In basketball parlance, height does matter

by Agnes R. Cruz

	Talk 'N Text's Paul Asi Taulava soars high for a slam as Jerry Codinera looks on.

THREE heavyweight teams in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) whose lineups are built around virtual twin towers can attest to that. Two of them are among the hottest teams so far in the ongoing Governor's Cup. The other one, unfortunately, is experiencing some anxious moments down there in the cellar.

Sta Lucia Realty and Talk'N Text, formerly Mobiline, have found themselves co-leaders as they have yet to lose in the elimination round of this season-ending conference that allows each team to parade an import no taller than 6 foot 4.

On the other hand, Purefoods, a ballclub already on the brink of disbandment, is blowing hot and cold despite being tagged as one of the pre-tournament favorites. All three have one thing in common, though: They each boast of two fearsome big fellows who look more like skyscrapers on the hardcourt. The Realtors have 6-foot-9 Marlou Aquino and 6-foot-7 Dennis Espino, while the Phone Pals have 6-foot-9 Fil-Tongan Paul Asi Taulava and 6-foot-6 Gerry Codinera.

So overpowering was the 1-2 scoring machine of Aquino and Espino that the Norman Black-mentored Realtors scored back-to-back victories that augured well on their ambitious bid to win their first-ever title since breaking into the league in 1993.

The Phone Pals - thanks mainly to Taulava and Codinera - had also gone unbeaten in their first two outings, which interestingly turned out to be their finest start since going 7-0 at the start of the 1999 All-Filipino Cup.

Those rip-roaring starts by the Realtors and Phone Pals had enabled them to gain chunks of the lead in this 10-team tournament with defending champion San Miguel Beer, which is bannering Lamont Strothers as its import again. The Beermen had also hurdled their first two games.

The Hotdogs? Oh, well, they've got the tallest and most intimidating frontline combination in the league. Yes, they have seven-footer Edward Joseph Feihl and 6-foot-9 Fil-Am Andy Siegel - but only on papers. The Hotdogs, who are almost certain to leave the league after the end of the season, have lost Feihl and Seigle to foot injuries.

Their unnecessary absence is telling heavily on a team that remains one of the most talent-laden in this 10-team league owing to its merry mix of would-be superstars and a franchise player in four-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) Alvin Patrimonio in its roster.

With Feihl and Seigle out, and Patrimonio playing inconsistently, the ballclub absorbed two defeats in three

starts, their last heartbreaker coming at the hands of the Phone Pals 99-91. The Eric Altamirano-mentored Hotdogs, who are runners-up to San Miguel here last year, might miss the services of their "Twin Peaks" the rest of the season. Feihl's condition is still doubtful, while Seigle is reportedly going to the US for operation.

Showing up with a heavily bandaged right foot, Feihl was helpless while watching his teammates being butchered by Taulava. Taulava, granite-solid and heavy with a magnificently sculpted shoulders and arms, and the hulking Goliath-like presence, had obtained his clearance from the Department of Justice in June that enabled him to play in the PBA after being deported in April last year due to citizenship problems.He dominated the shaded area, easily dwarfing his defenders, most notably Patrimonio, and went on to finish with 27 points on top of 16 rebounds.

The only victory by the undermanned Hotdogs came at the expense of Alaska 97-89 in a game that saw

	Sta. Lucia Realty's Dennis Espino tries to provide a pick for his teammates.

Altamirano fielding in only seven men throughout with Feihl sitting it out. Seigle, one of those seven gallant men, played hurt.

Aside from Aquino and Espino, it seems the versatile, hardworking import, Damian Owens, had just laid out a feast for them. The Realtors claimed their first two victims - Swift and Red Bull - after their two slotmen played to their sizes and Owens picked up where he left off in the second conference.

Owens was a revelation in the Commissioner's Cup, a tournament which he nearly dominated despite being almost four inches short of the required height limit of 6-8, taking the Realtors to the quarterfinals. But it was Espino who shone brightest, masterminding the Realtors' lopsided 96-77 win over Red Bull after a much-heftier Aquino anchored their rousing 84-79 debut win here over Swift.

The Realtors took advantage of a Red Bull team that appeared still not ready to play after capturing the previous Commissioner's Cup title against San Miguel Beer. Espino's game came at the heels of a superlative performance by Aquino a week before against Swift.

Aquino's heroics against Swift certainly gave him back the respect of his teammates, much of it he lost over what had been a listless showing by the Realtors in the last Commissioner's Cup where they failed to enter the semifinals.

Import Sean Chambers, who has played for Alaska each year since 1989, is again leading the Ace's campaign here. Tanduay is nursing a depleted lineup after its import, Maurice Bell, dislocated a shoulder in a rough 96-93 triumph over Swift. Sta Lucia forward Eric Menk and guards Jeffrey Cariaso and Jason Webb are also out due to injuries.

Ginebra and Shell have so far won a game each in three outings. *