Vroman debuts, but Caguioa steals the show
Everyone was waiting to see what fancied import Jackson Vroman could do, but it was the resident superstar who had the hot hand for Barangay Ginebra as the Kings repulsed the Powerade Tigers, 105-96, in the PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Ynares Sports Center in Antipolo.
Coming in to replace Chris Alexander, Vroman had a pretty good PBA debut of 19 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks in 35 minutes as he displayed his athleticism and court smarts, although he was terrible from the free throw line, hitting only 5-for 14.
But when it came to making the clutch plays, the Kings called on Mark Caguioa to deliver the goods, and the 11-year veteran didn't disappoint, pouring in a game-high 31 points to lead Barangay Ginebra to the win and a 3-1 record.
"The Fast and the Furious are still here," Caguioa said after the game, referring to his backcourt partnership with Jay-jay Helterbrand, and possibly also taking a dig at Powerade's celebrated Big Three wingmen, who have hogged the limelight for much of the season.
"Mark Caguioa has always been a special player," Ginebra coach Siot Tanquincen said. "The versatility of people around him, medyo nagkakaroon siya ng leeway to get to the basket to get his shots."
Caguioa scattered 16 points in the pivotal third period, where Ginebra outscored Powerade 31-18 to break open what had been a tight contest. The Kings opened up an 18-point lead early in the fourth period and were never seriously threatened the rest of the way as the Tigers could only manage to trim the lead to nine several times late in the game.
"Being a player pag nakikita mo na may nagagawa import mo medyo tumataas laro ng locals," Tanquincen said. "Not to take anything away from Chris because he brought us wins naman. But we always look for ways to improve iyong team namin."
Tanquincen was impressed with Vroman's versatility, as the veteran journeyman showed he can take it strong to the basket and run the floor well, as well being a pillar on defense with timely shot blocks.
"Versatility niya, nagbabago ang timpla ng team namin," added the coach, who also said his team is more balanced now that the surplus of guards on the roster has been addressed. "Noon ang dami naming guards, si Junthy (Valenzuela), si Jay-jay, si Ronald (Tubid)."
Mike Cortez and Dylan Ababou added 15 and 10, respectively, for the Kings, who now occupy solo second. Many experts have tabbed Ginebra as the new team to beat with Vroman onboard, and once the NBA veteran gets his legs under him and the locals continue to play well, the Kings will indeed be a tough nut to crack.
After racing to a 2-0 record, the Tigers have now dropped two games in a row. Gary David again led the way with 23 points, but had only one field goal in the second half, a meaningless triple with only a few seconds left in the game. He was hounded all game long by the long-armed Ababou, who worked hard on ball denial and never allowed David to get a good rhythm in the second half. Import Dwayne Jones had a workmanlike double-double of 13 points and 16 rebounds, while Marcio Lassiter and JV Casio put in their usual numbers with 19 and 18, respectively, but the Powerade bench combined for only 18 points.
The Kings' defense held the Tigers to only 39% shooting from the field and forced them into 22 turnovers, which Ginebra translated into 26 turnover points.
E-mail: sid_ventura@yahoo.com. Twitter: @Sid_Ventura
