Decade's Best: 2000's Top 10 Players

The first decade of the new millennium came to an end almost a week ago and personally, it was great to reflect on the last 10 years, particularly in the college basketball scene.

Both the UAAP and NCAA, already an attraction among their respective member schools, achieved immense popularity this decade thanks largely to television deals with ABS-CBN and the commercialism of the country's two major collegiate leagues (which can be either good or bad depending on your preference).

There were memorable games, memorable players, memorable moments during this era. So now, we look back at a decade of college basketball in the first part of a series.

10 Best Players of the Decade (each from the UAAP and the NCAA)

NCAA

10. Pong Escobal (San Beda Red Lions)


The former Davao-based cager was the emotional leader of San Beda's championship teams from 2006-2008. His statistics surely aren't super and didn't even got any individual awards (except maybe for a few Player of the Week honors) but his leadership stabilized the team and avoided potential losses during those times and his absence in the past season affected San Beda's failed bid to win a fourth straight crown. Escobal can also deliver the big shots in crucial situations.

9. Kelvin dela Pena (Mapua Cardinals)


Dela Pena was responsible for bringing the Cardinals to three straight Final Four appearances from 2006-2008 and almost singlehandedly carried this technology-oriented school to the finals against the vaunted San Beda squad. He was a legitimate double-double performer (did it eight times in his career) that helped him win the Rookie of the Year award in 2005 and the Most Valuable Player plum two seasons later. While usually preferring to pass the ball to the likes of Neil Pascual, Jonathan Banal and Allan Mangahas, dela Pena can make clutch baskets or score at will when needed.

8. Boyet Bautista (Letran Knights)


Bautista wasn't a statistics demon nor an MVP candidate during his collegiate career but his quarterbacking duties was truly beneficial in Letran's two NCAA title victories in 2003 and 2005 (he was named as the Finals MVP of that series with PCU as the Knights bounced back from a loss in Game 1). Was also fortunate to have played with good backcourt players in Ronjay Enrile and Aaron Aban and reliable big men such as Jonathan Pinera, Mark Andaya and Erick Rodriguez. His other individual award came in 2006 when he received the Most Improved Player diadem on his final campaign.

7. Yousif Aljamal (San Beda Red Lions)

Was one of the members of the last San Beda team that missed the Final Four (in 2005) and their run of three straight titles (actually won two straight from 2006-2007 before going pro). Was relied upon for outside shooting (mostly using the glass) and made a lot of those in San Beda's 2006 title win over PCU (he won the 2006 Finals MVP). Despite a controversial final campaign in 2007 (due to his entry into the PBA draft that led to TRO's and threats to cancel the season), Aljamal played a much bigger role as he led the league in scoring at 17.1 points and later received the Mythical Five honors.

6. RJ Jazul (Letran Knights)


For a Louie Alas-built squad (whether it was the Knights, the PBL's Toyota Otis or the ABL's Philippine Patriots), it is hard to find someone who can be a go-to-guy on offense. But good thing, Alas was able to find a gem in Jazul, who made a killing with his outside shooting and even scored 37 points at one-point during the 2008 season. In his last two seasons, Jazul earned two straight Mythical Five awards from 2008 and even in 2009 when he was tasked to come off the bench (actually, he would have not made it if not for a suspension on San Sebastian's Jimbo Aquino). His collegiate career eventually earned him a spot on the Smart Gilas national team.

5. Ogie Menor (San Beda Red Lions)

Menor was supposed to be heading to La Salle in 2005 after a storied high school career with the San Beda Red Cubs. But a last minute change prompted him to return to Mendiola and eventually powered the Mendiola dribblers to glory in the latter part of the decade. While he played inconsistent at times, the mohawk-sporting Menor always played stellar in the games that mattered the most. His exploits in the 2007 finals against Letran gave him the series MVP honors and used his speed in transition the following year as San Beda beat Jose Rizal University in Game 3 to win a third straight NCAA crown. Menor's absence this past season (despite a year of eligibilit left) was visibly seen as the Red Lions failed to win a four-peat.

4. Sunday Salvacion (St Benilde Blazers)


This writer will admit that he never saw Salvacion play for the Blazers (was still in high school then but saw him suit up for Montana in the PBL). Only heard rave reviews of him from a high school basketball teammate, whose brother once played there. Anyway, Salvacion epitomized CSB's winning ways in the early part of the decade and played an integral role in the school's 2000 crown (and proving back then that the Blazers can be at par with their sister school from a few yards away). He did scored 37 points in one NCAA game in 2002 and bagged the league's MVP award later that year. The Blazers has stayed in the cellar since he joined the PBA with Barangay Ginebra in 2003.

