Letters from the Commissioner
2004- 2005 Season
A Letter from the RBA Player/Commissioner Mr. Peter Rea: Hello and welcome to another action packed, star studded four days a week Resalest Basketball Association season. It just doesn't get any better than the RBA! Let's take a look at the individual performances. Adriane Go made a dramatic entrance into the league. He can do it all and is particularly adept at driving inside the key, faking, pivoting and draining the jump shot of floater. This guy has a high shooting percentage and he is a bruiser under the basket. Adriane was a dominator. He shows up to play. An offensive machine, his shots kept going in from all over, inside, outside, whatever. He's got the strength and courage to go inside and the finesse and touch to hit from outside. His defense is just as strong as he powers his way to rebounds and wows the crowd with dramatic blocked shots. He set an RBA record on March 9, 2005 by canning 22 3 point shots. All of his 66 points came on 3 pointers! He does it all, hoop to hoop, driving the ball, dishing out timely assists. AJ Panlilio dusted off his rubber shoes and played the game he loved so many years ago. Although lacking in aggressiveness, nevertheless he got out on the court. Not one to make his presence known in a dramatic fashion, AJ still had his moments where he drove the ball all the way to the other end. He played solid D and looks like a Zero to Hero guy in the making. AJ continued to develop his confidence and on court presence. When he gets hot, look out! Nobody plays better. He's all over the court, hounding the opposition, making pinpoint perfect passes. As the season, AJ became more aggressive, anticipating the pass and going for the steal, fighting for rebounds and taking shots when open. Fourth quarter was AJ's breakout quarter. With the encouragement of Neil Paras, AJ became an every day aggressive player. Not easy for someone as peaceful as AJ, but he learned he could be a peacemaker off the court and a combat soldier on the court. His play reminds us more of his legendary Kuya Tong's every passing day. In the first quarter it was not clear how much hoops Adam Chung had played previously,l but he got out there on the court and played. That's the first step. His shooting improved with the passage of time and he seemed more comfortable with the game. Second quarter he developed his outside shooting game and saw his shooting percent go way up. He tried to decide how hard to push himself. It's not easy being cool and playing all out, especially in the developmental phase. Third quarter Adam learned how to drive to the basket and fight for the loose ball. He learned how good it feels to improve in basketball, to play hard and play well. To play hard, sweat and push yourself. Great to see him take on the challenge. Ryan "Mayor" Malonzo, with that powerful right arm of his, was hard to stop when he lunged for the steal. Time and time again he would do the same maneuver and it seemed next to impossible just to bring the ball past center court when he applied the pressure. Ryan played both ends of the court, helping his team on both defense and rebounding. It's such a pleasure to see a player go all out. He can hit outside and take it to the hoop. He never stopped hustling and gave himself to every game and always showed up. Steals are his hobby. He's not afraid of a collision to go after the ball. And if Ryan hits the ground nobody gets up quicker and continues playing hard. Pain means nothing to him. Ryan plays his heart out and inspires all. Jelvin Sy is a rebounding king and it's no accident. Under the layers of fat is plenty of muscle and Jelvin is overpowering under the hoop. You just can't get position against him for a rebound. He just swats you away like a piece of paper. Jelvin knows exactly what to do to get a rebound. He harasses the shooter, gets in position and goes after the b all. Offensively, he is fearless in driving to the basket. He can use his body mass to make his way to the hoop for the layup. Strong dude. Jelvin never gives up on a play. He is relentless. He is better at moving the ball down the court and doesn't always pass when defended at mid court. His shooting touch improved but he's mainly an inside guy. Pound the ball to the hoop and get the ball in off the glass (wood). His development in the RBA was awesome. The ultimate Man in the Middle. Chase Sy was a similar to Jelvin. Super strong, Chase is a mountain in the middle and his rebounding numbers were incredible. Rebounding against Chase is like going against a grizzly bear. You ain't gonna win! HA! HA! HA! Tough dude. Going into second quarter he was feeling