PBA 1 on 1 King of the Hardcourt

During his heyday, the Kid
was unguardable

Not so long ago, the PBA came up with a brilliant idea to feature some of its best one-on-one talent in a side tournament. Sadly it was not treated with proper marketing and hype, resulting in a rather forgettable sideshow that not so many remember was bested by Letranites Willie Miller Chris Calaguio (for the guards division, besting Mark Caguioa) and Kerby Raymundo (for the bigs, winning over Asi Taulava).

Today, we have an avalanche of basketball talent that may or may not be showcased by their respective teams or are getting the props that they rightfully deserve. A quick look on all of the 12 PBA teams' rosters and it's easy to come up with a solid list of guys we'd like to play 1-on-1 in front of paying, adoring fans maybe during halftimes or even in between games.

With our format, we're not going to separate the bigs from the smalls. We're talking about naming a 1-on-1 hardcourt King here, so what's the point if we are to name two? Plus, you could argue that smalls will get obliterated by bigs inside the paint-- but at the same time, in a halfcourt setup, bigs will have to chase the smalls around the hardcourt and defend them all the way outside.


Here's our list, tell us who wins:

Vic Manuel, SG, Alaska
Calvin Abueva, SF, Alaska
RR Garcia, PG, Barako Bull
Carlo Lastimosa, SG, Barako Bull
Alex Nuyles, SG, Blackwater
Bam Gamalinda, SG, Blackwater

James Forrester, SG, Ginebra
Chris Ellis, SF, Ginebra

Terrence Romeo, SG, GlobalPort

Stanley Pringle, PR, GlobalPort
LA Revilla, PG, Kia Motors
Reil Cervantes, SG, Kia Motors
Sean Anthony, SG, Meralco
Jarred Dillinger, SF, Meralco
Mark Borboran, SG, NLEX
Aldrech Ramos, SF, NLEX
Justin Melton, SG, Purefoods
Allein Maliksi, SG, Purefoods
Jericho Cruz, PG, Rain or Shine
Ryan Arana, PG, Rain or Shine
Chris Lutz, PG, San Miguel
Marcio Lassiter, SF, San Miguel

Kevin Alas, SG, Talk'n'Text
Matt Rosser, PG, Talk'n'Text

Personally, based on strength and ruggedness, we're going with Abueva as a lock to make the Finals, with maybe a gritty "punk" like Romeo or skilled Maliksi making it through.

Who wins?