Realtors now a fast team

By Reuel Vidal
Manila Standard
October 13, 2007

What previous coach Alfrancis Chua promised to do but never did, present coach Boyet Fernandez seems to have accomplished. The Sta. Lucia Realtors may have finally become a running team. Call it a combination of luck and foresight, but the Realtors now have the players to press on defense and run on offense.

It looked like the Realtors lost big time when they traded Alex Cabagnot, Kenneth Duremdes and Ricky Calimag to the Coca-Cola Tigers. Instead, Fernandez turned adversity into opportunity by adding more young legs to change the Realtors into a running team.

On draft day, the Realtors picked Fil-Am Ryan Reyes, who could play both guard positions and in the second round, grabbed mobile big man Melvin Mamaclay. To complete the puzzle, the Realtors traded plodding big man Mark Isip and “lucky-to-be-in-the-PBA” Cesar Catli for Joseph Yeo and a draft pick.

With Yeo, the Realtors now have another slasher to alternate with Nelbert Omolon at the two or three spot.

The team is more than set at the point guard position with Denok Miranda (arguably the best defensive point guard in the PBA), Ronnie Bughao and rookie free agent pickup Christian Coronel. Paolo Mendoza can finally play to his full potential at the two spot.

Aging “dinosaurs” Dennis Espino and Marlou Aquino may actually play their finest seasons in the PBA in years because they’ll be expected to just play defense and grab rebounds instead of having to carry the team.

Finally, there is second-year pro Kelly Williams, who turned in MVP-type numbers en route to winning the rookie of the year award last year.

The Realtors now have the horses to compete with the big boys in the league and management made sure that they will be the best-prepared team coming into the All-Filipino Cup.