The Green Archers are off to their best start since 2007. Let us rank the top ten performers for the first week of the season.
1. Jeron Teng – 15.5ppg, 5.5rpg
On both contests, he shook off a slow start to come up big in crunchtime. You have to be impressed with the way he explodes to the rim, absorbing the contact and still making the shot. He needs to do a little work on his freethrows though since it is evident that he will be fouled a lot while on the offensive.
2. LA Revilla – 13ppg, 8.5 rpg, 5.5apg
One has to wonder how the 5’7 LA can be among the team leaders in rebounds. Aside from the defense, he has done a very good job settling the team down and orchestrating the offense. He has also proven to be steady from the foul line.
3. Norbert Torres – 9.5ppg, 9rpg, 1.5bpg
After a double-double performance against UP on opening day, Norbert struggled to find his rhythm yesterday against the pesky UE defense, finishing with just 3 points and 4 rebounds. We expect to him to bounce back against FEU this Sunday.
4. Jovet Mendoza – 8.5ppg, 72.7FG%, 2.5rpg
His value is not only measured by stats but also by his hustle and tenacity on both ends of the floor. In their game against UE, Jovet made several key baskets inside that gave the Green Archers enough cushion to thwart any comeback efforts by the Red Warriors.
5. Luigi dela Paz – 6.5ppg, 2.5apg
After being sidelined for much of the preseason due to injury, Luigi is slowly coming back to form. Against UP, he scored 9 points and was almost perfect from the field.
6. Yutien Andrada – 6ppg, 6rpg, 2bpg
As mentioned before, Yutien appears to have fully recovered from his ACL injury he sustained last year. His defensive presence will play a huge part in the team’s campaign this season. He struggled offensively against UE but still managed to grab 5 boards and rejected 2 shots.
7. Arnold Van Opstal – 2.5ppg, 5.5rpg
He is still feeling his way through after not being able to play in the preseason. He scored 5 points and had 9 (6 offensive) rebounds against UE. We expect his numbers to further improve as the season goes along.
8. Jed Manguera – 0.5ppg, 1.5spg
It comes to no surprise why Jed is part of the starting line-up. His role is to hound the opposing team’s top scorer which he performed well during the preseason.
9. Thomas Torres – 7ppg, 3rpg
In his first UAAP game yesterday, Thomas made an immediate impact off the bench by scoring 4 straight points to put the team in control after the first quarter. He was a scorer during his high school days so he is very much capable of heating up offensively when given the opportunity.
10. Almond Vosotros – 2.5ppg. 1.5rpg
He saw limited action yesterday against UE but was able to finish the game with 5 points. Almond will be counted upon for his perimeter scoring.