his way through the league. Either he didn't know how good he was or he's just out of shape or he has too much fun to pay hard. Of course, basketball is a game and you're supposed to have fun. That's true. Development takes time but Chase had all the makings of a hero. He needed to push himself. No one could do it for him. No coach can give a player the drive to excel. In time, it will come, unfolding like the petals of a flower. The truth is if you give the game everything you've got, you improve and that is fun. Becoming a great player is fun. By fourth quarter Chase learned to push his physical limits, ignore pain and fatigue and move beyond what he thought was possible. Rich Sy zipped up and down the court, super deadly from outside and also accurate inside. He is a player with leadership thrust upon him. Rich scored a lot and stole a lot. His three pointers generally went in and his speed and cunning led to thefts and fast break opportunities. Rich is a dangerous player. He likes to lull the defender outside then drive past him for the easy alyup. Speed is his primary weapon, better keep your eye on him or the ball will be gone. Juano Garcia was the flashy stud of the RBA. Lacking in size, he made up for it with magical moves and perfect inside shooting. Marlboro Country or not, Juano is someone people would pay money to watch. No one is more explosive for five minutes. Second quarter he was having a spectacular quarter when he was felled by injury. Juano enjoys playing a rough game and he won't back down from a fight. Defenders are often frustrated by Juano's moves to the hoop, his fakes and weaves. At times it can get tense if there isn't enough humility in the defender. First quarter Mac Colmenares flashed brilliance at times. Powerful guy, he lacked only the drive, the commitment to play every day and become a super star. Second quarter Mac contented himself with playing one end of the court. Another cool guy, it's not easy for Mac to be cool while developing in basketball. Neil "The Real Deal" Paras moved his game to another level first quarter. Getting tougher every day, Neil ignores pain, fatigue, heat, sweat and any other obstacle. Neil was a leader. The young guys look up to him so when Neil showed up and played hard it did a lot for the whole league. Neil knows what it's like to break through the barrier of fatigue and push himself beyond his limits. Third quarter Neil was monster. He continued to push himself and enjoyed the feeling of denying fatigue. We are all limited by our thinking. "It's so hot. I'm tired. It's so hard. I can't do it." And so on. This type of thinking keeps us from growing. We can do great things with our lives but we have to change our thinking first. We need to be positive. We need to believe in ourselves and God's power to change us. We had some fun with the WRBA in the second quarter. Mara Garcia brought her joyful personality to games. She had a lot of points and rebounds in one game. Vanessa Garcia scored one basket, presumably to see her name in the PE stats. There's so much girl power this year, why not? And an opportunity because so few players. Pia Almario was a little more active. She had a good time and screamed just as loud as the other girls. Diorella Cua's stats don't reflect it but she played defense the way it's supposed to be played. We all have pent up frustrations and Diorella released hers in a positive way on the basketball court. Dana Gaspar scored without messing up her hair. Now she's really a girl. But who's to say that playing a sport like basketball isn't feminine? Perhaps we need to redefine masculinity and femininity. Otherwise, boys have all the fun in sports and girls are missing one of the best things in life. They have shoes, clothes, fashion, giggling, makeup but still. Third quarter Dana focused on her shooting and it improved. Vanessa Garcia got out on the court and played a good full court game. She played defense and worked on her shooting. It's great seeing girls playing basketball. Who will be the first Filipina in the WNBA? When will there be a WPBA? Tim Rea made his RBA debut and did well. He was all over the court. Tim can hit the outside shot, drive to the hoop, play defense and move the ball. Not bad for a 12 year old. Mr. Peter Rea made a valuable contribution to his team. A wrist injury limited his play the last month. He learned how Ryan Malonzo has to play, one handed. So, that does it. RBA Rules! Hope to see you at Roosevelt Park, Greenhils West this sumer. It was an honor to be with you all this past school year. You're the best! A very special thanks to Miss Malou Madrid for her efforts as statistician. Thanks so much!
