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| The year 2024 has been a Philippine basketball year highlighted by various shots, both basketball and non-basketball meanings. Dennis Acosta (file photo) |
MANILA--The year 2024 has been an interesting basketball cycle.
Yes, moments of glory were there, but drama outside of the hardwood--and even a concrete floor in one very controversial instance--was also noted.
So we categorized such events into three: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The good guys in 2024
1. Meralco Bolts
First up are the good ones, and Meralco headlines all of them.
After letting Justin Brownlee and Barangay Ginebra spoil their dream four times, the Bolts finally captured a much-coveted PBA championship.
Allen Durham was not even needed to accomplish that feat for Meralco since it happened in the Philippine Cup, and all it took was a Chris Newsome basket.
The Gilas Pilipinas effect was in full strength for Newsome as he hit a clutch jumper that gave his team the 80-78 finals-clinching win against San Miguel.
"It's surreal for us," coach Luigi Trillo said during that fateful night of June 16 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
While the Bolts are an MVP Group team, seeing them win a title in an era where the Gin Kings, Beermen, and the TNT Tropang Giga have been tearing the others apart was a breath of fresh air, especially for the fans who want more parity in the PBA. -Ivan Saldajeno
2. Gilas Pilipinas
Speaking of Gilas, although the Olympic dream remains a dream for them, they scored breakthrough wins that could make us believe that Tim Cone is the right man for the job as head coach.
Gilas beating Latvia in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament left a shock impression on Filipino basketball fans.
This was the first acid test for Cone after the big wins versus Hong Kong, China, and Chinese Taipei in the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.
Even if Latvia played without Kristaps Porzingis, the Gilas boys' win against them was still considered a major upset, especially since it happened right in front of the Latvian home crowd in Riga.
It was the first time the Philippines beat a European team in 64 years.
Then came Gilas' first-ever win against New Zealand.
After almost 10 years since their inclusion into the Asian zone, Gilas Pilipinas finally beat the Tall Blacks at our home last Nov. 21 at MOA Arena.
Now, including New Zealand and Australia is nothing to be feared, especially since Japan, South Korea, Lebanon, and now Gilas already checked either of the two in their recent outings. -Gil Moriones
3. Carl Tamayo
Three nights after that breakthrough Gilas win against New Zealand, the Filipinos took down Hong Kong to essentially assure themselves a spot in the FIBA Asia Cup main tournament.
That game, though, could also be known as "The Carl Tamayo Game".
Tamayo put up 18 points, six rebounds, and one assist to lead Gilas.
"I'm just happy for it," Tamayo said after that Nov. 24 game.
On the macro side of things, though, Tamayo's solid game was a testament to how he has vastly improved as a pro.
After a so-so stint with Ryukyu in the Japan B.League, he seemed to have found a home with Changwon in the KBL.
Tamayo is the second-leading scorer for the Sakers behind Assem Marei, averaging 13.5 points on a solid 45.7 percent field goal shooting and 75.8 percent free throw shooting alongside 6.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.0 steal per game.
Changwon is currently in playoff contention, which means once he returns from a groin injury, Tamayo is expected to be more solid to help his team's cause. -Ivan Saldajeno
4. Mapua Cardinals
The third time was a charm for Mapua as they finally won the NCAA men's basketball title, sweeping the College of St. Benilde in the finals.
Although the Blazers looked like the favorites in terms of talent, the Cardinals made good use of being in the finals more often to dominate them.
Clint Escamis proved to be the missing link for the Cardinals to return to glory as he deservingly won the Finals MVP trophy.
It was also a full-circle moment for coach Randy Alcantara, who was Cheng's teammate during Mapua's last championship run in 1991.
He won it all for his alma mater both as a player and a mentor. -Ivan Saldajeno
Honorable mentions: UP Fighting Maroons, NU Lady Bulldogs, Pampanga Giant Lanterns
The bad guys in 2024
1. Terrafirma Dyip
Terrafirma is not bad as in "villainous", but 2024 was a wild year for them because they went from becoming a playoff contender during the PBA Philippine Cup to being so bad performance-wise again.