3. Jason Castro (PCU Dolphins)

2004 Season: 15.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.6 steals

Castro may likely to have gained a more celebrated career in the Philippine Basketball League but he owed that to his stint with the Dolphins. Despite playing second or third fiddle to Gabby Espinas and Rob Sanz, the former RP Youth member was also capable of taking over games. Two of those were memorable. One, his game-winning trey in Game 1 of the 2004 finals against Perpetual Help. And two, when he carried PCU from a 20-or-so-point deficit on his own before succumbing to a heartbreaking loss to San Beda in Game 3 of the 2006 finals. While he never won an MVP award, the 5-foot-11 guard managed to win three straight Mythical Five honors from 2004-2006.

2. Gabby Espinas (PCU Dolphins)

2004 Season: 10.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.4 blocks

Thanks to his lanky frame, Espinas was the league's most versatile big man in this decade and played the lead role in Philippine Christian University's rise to a title contender during the mid-2000's. He earned the distinction as the first player to win the Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player plum in both seasons. The lefty cager did the trick in 2004 (under veteran coach Ato Tolentino) after powering the Dolphins, who a season ago languished in the bottom of the standings, to an improbable NCAA championship. He became a much better player in the next two seasons (leading to two more of his three straight Mythical Five awards) despite having to deal with consecutive coaching changes each year (Junel Baculi in 2005 and Joel Dualan in 2006, both steered the Taft cagers to the finals).

1. Sam Ekwe (San Beda Red Lions)

2008 Season: 16.0 points, 14.2 rebounds, 2.1 blocks

Ekwe's debut in 2006 brought a new era in San Beda's fabled basketball history as his inside presence alone created havoc to opponents who had the guts of beating the Nigerian behemoth. In just three seasons with the Red Lions, he won two Most Valuable Player awards in 2006 and 2008 (could have bagged the 2007 award if not for kicking Lee Sang Myeon of Perpetual), Rookie of the Year honors in 2006 (becoming the second player in NCAA history to win the ROY and MVP plums in a single season) a Finals MVP plum in 2008 (despite a report that he was nabbed by authorities after a dip in his perfomance) and of course spearheading the Mendiola cagers' run at a rare three-peat. It perhaps changed the atmosphere of the NCAA and college basketball in particular as several other teams later acquired foreign cagers to beef up their bids to win their own championships and also played a key role in several rule changes from both leagues.

UAAP

10. Rabeh Al-Hussaini (Ateneo)

2008 and 2009 Seasons: 17.3 points, 8.4 rebounds

Tough choice to include the 6-foot-6 Al-Hussaini in this list (there's certainly a number of players who deserve a spot here) as he went through three seasons under the shadows of Japeth Aguilar, Doug Kramer and Ford Arao before coming of age by leading the Eagles to back-to-back titles. He won the 2008 MVP with an average of 18.0 points and 9.6 rebounds as the Eagles steamrolled to a 16-1 mark then nearly won his second straight MVP plum but still went on to become the Finals' best player during the finals as the Loyola dribblers won its fifth overall crown.

9. JV Casio (La Salle Green Archers)

Casio was part of the best and worst times of La Salle basketball during the decade. He quickly made an impact upon his UAAP debut in 2003 before eventually taking the Rookie of the Year plum. Then, he delivered the first of many clutch performances in his career when he sank a title-clinching triple against FEU to bag the 2004 championship (later gave to the Tamaraws because of the eligibility scandal). In the next three seasons, he led the Archers to back-to-back finals appearances including the 2007 championship denying University of the East of a rare perfect season. Casio also earned Mythical Five inclusions in 2007 and 2008 and co-shared the Finals MVP plum with teammate Cholo Villanueva in 2007.

8. LA Tenorio (Ateneo Blue Eagles)

Tenorio showed his quickness and ability to take over even during his rookie season when he fired 30 points against his counterpart Mike Cortez of La Salle but suffered a crushing Game 3 loss in the 2001 UAAP Finals. Since then, the 5-foot-8 guard emerged as Ateneo's vital backcourt threat and was a member of the 2002 championship despite limited minutes because of an injury. His game grew slightly during the 2004 season, which saw him drill a game-winning trey against Adamson days after Larry Fonacier suffered a career-ending ACL injury, and carried it into the 2005 season when he was named into Mythical Five in his final year.

7. Mark Cardona (La Salle Green Archers)


Cardona popularized his signature tear-drop shot, that was oftentimes mistakenly called as a "hook shot" (announcers later called him "Captain Hook"). His brash attitude led him to many sweet nothings with several rivals, particularly Wesley Gonzales of Ateneo. After spending his first two seasons as a role player for those strong La Salle teams, Cardona took his game to a new level in his final two seasons with numerous 20-point games and leading the Archers to the 2004 UAAP crown (later stripped because of an eligibility scandal). He was also the 2001 Rookie of the Year when the Archers completed a four-peat (that year, his eligibility was questioned after studying at Carson High School in the US) and was a member of the 2004 Mythical Five.

