On its sixth season, Red Bull King of the Rock made history in the Philippines as it officially crowned its first local champion at the National Finals last Saturday, March 19, 2016 at Baluarte de Dilao within the ancient walls of Intramuros, Manila.
A total of 28 players comprised from three previous Qualifiers (Cebu, Manila A, Manila B) as well as a last chance Qualifier held on the day of the finals made up the 32-slot final bracket.
After a hard fought first three rounds, the final four players to emerge from the group were Robbie Herndon vs Jonathan Egea and Willie Miller vs Jerramy King. Herndon’s shots had trouble falling but he relied on his size and strength to beat Egea to advance into the finals. Miller and King battled hard but the nine-time PBA All-Star stayed calm and pulled out the win thanks to his experience and nifty footwork.
Filipino-American and former San Francisco State University NCAA Division II player Robbie Herndon faced off with PBA MVP alumnus Willie Miller in an epic five-minute final. The two competitors each utilized their strengths to score Herndon with his long range shooting and Miller with his dribbling and inside post moves. Herndon took a lead halfway through but with four fouls, was forced to relent on defense allowing Miller to score inside at will. But Herndon’s two clutch three pointers in the final minute sealed the deal crowning him the first ever Red Bull King of the Rock National Championships with a score of 21 – 19.
Asked what was going through his mind during the historic game, the 22-year-old said, “I figured I made it this far and that it would suck to lose. [Willie Miller] was a good opponent. And it feels awesome to represent the Philippines like this.”
Looking ahead, Herndon will now be the first-ever Philippine represenative to compete at the Red Bull King of the Rock World Championships in Istanbul, Turkey in August 2016. Herndon will have to bring his A-game if he hopes to beat top players from 60+ other countries at the world’s largest and most prestigious one-on-one basketball competition later this year.
Follow Herndon’s journey from the first rounds of the Philippine Qualifiers, National Finals, and finally to the World Finals on http://win.gs/KOTRPHILIPPINES.
A separate slamdunk competition followed the intense 1-on-1 games where Nigeria native Obinna Ezeike reigned supreme with his high-flying skills and crowd-rousing showmanship.