Is the UAAP a dying league?

Posted by Jaemark Tordecilla on September 24, 2010 at 18:23 | Comments (29)

A popular chorus among lazy sportswriters is that the PBA is a dying league, a gem that has lost its luster. They rattle off the reasons: the PBA’s gate attendance is on the downturn,¹ the TV ratings are down,² and fan interest is dwindling.³

¹ Actually, gate attendance figures went up.

² Curiously, as former Solar Sports executive Jude Turcuato pointed out, the PBA’s ratings even when it was on TV-5 dwarfed ratings of other basketball programs in the country.

³ Ok, this is true; but consider that when people my age started watching the PBA, the only TV choices on Thursday nights were either the PBA or Lovely Ness. I should also point out that the best months in terms of traffic for this blog came in March and August – the same months when PBA champions were crowned and interest in the league was on a high.

It’s not exactly true, but this meme continues to be repeated, because the people who write them never let facts get in the way of their argument. Ronnie Nathanielsz,⁴ writing how the entry of Meralco into the PBA will help the league regain its former glory, even said that the league is doing badly “except when the more popular teams such as Barangay Ginebra, Purefoods and San Miguel Beer are playing.”

⁴ Nathanielsz has steadily ingratiated himself into the Manny V. Pangilinan camp, even writing an article defending the PLDT chairman in the middle of the latter’s plagiarism controversy last April. Nathanielsz compared MVP to his old principal, Ferdinand Marcos.

Well, if a league does well only when its most popular teams are on the court, doesn’t that mean that the UAAP is dying too? Because when I tuned in to watch an Adamson-NU⁵ match a couple of months ago, there really weren’t very many people in the venue.

⁵ That didn’t stop ABS-CBN announcer Eric Tipan from hyping up the matchup, screaming, “This is insanely good basketball!” In the game, the Bulldogs committed 31 turnovers in 40 minutes. It wasn’t insanely good. It wasn’t good. It was barely even basketball.

But the damage is not just limited to the awful teams. More people went to the Araneta Coliseum to watch a PBA quarterfinals doubleheader – Derby Ace vs. Rain or Shine, Alaska vs. Ginebra – than either Ateneo-La Salle game this season. Hell, more people watched the UAAP cheerdance event than any UAAP basketball game.

So is the UAAP a dying league? It’s a silly question. Of course it isn’t.

But it has been a down year for the league, specifically its product on the court. On the whole, the UAAP games have been a collective shit sandwich⁶ this season. And while, yeah, hardcore basketball fans like me have been sitting through these awful Adamson-NU – and let’s face it, awful Ateneo-La Salle – games, it has felt more and more like a masochistic endeavor.

⁶ And no, I’m not just talking about the UP Fighting Maroons.

The reason the games have been so awful this year is that the players just haven’t been very good. It’s true, when you look at the line up of all the teams.

Take La Salle for example. When they won the UAAP championship in 2004, their backcourt featured Mac Cardona, Joseph Yeo, Ryan Arana, and TY Tang, all of whom went on to have steady PBA careers. Does the La Salle backcourt even have anyone who can play at the next level? Simon Atkins will probably be drafted for his “marketing potential.”⁷ Maybe Sam Marata would make it. But there’s no can’t-miss prospect on the team.

⁷ I bet it’ll be Bo “The Real Genius” Perasol who drafts Atkins. He actually gave Jai Reyes a two-year deal!

Like La Salle, Adamson is a very well-coached team that did well in a weak field. There’s no real elite talent in the lineup; the best PBA prospect on that team is probably head coach Leo Austria, who probably deserves another shot at the pros.⁸

⁸ When you consider how “The Real Genius” has been running Powerade to the ground, you’ve got to wonder how other, more qualified guys like Boyet Fernandez, Joel Banal, and Austria still don’t have head coaching jobs.

Even Ateneo, which has been the big bad wolf of college recruiting the past few years, has virtually an empty cupboard when it comes to pro prospects. None of their big men are athletic enough or skilled enough to play in the pros, really. Nico Salva looks like their best prospect, but he’s not an elite athlete like JC Intal or a sharpshooter like Larry Fonacier, so I don’t know how good his prospects really are. Eric Salamat will probably make it because he’s a heady guy, but can he play the point at the next level? Ryan Buenafe has the talent to make it to the league, but he has so far relied on his physical tools in college, something he wouldn’t be able to exploit in the PBA.

⁹ Also can he quit eating all those Cello’s Doughnuts and Dips and get into shape?

The only real elite prospects this year in the league belong to FEU, which features sophomore RR Garcia and freshman Terrence Romeo. And even then, it’s hard to figure out how good these guys really are, because the level of competition in the UAAP this season has just been so low.

