Game Report: GlobalPort Beats Air21

I love talking about games we won, so don’t expect a game summary from me in losses, and I’m quite sure you wouldn’t want to hear about it anyway.

I was pretty excited for this game since it’s been awhile since we all saw GlobalPort in action. I was looking forward to seeing our biggest new acquisition Jay Washington and our import Markeith Cummings. Well, I wasn’t disappointed.

The team underwent some changes to its roster during the off-conference:

Holdovers:
Gary David, Sol Mercado, Willie Miller, Rudy Lingganay, AJ Mandani, Kelly Nabong, Jondan Salvador, Jaypee Belencion, Mark Yee, Bryan Faundo.

New Acquisitions:

Jay Washington, Yousef Taha, Marvin Hayes, Chad Alonzo, JR Buensuceso.

Gone:

Reed Juntilla, Alex Crisano, Rommel Aduccul, Will Antonio, Yousif Aljamal.

Of note, Rommel Aduccul has joined the coaching staff.

GlobalPort started the game with Sol Mercado, Washington, Cummings, Jaypee Belencion and surprisingly, Marvin Hayes. If you look at that starting 5, there really isn’t a true center.  Either coach Junel Baculi wants a speedy 5 with good shooting, or he’s just trying to match up with Air21, a team that doesn’t really have a potent post player themselves.

GlobalPort pretty much led throughout the whole game.  Cummings started the game with some scoring in the paint, and he seems really comfortable playing at the post.  He also made jumpshots and even connected on a 3-pointer, so he’s quite the complete package.  He finished the game with 37 points and 11 rebounds.

Hayes played some major minutes and was tasked to cover Air21 import Zach Graham for most of the game, which he did pretty well.  Graham still got his 31 points, but Hayes was all over him and really challenged his shots. Hayes also grabbed 6 rebounds and scored 6 points, making up for a solid debut. He looked like a poor man’s Calvin Abueva.

With Gary David sitting this one out, Jaypee Belencion started at shooting guard. “Junior Granada” did his best David impersonation, scoring 14 points on four 3-pointers.

But perhaps the most impressive local in this game was Jay Washington. After missing on his first couple of shots, Washington started showing his old form, connecting on midrange jumpers and grabbing rebounds. He didn’t force shots and played well on defense. Jay-Wash finished with 15 points and 9 boards.

It’s just the first game, but it was nice to get a win, especially in a really short tournament like this. David could suit up next game, which could only spell good things for GlobalPort.

Roar out.