Slaughter top ROY prospect

Can you imagine how it would be if Ginebra center Greg Slaughter (7 feet) and San Mig Coffee slotman Ian Sangalang (6-7), two of the PBA’s tallest and strongest candidates for 2014 Rookie of the Year honors, were playing for one team?

No need to imagine really. Fil-Am Slaughter and Pampanga’s Sangalang teamed up last year for NLEX in the PBA Developmental League and with help from teammates RR Garcia, Nico Salva and Eric Camson, led the Road  Warriors to their fourth straight title in four conferences.

Sangalang, who had played for NLEX for four conferences since the team was formed and had been instrumental in winning their four consecutive titles, was named MVP on his fourth season, which turned out to be his last with NLEX.

Sangalang moved to the team from Pampanga, EA Regen, on his fifth conference, leaving Slaughter without a partner. Minus the reliable Sangalang, the Road Warriors failed to defend their title against Blackwater.

Needless to say, Slaughter failed to make an impact on his last tournament with the amateurs. He showed up only for one game in the eliminations and was hardly a factor in the finals, where he was gobbled up by Ateneo teammate Justin Chua, who is several inches shorter. Slaughter is tall, and that’s  about all, the experts concluded.

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Still, Slaughter, despite a low-key end to his decorated amateur career, is a terribly lucky guy. Why? because he got hooked up with the most popular team in the land, Ginebra San Miguel, where he learned to polish up his act.

In his second conference in the PBA, Slaughter is not only running for top ROY honors, he also topped the balloting for this summer’s PBA All-Star team that will play against Gilas Pilipinas at the Mall of Asia Arena in April.

Slaughter finished ahead of all PBA players with 61,680 votes followed by his teammates Chris Ellis in second place with 44,630 votes and Mac Baracael with 33,756.

Rounding out the five are Mark Barroca and James Yap of San Mig Super Coffee with 38,260 and 38,268 votes each respectively.

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Gilas players are flexing their muscles for a different kind of competition that will test their terpsichorean talents.

A TV5 plug showed a pair of well-built dancers doing some kind of Latin moves. The tall and muscular male dancer was dressed in an all-black ensemble. He was also wearing a mask.

I later found out it was Gilas national cager Gary David behind the mask.

“Fans will see more of their PBA idols in the same show titled ‘Celebrity Dance Battle,’”  TV5 PR head Peachy Guioguio informed us.

“It’s a different Gary David fans will see, this time as a dancer and not a basketball player.”

“His reputation as dancing king in his hometown Bataan is widespread. As a young lad, he had been part of a dance group which competed in various dance contests in their province. All that dancing must have developed his footwork as a cager.” This time, he will test his dancing prowess against other celebrities starting this Saturday.