Maybe UAAP fans have been spoiled, because the league has been coming off some sort of a golden age in terms of talent over the last decade or so. Think about the 5 best players, by position, of the last ten years, and you’d come up with this list:

C – Enrico Villanueva ¹⁰
F – Arwind Santos
F – James Yap
G – Mac Cardona
G – LA Tenorio

Did you know that all of those players made it to the All-PBA first team in 4 years after they were drafted? That just underscores the amount of talent we’ve seen in the UAAP this past decade. The best players not only made it to the PBA, but they dominated! It wasn’t a coincidence that the games were very, very good, because the players were very, very good.

¹⁰ Damn, remember when Rico Villanueva was actually good? When he would dunk on guys with two hands before popping his collar?

But we’re now experiencing a dip, and that’s normal. It happened in the late ‘90s too, when we woke up one day and Ruel Buenaventura was the most dominant big man in the league, and Robin Mendoza was the best point guard. Quite a dip from earlier that decade, when the UAAP saw Abarrientos, Limpot, Aquino, Duremdes, Espino, et. al. lording it over.

Fortunately for all of us, it looks there will be a major talent infusion next year, with guys like Ray-Ray Parks and Kiefer Ravena – the best college prospects since James Yap entered the league in 2000 – coming in. Hopefully next year, the UAAP won’t be so awful anymore.

Comments (29) | Trackbacks (2)
Tags: Adamson Falcons, Alaska Aces, Arwind Santos, Ateneo Blue Eagles, B-MEG Derby Ace Llamados / Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants, Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings, De La Salle Green Archers, FEU Tamaraws, James Yap, Jude Turcuato, Kiefer Ravena, LA Tenorio, Mac Cardona, Meralco Bolts, Philippine Basketball Association, Rain or Shine Elastopainters, Ronnie Nathanielsz, UAAP, UAAP Cheerdance, UP Fighting Maroons

Trackbacks

PingBack

Weblog: topsy.com
Tracked: Sep 25, 11:29

The UAAP finals on ABS-CBN gets destroyed in the ratings
As some of you may have figured out by now, I used to work for a company that is part of GMA Network – actually, its GMA New Media subsidiary. The curious thing about working at GMA, aside from bumping into Kuya Germs at the co-op and sharing an elevator

Weblog: Fire Quinito
Tracked: Sep 30, 00:25

Trackback specific URI for this entry

Comments

#1 Davey on 2010-09-24 18:48 (Reply)

I think it was Aaron Atayde who said "This is insanely good basketball!'

#2 workhorse3 on 2010-09-24 18:57 (Reply)

Those footnotes entertained me! hahaha. good thing you placed them directly below the paragraph, I don't want to be scrolling up and down! :p

You have good points in here. Rick O wrote an article in Rebound too about busting UAAP myths, such as

1. Sponsors/Commercials - while UAAP is gaining the "popular" ones like Samsung, Jollibee, etc., same rate lang daw with Elastoseal, B-Meg, etc (which is catered to the working classes).

2. Attendance - Only Ateneo-La Salle, Final Four, Finals, and Cheerdance competition can fill up Araneta. Back in 2006 Fiesta conference, I remember a non-Ginebra game (i think it was PF) and Araneta was jam-packed on an elimination game. Nasa perception nalang ng mga tao yan, and the ones who are saying that the UAAP is more popular than the PBA are the hardcore UAAP fans. For me college basketball, while very dynamic because of the pep squad cheering and run-and-gun play, is a little boring due to low field goal shots, turnover galore, and scores are below 80s. Heck, remember the Ateneo-DLSU championship game in 2008? Both teams scored 4 points each in the final quarter. Ulk.

3. Tickets (my take). PBA's tickets are cheaper than UAAP. really. 90php in PBA can give me a seat in Upper A while it'll cost me 175php to get the same seat in the UAAP.

Me thinks that for the PBA to be a really more entertaining product, they should look at those teams who are acting as conduits than building a competitive team. This really disgusts me as a PBA follower. Anyway, save for Barako and Air21, I believe all teams are competitive naman although tilted ang balance ng onti sa MVP/SMC teams. For the UAAP, dun nalang sa non-Araneta venues pag hindi peak games para may illusion na puno yung venue :p

Good read Jae.

#2.1 Joboy on 2010-09-24 20:19 (Reply)

Hey workhorse3, great analysis. Do you have a sports blog too? I'd love to read up on more of your stuff!

#2.1.1 workhorse3 on 2010-09-24 23:33 (Reply)

nice try, Joboy :p

#3 workhorse3 on 2010-09-24 19:18 (Reply)

you're right about the dip too. While the mythical 5 for this season is deserving because of their stats, I feel they couldn't match-up against, say the mythical 5 of 2008 or 2009. i.e.:

2008 - Casio, Tiu, Cruz, Maierhofer, Al-Hussaini
2009 - Lee, Ababou, Al-Hussaini, Ramos, Espiritu

then in 2010:
Garcia, Lee, Acibar, Mbe, Ramos.