2003 – 2004 Season
A Letter from the RBA Player/Commissioner Mr. Peter Rea: (Leo Paleracio: stats, referee: Number 1!) Hi, everybody, and welcome to another action packed, never ending, dramatic season in the RBA! Four days a week, it's Thrillah in Manila at Roosevelt Park, Greenhills West. Without further ado, let's take a look at the star performers in the first quarter. Ryan "Tony Parker" Malonzo had the highest arching shot on record. Deadly from downtown, Ryan hustled on every play and punished opponents with his tenacious defense. Jelvin "Robert Horry" Sy was a powerful presence on the court. His medium range bank shot couldn't be stopped and he gave his heart and soul to each game. Mike "Mike Bibby" Pantaleon put up some impressive scoring numbers. If only his mental health had held, he would have been a force to be reckoned with. Mark "Dennis Rodman" Escuadro rebounded at will. Mark was like an oak tree under the hoop and made his opponents pay a painful price. Rich "Yao Ming" Sy came out of nowhere to get steal after steal. His speed on the court was surely a marvel. Jared "Charles Barkley" Baraceros played like a hippopotamus in heat. His power and precision made him dangerous on both ends of the court. Mac "Karl Malone" Colmenares got his feet wet, dipping his big toe into the pool. The star is waiting to be born! Few have such raw talent as Mac. Neil "Rick Fox" Paras moved effortlessly on the court. His bank shots high off the glass generally went in. No one played the game with more pure joy. Justin "Allen Iverson" Cabreza led the RBA in rebounds/game, proving that positioning and jumping ability can compensate for lack of height. Jay "Jason Kidd" Cuaki brought his Ateneo varsity star skills to the RBA. His drives to the hoop were absolutely professional. What a ball player! Animal! Dino "Arvidas Sabonis" De Los Santos resembled a speeding freight train. His drives down the court may not always have led to baskets but they were awesome all the same. Martin "Julius Erving"' Javellana became a Muscle Man over summer making him a five tool player. He was not to be denied when driving towards the hoop. Vince "Vince Carter" Meily was an offensive juggernaut. His shooting percentage was of the chart and he never stopped hustling. Enrico "Shaquille O'Neal" Navarro powered his way to the basket. Woe to the defender who might get in his way! Nathan "Kobe Bryant" Nocom led the league in rebounds, steals, assists and blocked shots. A complete player, a coach's dream, Nathan's quickness, anticipation and on court vision are the stuff of legend. Mark "David Robinson" Reyes' sound effects, blind passes and all out play were entertaining! Ton "Michael Jordan" San Diego brought his game to a new level. Air San Diego is incredible! Matt "Matt Harpring" Tan's ball movement and skills were at a professional level. Jay "Derek Fisher" Solana's dexterity, coordination and talent were spectacular! Dana "Lisa Leslie" Gaspar and Mike "Teresa Weatherspoon" Benipayo had girl power. RBA Rules! Hi, everybody! And what a landmark second quarter we had! Three best of seven series, complete with nicknames of pro or college players and color commentary as well as cheering! In the first series, the East Coast defeated the West Coast four games to one. Game scores were: 80-74, 82-66 blowout, 90-67, 57-69 East Coast avoids being swept and 69-50. West Coast was not to be denied. In the second series, the Ateneo Blue Eagles knocked off the La Salle Green Archers, again four games to one. Game scores were: 69-63, 68-66, 66-63, 74-81 La Salle avoids the sweep and 73-70. At this printing, the LA Lakers led the San Antonio Spurs two games to none in the current series. Game scores: 84-82 2)T and 64-63. Good matchup! Let's look at the individual performances. Ryan Malonzo aka Tony Parker, LA Tenorio and Kareem Abdul Jabbar played aggressive defense, forcing turnovers, hounding the opposition and draining three's with the highest arc in history. Jelvin Sy aka Jermaine O'Neil, Chris Tiu and Robert Horry was deadly from ten feet out. Jelvin played a high energy game and was deceptively tough. Mark Escuadro aka Dennis Rodman, Gerwin Gaco and David Robinson