Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas is given the two thumbs up by FIBA

The Decision of the FIBA Special Commission:

1. The Special Commission affirms the SBP as FIBA's National Member Federation of the Philippines as previously decided by FIBA's Central Board at its meeting on 2-3 March 2007.

2. The FIBA Central Board will continue to closely monitor the development in Philippine basketball with a vies to ascertain whether the stakeholders in Philippine basketball are adequately and appropriately represented in the SBP whether the terms of the Bangkok Agreement are fully respected by all parties, and whether the obligations of the FIBA National Member Federations as provided in Article 8 of the FIBA General Statues are fully respected.

3. SBP is requested to present to the FIBA Central Board by no later than November 30 2009 a written progress report on the items listed under #2 above.

The decision took special notice on BAP's absence in the conference. Also the Special Commission gave a lot of weight to the Philippine court's decision affirming the SBP's recognition.

Statement of the SBP to follow.

Questions never asked at the UAAP press conference Part 1

Q: Why did Rico Maierhofer not play for DLSU this year?
A: Mayhigheroffer sa PBA.


Q: Why did one school question King Importante's eligibilty with Adamson?
A: No idea. The funny thing is they have their very own controversial rookie. And the protest original from their satellite school in the NCAA.

The Yankees win!

The New York Yankees celebrate their return to the top of the American League East standings after they beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-4 at Yankee Stadium. 

I like this team. They in many ways remind me of the '96 team. Heady vets with unheralded players and the team just chugs along. They scrape and play hard. Now they gotta beat the Angels and the Red Sox.

The UAAP Player of the Week is the Rabeh-lation

No one trick pony. He's building on last year's MVP performance with solid play at the slot.

Congrats to Rabeh Al-Hussaini for being voted the UAAP Player of the Week.

He averaged 19.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.6 asissts in leading Ateneo to a 3-0 record.

OBF!

Geneva Philippine basketball summit update

Report from the summit has it that the reason for the no-show of the BAP is that they were not granted visas in time. So they emailed their demands and their presentation instead.

Tapos na ang boxing.

From Chris Charles (who is in New York as of this time)

- In NYC. A woman warned me to take care of my wallet. The American Dream.

- It's so expensive to be tall.

- Every time I'm in New York, I get stopped about my height and folks comment about how the Knicks need help. I'd bawl with them if I could.



http://milwaukeehoopers.blogspot.com/2009/05/man-in-suitcase-by-rick-olivares.html

http://milwaukeehoopers.blogspot.com/2009/05/20th-fiba-asia-champions-cup-bronze.html

Powerade RP loses to Japan by 2 points

The Philippines lost a double-digit lead to Japan and ultimately the game 87-85 to fall to 1-3 in the 31st staging of the William Jones Cup. 

With the score at 86-82 in favor of Japan, Jared Dillinger found the bottom of the net with a far out trey with 4 seconds left in the match to cut the deficit to 1 point.

In Japan's next play, Shinsuke Kashiwagi was fouled by Jay Jay Helterbrand on the next play but the Nippon team point guard converted on only one free throw to make it a 2-point lead at 87-85. 

In the Philippine team's final offensive, Kashiwagi batted away Helterbrand's last gasp attempt to preserve their lead for the win. 

The Philippines was hurt by 24 turnovers (to Japan's 15) and they preferred to take shots from the outside as opposed to driving to the basket where they only attempted 9 free throws (Japan shot 33 free throws and made 24 of them).

Japan 87 - Takeuchi 24, Kashiwagi 12, Takeda 9, Ishizaki 9, Amino 7, Orimo 7, Sakurai 7, Igarashi 5, Ito 4, Okada 3

Philippines 85 - Aguilar 17, Miller 14, Santos 10, Thoss 8, Dillinger 8, Raymundo 5, Yap 5, De Ocampo 5, Norwood 5, Baguio 4, Helterbrand 2, Taulava 2

Standings:

Korea 3-0

Taiwan A 3-0

Jordan 2-0

Lebanon 2-1

Iran 1-1

Japan 1-2

Taiwan B 0-3

Kazakshtan 0-4

The latest on the Geneva Summit between SBP & BAP

This just in: The SBP meeting with FIBA during the second round of talks yesterday went very well. Noli Eala gave a powerpoint presentation on three positions: 1) Philippine basketball is not in disarray, 2) SBP has done everything to push for unity, and 3) SBP has failthfully complied with the Tokyo Communique and Bangkok Agreement. Part of the presentation was a full discussion on the membership issue where we said that the nominations and membership committee completed a very thorough process of validation where even the BAP participated. We produced lots of documentary evidence to prove that no one among the members of the SBP or BAP were left out of the process. 

