UAAP vs NCAA coaches: When the game was theirs

Imagine this. One team is made up of two former members of the PBA's All-Defensive team, a former Rookie of the Year winner, an ex-Best Import awardee and a noted gunner during his heyday in the professional league. The other side is bannered by two former MVP's and members of the PBA's 25 Greatest Players, an ex-PBA heart-throb and member of the league's most popular team, two tough defenders during their stint in Asia's first play-for-pay league. Make way for your extraordinary starting fives in this season's collegiate games – a fantasy game between your former PBA superstars-turned coaches. Take your pick: The UAAP coaches (Norman Black, Glenn Capacio, Leo Austria, Dindo Pumaren and Pido Jarencio) versus the NCAA mentors (Vergel Meneses, Ato Agustin, Richard Del Rosario, Frankie Lim and Leo Isaac). Which team has the better end of the deal once they strut their wares inside the hardcourt? Black expected to lord it over

"Don't make me laugh. I'm an import. No way the NCAA team can beat us," said Black, who steered San Miguel Beer to a grandslam title in 1989. "We still play competitive basketball. Me and coach Leo (Austria) were teammates with the Ateneo Basketball League and we're back-to-back champions," added Black. PBA coaches Yeng Guiao of Air21 and Boyet Fernandez of Sta. Lucia are also convinced Black will make the big difference. "You can tell Norman is still in tip-top shape because he doesn't have a bulging stomach unlike the other coaches and he still has the build," said Guiao. "Definitely, UAAP because of coach Norman," said Fernandez. "And they have good balance on the team. They have stoppers in Glen and Dindo and gunners in Pido and Leo." Sports commentators Chino Trinidad of GMA-7 and Boyet Sison of Hardball, believe Black's presence definitely gives the UAAP coaches the advantage. "If you remove Norman from the equation, then definitely, we will have a very exciting match up," said Trinidad. "But the more interesting match up is between Meneses and Capacio." Black had a stellar PBA career both as a player and as a coach. After suiting up for the Detroit Pistons in the NBA, Black found his way to the PBA where he debuted as Tefilin's import in 1981. The following year, he suited up for San Miguel Beer, which he led to two finals stints capped by an Invitational Conference triumph over Crispa. He also had stints with Great Taste, Magnolia and Alaska. But it was with San Miguel where the 6-foot-5 import won championships both as a player and coach. Black also played against other illustrious reinforcements in the PBA such as Billy Ray Bates of Crispa, Andy Fields and Donnie Ray Koonce of Toyota, Lew Massey of Gilbey's Gin, Russel Murray of Tanduay, David Thirdkill of Tanduay/Purefoods, Michael Hackett of Ginebra and seven-time Best import awardee Bobby Parks of Shell. "I do believe NCAA with Vergel, Ato and Leo has a more balanced team, but Norman will be too much against Richard del Rosario," said Sison. Like Sison, UAAP sports analyst TJ Manotoc picks the NCAA as well. "I like the balance on the NCAA team, but I would love to see Vergel and Ato do their thing inside the court," said Manotoc. Letran coach Louie Alas, whose dream of playing in the PBA was cut short by a career-threatening knee injury in 1990, sees the "dream battle" as anybody's game. "You have a Norman Black, who has an edge on the UAAP side and you have two former PBA MVPs in Agustin and Meneses on the other side. I think it's anybody’s game," said Alas. And how would Del Rosario - a 6-foot-4 banger who played for Pepsi, Mobiline and Sta. Lucia - fare against the Old Black Magic? Imagine Black powering his way inside against Del Rosario, a player who's more than willing to give up his body even without messing up his hairdo. Known as a role player in the PBA, Del Rosario never backs down to the challenge -- an attitude every coach wants to have on a player. He's one guy who never complains and is more than willing to do the dirty job. The Aerial Voyager vs Mr. No Nonsense The match up between 1995 PBA MVP Meneses and Capacio, an eight-time All-Defensive Team member, is certainly a classic. Both went up against each other at the backcourt with Capacio's no nonsense defense, bottling up the usually-prolific Meneses a lot of times. Capacio played for Purefoods' four championship teams and was a stabilizer, both on offense and defense. Meneses, on the other hand, blossomed to become one of the PBA's most exciting players. Once denied an opportunity to win the 1992 Rookie of the Year plum, the man known as "The Aerial Voyager" worked on his game and became one of the best one-on-one players in the league. He won three championships while playing for Swift and Sunkist. He also suited up for Barangay Ginebra, FedEx, Talk 'N Text and Red Bull Barako. The Atom Bomb vs The Fireman Expect the scoreboard to light up once gunners Agustin and Jarencio go head-to-head. Curiously, both coaches now are under one PBA team – San Miguel Beer – where they serve as Siot Tanquincen's assistant mentors. Definitely, basketball fans would love to see the 1992 PBA MVP take on the player regarded in the pro league as: "The Fireman." Agustin rose to stardom when he carried an injury-plagued San Miguel squad to numerous titles in the 1990s. He was a third-string guard and had to play the spot vacated by Samboy Lim, Hector Calma and Franz Pumaren when all those players were on the sidelines. Jarencio, too, started as a backup and worked his way in the starting roster of crowd-darling Ginebra. He first played for Great Taste in 1988 as backup to an aging Bernie Fabiosa, then moved to Purefoods the following year where he again came off the bench to Al Solis and Dindo Pumaren in that particular order. He then landed a spot in coach Guiao's 1991 Diet Sarsi squad. Jarencio's break came when he joined the Robert Jaworski-mentored squad and became the lead combo guard. When two Leos meet What about the two Leos – Isaac and Austria? Isaac was one of Ginebra's glamour boys during the 1980s. A 6-foot-1 point guard, he was able to use his height advantage over smaller counterparts. At a time when illegal defense was still in effect in the PBA to prevent teams from playing zone defense, the former Mapua hotshot was able to thrive and score points while posting up against smaller defenders. As for Austria, he came at a perfect time when he was the outstanding player playing the point in 1985. He was named Rookie of the Year the same season and able to share minutes with Fabiosa while playing for Shell Azodrin. The Bullet vs Dangerous Frankie Well, the two played together in one team for quite sometime. Pumaren was Purefoods' starting point guard 1993 with Lim as backup. Olsen Racela, who will soon end his outstanding career with San Miguel Beer, was third in the rotation. But Pumaren and Lim also went head-to-head several times. Flashback 1990 in the Third Conference. Purefoods was a young team handled by legendary coach Baby Dalupan, who was up against a budding mentor who will later turn out to be one of the best of all time, Tim Cone of Alaska. Pumaren was on his sophomore year while Lim was already a veteran point guard. In the conference, Pumaren would celebrate at Lim's expense when the Purefoods team won their first championship. Pumaren is known for his playmaking skills, while Lim, who started his PBA career with Tanduay in 1981, is regarded for his clutch shooting from beyond-the-arc. So which side are you? Who’s got the edge? Who do you think will win in this fantasy showdown? Your guess is as good as mine. - JVP/OMG, GMANews.TV