Happy Birthday, Marlon Piodo ( Nov 20 )

Happy Birthday, Marlon Piodo

2001 PBA Rookie Draft 23rd overall pick
University of San Jose Recoletos Jaguars center
2-season PBA player
1-PBA team player

Source : Assorted Magazines (PBA Archives Collections)

DON'T label him the Dennis Rodman of the MBA, Marlon Piodo of the Davao Eagles will just be as happy being called by his real name. Not that he despises being compared to the eccentric, former NBA rebounding demon, he's just not used to hearing words that put parallelism about his forte and that of the acknowledged hardcourt superstar the world over. But Piodo can't deny that just like the "Worm", he too loves to pluck down rebounds. Everytime the ball bounces off the rim and goes freely into the air, he'll always try to recover it for his team. While some players make a living out of burning the hoops, he earns his keeps by crashing the boards. It helps that Piodo stands 6'4" tall, because his height gives him tremendous advantage at the paint. However, there are a lot of taller players in the MBA who can't even jump nor position themselves well. Piodo excels because aside from using his long body frame, he also relies on perfect timing and his strong desire to grab rebounds. "Sa rebounding naman, hindi lang dapat tangkad at taas ng lundag ang kailangang gamitin, dapat maayos na positioning din at tiyaga," Piodo said. Piodo, who ranks second in the rebounding department in the entire league with an average of 10.3 rebounds per game, said that his coach Francis Rodriguez constantly encourages him to play his best form, whoever the opposition will be. So he disciplines himself on and offthe-court and prepares mentally, physically and emotionally in every Davao assignment. "Nakakatulong nang malaki kung bago mo kalabanin ang isang team eh pinag-aaralan mo muna yong mga plays nito, pati na rin yong mga moves ng mga star players," said Piodo, who has battled the like of Negros' John Ferriols, Socsargen's Max Delantes, lloilo's Yoyoy Villamin, Cebu's Rob Wainwright in the Southern Conference. In his second in the communitybased league, the young Cebuano is slowly carving a name for himself. He may not be as popular yet as Alex Compton or Dondon Hontiveros, but his star is beginning to sparkle nonetheless. "Mas maganda talaga yong nakukuha kong playing time dito sa Davao compared doon sa first team ko sa Cebu. Dito talagang binibigyang importansiya ang lahat ng players," he pointed out. The 24-year-old cager started playing competitive basketball only at the age of 16, quite late for a man who seems to have all the necessary tools to make, it big time. After honing his skills in high school, he then played varsity basketball for the University of San Jose Recole-tos. When the MBA was launched last year, he was commissioned by Cebu Gems' coach Jun Tan to act as one of the team's relievers. Unfortunately, he was reduced to a mere bench cheerer as the Visayan Division ballclub depened heavily on the productions of Fil-Am frontliners Chris Mendoza and Rob Wainwright. But things have changed for the better now in so far as Piodo's career is concerned. The once benchwarmer is now one of the vital cogs of his team, norming 9.5 points and almost 2 steals an outing in Davao's first 14 games. He is also the top bet of the Eagles in the MVP derby. placing number 25 overall in the latest tabulation." Piodo was held scoreless by Romel Adducul when Davao lost to Manila, 115-95, at the latter's home turf last week. Still, the setback, which forced the Eagles to fall down in the Southern Conference team standings, doesn't appear to have totally shattered their spirits. "Mahirap talagang talunin ang Manila sa court nito lalo na ngayon na may winning streak ito. Pero hindi dapat 'yon maging excuse sa pagkatalo namin. Dapat, makabawi agad kami sa mga susunod naming games para hindi ma-disappoint yong mga fans naming Davaoeno." The league's rebounding genius believes that the Eagles can still keep a bird's eye-view of the na tional title. They just have to keep on spreading their wings and maintain the height of their flight.