The Gold Standard

Photo: Wikipedia.com

Bobby Parks, Norman Black, and Sean Chambers-- just a few of the PBA's more storied American basketball reinforcements who have led their respective teams to multiple championships and glory. They would take over games while earning the oohs and aahs of the PBA faithful. Players that you love to hate, but would also leave you in awe of just how effortless they make the game look be it on television or live in person.

They ruled the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Other names have come and gone, leaving impressionable marks in the league, such as Lamont Strothers, John Best, and Denzel Bowles, and for a time, we would almost always see teams trying to get imports of a certain mold to match whoever was dominating the league the reinforced conference/ season before.

This era, we have Barangay Ginebra San Miguel's Justin Brownlee.

DMND.

Calvin Abueva.

Calvin Abueva.

Some say the troubled Phoenix LPG Fuel Masters wingman is the embodiment of all things Pinoy old school basketball. Others argue that he is an irritant, an uneducated, unfiltered troublemaker who seeks and thrives in all of the media attention.

Currently, he is serving an indefinite suspension-- the longest in league history, since June 2019. PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial has gone on record several times to say that there's a 'to do list' for Abueva to be able to have his suspension lifted, with the Final decision still up to the board. 

There are those who wish for Abueva to be reinstated, if only to be able to provide a decent living for his family, given the length of the days that he has already served. There are those who wish for the league to kick Abueva out of the PBA altogether, to serve as an example for what not to do as a professional basketball player.  

Sinag Shines Through

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!
(Photo courtesy of Spin.ph)

Before you readily dismiss Sinag Pilipinas’ 2013 Southeast Asian Games (held in the “you can actually hear the crickets on live television” empty Zayar Thiri Stadium in Myan Mar) gold medal in the men’s basketball tournament as something of a birthright, rest assured that it was no easy task for everyone involved.

Already a given is the pressure to win it all, brought about by our continued dominance of the sport this side of Asia. Adding to that is the way we fully expect this team not just to win—but to flat our send a message and obliterate the competition by winning by AT LEAST TWENTY POINTS.

Unfair? Unreasonable?

Ray Ray Parks, Jr. is The Natural

Ray Ray Parks, Jr. is the future

Is the reigning UAAP Most Valuable Player ready to make the jump to the Philippine Basketball Association?

This was the hot topic raised the other day following Parks' explosive 32-point outburst that propelled his National University squadback into Final Four contention over the revived De La Salle University program. Parks was making everything look easy, thus this writer's proposed moniker for him. Pretty sure that Quinito Henson or Mico Halili will definitely come up with something cheesier, but what the hell.

On offense, yes, Parks does appear to have that superstar game necessary to be relevant in the pros. He can definitely score from all angles and has nifty handles for his rare combination of size and speed. Defensively however, Parks still has a long way to go to even be considered as an elite basketball player.