see much difference in those positions (as) they’re both the wing to me. I’m also comfortable playing point guard. While I was playing at the two or three, sometimes the coach would have me play point guard. Do I shoot like Klay Thompson? Any shooter would be happy to hear that they shoot like Thompson but I’m going to have to agree. I can get going fast. Thompson is a good comparison but I drive to the rim as well.”

Herndon said he remembers playing against Talk ‘N’ Text’s Matt Ganuelas when the Gilas guard-forward was with Cal Poly Pomona. “I had some of my best games against Matt’s team which was the best in the league and I love to play against the top teams,” he said. “I remember getting hot against them, hitting like four 3s in a row. Matt is a good player and plays good defense and hustles. I know he was a main contributor to his team. My stats at San Francisco State were okay for my standards. I had some really good games like when I had 21 points against the University of San Francisco which is a Division I program. I believe my strength is that I’m an all-around scorer. I can score from behind the 3, mid-range and also driving to the rim and put-backs. I love to rebound like I’m a big man. I have a good instinct on rebounds and getting second chance points. Being physically strong helps. That’s why I like to lift weights and stay strong. I can also guard multiple positions on defense. I’m quick enough to guard the 1, 2 and 3 but strong enough and know the game well enough to guard the 4. My weakness is I need to get better at fighting around screens because at the Rain Or Shine practice, I was getting screened pretty well and I felt that’s an area I need to improve at. I would also like to get my vertical jump higher so I can finish above the rim.”

Herndon’s father Robert, Jr. is 3/4 Filipino whose father Robert Mesa Herndon, Sr. is half-Filipino and grandmother Zenaida Lagrosola is Filipina. “My father is a police officer in the city of Vallejo, California,” he said. “He’s also part of the SWAT team. My mother is a real estate agent. My dad is pretty tall being that he’s 3/4 Filipino, he’s about 5-11. Other than that, I don’t really know where I got my height from. I lift weights and work out. I used to play football while in high school and my coach had us lifting weights. After football season, I noticed how being strong and muscled helped when I was on the basketball court. So I just kept lifting weights throughout the years to stay strong and fit. I’m roughly about 195 pounds.”

Herndon vowed to become a dominant player, offensively and defensively, in the D-League. “Winning is the most important thing so I’ll try my best to help my team win,” he said. “I’m also a very competitive practice player so I know I’ll bring some good energy at our practices. I like that the PBA is a physical league since I’m a physical player myself. I have a finesse smoothness to my game but I can turn that into physical at any given time. It confuses the defense when I’m playing smooth and finesse from the perimeter then attack the rim strong.”

Herndon said five-time PBA import Marqus Blakely is a personal friend and a player he looks up to. “We hang out when he’s in L. A. and I’ve also played with him down in L. A., too,” he said. “He’s in Korea right now but we keep in touch through text and stuff. Good luck to my man Marqus this year.” As for Williams, he said the Fil-Am guard is a poised point guard who can shoot and pass. “I’ve played in pick-up games with Mikey,” he said. “He can finish above the rim which will get the crowd going. I think he and I would be an awesome duo in the D-League or the PBA because we get along pretty well as friends.”