Crucial player movements did the trick again.
First, they lost Javi Gomez De Liano to Anyang.
Then came the trade that sent Stephen Holt, Isaac Go, and the third overall pick of this year's draft that became RJ Abarrientos to Ginebra.
While it looked like Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle were solid additions to the Dyip, it did not translate into a second straight playoff appearance as they crashed out of the PBA Governors' Cup.
As fate would have it, the last main man of Terrafirma's last playoff team, Juami Tiongson, was shipped to SMB along with Drei Cahilig in exchange for Terrence Romeo and Vic Manuel.
The problem is Romeo is still injured, and Standhardinger told the Dyip that he wants to call it a career.
With only Manuel as the solid veteran help for Terrafirma's young core, the team dropped to a 0-7 hole in the ongoing PBA Commissioner's Cup.
"Hindi ako sanay na ganito ang standing namin ngayon. Nasanay tayo sa puro panalo. Ayun, malungkot yung Pasko ko ngayon kasi first time na winless sa conference," Manuel said.
Once the fireworks go full throttle when the clock strikes 12 midnight, the team will officially lose Standhardinger to free agency if they do not act on his situation soon enough.
Due to a clarification on the eligibility of a player to become fully an unrestricted free agent, the Dyip can still give him a tender offer so that they can keep his rights.
They even reportedly said that they are open to trading Standhardinger's rights if he unretires, so needless to say, they are bound to lose him anyway, and that is another black eye for them. -Ivan Saldajeno
2. UE Red Warriors
The University of the East suffered one of the biggest collapses in recent UAAP men's basketball memory.
Only needing one more win to make a return to the Final Four, the Red Warriors dropped their last five games in the regular season to fall to a playoff for the fourth seed against the Adamson Soaring Falcons.
In the wildcard game, Adamson turned back UE to set a date with La Salle in the semifinals, completing the Red Warriors' meltdown.
Questions have now arisen regarding UE's future.
Head coach Jack Santiago's contract is expiring, and many signs lead to a non-renewal which means a change in direction.
Nevertheless, this was a hard pill to swallow for the guys in Recto. -Ivan Saldajeno
"Horrorable" mention: Letran Knights
The ugly case of John Amores
(Editor's Note: We don't really want to call John Amores "bad", but the situation he is in right now is another ugly turn in what has been a controversial career for him.)
The John Amores fallback really got the nerves not just sports fans but ordinary people as well.
The NorthPort Batang Pier guard was involved in a heated incident on Sept. 25 as he allegedly fired a gun on Lee Cacalda, who challenged him to a fistfight over a disagreement in a basketball game in Lumban, Laguna.
Amores was charged with attempted homicide, but he posted bail to gain temporary liberty.
The PBA decided to suspend Amores without pay for the entire Commissioner's Cup, but some fans wanted them to expel him outright from the league.
The Games and Amusements Board then added more woes by revoking Amores' professional license, essentially banning him from playing in all pro leagues, although he is launching an appeal to it. -Gil Moriones
"Horrorable" mention: Dave Ildefonso's contract standoff
NorthPort Batang Pier: It's complicated
The aforementioned situations on Amores and Ildefonso prompted me to say NorthPort's 2024 has been complicated.
Yes, they have the best record so far in the PBA Commissioner's Cup at 6-1, which is way good, but Amores' lawsuit and the current stalemate in Ildefonso's rookie contract which was speculated to be a reason behind a post-game confrontation between his dad Danny and team governor Erick Arejola during their game against the Converge FiberXers in the Governors' Cup were surely dampeners in the Batang Pier's cause.
Will NorthPort turn its fortunes around especially off-court in 2025? We'll just find out soon enough. -Ivan Saldajeno
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