Vergara joins Philippine league’s Barako Coffee
Contributed by Red Hoops reader Jonas Terrado in Manila
Singapore Slingers Filipino point guard Al Vergara has made the final roster of the Barako Energy Coffee Masters in time for the upcoming 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference set for this Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum. (Photo © Red Hoops file photo)
After an impressive outing with the Singapore Slingers, Al Vergara is making a return stint to the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
Vergara, who was the chief playmaker of the Slingers during the recent ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) season, has made the final roster of the Barako Energy Coffee Masters in time for the upcoming 2010 PBA Fiesta Conference set for this Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.
The 5-foot-7 guard averaged 9.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists as he helped the Slingers gain the league’s second-best record after the regular season with a 10-5 card. Unfortunately, the Slingers were booted out by Indonesia’s Satria Muda BritAma in a best-of-three semi-final clash.
But his stint with the Singaporean side earned him the attention of the Filipino-based ball club, which was coming off a disappointing 3-15 record in the Philippine Cup but was able to beat powerhouse team Talk N’ Text during the middle portion of the conference.
Vergara is one of four new players on the Barako roster as the team also signed up cagers from the ABL champion Philippine Patriots in Rob Wainwright, rugged forward Jerwin Gaco and guard Christian Coronel.
Vergara and Coronel, who played backup to Patriots starter and ABL Finals MVP Warren Ybanez during the recent season, and holdover Paolo Hubalde are expected to share minutes at the point guard spot.
Coincidentally, the addition of the three new players plus Vergara came after Barako Coffee agreed to a deal that will have Harbour Centre, owned by the Patriots’ Mikee Romero, as the team’s sponsor.
Prior to his stint in the ABL, Vergara had a short stint with the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants (now known as the Derby Ace Llamados) in 2008 before signing with the Slingers in September of the same year.
He was also a member of some of the Harbour Centre teams that won seven consecutive Philippine Basketball League championships from 2006-2009 and previously helped Montana Pawnshop win a PBL title in 2005.
In college, Vergara helped St Francis of Assisi capture several Universities and Colleges Athletic Association (UCAA) and National Capital Region Athletic Association (NCRAA) titles in the early part of the last decade before making a name for himself in the commercial ranks.
The Coffee Masters will play the Sta Lucia Realtors to start the new PBA conference this Sunday with American Sammy Monroe as import.
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How long is Vergara, Wainwright, Gaco, and Coronel committed to Barako Coffee? If it’s just for one conference, they’re probably expected to suit-up anew with their respective ABL teams. I guess on the upcoming FIBA-Asia Champions Cup in May, the Patriots players are probably not going to suit up for the Patriots.
What?!?!?! Purefoods changed their name as the “Derby Ace Llamados (favorites in Spanish/Tagalog)”?!?!? I think Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs is pretty funny enough… I don’t know about this.
gone in the barako line-up are alex crisano & adonis sta. maria. hoping the patriots management would snatch them in the next season’s roster. combined crisano & sta. maria, they’re thrice rugged as gaco. vergara & gaco (Satria Muda BritAma’s most unliked players) will do there VETERAN (not dirty) tricks out of there sleeves.
patriots will look for Gaco,Coronel,wainright replacement.
patriots coach use match ups, at semifinals, acuna given more playing times,during finals,sta maria step up,alcaraz shift to offguard.
good for al vergara his employ again, he might serve as 4th back up guard for barako.
gabe freeman is most overated, sure he score 39pts,participate and lost to noel in slumdunk competition,PBA best import, but i were not impress the way he play, i just consider him as agressive player,thats only it. SMB once again tap his services,hope he will not ended up with a similar fate of Jervis cole.
Vergara will be back with the Slingers unless the Slingers let go of him.
as for Wainright, Gaco, and Coronel… it’s worth mentioning that Louie Alas just became the assistant coach of Barako, maybe it’s because of the Harbour Center sponsorship deal with Red Bull since Red Bull was the only PBA franchise who felt the blunt of the financial crisis.
it’s not as if the Philippine Patriots will be short of good players next year if ever they don’t come back. i don’t see Crisano and Chia on the Barako roster. the PBA website doesn’t even have Viray, Fernandez, Membrere, and Hubalde (their starting PG). maybe some of those guys will play in the ABL next year. watch out for Crisano. the crowd loves him for putting the hurt on people. you think Gaco is dirty? Crisano is a mad man.
Crisano is known for his on-court craziness and either he will hurt your body from his defense or he will hurt your belly from laughter.
After ABL, air asia become more popular!
