PBA Fastbreak: Air21, Talk N Text open Comms Cup with wins

Enzo Flojo

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PBA writer Enzo Flojo breaks down day one of PBA Commissioner's Cup action

SWERV. Air21 import Herve Lamizana had just 2 points at halftime but exploded in the second half to finish with 22. Photo by Nuki Sabio/PBA Images

Air 21 over GlobalPort, 83-78 

The Best: With a healthy Simon Atkins and Jonas Villanueva manning the PG spot for the Air 21 Express, Joseph Yeo slid back to shooting guard, his natural position. It paid dividends, of course, as the shifty former Green Archer shot 9/17 from the field on his way to 21 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block. The man nicknamed “The Ninja” is clearly more comfortable on the wings, but he still found time to dish out 5 assists to his teammates. He’s an unheralded two-guard in a league dominated by the household names likes of James Yap and Mark Caguioa, but if he keeps consistent with this kind of production, then he might be mentioned among the top-tier guys pretty soon, too. 

The Worst: It was a baptism of fire for neophyte PBA head coach Pido Jarencio, whose team led at the half before the Express woke up in the third quarter and held strong late in the payoff period. Jarencio enjoyed a great 28-26 night from import Evan Brock, who played for Barako Bull last year, but he got little else from the local cast. With Justin Chua the only other guy to score in double-figures (10 points on 4/6 FG shooting), Jarencio has his work cut out for him in terms of finding other reliable sources of offense. New guys Alex Cabagnot and Bonbon Custodio combined for just 12 points, while rookie sensation Terrence Romeo fired blanks and finished with a paltry 3 markers. 

Ivory in the rough: Cote D’ Ivoire national team mainstay Herve Lamizana had a rough start in his PBA debut, scoring just 2 points in the first half, which promptly elicited a tongue-lashing from coach Franz Pumaren, but he made up for it by scoring 16 in the third quarter alone to pull his team up and negate a 5-point halftime deficit. Lamizana would go on to finish with 22 points and 10 rebounds, but he’ll have to be more offensively potent in Air 21’s next few games if he wants to stay put as a PBA reinforcement. His 5 blocks, however, were very impressive. 

Talk N Text's Jayson Castro puts a shot up over import Robert Dozier. Photo by Nuki Sabio/PBA Images

Talk N Text over Alaska, 85-72

The Best: Young import Richard Howell made quite the impression last night, grabbing THIRTY rebounds as the Tropang Texters dominated a listless Alaska quintet. The North Carolina State alum didn’t show a lot of polish on the offensive end, shooting just 7/22 fro the floor, but he more than made up for it by dominating the battle of the boards. On a team loaded with so much firepower from the local crew, a workhorse like Howell might just be the perfect fit for coach Norman Black. 

The Worst: If Alaska fans were hoping to see a fresh Rob Dozier in form for the Aces, well, suffice to say they were quite disappointed. Dozier hasn’t played a lick of pro ball anywhere since Alaska won the Commish Cup in 2013, which probably played a factor as to why he wasn’t exactly a dominant force in this match. The former Memphis Tiger shot just 5/11 from the field and 5/9 from the line to finish with 16 points. Now, though he did grab 10 rebounds and block 4 shots, this is still not the same Rob Dozier who won Best Import in 2013. The fault is not all his, however, as fellow starters Sonny Thoss, JV Casio, and Dondon Hontiveros struggled mightily as well. Those three combined for just 15 points in 95 total minutes.

RaniDirk: Ranidel De Ocampo was just unstoppable in this one. The Gilas Pilipinas PF showcased his fine shooting touch, nailing 2 triples and 7/8 of his free throws on his way to a game-high 21 points. He also added 10 boards and 2 steals in a really impressive showing for the Texters, who are looking to have a strong conference after failing to defend the Philippine Cup. RDO also got a lot of help from fellow Gilas stalwarts Jayson Castro and Jimmy Alapag, who paired up for 23 points, 8 assists, and 4 treys. – Rappler.com

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