Except for Paul Lee and Ramos, I don't think the others can dominate the pros as what you're saying. Maybe next year we'll get a boost with all the players coming in and veterans stepping up their game.

#4 SYD on 2010-09-24 19:21 (Reply)

given the players now, the only i can see as pba ready are paul lee, magi sison, aldrech ramos, rr garcia, reil cervantes, jr cawaling, chris camus, and eric salamat.

cawaling needs to have a strong next season though. he needs to move earth to get a slot in the smart-gilas (with no pros) in a very productive manner.

as for the others, they aren't ready for the pba.

#4.1 inside on 2010-09-25 19:13 (Reply)

i disagree that sison and camus are pro ready. im only half with you on Salamat, but am in full agreement about the FEU guys. Sison is 6'7 and likes to shoot jumpshots. he doesnt have the speed to make up for his overwhelming lack of strength. i thought he could have been a potential pro prospect a few seasons back because of his height, but watching him this year he does not have the reaction time to go after rebounds nor the strength to overpower opposing big men. as for camus.. he may be an above average athlete, but u have to be more than above average in the PBA to make up for your lack of ball skills, shooting. he is basically a twinner, he plays the 4 but is too small to do so at the next level and does not have the skills to be a 3 man. in a free flowing offense like ust he should have been able to show off his skills, but did not. as for salamat, is he a point or a 2? he isnt fast enough to hang with the likes of jason castro, and he isn't big enough to guard a james yap or dondon hontiveros. but his smarts do make up for this and will determine how he will adjust to life in the big league.
i do agree with you on the prospects of the FEU guys landing in the league though. in fact, i believe their game now is more for the PBA then college pace. if only they could have gotten the right system over there, they would have been unstoppable.

#5 Pacman11 on 2010-09-24 20:03 (Reply)

Any idea where Keifer will play next year?

#6 shubi-dubi du-uaap on 2010-09-24 21:11 (Reply)

i guess the uaap, like the economy, has its boom and bust cycles. i remember in 2002 when the mythical 5 was composed of villanueva, alvarez, yap, baguio, and cortez, while arwind santos grabbed ROY honors.

man, those were the days...

#7 dondeekenz on 2010-09-25 00:36 (Reply)

pano nalang kaya ang NCAA...bwahahaha

#8 GG na sir on 2010-09-25 09:07 (Reply)

DLSU is a good example, remember those Mac Cardona days? Wow, and now look who's their lead guy now, Simon Atkins...

#9 The Legendary Skyflakes25 on 2010-09-25 09:08 (Reply)

but ravena and parks should play in the US NCAA Div. 1.

#9.1 Pacman11 on 2010-09-25 23:44 (Reply)

Actually, Ray-ray Parks has gotten offers from various Division1 school including Derrick Rose's and Tyreke Evan's alma mater Memphis. He is rated as a 3star prospect by Rivals and a 4star prospect in Scout and these are US Div1 level ratings. I wonder how much NU athletic directors make because Rayray Parks has no business being in NU.

http://scouthoops.scout.com/a.z?s=75&p=8&c=1&nid=4202279
http://rivals.yahoo.com/basketballrecruiting/basketball/recruiting/player-Bobby-Parks%20Jr.-103518

#9.1.1 The Legendary Skyflakes25 on 2010-09-27 13:33 (Reply)

baka naman takot sa ballpen? lol
in short, tamad mag aral. lol

#10 splitzapper on 2010-09-25 14:25 (Reply)

In a national scale, hindi talaga comparable ang PBA sa UAAP. Take note that the Philippines is still composed of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The market is well diversed and broad. Practically, main audience ng UAAP, NCAA, et all manila based school leagues are Metro Manila and GMA area.

The PBA is still the only sports entertainment medium in RP that goes way beyond these boundaries. Dito sa probinsya, konting konti lang ang nakaka alam and those who really care to watch the UAAP, kahit pa finals na yan. These are the hardcore basketball (not necessarily UAAP) fans.

PBA is still alive and kicking and still are topic of discussions sa barber shop, inuman, at pancitan. Kahit yung national team natin na smart gilas, eh indi rin kilala masyado, unless nung mga hardcore fans.

But going back to the cycle, yes relatively weaker ang pool of players ng UAAP this season, more so that we've been exposed to better basketball. But it could only get better from now on, hopefully. :)

#11 Mel on 2010-09-25 22:46 (Reply)

the uaap has a captured market and as long as the Ateneo is still there, mabubuhay pa rin siya.

Ateneo games are the most well attended.

Kahit sa Baguio pa ganapin ang laro ng Ateneo there will always be alumni and boosters going out to watch the games.