was the Man of Steel. Although his shooting needed refining, Mark's inside game was overpowering. Rich Sy aka Mitch Richmond, Magnum Membrere and Speedy Claxton was a Speeding bullet racing down the court. The reigning Steals King, Rich came out of nowhere to take away balls, leaving opponents befuddled. Jared Baraceros aka Anthony Mason, Marco Benitez and Samaki Walker was missing in action. No player was more missed than Jared! Mac Colmenares aka Shawn Kemp, Jun Jun Cabatu and Avery Johnson started his Zero to Hero move. Mac is leaner, meaner and he can play with the best of them. He showed surprising floor speed. Neil Paras aka Reggie Miller, Joseph Gatchalian and Gary Payton showed us that he's a joke no more in the RBA. Neil's inside game heated up and he always found a way to score from close in. Neil is the real deal. JP Alba aka Ben Wallace, Eric Yao and Dennis Rodman? Hmm. Well, he did ref one game where he wasn't the worst ref in the world! HA! HA! HA! Jay Cuaki aka Carmelo Anthony, JV Casio and Derek Fisher sizzled, driving to the hoop, faking, shooting from outside. Jay can play this game, make no mistake about it. Dino De Los Santos aka Antoine Walker, Carlo Sharma and Malik Rose came to polay. Dino's bursts of energy were breathtaking. When he gets the ball, Dino smells the basket like a hunting dog! Martin Javellana aka Steve Nash, Joseph Yeo and Manu Ginobili could do it all. When Martin is determined, he scores! His drives to the basket are the stuff of legend! Vince Meily aka Vince Carter, Paolo Bugia and Karl Malone was a guy who bled for his team. Always an offensive threat, Vince was not averse to diving across the court, sacrificing his body, for a loose ball. Vince gets better every game. Enrico Navarro aka Shaquille O'Neal and Doug Kramer was a powerful presence driving to the basket. A physical player, Enrico used his massive presence to bulldoze a trail to the basket! Nathan Nocom aka Kobe Bryant and Larry Fonacier led in rebounding, assists and blocked shots. A team player, Nathan is a multi-tool guy who gets high in the air to help his team win. Few players anticipate like Nathan. Some competitor! Mark Reyes aka Allen Iverson, Manny Ramos and Steve Kerr was always entertaining but also effective. Mark plays the game with such pure joy and abandon that it is very gratifying to watch him do his thing. Ton San Diego aka Kenyan Martin, Mac Cardona and Magic Johnson led in points, PPG and RPG. He delights in canning three's with no arc whatsoever. Ton drives to the basket with fury and passionate desire. People pay to watch him play. Or they should! HA! HA! HA! Matt Tan aka Tracy McGrady, Rich Alvarez and Tim Duncan really metamorphosed when the Best of Seven Series started. Once the competitive fire was lit, Matt played with a sense of urgency we hadn't seen before. An effective player, Matt decides he's going to score and then he scores! Jay Solana aka LeBron James, Wesley Gonzales and Tony Parker was a guy who combined grace, agility and desire to excel. Long passes, faking inside, playing D, Jay was the full package. It was hard to lose with Jay on your team. Dana Gaspar aka Lisa Leslie saw some action and showed us the true meaning of Girl Power. Jeko Pereda, Resalest alumnus and RBA Hall of Famer came back for old time's sake. Great seeing Jeko. Leo Paleracio did the impossible: keeping stats as well as reefing. What a job Leo continued to do for the RBA! Thanks, Leo! Dana Gaspar and Mika Benipayo did admirable duty on the scoreboard so players would always know what the score was. Thanks, Dana and Mika! So, everybody, keep up the great work! RBA Rules! See your for Game 3! Lakers vs. Spurs! Third Quarter: In the first tournament, after losing the first two games, the San Antono Spurs came back to win the Series in six games, sweeping the last four games. Game scores for the series were: 84-82 2OT LA, 64-66 LA, 68-66 Spurs, 56-52 Spurs, 64-56 Spurs and 79-71 Spurs. In the second Tournament, the NBA West All Stars defeated the NBA East All Stars four games to two. Game scores were: 68-66 East, 76-45 West, 72-65 West, 54-53 West, 58-55 East and 55-53 West. What a series! Really well