Standing at 6’4 and weighing 190 pounds, Raymar Jose’s rookie year with the Far Eastern University Tamaraws barely made an impact.
So how bad was it?
As per Humblebola, here’s how the FEU Tamaraws looked during Season 75.
| Season 75 Averages (Elimination Round) | ||||
| PLAYER | G | PPG | RPG | APG |
| Terrence Romeo | 14 | 18.9 | 5.6 | 3.5 |
| RR Garcia | 14 | 11.9 | 4.6 | 4.1 |
| Anthony Hargrove | 14 | 7.6 | 8.0 | 0.7 |
| Arvie Bringas | 11 | 6.5 | 4.5 | 0.5 |
| Roger Pogoy | 14 | 6.2 | 5.5 | 1.5 |
| Michael Tolomia | 10 | 5.6 | 1.6 | 1.5 |
| Gryann Mendoza | 13 | 4.4 | 1.8 | 0.5 |
| Mac Belo | 12 | 4.1 | 3.2 | 0.5 |
| Russel Escoto | 11 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 0.5 |
| Mark Bringas | 14 | 3.1 | 2.3 | 0.4 |
| John Foronda | 1 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 |
| Carl Bryan Cruz | 14 | 2.1 | 1.1 | 0.3 |
| Achie Inigo | 6 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 0.7 |
| Christian Sentcheu | 7 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 0.0 |
| Raymar Jose | 3 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 |
| Patrick Guerrero | 3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.7 |
Yup, aside from having the awesomeness of Terrence Romeo and RR Garcia, Jose had to contend with current PBA players like Mac Belo, RR Pogoy, Mike Tolomia, Russel Escoto, Gryann Mendoza, and Carl Bryan Cruz. When the Tamaraws won the UAAP Championship in 2015, Jose had two points, four rebounds, and an assist in nearly 20 minutes of action. It’s understandable to have Jose with those kind of numbers… with that kind of lineup.
So when the aforementioned names graduated… Jose transformed into the double-double machine we now know.
Sure, the FEU Tamaraws lost to archenemy DLSU Green Archers in 2015… but people recognized Jose’s potential as he took his game to the next level.
In some ways, Raymar Jose’s performance paved the way to his MVP showing as part of the Cignal Hawkeyes… and eventually a SEA Games gold medal as part of Gilas Pilipinas.
So Raymar Jose… is he good?
*** COUGH *** YES!!! *** COUGH ***
Let’s zero in on Raymar Jose.
This clip came from VC25’s Youtube Channel!
So Raymar Jose is a double-double machine who has the knack to control the boards. He can hustle for loose balls and he has the leaping ability to further enhance it. He’s not going to back down… and he play his part regardless of importance and exposure. These traits are awesome… because there are a lot of PBA teams in need of rim protectors.
Jose could re-unite with Russel Escoto in Kia… he could play alongside JP Erram and Dave Marcelo in Blackwater… and he could even learn a thing or two from Willy Wilson in Phoenix. Hell, Yeng Guiao could mold this guy to his liking as part of the NLEX Road Warriors. Jose can be a dependable inside presence at best or a workable reliever at worst. If being 6’4 is an issue, I’m pretty sure he’s up on the task to go above and beyond. Jose even played for the ABL’s Kaohsiung Truth to get his feet wet in lieu of the big imports.
But then what about his flaws?
As mentioned, Jose is listed at 6’4. I don’t know if he’s higher or lower than his billed height but I think he won’t enjoy the paint as much as he enjoyed it during his college years. There are imports that would cream him unless he puts on more weight. Aldrech Ramos at 6’6 went from center to combo forward. But then there are guys like Marc Pingris who used hustle and flow to become the star he is now.
And then there’s that other thing – his outside shot. Jose never really developed an outside shot in college. He has this “close to the basket” side shot but he needs to fine tune this further. He finished his collegiate career just above 50 percent when it comes to the charity stripe. In five UAAP seasons, Jose was able to make just 13 percent of his three pointers. While this makes his offense suspect, at least his coach will be relieved that he will never try something absurd to mess up their offense (like freak three pointers).
But then the bad points stop. Jose is a Top 5 player in the 2017 PBA Draft that could go as high as number three. His talents combined with work ethic became his ticket to join Gilas Army in Taipei and Kuala Lumpur. He has a conscious effort to elevate his game as evident to his UAAP scoring average through the years (from 0.7 to 1.6 to 4.3 to 8.1 and finally, 11.1ppg) and he’s probably okay in letting his game simmer on the bench to gradually improve.
His gameplay could be like how Troy Rosario improved. I mean… who knew that from 3.8ppg and 2.8bpg his numbers would improve to 11.3ppg and 8.4rpg, gain Gilas Pilipinas acclaim, and all of a sudden become the second pick overall of the 2015 PBA Draft?
In one 2016 UAAP Finals game, Jose lorded the paint with 20 points, 23 rebounds, and a 70 percent shooting clip.
I know the PBA is a different animal but if he can elevate his rebounding goodness, then he’s going to be a player to watch in the PBA.
PROJECT SYDRIFIED WP 