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Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Taulava, Alapag lead South Stars
Asi Taulava and Jimmy Alapag will have their chance at vengeance in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) All-Star Weekend after the dynamic duo made it to the starting unit of the South team, which will seek to get even against its counterpart from the North.
At the other end of the rope is the run-and-gun tandem of Mark Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand, both back for another tour of duty to man the North backcourt.
All four, major players in the past two editions of the annual extravaganza presented this year by Hope Cigarettes and supported by Xtreme Magic Sing and Welcoat Paints, were voted by fans as starters for the North and South teams, which are set to lock horns on April 27-29 to be hosted for the first time by the province of Misamis Oriental.
Eric Menk, Danny Seigle and hotshot James Yap complete the South team’s starting five, while Romel Adducul, Danny Ildefonso and Enrico Villanueva fill up the rest of North’s starting unit of the league’s annual classic also supported by Sunbolt fun drinks, Chowking, Mentos, Accel and Air21.
Co-MVPs
“We’d like to thank all of the PBA fans who took their time to vote and choose the starters for both the North and South squads. Rest assured of another exciting and fun-filled basketball fiesta come the All-Star weekend in Misamis Oriental,” said league commissioner Noli Eala.
In all, four players from Ginebra are included in the starting rosters of the two All-Star teams, San Miguel and Talk ’N Text have two each, while Red Bull and Purefoods have one apiece.
Alapag and Taulava were voted co-MVPs when Cebu hosted the 2004 All-Stars, where the TNT stalwarts powered the South to a thrilling 130-128 win over the North.
But Helterbrand and Caguioa, who comprise Barangay Ginebra’s dreaded backcourt, came back with fire the following year in Laoag, Ilocos Norte as they carried the North to a 131-128 triumph.
Helterbrand emerged the MVP of the contest after he torched the South team for 38 points – the third highest output scored in the 17-year history of the mid-season spectacle after the 42 of Samboy Lim (1990) and 40 by Allan Caidic (1993).
Host voters
The North currently enjoys a 3-2 edge over the South in their head-to-head duels.
Purefoods’ Kerby Raymundo led all players voted by fans in Misamis Oriental for inclusion in the North team, while fellow Giant Roger Yap was the top choice for the South. They will be the first players off the bench for their respective teams.
This year’s All-Star Game marks the first time the host city is involved in the voting for the North and South starters.
San Miguel’s Jong Uichico will call the shots for the South, while Binky Favis of Coca-Cola will make his first All-Star coaching stint for the North.
The two were chosen as coaches after the Beermen and Tigers emerged as the two squads with the best records after the cutoff period in the Gran Matador Brandy-Philippine Cup classification phase. (PBA media bureau)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (April 19, 2006 issue)
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