The Meralco Bolts has four point guards right now who can play various roles depending on what the team requires.
Jimmy Alapag provides veteran leadership and 3-point accuracy, but he had to deal with the ravages of time and had to pace his body to withstand the expected physicality in succeeding games. Anjo Caram provides the annoying defensive presence, but lacks consistent arsenal to be considered a serious offensive threat. Baser Amer may be the future point-guard of the team, but his youth sometimes lead to bad decision-making on the floor. Caught in the middle of this is Jonathan Uyloan.
The six-year Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), has all the good side of the three other guards, but he also commits the same mistakes as well. He is the reason why the Bolts is now considered as one of the deepest team in the league.
The six-foot tall guard is one of the great stories coming out of the 2009 PBA Draft. Except that he was never drafted by any club although he was picked up by Rain or Shine that same year as a utility guard.
Uyloan thought he had found a home with the Elasto Painters. There were PBA conferences where he played a lot and there were days when he didn’t. In fact, he got even more playing time that heralded TY Tang who burned a hole at the end of the bench.
"You kind of hope that you’ve done something to prove yourself and you aren't going to get cut or traded," shared the Fil-Am combo guard. "Then you see teammates who are here today and gone tomorrow and you realize that you could go the same route."
After five years with RoS, Uyloan was shipped to GlobalPort where playing time became even harder to find. And now he finds himself with the Meralco Bolts after being traded for swingman Ronjay Buenafe. "Am just happy to have a job," he confides.
There may be a logjam at the point-guard position, but Uyloan offers something that the other guards cannot consistently perform. Aside from what was mentioned earlier, Uyloan is a solid and reliable spot-up shooter.
Uyloan has a career average of 33.6 percentage from long distance, but since joining the Bolts, his average jumped to 36.8 percent.
"Jonathan can also play the two," clarified team manager Paolo Trillo. "We like his steadiness and feistiness."
He can also take heart from a new teammate, Bryan Faundo, who like him, went undrafted in 2009. He’s bounced around six PBA clubs including one in the Asean Basketball League until he arrived in Meralco in 2015. Under head coach Norman Black, Faundo has found regular playing time and has been one of the team’s workhorses.
"Isn’t it ironic for some undrafted players to find a home?" thought Uyloan. "Now hopefully, I can help this team."
Jimmy Alapag provides veteran leadership and 3-point accuracy, but he had to deal with the ravages of time and had to pace his body to withstand the expected physicality in succeeding games. Anjo Caram provides the annoying defensive presence, but lacks consistent arsenal to be considered a serious offensive threat. Baser Amer may be the future point-guard of the team, but his youth sometimes lead to bad decision-making on the floor. Caught in the middle of this is Jonathan Uyloan.
The six-year Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), has all the good side of the three other guards, but he also commits the same mistakes as well. He is the reason why the Bolts is now considered as one of the deepest team in the league.
The six-foot tall guard is one of the great stories coming out of the 2009 PBA Draft. Except that he was never drafted by any club although he was picked up by Rain or Shine that same year as a utility guard.
Uyloan thought he had found a home with the Elasto Painters. There were PBA conferences where he played a lot and there were days when he didn’t. In fact, he got even more playing time that heralded TY Tang who burned a hole at the end of the bench.
"You kind of hope that you’ve done something to prove yourself and you aren't going to get cut or traded," shared the Fil-Am combo guard. "Then you see teammates who are here today and gone tomorrow and you realize that you could go the same route."
After five years with RoS, Uyloan was shipped to GlobalPort where playing time became even harder to find. And now he finds himself with the Meralco Bolts after being traded for swingman Ronjay Buenafe. "Am just happy to have a job," he confides.
There may be a logjam at the point-guard position, but Uyloan offers something that the other guards cannot consistently perform. Aside from what was mentioned earlier, Uyloan is a solid and reliable spot-up shooter.
Uyloan has a career average of 33.6 percentage from long distance, but since joining the Bolts, his average jumped to 36.8 percent.
"Jonathan can also play the two," clarified team manager Paolo Trillo. "We like his steadiness and feistiness."
He can also take heart from a new teammate, Bryan Faundo, who like him, went undrafted in 2009. He’s bounced around six PBA clubs including one in the Asean Basketball League until he arrived in Meralco in 2015. Under head coach Norman Black, Faundo has found regular playing time and has been one of the team’s workhorses.
"Isn’t it ironic for some undrafted players to find a home?" thought Uyloan. "Now hopefully, I can help this team."
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