New faces top statistical categories

Besides scoring machine Josh Sablan and last year’s finals MVP Dan Barcinas, this year’s statistical leaders are a bunch of relative unknowns that had their breakout season this year in the 2004 Saipan Rotary Club Summer Youth Basketball League.

Sablan, of 69ers I, took home this year’s scoring crown after averaging a whopping 30 points per game. The high-scoring but temperamental guard made 300 points in 10 games to edge Chalan Kanoa Saints’ main man Luis Reyes, who finished with a 28 points per game norm built on 309 points in 11 games.

69ers I second option Shawn Fujihira was third in the pecking order after tossing in 233 points in 10 games, which was good for 23.3 points per game.

Sixers I teammates Kevin Cequena and Rowell Aranda were fourth and fifth in the scoring race after averaging 22.3 and 22 points per game, respectively. Cequena scored 246 points in the season, which was only four points more than Aranda’s total.

In the rebounding department, little known Mike Reyes led all players with an average of 7.9 boards a game. Sixers II’s Jason Bahillo was second in the category after corralling 7.7 per contest. John Ngeskebei of Sixers I was third in board work with a 6.6 norm, while Makos’ Won Joo Jung and CNMI Women’s Junior National Team center Vanessa Diaz complete the Top 5 with rebounding averages of 6.4 and 6, respectively.

Julian Ranas of Sixers I did not only make waves in the 18-and-under league but also made his presence felt as a rookie in the 2004 UFO-San Miguel Cup. But while he led the all-Filipino league in scoring, the fleet-footed guard did the exact opposite in the Rotary by topping the league in the assists department.

Ranas averaged 4.7 dole outs per game, two assists better than second-running Barcinas of Ol’Aces, who finished with a 2.7 norm. Ranas’ chief reliever Adrian Echon and Junior Nationals’ Chariss Ruluked were tied at third place with 2.5 assists per game. Cequena is alone in fourth with a 2.3 assist per game average, while Makos top gun Paul Magcalas and Sparks’ Ben Jones Jr. shared fifth after dishing out 1.7 night in and night out.

Jones and Barcinas shared the Sultan of Swipe title after both finished with identical 5.2 steals per game averages. Magcalas is second with 5 swipes per game, while Josh Sablan, and brothers L.J. and Luis Reyes complete the Top 5 with 4.7, 4.3, and 4.1 steals per game averages, respectively.

Jorge Dalan, who at close to 6’0” tips the scales at 220 lbs., was the leading shot blocker of the 2004 season. The Garapan Rollers III center made opposing players think twice before entering the shaded lane after blocking an average of 2 shots per game. The do-it-all Barcinas is second in blocks with 1.9, while Ngeskebei is third with 1.8 swats per contest. Bill Babauta of 69ers II and Ferdinand Palacios of Sixers II also averaged 1.7 ad 1.5 blocks, respectively.