match. Everybody won because everybody played hard! Ryan played textbook defense, stifling his opponents and impeding their ball movement. Jelvin cruised down the court, a vibrating mass of power. While driving down the court he sometimes lost control of the ball, but generally recovered and found the ball before the defense could make the steal. Mark Escuadro worked on his shooting game and the effort paid off. He continued with his high octane rebounding game. Rich Sy has quickness like you've never seen and his three point shooting was right on the mark. Mac Colmenares continued with his evolution into a top prospect in the RBA. When he's motivated, Mac con turn on the gas and play as well as anybody. Neil continued to flourish as a genuine offensive threat every time he touched the ball. From rim to rim, Neil can take it all the way. JP Alba distinguished himself more as a referee than as allayer. No matter what the player and what the mood of the crowd, JP made the tough call! Nobody intimidates JP! Jay Cuaki drove hard to the basket, stopped and popped and followed up every missed shot with a tough offensive rebound. Dino's self confidence raised and his speed, power and finesse were remarkable. Dino's passion for the game was contagious. Martin stepped up big time. A true team leader, Martin scanned the court as he drove the ball, making the lightning pass for the easy hoop or taking it himself all the way. Count it! Vince drained shots from outside and canned baskets inside off the glass. Vince pushed himself to the limit in every game. Mark Reyes was a true showman, outside, inside, one against three, you name it, Mark did it. Ton San Diego never saw a shot he didn't like. Mr. Peter Rea aka Larry's Bird played some tough defense, getting the tough steal in a two one one situation. Fourth quarter: Jelvin Sy finally learned to put p his arms against shots. Mark Escuadro was powerful in the paint. Neil Paras learned to attack the basket rather than relying on his outside shooting game. Dino combined power, courage and humor in a dazzling display of masculine entertainment. Martin was more absent than present. When he wasn't singing "Put Your Head on my Shoulder" to Mike Benipayo in the basement at school, he was on the court, leading his team to another impossible comeback victory. Gio Villaluz aka Yugio House of the Dead aka Giodude was a classic Zero to Hero guy. A very strong man physically with, yes, more than his share of fat, Gio nevertheless overcame his fears and learned to play the game. A deadly shooter, Gio can break his opponents' elbows with a single swat of his massive arm. RBA Rules! Thanks, boys!
A Note for the 1997 – 1998 Season
Commentary: Kurt Hahn means business on the court. He's one tough player. A future Hall of Famer! Joshua Arevalo was a leader on defense, a guy who canblock shots at will. He's also well on his way to the Hall of Fame. David Ang is developing and slowly but surely he will be a future All Star with his tenacious defense and hustle! Carlo Benedicto is a tough player. On the court, he can move like the wind, whether on offense or defense! BJ Fabiosa can play ball. He can move the ball, steal, hit the three point shot. Dennis Sy is a real player. He hustles, rebounds, battles for the ball. Eric Tan came back from a shoulder injury to show how the game is meant to be played! Ramnel Santos is a very aggressive player who can move the ball, take it all the way to the hoop, unselfish, plays tough D. Miguel Silverio is a guy who really developed into a hounder on defense, steals leader and scoring. Rocky Gutierrez is a future pro player, a guy who can do it all, from rebounding to ball movement and three point shots. Pepe Lavina is an aggressive, unselfish player with all the moves! Tyrone Ponce De Leon is pure magic, from the three point shot to the moves under the basket! JR Oca was the Jeep Ni Erap Team coach who led his team to the Addition Hills League Championship Game! Niki Rojas was the MVP along with Class Valedictorian. Mr. Peter Rea didn't do too bad for an old guy. Plays tough D, can hit the outside shot, hustles all the time. Thanks for all the good times, boys. RBA Rules! HA!