Basketball
2011-12 PBA preview: Can Petron Blaze keep the fire burning?
InterAKTV/Markku Seguerra
Coach: Ato Agustin
Assistants: Gee Abanilla, Biboy Ravanes, Pido Jarencio, Olsen Racela, Bobby Parks, Jorge Gallent, Freddie Abuda
Lineup: Chris Lutz, Marc Agustin, Alex Cabagnot, Rey Guevarra, Dondon Hontiveros, Danny Ildefonso, Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Joseph Yeo, Jay Washington, Nonoy Baclao, Arwind Santos, Denok Miranda, Carlo Sharma
Offseason Review: After pulling off an improbable win over Talk ‘N Text in the 2011 PBA Governors’ Cup, Petron Blaze didn’t rest on its laurels.
The team was aggressive on draft day, pulling off a deal to acquire No. 3 overall pick Chris Lutz, the returning Dondon Hontiveros, and Carlo Sharma.
Marc Agustin, the son of Boosters coach Ato Agustin, also made it to the lineup. And while star big men Jay Washington and Rabeh Al-Hussaini are still recuperating from injuries, Joseph Yeo will be back in harness for Petron.
The Boosters will also welcome another new face on its staff, former B-MEG coach Jorge Gallent, pushing the number of Petron assistants to a league-high seven — more than half the number of people in the team’s lineup.
Outlook: Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao installed Petron Blaze as the team to beat for the Philippine Cup.
“They’re the favorite because they already have championship experience, and they added two keey players — Dondon Hontiveros and Chris Lutz,” said Guiao.
But the biggest reason for Petron’s success in the upcoming tournament will still be Arwind Santos, who played like a superhero during his team’s run in the Governors’ Cup finals. Santos, who won his first championship as a professional, was named finals MVP of the series.
Santos’ triumph came in large part due to a position change he had to make because of key injuries to the team. With Washington out, the Pampanga native had to switch over from small forward to power forward.
Despite having to battle bigger men at the four-spot, Santos actually thrived. Because he played closer to the basket, he was able to protect the ring and grab rebounds. He was murder on pick-and-roll defense, often hustling to switch to guards before recovering back to the paint. His performance on the defensive end was a big key to Petron’s upset over Talk ‘N Text.
It’ll be interesting to see, then, what will happen when Washington returns. The two men don’t exactly see eye-to-eye, and with Santos establishing himself as the alpha dog of the franchise, where does that leave J-Wash?
