Ian Sangalang is the next Alvin Patrimonio?

The Purefoods franchise had been one of the most historic franchises in the history of the PBA. The oldest basketball league in Asia will be very different today if Purefoods did not join the league. 

And the Purefoods franchise will not be as grandiose and glamorous today, if The Captain never found his way to them.

Thirteen years after his last playing year, another bigman is trying to walk his path. And the current face of the frontline of Magnolia, Marc Pingris, made a ringing investment. 

“Nakikita ko sa kanya siya talaga yung susunod na parang Kerby Raymundo, parang Marc Pingris dati – naks, parang Alvin Patrimonio.”



I am talking about Ian Sangalang. Is he the next Alvin Patrimonio?

HE IS NOT THE NEXT FOUR-TIMES MVP AND ETC.

What made Alvin Patrimonio legendary, was his dominance in his time. His superiority to the entire league at that time, is the lite version of the supremacy of the Kraken, today.

You want some evidence? 

He is a four times Most Valuable Player awardee (1991, 1993, 1994 and 1997). 

He is a 10-times mythical first team member, garnering six of them in his first six years in the league. If we count mythical second team, he is a mythical team member in his first 10 years in the league!

And most importantly, he won six championships.

Ian Sangalang will not be able to repeat that. It is highly unlikely that he will win a Most Valuable Player award because June Mar Fajardo is still 28 years old and there are a lot of in-prime stat-fillers and fan favorites like Calvin Abueva, Terrence Romeo and Terrence Thompson.

Even the 10 mythical first team awards could be a hard goal to achieved. The league is way more loaded today than in the past.

In terms of dominance and awards, Magnolia has not found an equal to The Captain.

HE IS THE NEXT/CURRENT FACE OF THE FRANCHISE/FRONTLINE OF THE FRANCHISE

If I ask all the legit Magnolia/Star/Purefoods fans today, if who is the current face of the franchise, I am willing to bet that at least 25% will wrongly utter, James Yap.

The supposed heir to the thrown of Big Game James, Paul Lee, was bugged by injuries in his debut season with the team. And at the start of his second season, he is being outplayed by Ian Sangalang.

19.7 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 52% FG, 1.7 steals and 1.7 blocks. Ian is looking like the guy that challenged Greg Slaughter for the #1 pick in the 2013 draft.

How crazy is his numbers? He never average double-figures in points and rebounds in his career and he never passed more than 1.1 assists per game. 

And you know what is the best thing about it? He is only 26 years old. 

Ian's demeanor and finesse makes him a great candidate as the next legit face of the franchise. And one of the biggest change that I saw from him this season is his physicality inside.

That is one of the traits of Alvin Patrimonio. He is now pushing his way inside, instead of only using his basketball wits through positioning. He is now snatching rebounds from his opponents instead of plain fundamentals. And, he is now banging bodies inside instead of avoiding it. 

With Marc Pingris still guiding him, Ian Sangalang could develop into something that replicates Alvin but with more skills and grit. 

So, is he the next Alvin Patrimonio? No. He is the first Ian Sangalang.