Tropics Jam It To Jacksonville

Published on December 2, 2006 under American Basketball Association (ABA)
Miami Tropics News Release


JACKSONVILLE - If the Jam are No. 1 in the ABA, what does that make the Miami Tropics?

After all, the Tropics ripped the Jacksonville Jam by 24 points in their own arena on Friday night.

The final score was 114-90, but the Tropics led by as many as 30 points. The outcome was never in doubt from the middle of the second quarter on.

The Jam entered with a 6-0 record and a cocky attitude. They left with a beating.

"I told our players that they now know how good they are and how good they can be when we play together," Tropics owner Art "Pilin" Alvarez said after his team improved to 3-2. "We've won three straight games, but I don't want our guys getting overconfident. There is another big game tomorrow."

That would be a trip to Orlando on Saturday night as part of a brutal four-games-in-four-days stretch.

But before we look ahead, we need to reflect on the enormity of Friday's conquest. The Tropics only trailed once (11-9) before closing the half on a 50-29 run.

Backup center Karel Rosario gave the Tropics a huge lift by scoring a team-high 13 points in the first half. He finished with 18 points and 6 rebounds in 20 minutes. He made 7 of his 9 shots.

In fact, you knew it was Rosario's day when he banked in a hook shot.

The third quarter was dominated by two more reserves as the Tropics again proved that they are now one of the deepest teams in the league.

Point guard Ray Rose, known for his defense, had all 8 of his points in the quarter, repeatedly getting to the rim. Power forward Angelo Reyes was even better, getting 10 points in the quarter.

By the end of the third quarter, the lead was 25 points, and the fight had been taken out of the Jam.

Shooting guard Carlos Escalera led all scorers with 22 points. But he was just one of six Tropics players in double figures.

Terence Shelman had 16 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. He was devastating when Coach Ed Auricchio deployed him at the top of the offense. Shelman easily drove past his man to score layups or set up teammates, forcing the Jam to call a timeout and switch defenses.

"He was a complete mismatch for them," Auricchio said of his versatile, 6-7 forward.

Shelman made 6 of his 9 shots, including 2 of 2 on three-pointers. As was the case with Rosario, you knew it was Shelman's day when his high-arching three-pointer swished in just before the third-quarter buzzer.

Another player who could do little wrong was Reyes, who had 15 points and 6 rebounds. He went 7 for 7 from the floor and is now 13 of 14 in two games with the Tropics.

Guard Marcus Barnes, who broke out with 31 points on Tuesday in the Tropics' win over Orlando, started quickly on Friday. He scored the Tropics' first 5 points and finished with 13.

Point guard Pachi Cruz, who made his first Tropics start, was much more in control than in his debut with the team on Tuesday. Cruz cut his turnovers way back (just 1) and made 3 of 4 shots from the field and 5 of 5 from the line to finish with 11 points.

Cruz, who had 3 assists and has 13 in two games, continued to impress with no-look passes and other clever plays.

Starting forward Sylbrin Robinson just missed a double-double, finishing with 9 points and 10 rebounds. He made 4 of 5 shots, led the team with 2 blocks and added 3 assists.

Swingman Eric Wilkins, who gave up his starting spot to Cruz, played unselfish ball. He scored just 2 points but came through with 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

As a team, the Tropics crushed the Jam on the boards (51-40) and gave up 5 fewer turnovers than they forced. They also shot an outstanding 55 percent from the field.

The only areas that need improving are free-throw shooting (17 of 33) and three-pointers (5 of 19).

But in reality, the Tropics played outstanding team basketball.

"We'll take a 24-point win over Jacksonville on the road anytime," Alvarez said. "Now we'll rest up and get ready for Orlando."

For more information, visit the home of the Miami Tropics, www.hoop-rap.com

Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.

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American Basketball Association Stories from December 2, 2006


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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