ABL tean should start to use business brand names,not only country or city.
After all, its all business!
Crisano is actually training to represent RP in heavy weight boxing for the upcoming Asian games…I’ve read this article before at teampilipinas.info
Good if he does coz we never had a heavy weight before. Alex is agile and not to mention a good dancer so he might have a chance for gold.
send the MLhuillier Ninos. they will be a tough nut to crack.
i wish the patriots will include in their line-up the likes of rudy distrito, and ricky relosa, they are saints inside the hardcourt.
aside from distrito and relosa, patriots will get dante gonzalgo,totoy marquez as asst coach next season.
will this spell for a patriot team full of “Ace-killers”?
Wow,that’s a huge what-now for the Slingers? I hope they find a better point guard.
Wow,that’s a huge what-now-? for the Slingers. I hope they find a better point guard. Good luck Singapura.
Vergara played 30 minutes (8 pts 2 reb 3 ast) in his 1st game for Barako… he was playing less than 15 minutes a game for Purefoods last year.
though i still think he’ll be back with the Slingers, a permanent move is possible if Barako wins games. if that happens, the Slingers have to look for a replacement for Vergara.
Hong Wei Jian is a great player, but he’s no point guard. Michael Wong, Desmond Oh, and Wei Long Wong are undersized 2-guards trying hard to play the point.
Did the Slingers sign Vergara for more than one season?
ABL stars geting a new or redeem themselves at their home..
Philipino player should pull out from any sea commercial league and must join in korea and china tournament like asian university champ, etc..
Al Vergara’s contract with the Barako bull is a one year contcact…And about Big 6’8″ Alex Crisano?Well he leaved the Barako Bull in order to practice boxing again or prepare for the up and coming Asian Game..Wow a big 6’8″ heavyweight boxer.c”,)Hope he wins a medal..c”,)
@lrangels – The last I was told about a month ago that all the imports were only signed for a season and none of them really knows whether they will be offered to have their contract renewed.
But if it’s like Adrax said that Al’s contract with Barako is 1-year and not just the Fiesta then Slingers will need to start looking for a new PG competitive with the other clubs!
@Jan: better look at the PBL because it is the Final Four today. I suggest you look at COBRA and PHAREX’s rosters for potential ABL Asean Imports.
I like to see all local slinger roster next season and give ALL their supporters benefit of the doubt..Its about time to show what they got,if they have something to show!
@Jan. Thanks for the info. on ABL imports.
Just to add Nards’ comment, ABL teams can also look at Filipino players who might end up being waived by PBA teams by the end of the Fiesta Cup.
This is the problem with the Patriots also.Having wainright,Gaco and Coronel out of the Patriots because they are now in the PBA then they will look for a replacement for this 3 players..The Patriots that will play in the Fiba Champions Cup is not the same Patriots that won the ABL championship.Talking about the chemistry of the Team i think they will have a problem in the Champion Cup.And also Freeman is in the PBA so they really have a problem..Oh well,Highest place for the Pats this Fiba Champios Cup is 6th-5th place…Patriots must prepare now becuz Champions cup is 2 months to go and they are playing againts Marahm of Iran, Al Riyadi of Lebanon, Al Jalaa of Syria, Al Rayyan of Qatar and Smart Gilas Pilipinas..Man talk about tough teams,this are the teams to beat..I hope Patriots management are serious about this.Good Luck nalang sa Patriots.c”,)
How long doe it takes for philipines to regain the old glory and once again redeem as the best team in asia?
Is the present gilas worth enough to represent the philippines? with their current line up.
Kailangan bang limitahan ang overseas play ng gilas na walang saysay tulad pagdayo sa autralia,bagkus mag concentrate katotohan, tulad ng pagdayo sa US,china at korea.
Sa tingin ko sa kasulukuyang line up ng gilas 2 lang ang karapat dapat na mag laro
in the PBL, Excelroof and Pharex will face-off in the finals, people should watch out for potential ABL imports there.
there are many players rendered inactive in the PBA
Saudi boy, i agree with you.
I think rp gilas must limit their overseas exhibition games, they must choose which is much effective,it is the quality not the quantity.
kung ang ipapadala ng rp sa qatar ay patriots or gilas na puro walang binatbat, mas mabuti pa wag na mag padala dito sa gitnang silangan, mapapahiya lang mga pinoy.
25 years na ako dito sa kuwait at tulad mo isang ofw, mahusay at kilala ang mga mangagawang pinoy mula inhinyero hangang skilled workers. hangang sa larangan ng basketbal sa mga nakaraan, sanay wag tayong pahiyain ng mga kababayan natin na pilit nag magagaling..
