It seems there’s a conscious effort on the part of the rookies to break on through when they play against the Barangay Ginebra Kings.
The New: Dylan Ababou
After getting benched in his first ever PBA game, former UAAP MVP and Gilas mainstay Dylan Ababou finally heard his number called last Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
With adrenaline probably flowing all throughout his being, Ababou immediately announced his entry with a strong drive down the middle to score his first bucket as a pro. Next time down the floor, he caught the ball on the left wing, took it hard to the hole once again to score another deuce. The Kings all of a sudden realized the kid was on a mission, started to sag off him as to not get beat off the dribble… and that’s when the former King Tiger decided to test his range. He knocked down not one, not two, but three long ones to carry Barako Bull Energy to a four-point lead at the turn.
Fifteen points on a perfect six-for-six clip was across his name heading into the dugout… It was incredible. For a kid that may have been forgotten (drafted last in the first round), Dylan’s first half of PBA basketball wasn’t just spectacular, it was definitely SUPER.
Barako Bull ended up blowing the Kings off the floor, with fellow rookie Allein Maliksi backing up his 15-point 7 rebound debut, with 13 and 8 to help the Energy build a 20-point lead before settling for an 88-75 victory.
The Old: Gary David
If it’s explosive performances you’re looking for, Gary “Granada" David definitely provided the fireworks. After dropping 31 in a win over Shopinas to open their campaign, he was limited to just 14 in a loss to RoS. But Mr. Pure Energy came back with 26 on Sunday to help Powerade get back on the winning track and hand Alaska their third consecutive loss. Gary did everything needed of him: went out on the open floor, knocked a couple down from distance, was perfect from the free throw line and just provided his all-around presence. With JV Casio still yet to make his debut, rookie Marcio Lassiter (13-4-4) and newcomer Doug Kramer (10-12-3) were there to provide more than ample support.
The Ridiculous: Arwind Santos
After averaging a jaw-dropping 15 points and 16.5 rebounds in their first two wins, Arwind Santos turned it up another notch by registering 16 points, 21 boards, 2 assists, 2 steals and a block as Petron marched to the top of the standings after an 11-point win over Shopinas. Twenty-one rebounds! The starting frontline of Sena and Espiritu for the Clickers combined for 19 boards. Homer Se off the bench had 4 to at least give the Arwind a good fight. That’s just ridiculous.
Other notables: Harvey Carey
Another notable performance from the week that was came from undersized TnT forward Harvey Carey. With the defending champions still playing minus Alapag, Williams and De Ocampo, the 6’2 San Francisco native punched-in a career second-best 28-points, that went along with 14 boards as the Tropang Texters have made it two in a row to open their defense. Like I said last week, if this undermanned squad can hold down the fort, that’s just a scary thought the minute they compete complete.
Big games this week
RoS vs Meralco (if Sol Mercado will play) on Wednesday, BMEG vs TnT on Friday (both at the Big Dome) and Barangay Ginebra vs Powerade on Saturday in Victorias City, Negros (might just be JV Casio’s debut). - OMG, GMA News
Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/235745/sports/pba37-week-2-the-new-the-old-and-the-ridiculous
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