And yes, Gabby Lopez is an Atenean. Wise gambit to broadcast game 1 of this year's finals in national tv via abs cbn mother channel?

#11.1 jaemark on 2010-09-27 14:22 (Reply)

Ateneo fans are always delusional. The only time Ateneo ever fills up an arena is when they're playing La Salle or when they're playing in the finals... that's the only time their fairweather fans come out. When Ateneo is playing NU, there is about as many fans in the venue as your typical Alaska-Air 21 game.

#11.1.1 workhorse3 on 2010-09-27 22:28 (Reply)

agree. I guess it's human nature, it's the same with the PBA wherein the coliseum fills up come playoffs time.

#12 jedimaster on 2010-09-26 14:19 (Reply)

Chris Camus, when he started with the tigers, was actually playing the 3 spot. It was only because of necessity that he was playing the 4 and 5 positions. And during practice, he used to engage guys like Bautista and Allein Maliksi in 3-point shootouts.

Although i agree that his ball handling is suspect.

And Jaemark i think a lot of the sloppy play of most of the vets this year was the reason for this year's dip. Guys like Cawaling, Sison and Ramos were expected to have a huge impact in the league because of their Gilas experience in the same way Ababou had his breakout year after his stint with the NT. Also, a Paul Lee Coming from an injury, and with most of the team's line-ups loaded with rookies didn't help the league much.

#13 spoof on 2010-09-27 10:36 (Reply)

Jae,

I found something off with this year's UAAP and you definitely hit the mark. No dominance of Alhusseini, Sweet shooting of Casio. I know that basketball is a team sport but every team seems to have lost it's standard 1-2 punch.

To add, one factor for this may be coaching as well -- one good - team games neutralizing their opponents, one bad -- just plain bad coaching -- like making all team's plays as iso plays. :)

If I may as well, medyo nasasawa na ako sa 8 teams na ito. Since I've been watching the UAAP, there have been these eight teams. Nothing new really, I hope that the UAAP considers expanding the league in some way.

#14 Mysterious Blue Eagle Man on 2010-09-27 15:56 (Reply)

Jae,

I was wondering what your opinion on Paul Lee is? Unless I may have missed it elsewhere in the column. I think he's the best pro prospect in the UAAP right now, seemingly a far more complete player than the much revered RR Garcia or Terence Romeo. But that's just my two cents.

#14.1 jaemark on 2010-09-27 16:01 (Reply)

i'd written before here in the site and elsewhere how great Paul Lee is. but he's had nagging injuries all tournament long, hopefully he'll be able to recover in the offseason. he reminds me a lot of Willie Thriller, and yeah, he's probably the best prospect in the UAAP today, although Garcia and Romeo are much younger.

#15 James Ty III on 2010-09-27 17:54 (Reply)

Ryan Buenafe has gained a lot of weight. This has made him a liability lately.

#16 Jame s Ty III on 2010-09-30 12:40 (Reply)

The UAAP lost a lot of its good sportscasters to Solar like Sev Sarmenta and Mico Halili. That's probably why the college league is like that now.

#17 Jeff Tagle on 2010-10-01 01:54 (Reply)

i'll just have to comment on ryan buenafe.

he hasn't been relying on his physical tools. he has very high baskteball IQ. even when he's out of shape, even when he's not scoring, his court vision has always resulted into good plays most of the time.

and that's why he's being trained as a point forward now.

#17.1 rawr on 2010-10-04 08:57 (Reply)

Labo nga e. Relying on physical tools daw, pero sa "footnote" get into shape. Pano yun?

#17.1.1 jaemark on 2010-10-05 14:11 (Reply)

Well, he uses his natural physical gifts -- his size and his strength -- to get advantages on the court. he's usually bigger and stronger than the players he is matched up with in the UAAP.

People who use their physical tools do not necessarily have to be in shape, i.e. Shaquille O'Neal.

#18 Will on 2010-10-01 15:28 (Reply)

It's sad that collegiate bball leagues have also come down to which school has more money.

From recruiting top h.s. players wherein richer schools offer bigger "signing bonuses", to important/finals games wherein game officials(as evidenced by the just concluded feu-admu finals) and even opposing teams' players can take dives in lieu of hefty paydays(where mvp stands for most valuable paydays).

So sad, really.

#19 some insider on 2010-10-01 17:52 (Reply)

for everyone's info, one of the main reasons why big money is pouring into teams is to prevent their players and/or coaches from being bought off.

the sad thing is, these players don't really have any choice since it's between life and death.

having said that, most players don't really "throw" games completely, they just try to meet the point spread. problema when they try to close out on the point spread, nadidisgrasya minsan kaya natatalo out of nowhere.

then again, this doesn't apply to all players. these kids play their hearts out, more than most professionals. and to accuse the players of game fixing is unfair to them.

now accusing the refs of game fixing? heck that's a given for the last several years.