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    Coaches insist small men will always have a place in big man's game

    As teams like Gilas shift to big guards, coaches Cholo Villanueva, Allen Ricardo list the importance of small point guards
    Sep 25, 2023
    Timothy Cruz, LA Revilla, Mark Cruz
    Timothy Cruz looks to prove he belongs in a big man's game - just like Mark Cruz and LA Revilla before him.
    PHOTO: NCAA Philippines/GMA Sports/ Jaime Campos / Jerome AscaƱo

    BASKETBALL has always been a big man’s game.

    Now, even the small men have to be.

    Gilas Pilipinas has caught up with the times, fielding no point guard shorter than 6’0” on its 2023 Fiba World Cup team.

    When it’s not the 6-foot-5 Jordan Clarkson handling the ball, it was the 6-foot-1 Scottie Thompson, 6-foot-2 CJ Perez, 6-foot Kiefer Ravena, or especially the prototype playmaker in the 6-foot-4 Dwight Ramos running the offense.

    And having a tall court general showed the advantages any team can have, matching up well with other team’s tall point guards and posing no liabilities on defense.

    So in today’s era of big small men, can smaller point guards still stand tall, at least in the local scene?

    Can small point guards still stand tall?

    Batangas City Embassy Chill and La Salle Lady Archers coach Cholo Villanueva believes so, insisting there will always be a place for small playmakers in basketball.

    “Oo naman. Depende sa skillset nila eh,” said Villanueva, whose system is anchored on a run-and-jump, full-court pressure defense.

    “So if malaki ka and you’re slow, and hindi ka ganun ka-aggressive to pressure the ball, hindi ka din magta-thrive dun sa sistema ko eh,” he said. “Pero for shorter players who are very aggressive and pressuring the ball, deflecting the ball on defense, and also pag nakuha ang bola, pushing the basketball para sa pace na gusto ko, malaking bagay sa akin yung maliit.”

    The shortest player on his MPBL team is former Jose Rizal University guard MJ dela Virgen, who’s generously listed at 5’10”.

    Villanueva, whose Batangas team is running second in the South Division at 21-6 as of posting time, lists the traits required for small men to earn coaches’ trust.

    “If they have a very good outside shot and then they can read the defense parang mala-LA Revilla – one of the very good at reading the defensive schemes ng kalaban. LA Tenorio’s been there for the longest time,” Villanueva said.

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    Villanueva and the 5-foot-7 Revilla were together for a year at La Salle when Villanueva was a rookie coach, an assistant to Franz Pumaren, while Revilla was the Green Archers star point guard.

    Villanueva, though, admitted it’s also a must for teams to have big point guards to avoid matchup problems.

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    “May mga lineups din na you need to have a big lineup na very switchable,” Villanueva said. “Yun naman, hindi sila (small players) pwede.”

    “Pero if it’s a smart player, even when we’re switching, meron kasing scram switch: pag nag-switch, napo-postehan yung tao. Pag na-postehan na siya, he can scram out, so magagamit pa rin siya ng maayos,” he was quick to add.

    “So even with the changing times, of course there are lineups na kailangan mo to have especially a small point guard who can push the ball and be aggressive on pressuring the basketball,” Villanueva said.

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      Letran Squires coach Allen Ricardo is also a believer in small point guards.

      “Yes, why not? As long as they understand how to play, why not give them a chance?” he beamed.

      Ricardo was an assistant to Louie Alas on the perennial NCAA Final Four-contending Letran Knights team that had 5-foot-6 1/2 Mark Cruz, who went on to play in the PBA and is one of the 10 shortest players in league history.

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      Now calling the shots for Letran’s juniors team, Ricardo has rewarded a roster spot to one in Timothy Cruz, a 5-foot-3 Marikina native who has repaid him with outside shooting and energy in spurts for the Squires in their last championship run.

      “Yung una, syempre tinitingnan ko pa, kasi late na rin siya pumasok sa team namin. We’ve been giving him a chance to prove na he belongs to the team,” Ricardo said.

      “Ano naman, nakita ko talaga na he’s a very hard worker. He listens to every detail, so na-appreciate ko naman yung bata and eventually, natulungan din naman kami sa campaign namin,” he added.

      Timothy Cruz Letran Squires

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      Ricardo, however, has raised eyebrows from fellow coaches, who are keener on following today’s trend.

      “Some of them (coaches) are saying, ‘Bakit ka pa kukuha ng maliit? Eh hindi naman yan magtutuloy sa college natin. Dapat kumuha ka na yung malaki dahil yan na yung pang-future natin going to college basketball,’” Ricardo said.

      But as someone who didn’t get an opportunity as a player on the college level, Ricardo is making sure to give chances to those who deserve it.

      “Eh ako naman, I always keep in mind na ako rin naman maliit eh. Hindi lang ako nabigyan ng chance dati,” he said with a chuckle.

      “Pero ayaw ko naman maging unfair kung kaya naman niya yung labanan, ‘di ba? Sayang naman,” Ricardo added.

      So to pint-sized aspirants out there, don’t lose hope.

      Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph

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      Timothy Cruz looks to prove he belongs in a big man's game - just like Mark Cruz and LA Revilla before him.
      PHOTO: NCAA Philippines/GMA Sports/ Jaime Campos / Jerome AscaƱo
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