6. Jervy Cruz (UST Growling Tigers)


2007 Season: 17.6 points, 14.0 rebounds

Cruz was a low-post demon and epitomized a time of success for the Growling Tigers in the late-2000's. Despite spending just three seasons with in the UAAP (he was a former Team B standout and was denied of a chance to win the 2006 Rookie of the Year award because of a new ruling), he averaged a double-double and won the Mythical Five in each of those seasons (even during the 2008 season when UST failed to enter the Final Four for the first time since coach Pido Jarencio took over) highlighted by his lone MVP plum in 2007. More importantly, Cruz was the biggest piece of the puzzle in UST's improbable championship run in 2006 at the expense of the favored Ateneo Blue Eagles.

5. Mike Cortez (La Salle Green Archers)


With his cat-quick skills (no wonder they call him "The Cool Cat"), gutsy drives to the basket, pull up jumpers and signature long white socks, Cortez was a vital cog in the latter two titles of La Salle's four-peat run from 1998-2001. In his three seasons with the Archers, Cortez was the league's Rookie of the Year in 2000 and the Finals MVP in 2001. He was also considered to win the 2002 MVP award after powering the Archers to a 13-1 campaign in the elimination round (could have won all 14 games if not for the loss to Ateneo on the final day) that made many to think that he was already PBA-bound. Unfortunately, the Taft cagers failed to win a five-peat, no thanks to his disappointing 2-of-13 shooting in their Game 3 loss to Ateneo (and unfortunately led to allegations of game-fixing).

4. Enrico Villanueva (Ateneo Blue Eagles)

2002 Season: 17.1 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.0 blocks

Villanueva could have won three or even four MVP awards but circumstances prevented him from being one (an example came in 2001 when he was disqualified from the MVP race despite leading the Statistical Points category after committing three unsportsmanlike fouls that season. That enabled Rich Alvarez to win a second MVP plum). But nonetheless his strong presence on both ends of the paint enabled the Blue Eagles to jumpstart their road back to glory that was completed with a 2002 championship over La Salle (thus ending a 14-year title drought).

3. Renren Ritualo (La Salle Green Archers)


Ritualo picked up the leadership cudgels after Don Allado and Dino Aldeguer left after their second consecutive title in 1999. Known as one of the deadliest scorers during the past decade, he powered La Salle to two more UAAP titles in 2000 and 2001 to complete a rare four-peat (school officials eventually retired his number the following year joining Kurt Bachmann, Lim Eng Beng and later volleyball star Manilla Santos in 2009). He didn't won a season MVP award but was adjudged as the 2000 Finals MVP plum as La Salle swept FEU then conspired with big man Carlos Sharma as the Green Archers trounced bitter rival Ateneo in the rubber match of the 2001 Finals (Ritualo was also named as the 1997 Rookie of the Year).

2. James Yap (UE Red Warriors)

Best Statistical Season: 2002 (19.0 points, 2.6 3pt's made)

He may be widely be known as Kris Aquino's hubby or the star cager of Purefoods in the PBA but Yap was the perhaps the best shooter of the past 10 years (and UE's best spitfire since Allan Caidic). The former RP Youth member was instrumental in jumpstarting UE's run at eight consecutive Final Four appearances (in 2002 and 2003). The only drawback was that he failed to at least give UE a Final Four win (none frustrating than in 2002 when it lost to Ateneo despite a twice-to-beat edge. But despite failing to give the Recto cagers a championship (the school hasn't won a crown since 1985), the future PBA MVP and member of the all-pro led national team was rewarded with the 2003 UAAP MVP plum in controversial fashion (earned the nods from votes from various outlets) and a couple of Mythical Five inclusions.

1. Arwind Santos (FEU Tamaraws)

Best Statistical Season: 2005 (13.9 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists)

Clearly the best player of the decade (in the UAAP and, possibly, in the amateur ranks) with his athleticism, versatility and leadership during FEU's three-straight (or two if you're from La Salle) UAAP titles from 2003-2005. Santos, the Pampanga-born cager with a lanky body (and not to mention his long wingspan), took home almost all of the major individual awards available (aside from having his number hanging on the rafters of the FEU gym). First was the 2002 Rookie of the Year, then made it to multiple Mythical Five inclusions, followed by back-to-back season MVP's from 2004-2005 (could have also won the 2003 award) and two Finals MVP honors in 2003 and 2005. He averaged a double-double in three of his four seasons with the Tamaraws (12.8 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.2 blocks from 2003-2005). Would usually show quickness in hauling down the boards (normally gets his own miss from the three-point arc before scoring a putback). His most memorable performance was in Game 1 of the 2005 finals against La Salle when he brought the Tams back in the last two minutes with five straight points to steal the contest (and unfortunately received a cheap shot by La Salle basketball official Manny Salgado). Success also followed him in the PBA, where he has been a major MVP contender and could possibly equal his past achievements in the pro ranks in the next 10 years.