KELLY WILLIAMS: STA. LUCIA’S NEWEST PRIME PROPERTY

Biggest reason for Realtors’ huge turnaround (From www.pba.com.ph)

Sta. Lucia’s Kelly Williams, the top overall pick in this year’s Draft, is looking to help his team make the biggest turnaround in the league in the last nine years.

The 6-foot-5 workhorse of the Realtors, who can play the 2-3-4-5 positions, is one of the big reasons for Sta. Lucia’s currently being at the top of the team standings of the Talk ‘N Text-PBA Philippine Cup with their 5-1 slate and typifies the new-found vigor and athleticism of the SLR franchise.

Williams, whose mother -- the former Andrea Castro – is from Cebu, is leading his team in scoring and rebounding with his 15.0 ppg and 11.8 rpg averages, one of only two players in the league to do so, the other being Talk ‘N Text Asi Taulava, whose 17.9 ppg and 12.4 rpg norms are best at the Phone Pals camp.

A product of Oakland University, Williams is the only rookie averaging in double figures in rebounding and is ranked third overall behind the 13.3rpg of Barangay Ginebra’s Rudy Hatfield and Taulava. He is also one of only seven players currently averaging a double-double and his 1.2 shotblocks per game is tied for sixth overall in the conference.

Williams made the loudest noise in the Realtors' last three games, two of which they've won against league giants Red Bull and Talk `N Text. He capped the team's 102-90 rout of the Phone Pals in San Fernando, Pampanga last week with a career-high 25 points and a solid 11-rebound performance.

No other previous No. 1 pick in recent years is creating such a big ripple since Marlou Aquino, ironically a teammate of Williams now at Sta. Lucia. Aquino created a huge impact during his rookie year with Ginebra in 1996 and was rewarded with Rookie of the Year honors at season’s end.

Ginebra recorded a franchise-worst 5-25 win-loss record in 1995 but went 35-29 – an astounding 30-win turnaround -- when the 6-foot-9 center arrived the following season, capping it with a runner-up finish to Alaska in the 1996 Governors Cup.

The 6-foot-9 Aquino averaged 9.0 rebounds and 2.8 block shots – both bests among locals – and a third-best 17.9 points per game in his freshman season.

The Sonny Jaworski-coached Ginebra squad reaped more dividends with Aquino during the 1997 season when it trounced Alaska to capture the '97 Commissioner's Cup and also finished second to Purefoods in the All-Filipino Cup.

Williams is also tops among rookies in average minutes played (37.0) and is second in scoring and shotblocks, next only to this year’s second overall pick, Arwind Santos. The versatile forward out of Far Eastern U is averaging 15.9 points, 1.8 shotblocks and 9.8 rebounds, which is ranked second to Williams among all freshmen and is ninth overall.

Welcoat's pair of big men in JunJun Cabatu and JayR Reyes are ranked third and fourth among rookies in the scoring department, with averages of 12.6 and 11.1, respectively, while No. 4 pick Lewis Alfred Tenorio of San Miguel Beer shows the way in the assists department (3.2) and in the assist-turnover ratio (2.7).

Another unheralded greenhorn named Chris Pacana of Coca-Cola is the best rookie as far as steals is concerned (1.2) while Sta. Lucia's Mark Isip tops the Class of `06 in field goal percentage (58.6%).

It's too early yet how far can Williams bring the Realtors or if he can follow in the footsteps of Aquino, but he still has the rest of the season to prove his worth.

Other current rookie leaders include Tenorio, best in 2-point field goal (68.2%), Cabatu in 3-point field goal (45.5%) and Purefoods' Boyet Bautista in free throw percentage (100%, 4-for-4). (DBC)