As a kid, Yap already showed athleticism. He first fell in love with football and baseball and track and field, and played these until high school. His uncle Emmanual Yap was one of the few who first noticed his potential in basketball. Growing up, he looked up to one of the most prolific players in the history of Philippine Basketball, Samboy Lim.
James Yap emerged to be one of the most promising basketball stars in the Iloilo/Negros region back in the late-90’s. Early on that decade, he played for the Bacolod Tay Tung High School and made his mark at the school. He was transferred to Iloilo Commercial Central High School, displaying his skills. Manila Standard. Along the way, he sparked his team to three consecutive Iloilo PRISAA titles. At that time, it was rumored that the Negros Slashers of the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association was going to sign Yap.
However, as fate had it, Yap preferably primed himself for the collegiate level. He played for the UE Red Warriors under former national team coach, Boysie Zamar, even though DLSU also had an eye on him. In 2002, known for his quick-release shooting and all-around presence, he, alongside playmaker Paul Artadi and hustling Ronald Tubid, brought the Red Warriors to the Final Four after years of absence. However, 2nd seed University of the East lost to a dramatic semifinal series as they faced Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles, the eventual champion. In the same year, he led UE to the 1st Bantay Bata Crossover Cup, exacting a sweet revenge against Ateneo in the Finals. A month after, he once again led UE to the inaugural Collegiate Champions League crown, beating FEU.
In the heat of UAAP (67th season), Yap led the Red Warriors to the Final Four for the second straight time as he topped his teammates in points and rebounding, and closed second to Artadi in overall efficiency rating. Eventually in the semifinals series, the Warriors lost to a much more defensive orchestrated team, Far Eastern UniversityTamaraws led by tactician coach, Koy Banal. Nevertheless, Yap was named as the Most Valuable Player, stunned everyone else as there were Mark Cardona and Arwind SantosPhilippines in the 2003 Southeast Asian Games for a gold medal finish. Thus, the Philippines Sportswriter Association honored him the best player in his field, basketball, in the amateurs alongside Asi Taulava in the professional level. who were neck and neck for the plum. The majority of the UAAP basketball community’s nods paved the way for James’ win as he topped the vote from coaches, players, and media which accounted for 50%. In the same year, he, along with teammate Paul Artadi, was teamed up with other UAAP and PBL counterparts to lead the
James Yap also played in the Philippine Basketball League from 2001-2004. In 2001, he played for the ICTSI-La Salle Archers forming a backcourt tandem with Mike Cortez that almost had their team beating the veteran-ladden, Shark Energy Drink, in the finals. In 2002, he teamed up with guards Mark Cardona and Joseph Yeo, played decoy most of the times while still explosive in a number of games–one which saw him sparking the offense, putting the Archers in the playoffs against Blu Detergent Kings. In 2003, he had to sit out the whole conference long after ICTSI refused to sign his release papers to make him eligible to play for Sunkist-Pampanga. In 2004, Yap signed up for one conference with the Welcoat Paintmasters, teaming up with the comebacking Jojo Tangkay, leading them to a runner-up finish. He and Tangkay lost to Peter June Simon of FASH team for the MVP plum. Yap ended up completing the Mythical First Team.
No comments:
Post a Comment