Junmar Fajardo: The Next Pinoy Great Center?

[rhk111]

In case some people missed out on it, it seems that a new Sheriff is in town, & his name is Junmar Fajardo. The guy is at least 6'7", & has been consistently making 20, 30, 40 & even 50 pt. games there in Cebu. Could be the next great Center in Philippine basketball. He recently scored 50 points in a Cebu commercial tournament.

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http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb...kout.game.html

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Silence, Fajardo & A Breakout Game

By Marian C. Baring
Sun.Star Staff Reporter

THE Cebu Coliseum fell dramatically silent in yesterday’s first game of the Reinforced Partners Cup basketball competition.

Quite a number of seats were empty and the regular basketball fanatics who were not there missed out on a lot as they failed to witness the breakout game of Aspac Bank-University of Cebu’s center Junmar Fajardo.

Touted a year ago more for his height and lanky figure than his ability to shoot a ball, Fajardo came a long way since his debut in the first Partners Cup. Yesterday, the 6-foot-7 behemoth showed a performance that was nothing short of spectacular as he scored a whooping 50 points to lift Aspac Bank-UC to a 108-100 win over R. Lapid’s Chicharon.

What made the win even sweeter was that it was a come-from-behind and an overtime win.

“He was gone for almost a year from the basketball scene, but he had been in therapy and we had taught him a lot and he had improved dramatically,” said therapist Dr. Dejaño, who had attended to Fajardo after he suffered an injury during the first Partners Cup.

Record-breaking

Fajardo broke his own record in this competition. He scored 40 points earlier in Danao, which was then the highest for the league. He is also the first player to have breached the 50-point marker since the 90s, a feat that was accomplished by Aldrin Ocañada.

This was the second time that Aspac Bank foiled a possible upset. Last Sunday, it also pulled off a backdoor win over Unilab/Alaxan-Don Bosco College, which was also extended to overtime.

Yesterday, R. Lapid’s came rampaging into the game and was able to build a confident 19-point lead, and was dictating the game’s tempo for the better part of it.

In the final period, Aspac Bank-UC, which was behind, 57-76, initiated a rousing comeback behind Kelvin Juliane to widen the gap to a reachable, 86-88.

Pressure

By this time, the once composed R. Lapid’s came crashing down as they succumbed to pressure to force crucial turnovers.

Fajardo then tied the game at 88-all in the final 24 seconds with an easy fastbreak layup. Jansen Abella missed a supposedly winning basket to force overtime.

Abella and Juliane, with Fajardo, owned the extra period en route to UC’s sixth win in eight games. Fajardo then completed his 50-point performance with a slam dunk in the final few ticks. He earned a technical for hanging at the ring too long and received a few lashing from coach Rhoel Gomez, but this did not stop UC from taking its victory.

Juliane scored 22 markers, while Abella had 14. USPF’s losing bid was led by Bogart Nemenzo, who had 23. USPF fell to a 1-6 slate.

Aspac Bank-UC (108)--Fajardo 50, Juliane 22, Abella 14, Abatayo 9, Agas 5, Flanco 3, Canceran 3 R. Lapid’s-USP (100)--Nemenzo 23, Rogado 19, Avila 12, Gulane 11, Bardilas 10, Rivera 6, Tabada 5, Monterde 4. (MCB)

© Copyright 2007 Sun.Star Publishing, Inc. I Contact the website at sunnexatsunstardotcomdotph

[baludoy]

better bring him to manila so we can all make him kilatis

[j_f21]

Dalhin sa PBL yan at magka-alaman na kung sino sa kanila nina Jervy at Sam ang dominanteng Center sa Amateurs.

[donlyn]

the great thig about this guy he is only 19 yrs old.... as i have heard.

[charivari]

Yeah, this guy really needs to come over to Manila for some workouts at least with PBL teams so his real potential can be tapped already, an assessment can be made.

[roadwarrior]

interesting...some pbl teams are going to cebu later this month for the sinulog tournament

[rhk111]

^^^
roadwarrior, which teams are going? Will we be able to see Jervy & Rico go up against this guy?

[rhk111]

Here's a different report of the same game, indicating JF also had 17 rebounds, & 3 blocks to go along w/ his 50 points.

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http://www.philstar.com/scripts/arti...id=20080115178

Fajardo Powers UC With 50-pt Game

By Gabby Malagar
Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Six-foot-seven giant Jun Mar Fajardo had his most dominating game so far - 50 points, 17 rebounds and three blocked shots - to help UC-Aspac Bank eke out a come from behind 108-100 overtime victory over USPF-R. Lapid’s Chicharon in last night’s game of the Reinforced Partner’s Cup at the Cebu Coliseum.

