Roster Preview: The Bigs

In each of its first two years in the league, GlobalPort fielded an almost entirely overhauled roster at the beginning of the season. It won't be the same this time, as half of the team will be holdovers from the previous season's squad, although the team will still be welcoming new faces to the team.

First, we'll take a look at the bigs in the roster. Apparently, there's been a hold-up with Jay Washington re-signing with the team. J-Wash led the team locals in rebounding last season, so his possible departure could be quite significant. Despite that, the team still have quite a solid cast of bigs that should be able to hold down the post for the Batang Pier.

Yancy De Ocampo / 6'9" / 34 y.o. - An 11-year veteran, Yancy brings a lot of experience and savvy to a relatively young squad. If he's healthy, he'll be playing significant minutes for GlobalPort as the man in the middle. He still is a pretty good shooter and has been a decent rebounder throughout his career. He's also a big body who we can throw on the Fajardos and Slaughters of the league.

Kelly Nabong / 6'5" / 25 y.o. - I just love Kelly Nabong. He's not afraid to do the dirty work for the team and he plays hard every time. He crashes the boards and he defends well. Kelly has put up good numbers last year despite limited playing time. His minutes and role will likely increase next season, especially if Washington leaves.

One simply does not mess around with Kelly Nabong.

Mark Isip / 6'4" / 33 y.o. - An 8-year veteran, Isip will be playing for his 9th team. He's a good mid-range shooter and a decent rebounder. Isip is a solid addition to the roster.

Jewel Ponferada / 6'5" / 26 y.o. - Despite not given consistent minutes last season, Jewel has shown flashes of skill whenever he's on court. He'll have to earn his minutes again next season, but he's a young big who is proven to contribute whenever his number is called.

Carlo Sharma / 6'6" / 33 y.o. - Another veteran big. The main reason that Sharma has stuck in the league for almost a decade now is his soft touch from the outside. As a good mid-range shooter, he'll be a likely recipient of kick-out passes from GlobalPort's aggressive guards.

Sharma played for Shell; that's how
long this guy has been in the league.

Prince Caperal / 6'6" / 21 y.o. - Barring significant injuries to the other bigs, I don't see this rookie cracking into the rotation, but he'll have a chance to learn from the veterans.


Final Word: GlobalPort's got size now. We've got a good mix of veterans and young bigs. Guys like Yancy, Isip, and Sharma will add another element to the team's offense with their outside shooting. Nabong and Ponferada provides muscle. The main weakness I foresee is our lack of a reliable post scorer, although I hope that Isip, Kelly and Jewel will work into that role as the season progresses. On the other hand, we'll have lots of scoring from the wings and the guards to offset that deficiency.

Hopefully Washington's issue eventually gets resolved, but this group of bigs will be ready to bang bodies next season, with or without J-Wash.

Next post, I'll be previewing our wingmen.

Port out.