San Miguel Beermen Basketball Updates

Photo Credit: Denrei A. Catalan

Showing some form of consistency in the Qatar invitational basketball tournament, Dondon Hontiveros leads the San Miguel Beermen with 14 points in a losing cause to the Egypt National Team.

Despite the loss, it was a good experience for the team which badly needed to jell with only several days coming into the conference opening. Without doubt, the loss also exposed some of the holes that the San Miguel Beermen should plug-in in order to win against the top teams of the PBA. These are the things that coach Siot Tanquingcen and the rest of the coaching staff should be working with before the team plunge into action.

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Beermen take defeat to Egypt five in stride

Source: INQUIRER.net
by Romina Austria | September 23, 2008

DOHA — Never mind that San Miguel Beer lost two of its three exhibition matches here, the last a 69-60 decision to the Egypt national basketball team on Saturday night (Sunday morning in Manila).

It was more important for basketball coach Siot Tanquingcen to be able to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of the Beermen with the start of the Philippine Basketball Association’s 39th basketball season less than two weeks away.

He also found the experience a perfect bonding time among the mainstays, new recruits Mike Cortez, Ken Bono and Jay Washington and rookie Bonbon Custodio.

“Defense is one aspect that we should improve on,” said Tanquingcen. “We are also experimenting on new offensive patterns. I don’t expect us to be at peak level come [the PBA's] opening day [on Oct. 4] but we soon will be if we’ll just be patient.”

The Beermen bowed to the Qatar nationals on Thursday night, 71-62, before beating Qatar basketball club Al Sadd, 62-33, the next night.

“It would’ve been more fruitful, especially for the basketball fans, had we won all our matches,” said Tanquingcen. “But it was a good learning experience. Too bad we weren’t a complete basketball team here.”

Danny Ildefonso, Lordy Tugade and Mick Pennisi failed to join the trip.

Ildefonso is still in the United States after an operation on his feet. Tugade is recovering from a knee injury and Pennisi had a previous commitment. Marc Pingris played against Qatar but flew home right after the basketball match to attend a family affair.

Against the Egyptian nationals, the Beermen never took the lead and were able to tie the match just twice, at 2-all and 26-all, midway in the second period.

A 9-0 run by Egypt had the Filipinos trailing again by nine, 35-26. The closest the Beermen could get to the lead was 40-35 on back-to-back baskets by Dondon Hontiveros and Bonbon Custodio.

Filipinos here left the match with more than just memories and pictures of and with the Beermen. Some of the lucky ones managed to get the basketball jerseys, playing shoes, towels and T-shirts of the basketball players.

Danny Seigle was listless for most part of the four-nation invitational tournament and Tanquingcen said the 6-foot-7 shooting forward only joined two pre-season basketball practice sessions with the Beermen before they arrived in Doha.

The scores:

EGYPT 69 — Ghanim 14, Ammal 12, Saharty 11, Kerdany 9, Badr 7, Genady R. 6, Khassid 4, Elenen 2, Genady S. 2, Adly 2, Said 0.

SMB 60 — Hontiveros 14, Cortez 11, Pena 9, Custodio 8, Bono 8, Gonzales 4, Villanueva 3, Washington 2, Seigle 1, Racela 0, Calaguio 0.

Quarters: 25-17; 44-38; 60-47; 69-60

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