Scouting report: The Slam Rising Stars 

Polo Bustamante of From the Stands took in last Saturday’s Slam Rising Stars Classic, an exhibition between some of the premier high school players, at the Gatorade Hoops Center. With majority of the players headed to college as soon as next season, here are Polo’s scouting reports to give you an idea how they’ll stack up at the next level.

[Recap of the SLAM Rising Stars Classic]
 
 

Arvin Tolentino

The verdict is still out for arguably the best big man prospect in Metro Manila. Yes, this was an All-Star Game and yes, he already locked up his roster spot in the school of his choice. But Tolentino’s game last Saturday left me wanting. He looked relaxed, a little too relaxed in my opinion. He seemed content to pop treys and try to take his man off-the-dribble. There was no effort to seal his man and showcase his post game, which was surprising considering he wasn’t up against bigs of the same caliber. The fact that his nickname is “The Big Chill” is something that could be a cause for concern.

But from what Tolentino showed, there is still a lot to be excited about. He has range up to the three-point area. He can finish with either hand, over tough defense. He needs to work on his handles and defense, but it was obvious that he’s talented, well-built and when driven, can be a scary offensive force.

College Peg – Rabeh Al-Hussaini, in more ways than one


Renzo Subido

Even during warm-ups, it was clear to me why Subido was the UAAP juniors division leading scorer. The kid attacks the basket relentlessly.. His shiftiness, ability to split the defense and cat-quick handles launch him into the paint where he uses an impressive arsenal of lay-ups, floaters and flip shots to get buckets over bigger defenders. I still can’t definitively say that Subido is seniors ready because his jumper is suspect. He’s gotta work on making defenders respect his j so that he can  better do what he does best: attack the basket.

College Peg – A shorter Kevin Alas

 

Prince Rivero

In the first half, Rivero was on the same path as Tolentino. There was a lack of aggressiveness from the two best high school big men early on in the game. But in the second half, when Rivero and Tolentino were playing apart from each other, this is when Rivero really shined. Going up against the taller but thinner Jay Javelosa, Rivero decided to start scoring in the post. His seal was solid and he showed great footwork working on the left block and finishing on right side of the rim. He also had a decisive drive off the back-to-the-basket position.

What impressed me even more with Rivero is was his killer instinct. He repeatedly attacked Javelosa on three straight possessions and exploited his advantages to get his buckets. Besides his post game, he also showed a solid face-up game and a nice touch that can potentially extend up to the three-point range.

College Peg – A shorter Ian Sangalang


Ven Diputado

If Team Hype had the most impressive big men, Team Punks had a solid cast of guards. Leading the way was Diputado. He started off like a house on fire hitting several jumpers. Early on, he looked like the only player on his team that could score. He was popping j’s off the pick, from pull-ups and even from long range. Although he isn’t the biggest guard, Diputado used a quick crossover to free himself up to fire off that nice jumper of his. I liked Diputado. He’s not as flashy as Renzo Subido or Ranbill Tongco but Diputado is an effective shooter with great range.

College Peg – Jai Reyes with better handles

 

Thirdy Ravena

The most impressive player from Team Punks. Ravena has been known to be more flash than substance. And in the first half he looked like he was showing a lot of flash and little substance. Clearly, he was the most athletic guy on the floor. His vertical and hang-time was ridiculous. But beyond that, he wasn’t finishing much of his impressive looking lay-ups. In the second half, a totally different Ravena showed up. He was locked-in defensively, playing the passing lanes well, doubling when needed and harassing his man. He was also running the floor hard and finishing strong and straight-up rather than making multiple moves mid-air.

I also liked how willing he was to take over in crunchtime. He didn’t hesitate to launch a three-pointer in the dying seconds to bring his team within one point. He also asked for the ball on his team’s final possession to try to tie the game with five seconds left. Seeing him visibly upset after his turnover which cost his team a chance to tie, spoke volumes of his character. Guess the clutch gene runs strong in the Ravena family.

College Peg – A more athletic Kevin Ferrer


Clint Dolinguez

Dolinguez is an energizer bunny. He’s got a non-stop motor that propels him from one end of the court to the other. Next to Thirdy Ravena’s fourth quarter defensive stand, Dolinguez’s defense whenever he on the floor was the most impressive. He used his surprising vertical and explosiveness to go after blocks and steals. He was active on the boards, playing vulture to scraps leftover by Rivero and Tolentino. Offensively, he didn’t show much, but defensively, he’s got all the tools to make life miserable for a lot of players in the seniors level.

College Peg – Chris Camus but less in-your-face

 

Hubert Cani

Head and shoulders the best player in the game. He was consistently impressive from start to finish. Cani showed poise in crunchtime, hitting key baskets to keep Team Hype ahead and burying two clutch free throws to fend off Team Punks. The most impressive thing about Cani was his control. He looked like the point guard everyone made him out to be. He was constantly surveying the floor, looking for creases in the defense that he could exploit. Though his statline skewed more scorer than distributor, he was smart in taking advantage of openings when the defense would close the passing lanes to his teammates.

While I already knew about Cani’s basketball IQ and point guard mentality, what surprised me were his deceptive quickness and surprising explosion. Compared to the smaller, thinner guys, Cani is heftier and initially looked like he was a step slower. But man was I wrong. This kid can turn on the jets, his handle is nice and tight and he can finish even after the bump. His change of pace is a great weapon he yields very well.

College Peg – Roi Sumang


The Nietos

Mike Nieto was impressive even if the numbers didn’t show it. He was played at small forward for most of the game which was a smart move by Coach Jamike Jarin. As a 3, Mike showed that he can transition well from being a big in the juniors to being a swing man in the seniors. He worked hard, played smart defense, opting to stay in between his man and the basket. He was constantly going after 50-50 balls and tapping them to teammates to save possessions. For Mike to make the full jump to a SF in the seniors, he has to improve his conditioning and develop a solid outside J.

Mike’s brother Matt on the other hand looked like he had difficulty with the pace the game was played in. In the first half, he was rushing to push the ball up-court that he often lost possession as he was making his move. Matt rebounded in the second half when his team was playing a slower pace. He was more comfortable and directed his team better. His leadership, even as one of the youngest members of Team Hype, was evident with how he called out defensive rotations and plays on offense.

College Pegs – Bacon Austria for Mike, Jerick Cañada for Matt


- AMD, GMA News