Ginebra's Vroman: Great Player, Bad Fit (?)

We christen thee: The KKS Wolverine

Days since replacing 7"0 import Chris Alexander for the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings, 6"8 FIBA star Jackson Vroman continues to fail to win over ka-barangays with his fiery style of play. It's not even a matter of putting up the numbers (he almost had a triple double the last time out but the spotlight went to Rudy Hatfield's vintage 30-points, 14 rebounds performance), it's about winning-- something Vroman hasn't had much success with (2-2 card).

But should Vroman really be replaced as some ka-barangays have been calling for? Is he that much of a dud?

Our answer is no.


To answer the second question, statistically speaking (despite the win-loss card), Vroman is an improvement on all fronts over Alexander. Vroman's 22 ppg 13.25 rpg 5.25 apg 3.25 bpg are far superior than Alexander's acceptable 14 ppg 20.3 rpg 2.3 apg 1.7 bpg. That, plus the fact that Vroman plays with the tenacity and energy of his teammates Hatfield and Willie Wilson while Alexander has always been the "Mr. Cool" type of basketball player.


When it comes to being vocal, Vroman also doesn't seem to mind taking the leadership role when the need arises-- something that could create fireworks with other temperamental personalities on the Ginebra side (Hatfield, Mark Caguioa, Rico Villanueva, Siot Tangquincen and Alfrancis Chua).

So why haven't they swept their last four assignments since bringing Vroman into the fold and why are fans still stuck in their love affair with Alexander?

First, there's the size factor. At 6"8, Vroman isn't as intimidating as guarding a 7"0 giant on the hard court. Not when we're in the age of 6"6 and up Filipino centers such as Sonny Thoss, JayR Reyes, JayR Quinahan, Rob Reyes and Ranidel de Ocampo. Definitely not when you have your own 7 footer at your disposal and guarding him is a 6"8 bundle of energy. It works on so-so giants, but not against the elite ones (Marcus Douthit, Adam Parada, Dwayne Jones) that we local basketball fans have been blessed to watch playing on Philippine sold.

Second, Vroman isn't a traditional center-- or a power forward even. By all measures, Vroman is a small forward by trade who does his best work running around the floor looking for seams and making hustle plays. Sometimes it works for Ginebra, others, it doesn't and here's why:

Hatfield. W. Wilson. Dylan Ababou.

All three guys play the same way as Vroman. They can put up the points, but are best at filling in the gaps for their team. Defense, rebound, energy and hustle-- that's what they do and are the best in the league at (all behind Arwind Santos of course), the very same traits that Vroman brings to the table.

For a team like the Kings, Alexander looked like the right guy. But in reality, other than Caguioa and buddy JJ Helterbrand (and maybe John Wilson, whenever the spirit/coaching staff moves him) this team is short on scoring prowess. So, given the scoring numbers, you could say that Vroman is just the right guy (since he's contributing on other ends of the floor as well, maybe not a 20 rebounder like Alexander, but still good enough for 13 a night to go with 5 assists and 3 blocks).

The problem is, Vroman is not a legit scorer. He puts up numbers yes, but he isn't a one-one-one scorer (Marcus Douthit), or even a shooter (Nick Fazekas). He's solid, but maybe not the right guy for a team like Ginebra. Not with it's current roster anyway.