Fajardo scored at will in the overtime period, including a trademark slam with 19.4 ticks left and UC leading 108-99. Fajardo was whistled for a technical for hanging in the ring but the game was already in the bag for UC.

The slotman had his second scoring spree in the tournament. Last Sunday he scored 40 points in UC’s loss to frontrunner USJ-R/Bibbo Hotdog. This time around, Fajardo made sure his efforts would not go to waste.

UC was looking at a 76-57 disadvantage in the fourth quarter when Kelvin Juliane scored seven straight points to ignite a 12-2 binge that closed the gap, 69-78.

Another crippling 11-2 run, with Juliane again leading the attack, tied the score at 88, late in the fourth quarter.

USPF then squandered their chance to win by blowing an inbound pass that paved the way for the extra period.

With UC getting the momentum, USPF could only watch in awe as Fajardo dominated the game to give UC its sixth win in eight games. The loss dropped USPF to a 1-6 slate.

The scores
UC/Aspac(108)- Fajardo 50, Juliane 22, Abella 14, Abatayo 9, Agas 5, Flanco 3, Ceniza 2

USPF/R. Lapid’s Chicharon (100)—Nemenzo 23, Rogado 19,Avila 12, Gulane 11, Sereño 10, Rivera 6, Tabada 5, Monterde 4, Halftime: 36-47 OT. 88-all Reg.


Copyright © 2007. Philstar. All Rights ReservedHome | About Us | Contact Us

[roadwarrior]

Pharex and Toyota Balintawak (with former UV center Rino Berame)

[MakaveliLives]

pics? lanky pa ba din to ngayon? saka ano height ng mga kalaban nya nung nag score sha 50?

[??ThuGz??]

walang pic? i want to see his body structure.

[Alpha_Green]

Not im doubting the guy's abilities but I think we should wait and see first how he performs in the "bigger leagues" before making any conclusions. There were a lot of players who were great in the amateur ranks but never made it big in the PBA. It's better that we expose these guys to International tournametns or maybe let them play with some of our pro players as early as possible rather than watching them play with amateur 6'3"/6'4" centers. That way they could learn how to deal with other centers who are much taller and more powerful than them. We could maybe include him, Slaughter, Berame, Jervy Cruz this year's Jones cup.

[rhk111]

JF has been going up against some of the teams & players that Greg Slaughter has been up against, & Greg has never seen some of the numbers that Junmar has been able to put up (GS I think is averaging only something like 4 ppg, 4 rpg for the entire 2007 CESAFI season).

You could even argue that the opposition in the Partner's Cup are a bit tougher since "imports", or seasoned alumnis of schools are allowed to play there.

Anyway, I guess the bottomline is he still needs to be tested against the established Centers like Rico Maierhoffer, Jervy Cruz & Sam Ekwe. I hope that happens soon.

Here's a pic of Junmar Fajardo, courtesy of "Dinamita" from the Interbasket forums:

[rhk111]

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb...emifinals.html

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Favorites Prevail in Partners Cup Semifinals

By Marian C. Baring
Sun.Star Staff Reporter

THE first day of the Partners Cup semifinal round pretty much went according to script and top teams Bibbo Hotdog-University of San Jose Recoletos and Aspac Bank-University of Cebu took the first game against separate rivals Sunday night at the Mandaue City Sports Complex.

Both teams pulled off emphatic wins over their respective foes to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three semifinals series.

Aspac Bank had to fend off a pesky Unilab/Alaxan-Don Bosco College Greywolves, 113-101, while the Bibbo Hotdog squad extended its unbeaten run in the competition after trouncing the Metro Gaisano-Cebu Institute of Technology Wildcats, 98-82, in the other game.

In the first game, Aspac Bank’s star center Junmar Fajardo, who finished with 50 points in their last game, was only visible in the first period, failed to maintain his rhythm and was limited to just 22 points. A far cry from his high-scoring games in the past.

Fajardo, however, was still the top scorer for the team.

Aspac found it hard to pull away for good from Unilab/Alaxan, who kept getting back on track in all four quarters behind the heroics of Allain delos Santos, who was responsible for keeping Unilab/Alaxan afloat. But everything came crashing down for the Greywolves in the final stretch.

Seven points

DBC was just behind by seven points when Allain Abellanosa converted four straight fast breaks, allowing UC to pad its lead and to break away for good. Abellanosa finished with 20 points.

Delos Santos, on the other hand, scored a game-high 27 pointers for Unilab/Alaxan.

In the nightcap, Metro Gaisano’s reinforcements, former pro players Gilbert Demape and Jerry Jaca did everything in their power to carry the burden of winning on their shoulders.

But the duo’s efforts were no match to the pressing Jaguars, who all contributed for the team’s win.

Lyndon Gudez led Bibbo with 21 points, while Luther Justiniani finished with 16.

