FIRST BLOGGED | Sta. Lucia wins their second ever championship | Sydrified

FIRST BLOGGED: FEBRUARY 22, 2008

A decade ago, I blogged about Boyet Fernandez and the Sta. Lucia Realtors.

Needless to say, they were awesome. Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes are white-hot stars and Dennis Espino, Marlou Aquino, and Paolo Mendoza were joined by Denok Miranda and Bitoy Omolon... and they are gunning for their second league title against the established Purefoods TJ Giants led by Ryan Gregorio and bannered by James Yap, Kerby Raymundo, Peter June Simon, Roger Yap, and Marc Pingris.

GAME STARTS NOW!

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Drafted seventh in the 1993 Draft, Boyet Fernandez’ PBA stint had its ups and downs. In his rookie year he was part of the league’s walking wounded. His knee brace has been a constant in his career. And yeah, he was a greatest of all trade baits moving to the RFM Franchise (team that drafted him), Sta. Lucia, and RFM Franchise (again), Alaska, Purefoods, before returning to the Realtors.

Everyone got pissed (and perhaps astonished) when Fernandez got the coaching nod when Alfrancis Chua went bye-bye. Inexperienced… this was the first words uttered by the ever-faithfuls. Adonis Tierra should have had his long overdue helming for the Realtors who last won the PBA crown when Norman Black obtained the services of Marlou Aquino and mixing him with Dennis Espino, Chris Tan, and Gerard Francisco (to name a few).

Fernandez’ entry to the team though was an overhaul of sorts. Inserted to the nucleus were Joseph Yeo and Denok Miranda. The Realtors finally solved the bench void they lacked with the entry of Kenneth Duremdes as the former MVP was bounced to Coke alongside the underachieving Mark Isip and the problem-induced stint of Alex Cabagnot. The entry of Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes to the lineup also phased out the star status of Espino, Paolo Mendoza, and Aquino. Nelbert Omolon was also given adequate playing time and in short…

Boyet Fernandez made Sta. Lucia HIS team.

Defense was their safe haven. Amongst his crew, only Mendoza proved to be their weak link. Even Joseph Yeo, notoriously identified for hurling a vicious clothesline at Rico Villanueva, was once heading the team in assists! Plus he was a no-nonsense carrier of the stealing virus which he obtained after spending countless practice sessions with defensive powerhouse Miranda. Under Fernandez’ leadership, Sta. Lucia had an unforeseen seven-game romp. Bitoy Omolon finally broke out of what has been holding him and critics finally understood the reason why Reyes was picked ahead above all of the towers still available in the draft.

Now, Fernandez was an astute court general in his heyday. He learned most of his shrewdness from the training camps Tim Cone and Ryan Gregorio managed. Incidentally, both of these coaches got Fernandez’ ire with his Yeng Guiao-like angst when screaming and lambasting his opponents. Sure, we can say Cone has been a prima donna as of late but can’t you say the same for Gregorio and Leo Austria for that matter.

Fernandez’ gave Sta. Lucia a character. Even during their championship run, fans dozed off or switch channels whenever they see green uniforms running amuck (with an exception if this was an SMC game). When the semis took place it was the Red Bull-Purefoods series that proved watchable but due to their antics, Sta. Lucia is slowly getting a fanbase (not in the payroll of Mr. Robles).

Could they be the other another “Red Bull” in the making? Hopefully yes. What stands out with Red Bull is the fact that can hold their own against the SMC powers despite a not-so-stellar lineup.

Do or die time for the Realtors. If Boyet and company could pull a championship off from this stint, then Sta. Lucia will be the new powerhouse team of the league.

THE CRUCIAL FACTORS: (GAMES 1 and 2)

Scoring:

STA. LUCIA: Kelly Williams 23.5 points per game

PUREFOODS: James Yap 25.0 points per game

EDGE: Sta. Lucia has 5 players scoring in double figures compared to the Giants’ four (three I guess if you count the fact the Rey Evangelista played only a game in the Finals).

Rebounding:

STA. LUCIA: Kelly Williams 11.5 rebounds per game

PUREFOODS: Marc Pingris 11.0 rebounds per game

EDGE: Sta. Lucia has six players averaging four rebounds and more. (Espino, Aquino, Yeo, Omolon, and Reyes as the other players)

Assists:

STA. LUCIA: Denok Miranda 5.0 assists per game

PUREFOODS: Kerby Raymundo 5.0 assists per game

EDGE: Roger Yap is getting four assists per game while Reyes is the next efficient disher for the Realtors. Hard to say but Miranda and Reyes are the PG’s leading the charge for their teams. Most of Raymundo’s dimes come from rebounds and broken plays.

Steals:

STA. LUCIA: Ryan Reyes 3.0 steals per game

PUREFOODS: Roger Yap 1.0 steal per game  

EDGE: Reyes and Miranda are pushing the PF guards to the brink. While they might not be scorers, they lead the charge in the defensive department. Wow. Ryan Gregorio needs to use Chico Lanete. Sure, he might be a rookie but he is damn scrappy. Plus he is a two-time PBL Finals MVP. This is the finals right?

Blocks:

STA. LUCIA: Nelbert Omolon 1.5 blocks per game

PUREFOODS: Kerby Raymundo 1.0 blocks per game

EDGE: Pingris, Romel Adducul, and Jondan Salvador have only two blocks in two games. This is the same as Marlou’s output. They are getting weak minutes but this is the department they should be capitalizing!