If any of the names below sound familiar, it's because they are offsprings of former pro players who made their names in the basketball scene during their heydays.
Jeron and Jeric Teng, DLSU and UST
Jeric, the former UAAP Rookie of the Year, will be playing in his fourth season for the UST Growling Tigers. With his ability to handle the ball and shoot from long range, he remains a solid prospect for the pros.
Meanwhile, his younger brother Jeron made headlines last year when he scored 104 points in a high school game against Grace Christian High School in the Tiong Lian Tournament.
Although he had the opportunity to refine his game playing for the RP Youth Team, it remains to be seen if he can continue to become a dominant force in the more competitive UAAP Tournament.
Thirdy and Keifer Ravena, Ateneo
Keifer Ravena joined the Ateneo Blue Eagles in 2011with much fanfare after a dominant high school career where he won several scoring titles and championships with the Eaglets.
As a rookie, he was instrumental in helping the Blue Eagles capture their fourth straight UAAP championship and it was validated with a Rookie of the Year award. He also played for Sinag Team that won the gold medal in last year's South East Asian Games.
It is highly likely that Thirdy, Keifer's younger brother and second son of PBA great Bong Ravena will follow him soon.
Thirdy is showing he can keep up with the Ravenas, averaging 10.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists in the FilOil Pre-season tournament as of this writing.
Kobe and Andre Paras, La Salle Green Hills
Andre and Kobe are currently playing for the LSGH Greenies in the NCAA Juniors Tournament. Both are sons of basketball-great-turned-comedian, Benjie Paras.
Andre played a pivotal role in the Greenies' successful run to the NCAA Juniors Finals last season, when they shocked the San Beda Red Lions in Game One of the Best of Three Championship. It was the first loss of the Red Cubs that season after sweeping the elimination round.
Andre scored 11 of his 13 points in the fourth period, including the go-ahead three-point play with 1:04 left in the game. Although the Greenies eventually succumbed to the Red Lions, it put Andre on the radar.
Andre, along with his younger brother Kobe, is currently seeing action in the FilOil pre-season tourney and is averaging 11.3 points and a team-high 12.7 rebounds per game. On the other hand, Kobe, who appeared in two games, is averaging 1.0 point, 0.5 rebounds and 1.0 assist.
Despite his work as a comedian, basketball remained a serious business for Benjie. Known as the Tower of Power and the only Rookie-MVP winner in the history of the Philippine Basketball Association, Benjie was one of the most vocal critics of the entry of so-called Fil-Shams in the PBA in late 90s, which fueled his drive to win the MVP award in 1999.
Gwynne and Gabe Capacio, Ateneo
Gabe Capacio is currently playing for the Ateneo Blue Eaglets and is averaging 9.7 points and five rebounds in the FilOil Pre-season Tournament as of this writing. Meanwhile, his older brother Gwynne is playing his first year for the Ateneo Blue Eagles after his high school stint with the De La Salle-Zobel Bengals.
Gabe and Gwynne are sons of former FEU Head coach Glen Capacio. Glen, a very effective role player for the Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdog during his pro career in the PBA, led the Tamaraws to a UAAP Finals appearance in 2010.
Aaron Black, Ateneo
Aaron Black, son of former PBA import and incumbent head coach of the Ateneo Blue Eagles,Norman Black, is currently playing for the Ateneo Blue Eaglets. As of this writing, Aaron is averaging 6.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in a non-starter role for the Blue Eaglets in the FilOil Pre-season tournament.
Norman, who was hired by the Blue Eagles as a team consultant in 2004, has won the last four UAAP championships and will be gunning for his fifth, and expectedly final, championship as head coach for Ateneo before he takes over the head coaching job for the Talk and Text Tropang Texters in the PBA. This kid is definitely getting the coaching that he needs to elevate his game to the next level.
Bobby Ray Parks Jr., National University
Bobby Ray Parks Jr. was an elite prospect in the United States before he packed up and left to play for the NU Bulldogs in 2011.
After an impressive showing at the Nike Global Challenge in Hillsboro, Oregon in 2010 (22 ppg on 44.4 percent three-point shooting) and signing a letter of intent with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, it seemed strange that Bobby Ray would leave all the opportunities infront of him and jet off across the Pacific to play for his mother's homeland.
However, that was just half the story. In a story that appeared on CNNSI in April 2011, SI's Luke Winn wrote that Bobby Ray Jr. was compelled to move by his desire to be with his father, Bobby Sr., who was then battling cancer and employed by the NU Bulldogs as Director of Sports Development.
Since then, Bobby Ray has won the UAAP MVP and represented the country in the South East Asian Games as part of the Sinag Basketball Program. He is also eyed as a member of the Smart-Gilas II program and is a shoo-in for the PBA.
Bobby Ray is currently averaging 17.1 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists for the 7-0 Bulldogs in the FilOil Pre-season tournament. The Bulldogs, who will be playing some of their games in the newly opened to SM Arena (technically their home gym) can make a serious run for the UAAP championship this season.
Bobby Sr. is no stranger to basketball in the Philippines. He is one of the most celebrated imports in the history of the PBA, having played for popular teams like San Miguel, Anejo Rhum and Formula Shell.
He was also the second American to be inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame (2009).
Jun, Kevin, Kenneth Alas, Letran
The Alas family name has been synonymous to the Letran Knights basketball program and it seems the family is determined to keep their reign going.
After patriarch Louie Alas led the Knights to multiple championships (the last one in 2005), his sons Kevin and Jun decided to stick it out with dad.
Kevin has arguably been more successful than his older brother after productive stints with Cebuana Lhuillier in the PBA D-League, his inclusion to the 87th NCAA Season Mythical Team, and his much publicized training with the Los Angeles Slam, a semi-pro team in the American Basketball Association.
Kenneth is the third son of the multi-titled coach. He is currently playing for the Squires in the Juniors division and is averaging a team-high 19 points per game in the FilOil Pre-season Tournament.
Keifer, still a toddler, is highly likely to follow the path that his father and older brothers have taken. He is a staple in Letran games and can be seen doing pre-game warm-ups with the team in his own kiddie-sized Knights uniform.
He probably won't be seeing action for the Squires until around year 2020.
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Article Source: Tim_Florendo
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