Speedin’
2013 Roster:
Agustin Amar, Jr., Renzar Asilum, Matthew Ball, Andres Paul Desiderio, Joseph Ray Gallarza, Moriah Joel Gingerich, Andrew Michael Harris, Kyles Lao, Jason Ligad, Samuel Joseph Marata, Andre Alonzo Paras, Martin Javier Pascual, Miguel Antonio Reyes, Raul Soyud, Janus Kyle Suarez and Julius Paul Wong
Season 76 Standing:
8th Place (0-14)
Pomp and Circumstance:
Samuel Marata, Matthew Ball, Paul Desiderio, Jason Ligad, Andre Paras, Raul Soyud, Julius Wong, and Kyle Suarez
Stats Don’t Lie:
Lost 43.43 PPG, 6.15 APG, 28.2 RPG, 1.46 SPG and 3.26 BPG
Returns and Additions:
Mark Juruena, Darwish Bederi, Diego Dario, Carlo Escalambre, Nomer Gonzales, Jarrell Lim, Dave Moralde and Chris Vito
Projected 2014 Depth Chart:
| C | Chris Vito (1st) | Darwish Bederi (1st) | Martin Pascual (1st) | |
| F | Mark Juruena (5th) | Paul Harris (2nd) | ||
| F | JR Gallarza (4th) | Moriah Gingerich (5th) | Nomer Gonzales (1st) | |
| G | Dave Moralde (1st) | Kyles Lao (2nd) | Jarrell Lim (1st) | |
| G | Henri Asilum (3rd) | Mikee Reyes (5th) | Diego Dario (1st) | Carlo Escalambre (1st) |
Pre-Season Standing:
Premiere Cup
6th Place Group C (2-4)
The Wire Says:
The Good Times of Today are the Sad Times of Tomorrow
Last season’s Sam Marata farewell tour was a sight to behold. Give him the ball and he’d shoot it. Free shot? Of course! With a defender right in front of him? No problem! 5 feet beyond the arc? Why not! It was like watching someone at Time Zone playing the basketball shooting game!
8 Burning Questions
1.) Where is Jett Manuel?! This is like Year 3 of us waiting for him to be listed in the line-up. It’s turning into a game of Where’s Wally (Waldo for all you Brits out there!) for us.
2.) Will this be Henri Asilum’s break-out season? Henry Asilum is already in his 3rd year with the Maroons but he’s just 18 years old! During the Premiere Cup, Soul Asilum played for two teams, State-U and the RP U-18 team. Asilum had this calming presence for his teams even when down big. Hopefully, the losses won’t take their toll on him and he still continues to develop. (Overall record in the 2014 Premiere Cup: 2-10)
3.) Will Mark Juruena continue to make behind-the-back passes at the post? We hope so!
4.) State-U has produced 3 Rookie of the Year winners over the last decade. Woodward Co, Jett Manuel and Kyles Lao. All former Xavier High School Stallions. Will Jarrell Lim continue this trend?
5.) Chris Vito is a man amongst men. He’s like someone who got pulled-out from an Italian Mafia movie, Big Vito. We’re too scared to raise any question about him.
6.) PAUL HARRIS. Will he finally be able to play in the post? We saw glimpses of how he could be a good low-post presence during the Premiere Cup and all he needs to do is to repeat the same steps. MUSCLE MEMORY.
7.) The Wire loves us some Moriah Gingerich. He seems like the only guy who is willing to play his heart out every time he checks-in to a game. Please win even just one game for him, guys?
8.) FINALLY! A lot of our partners from Adamson University and the University of the Philippines are waiting for August 9. A Fate Worse than Death (shout-out to Rafe Bartholomew)–type of game they say. One even called it the UAAP Championship game. But what we are penciling in is the August 6 game against De La Salle. With our Green Archer Preview, we pointed out that the weakness of the Archers is running and long-range shooting-type of teams, exactly what the Heavy Bombers and the Altas were when they beat DLSU. A small-ball line-up of Juruena-Gallarza-Gingerich-Lao/Moralde-Asilum certainly fits the bill. We know all these guys could run and when hot, shoot the lights-out. Will there be an upset on August 6?
BONUS ROUND:
Gabby Dario
Predicted Ranking
Editor-in-Chief: 7th
TieBreaker Times Staff: 7th
