CYRUS BAGUIO scattered 25 points and Adam Parada had 20 markers as Alaska, employing a new system, beat Rain or Shine, 109-102, on Sunday night in the Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The new system head coach Joel Banal has adopted for the Aces—replacing the triangle of former mentor Tim Cone—is working to Baguio’s advantage.
And with a former teammate around in Parada to help him out, Baguio delivered the goods for the Aces.
Parada, a Red Bull reinforcement in the 2008 Fiesta Conference, also pulled down 20 rebounds in the game.
“Sa triangle kasi, half court, di maka-buwelo. Ngayon medyo mas kampante,” added Baguio, who also had a game-high seven assists.
But the triangle, Banal said, would be in use, when necessary.
“We talked about it being easier to learn than ‘unlearn,’ so we decided not to ‘unlearn’ the triangle but rather to put that in the shelf,” said Banal. “We wanted to try something new, keep it simple. When we’re good at it, we can bring back the triangle.”
Acquiring Parada is a component of Banal’s new system that allowed the Aces to bounce back from a 78-98 loss to Barako Bull on Friday.
“His versatility, being able to hit the outside shots and also play inside, is what we’re looking for in an import and we found it in Adam,” said Banal of the seven-foot Mexican who had a couple of months off to fully heal a left calf muscle injury.
“I hope he continues to get in shape,” added Banal. “Good thing we have a week before our next game and we will continue to work him out.”
Duke Crews debuted with a game-high 34 points and 11 rebounds. The import is a high-flyer but clearly undersized at six-foot-five and is clearly not the kind of reinforcement Rain or Shine wanted.
The Bowie State Univeresity product scored his first three points off charities before making his first field goal on a short baseline jumper at the 5:02 mark of the opening period. He, however, failed to adjust at first to the physical plays offered by Sonny Thoss, JR Reyes, Sam Eman and Parada and committed five of his six turnovers in the first half.
Crews did show some flashes of brilliance, helping the Elasto Painters charge back from as many as 15 points to tie the game at 93.
But LA Tenorio and Baguio would not let the game slip away by hitting the crucial shots down the stretch.
Jeffrei Chan had 18 points and Paul Lee 11 for Rain or Shine, which was handled by Caloy Garcia, assistant to head coach Yeng Guiao who is out of the country.
