Alvin Pasaol's return to the Red and White this coming season 82 of the UAAP still hangs in the air. In his last game in the UAAP season 81, there are already signs indicating that he might forego his last playing year. And with the recent change in the management and coaching staff of UE's Men's Basketball Team, it is highly unlikely that he will banner the Red Warriors one last time.
His departure will definitely be a big loss for the Red Warriors given his phenomenal talent. It may take some time before we can see another Red Warrior match his explosiveness. For the uninitiated, Pasaol who is fondly called the "Baby Tank" broke James Yap’s single game scoring record of 36 points set in 2002. Pasaol dropped his own 49 points back in 2017 against the then defending champion De Lasalle Green Archers led by super import Ben Mbala.
In what could be his final UAAP season, Pasaol stuffed the stat sheets by averaging 24.4 points, 11 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game. His Season 81 scoring average eclipsed the previous record set by no other than 2014 MVP Terence Romeo in Season 76 of the UAAP.
While one door closes for the King Warrior, another one will definitely open. Given his one-of-a-kind talent, he is most likely a first round pick in the 2019 PBA draft. But since the said draft will not happen until December of this year, he has all the time in the world to play in other leagues.
Currently, he represents the 1-Bataan Risers team in various legs of the Chooks-to-go 3x3 tournament alongside Santi Santillan who recently graduated from De Lasalle University and Anton Asistio of the Ateneo Blue Eagles. Their team placed second in the recent Chooks-to-Go 3x3 Asia Pacific Super Quest last April 7 but they were still qualified for a berth in the upcoming Doha Masters 2019 of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour happening on April 18-19, 2019.
Aside from the 3x3 tournaments, playing in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) is an obvious choice. As the third season of the MPBL will likely unfold on June 12, 2019, expect a number of teams raring to get his services. 32 teams are so far expected to compete in the upcoming season of the MPBL. Which of these teams should Pasaol pick?
1. Batangas City Tanduay Athletics
The inaugural Champions had a roller coaster season to say the least. They started the season slow with a streak of losses as the first season's Final MVP Val Acuna was sidelined with an injury and their main guys such as Teytey Teodoro, Jaymo Eguilos, and Paul Varilla couldn't find their groove. Fortunately for them, they started to pick up wins with the arrival of spitfire guard Jeff Viernes and the return of Bong Quinto after his stint in the NCAA. But with the eventual departure of Teytey Teodoro, Bong Quinto, and Paul Varilla to the Philippine Basketball Association, they lost a considerable amount of offensive firepower.
True enough, the Athletics didn't have enough fuel in their tank to make it to the Finals and defend their crown. They succumbed to the more talented Davao Occidental Tigers 2-1 in their best-of-three South Division Finals series. In the final game of the said series, Jeff Viernes seems gassed up and obviously needed help from another scorer. This is where Alvin Pasaol can fit in the Athletic's rotation.
Pasaol is a proven and reliable scorer. He is a burly 6'3 forward who has the strength to battle for rebounds and the shooting touch to score anywhere in the court. Likewise, he is a stretch forward whose shooting ability can open up the driving lanes for slashers in the Athletics team such as Jeff Viernes, Mark Olayon, and Jason Grimaldo.
With the imminent trade of Val Acuna, the need of the Athletics for a consistent scorer is more apparent. It helps that University of the East is affiliated with the Lucio Tan Group of Companies which supports the Tanduay Athletics Team. Will they be able to convince Pasaol to play for them? Let's see.
2. Davao City Eagles
There's no better way to play in a regional league such as the MPBL than to represent your own town or city. According to initial reports, the Davao City Eagles might make a comeback in the basketball scene as they expressed their interest to join the third season of the MPBL. Should Davao City hosts an MPBL team, Alvin Pasaol can definitely be the hometown hero for the Eagles.
Before joining the UAAP, Pasaol at 16-years old was already participating in various commercial leagues in Davao. As his reputation grew, he was recruited by NCAA teams such as Arellano University and Colegio De San Juan De Letran. Not to be outdone, the UE Red Warriors joined the recruiting war with their head coach Derrick Pumaren personally visiting Alvin in Davao to enlist him for the Warriors basketball program.
Impressed by the effort of manong Pumaren, Pasaol eventually selected the Red Warriors team and the rest, as they say, is history.
3. Bataan Risers
The Bataan Risers, without a doubt, was the hottest team during the elimination round of the MPBL Datu cup where they only lost twice in 25 games. However, their stellar season came to a disappointing end as they were booted out by the Manila Stars in the North Division Semi-finals.