Aspac Bank-UC (113)—Fajardo 22, Abellanosa 20, Abella 19, Juliane 14, Abatayo 12, Agas 7, Ceniza 7, Espinoza 4, Flanco 2, Del Rosario 2, Luceno 2, Ducay 2. Unilab/Alaxan-DBC (101)—delos Santos 27, Apura 17, Colegado 14, Aldave 12, Oberes 10, Perturbos 7, Villaver 6, Caballero 4, Baring 2, Enterina 2.

Bibbo Hotdog-USJ-R (98)—Gudez 21, Justiniani 16, Villahermosa 11, Ponce 9, Gabas 8, Bibera 6, Hatague 5, Pateno 4, Eguia 3, Duran 2. Metro Gaisano-CIT (82)—Jaca 24, Demape 18, Abobo 15, Reyes 9, Resilla 8, Montealto 4, Lopez 2, Dela Cerna 2.

© Copyright 2007 Sun.Star Publishing, Inc. Contact the website at sunnexatsunstardotcomdotph


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http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Sp...id=20080130163

Thursday, January 31, 2008 8:43:47 AM

USJ-R, UC Start Partners Cup

By Gabby G. Malagar
Thursday, January 31, 2008

USJ-R/Bibbo Hotdog and UC/Aspac Bank chalked up contrasting victories against separate rivals to arrange a best-of-three showdown for the Partner’s Cup title starting February 3 at the Cebu Coliseum.

The original venue for the championship was Mandaue Sports and Cultural Center but Partner’s Cup organizers were able to close a deal with Cebu Coliseum.

UC-Aspac Bank squandered a 75-52 third period lead but was able to repulse a last ditch rally of DBTC/Unilab-Alaxan to earn a 107-106 victory.

Again, Jun Mar Fajardo led UC’s attack with 32 points and had ample help from Kelvin Juliane and Allain Abellanosa who both finished with 16 points.

Jeford Aldave, who single-handedly led DBTC’s comeback in the fourth quarter, finished with 20 points with Joseph Villaver and Celseo Colegado Jr. chipping in 16 points apiece and Rudolfo Enterina Jr. adding 15 points.

In the second game, USJ-R dominated CIT-Metro Gaisano 93-72. The game was only close in the first few minutes and as the game went on it was evident that CIT has no answer for the firepower of Gudez, Justiniani, Ponce and Villahermosa. The foursome scored a total of 55 points among them.

Jerry Jaca and ex-pro Gilbert Demape paced CIT with 30 and 15 markers, respectively.

The scores:

First Game:

UC/Aspac Bank (107)- Fajardo 32, Abellanosa 16, Juliane 16, Ducay 11, Canceran 9, Agas 8, Abatayo 8, Abella 6, Connors 2, Luceño 2

DBTC/Unilab-Alaxan (106)-Aldave 20, Villaver 16, Colegado 16, Enterina 15, Sasuman 11, Baring 9, Oberes 7, Caballero 6, Delos Santos 2, Añagap 2, Apura 2

Second Game:

USJ-R/Bibbo Hotdog (93)- Gudez 17, Justiniani 14, Ponce 12, Villahermosa 12, Duran 7, Pogoy 7, Hatague 6, Malinao 6, Bibera 5, Pateño 4, Soliman 4, Gabas 2

CIT/Metro Gaisano (72)-Jaca 30, Demape 15, Abobo 11, Reyes 7, Resilla 6, Cañete 2, Capaning 1

Copyright © 2007. Philstar. All Rights Reserved

[baludoy]

his stats look very promising but then again, 'til he hits the big leagues, a lot of juries are still out w/ regard to his real capabilities

btw, malapad ba siya o manipis? can't really tell w/ the way he positioned his body in the pic above

[rhk111]

^^^
He's often described as a "beanpole", so I guess that means he is on the lean side.

[spongklong]

how old is junmar? is he still eligible for the collegiate leagues?

[the_BuGs]

malas pa pala yung 22 points sa kanya ah....

tingnan natin sa ibang kalaban sa PBL o sa PBA

[rhk111]

how old is junmar? is he still eligible for the collegiate leagues?

He was described early 2007 as only 17 years old, so that would put him around 18-19 years old this year. He also will be on his 2nd year of college over at the University of Cebu (UC) for the 2008-2009 School Year.

[the_BuGs]

kung tutuusin kung 6-7 sya then ganyan ang scoring masaabi ko na ring impressive sya...well kahit papaano ang mga cebuano players eh matitigas ang mga katawan nyan... may paglalagyan yan sigurado sa Manila.... bihira ka lang na 6-7 na ganyang may scoring kahit nuong kabataan pa ni Giovanni Pineda dalhin mo dyan sa Cebu hindi makaka score ng ganyan yan...