Peter, i spent 25 years working here in the oil rich kingdom (riyadh,jeddah,jubail,dammam,yanbu).
Philipines contineously to fail in discovering new talents.
Sometimes back in 1986, i had seen a player far better than lastimosa and samboy lim during those era, he work in farm at weekends and enroll in radio technician in small vocational school, not lucky to attend in known university, and no one discover him.
Ang hindi ko maintindihan bakit ang malalaking unibersidad ngayon kailang pang kumuha ng mga banyaga tulad ng ekwe,husseini, anak ng patola naman, sa mga kanayunan napakaraming magagaling at may potential na kabataan, BULOK and sistema!! Ang pag dayo ng RP team at pagkatalo sa sa mga team dito sa gitnang silangan ay malaking kasiraan sa mga pinoy!!
@Saudi Boy and Peter. I respect your opinion and all, but please write your comments in “English”? This is just for other posters from Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, etc. to understand.
It just happen that most of the visitors here are from Philippines.
It also doesn’t matter if the English is horrible as long as we can understand your point of view.
Hope you guys understand.
Alex Crisano was dropped by the team because of his unmanageable behavior. According to Coach Leo Isaac, he shows up to practice drunk or hungover. He is not training for boxing because he is too old, he only used the story for publicity.
No team in the PBA is interested in Crisano anymore.
Arboleda will play as asean import next season?
Joey mente aside from being a good poit guard, hes also a good dancer.
Anyone interested there to join?
Its getting funny, Daniels playing again in pba,and
vergara join barako?
@Tonyong bayawak, perhaps theres a place for big boy reynoso and onchie dela cruz in the team, or add willie arboleda for patriots?
This will complete the line up of coach alas, “defensive team”.
I like to see cebu ninos play in ABL next season.
Peter,kabayan, i had heard lot about rp gilas team.
can you eleborate further about patriots,how deep and talented its player? do they have fil-am in their line-up?
i will watch the games here in doha next month.
@Raul
the Patriots will have a depleted roster in Doha because Freeman is back with San Miguel and 3 of its players (Wainright, Gaco, Coronel) were signed by Barako. they have a core of fresh graduate college players and PBL/Liga Pilipinas-level players who either played in the PBA briefly or were undrafted.
without them, watch out for Nonoy Baclao (college standout from Ateneo, plays like Vic Pablo in his prime), Warren Ybañez (ex-PBA), Erwin Santa Maria (PBL), Val Acuña (big guard shooter from UE), and Jason Dixon (veteran import).
Louie alas defensive team? NO!
Raul, not much idea about patriots,but i know gilas is the class A that being train for major tournament.
Patriots are the inaugural champions in ABL,they are mix of young collegiate and ex-pros.
Tigers will bounce back next ABL season.
Watch out!!
@Saudi Boy,
That guy (from mid 80s) that was supposedly better than Samboy lim and Jolas, where did you see him play? and what’s his name? he might ring a bell.
I think it’s alright to post in Tagalog here… I don’t think there’s a significant number of non-pinoys that would look at our comments here.
@vanchai, we are the 1st runner up, we are confident we can duplicate our achievements if not surpass.
Import Dixon is dirty player not deserve as best import, Alex Hartman is the best import.
@mart. I agree with posting in Tagalog, but keep in mind the moderators and its owners are not. Plus, it’s also good to keep them in the loop, and give them a chance to air their opinions too. After all, it’s the “World Wide” Web.
@vanchai. I am pretty sure that the Tiger will do well, but that depends on who are the players (Thai locals outside Lertmalaiporn and the twins) who are coming back next season. Also, the western imports can also give them some sort of argument if they can be a serious playoff contender. We’ll see.
Raul, any news for pibaq this year? hope our kabayans can organize it again.
http://www.pibaq.webs.com
Vergara, PBA? No way!
Tagalog is the Philipine national language,whats the problem if post not in english???
Tol Eubert, pibaq already started this year, some new players from Bechtel,Saipem, same place in al gharafa stadium every friday
This coming april 16, some pba legends are going to visit..
RP gilas for fiba,asia and hopefully london:-
G-Pringle/Lassiter
G-Lutz/toney dela cruz
F-Aguilar/G.Norwood
F-Gian Chiu
C-Jones
SF is the critical, can shift tony dela cruz to SF. RP gilas need Detlef Schrempf style of play.
obet, i have doubt for rp gilas line up,not for the player but the officials, eala,lim. todate no formal process on whom to naturalize.