The Risers are now ready to put behind their disgraceful exit as they rebuild their team from the ground up. Their first order of business is to look for a replacement for head coach Jojo Lastimosa who is reportedly transferring to another team. They haven't announced who among their players will be resigned but definitely they are looking for top-caliber players who can take the team deeper into the post season.
Since Alvin Pasaol is currently playing for the 1-Bataan Risers in the Chooks-to-go 3x3 tournaments, there's a strong possibility that he could also don the Bataan Risers jersey in the MPBL.
To sum it up, Alvin Pasaol is a prized catch for any team who can sign him given his explosive scoring ability. The only caveat though is that he is too talented for the MPBL; hence, he may opt to apply for the PBA draft by December.
Currently, he represents the 1-Bataan Risers team in various legs of the Chooks-to-go 3x3 tournament alongside Santi Santillan who recently graduated from De Lasalle University and Anton Asistio of the Ateneo Blue Eagles. Their team placed second in the recent Chooks-to-Go 3x3 Asia Pacific Super Quest last April 7 but they were still qualified for a berth in the upcoming Doha Masters 2019 of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour happening on April 18-19, 2019.
Aside from the 3x3 tournaments, playing in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) is an obvious choice. As the third season of the MPBL will likely unfold on June 12, 2019, expect a number of teams raring to get his services. 32 teams are so far expected to compete in the upcoming season of the MPBL. Which of these teams should Pasaol pick?
1. Batangas City Tanduay Athletics
The inaugural Champions had a roller coaster season to say the least. They started the season slow with a streak of losses as the first season's Final MVP Val Acuna was sidelined with an injury and their main guys such as Teytey Teodoro, Jaymo Eguilos, and Paul Varilla couldn't find their groove. Fortunately for them, they started to pick up wins with the arrival of spitfire guard Jeff Viernes and the return of Bong Quinto after his stint in the NCAA. But with the eventual departure of Teytey Teodoro, Bong Quinto, and Paul Varilla to the Philippine Basketball Association, they lost a considerable amount of offensive firepower.
True enough, the Athletics didn't have enough fuel in their tank to make it to the Finals and defend their crown. They succumbed to the more talented Davao Occidental Tigers 2-1 in their best-of-three South Division Finals series. In the final game of the said series, Jeff Viernes seems gassed up and obviously needed help from another scorer. This is where Alvin Pasaol can fit in the Athletic's rotation.
Pasaol is a proven and reliable scorer. He is a burly 6'3 forward who has the strength to battle for rebounds and the shooting touch to score anywhere in the court. Likewise, he is a stretch forward whose shooting ability can open up the driving lanes for slashers in the Athletics team such as Jeff Viernes, Mark Olayon, and Jason Grimaldo.
With the imminent trade of Val Acuna, the need of the Athletics for a consistent scorer is more apparent. It helps that University of the East is affiliated with the Lucio Tan Group of Companies which supports the Tanduay Athletics Team. Will they be able to convince Pasaol to play for them? Let's see.
2. Davao City Eagles
There's no better way to play in a regional league such as the MPBL than to represent your own town or city. According to initial reports, the Davao City Eagles might make a comeback in the basketball scene as they expressed their interest to join the third season of the MPBL. Should Davao City hosts an MPBL team, Alvin Pasaol can definitely be the hometown hero for the Eagles.
Before joining the UAAP, Pasaol at 16-years old was already participating in various commercial leagues in Davao. As his reputation grew, he was recruited by NCAA teams such as Arellano University and Colegio De San Juan De Letran. Not to be outdone, the UE Red Warriors joined the recruiting war with their head coach Derrick Pumaren personally visiting Alvin in Davao to enlist him for the Warriors basketball program.
Impressed by the effort of manong Pumaren, Pasaol eventually selected the Red Warriors team and the rest, as they say, is history.
3. Bataan Risers
The Bataan Risers, without a doubt, was the hottest team during the elimination round of the MPBL Datu cup where they only lost twice in 25 games. However, their stellar season came to a disappointing end as they were booted out by the Manila Stars in the North Division Semi-finals.
The Risers are now ready to put behind their disgraceful exit as they rebuild their team from the ground up. Their first order of business is to look for a replacement for head coach Jojo Lastimosa who is reportedly transferring to another team. They haven't announced who among their players will be resigned but definitely they are looking for top-caliber players who can take the team deeper into the post season.
Since Alvin Pasaol is currently playing for the 1-Bataan Risers in the Chooks-to-go 3x3 tournaments, there's a strong possibility that he could also don the Bataan Risers jersey in the MPBL.
To sum it up, Alvin Pasaol is a prized catch for any team who can sign him given his explosive scoring ability. The only caveat though is that he is too talented for the MPBL; hence, he may opt to apply for the PBA draft by December.
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