FIBA caught by surprise. We also explained the present status of SC and SEC cases. I believe that we made significant gains with the Special Committee. They were clearly "mis-educated" by the BAP and fed the wrong info. At least now they have a better gasp of our positions. Logic and common sense I think points to a favorable decision. But then again, FIBA has on many occasions defied both so we really cannot tell for sure how things will go. 

As of last night, wala pa yung BAP reps. Third round is with them this morning. Both groups go head-to-head at 3pm. A decision will be given tomorrow noon.

UPDATE: 8:30PM

BAP failed to show up again in the 2nd day/Round 3 of the FIBA Special Commission meetings in Hotel Movenpick, Geneva, Switzerland. BAP was supposed to make a presentation this morning before the Special Committee after SBP officials met in a similar meeting yesterday. Prospero Pichay, Christian Tan, and Boni Alentajan confirmed their participation in the conference called by FIBA on the so-called complaints of the BAP. FIBA officials waited for the BAP officials but were once again frustrated by the no-show. A mediation face-off was scheduled between the two group on Tuesday afternoon.

They spun a web for me...

I forgot to post this yesterday: (from Noli Eala while at Geneva): FIBA special commission hearing began yesterday. BAP reps no show. SBP represented by Governor Oscar Moreno, Vice Chair Ricky Vargas, Exec. Director Noli Eala, Atty. Marivic Añnonuevo, POC Chairman Monico Puentevella. 

Gov. Moreno took exception about the creation and the composition of the committee. Mr. Vargas asked FIBA not to suspend the Philippines.

More details as I get it.

QB trouble

Michael Vick was released from Federal custody and he's free to resume his pro football career if there are any takers.

Steve McNair was drunk and asleep when he was shot by his girlfriend. I know of don't drink and drive but not... don't drink and fight with an angry girlfriend.

Brett Favre is what looking good to the Minnesota Vikings? For now. Until his petulance rears its ugly head.

Meanwhile in a Galaxy not too far away... 

David Beckham is unhappy about getting booed at the Home Depot Center. Well, for one, he handled the AC Milan transfer rather poorly and if he thinks his biggest contribution is selling jerseys then he can stuff it.  So if the home crowd wants they can cheer every player but Becks. That's worse. 

Welcome back, Becks. Hope you survive the experience.

The Boo Birds were out in force at the Home Depot Center to watch the Los Angeles Galaxy play visiting AC Milan... and boo David Beckham. 

As much as I like Becks as a player, he had this coming. Suck it up, Goldenballs.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-elliott-galaxy20-2009jul20,0,4430102.column?page=1

Powerade RP dumps Kazakhstan

The Philippines, improving with every game, bounced back with a huge win against Kazakhstan 85-67 for their first win in three matches at the 31st William Jones Cup in Taipei. 

Running at every opportunity now that they had everyone back in harness (including Jay Jay Helterbrand), the RP Team blitzed the slower Kazakhs and got several highlight reel jams from Japeth Aguilar who finished with 11 points. 

On the defensive end, the Nationals' zone was almost impenetrable. 

Philippines 85 - Miller 15, Aguilar 11, De Ocampo 11, Yap 9, Thoss 8, Norwood 7, Helterbrand 7, Baguio 6, Raymundo 6, Santos 5, Dillinger 2, Taulava 0

Kazakhstan 67 - Dmitriy 23, Alexandr 16, Rustam 12, Vselovod 12, Ivan 2, Roman 2, Ilya 0, Voyeikov 0

Ateneo Blue Eagles Game #3 Energizer (the complete version)

Energizer

Ateneo 93 vs. UST 77

by rick olivares

 

July 19, 2009 Philsports Arena

The replacement

During the first two games of Season 70 of the UAAP, Emman Monfort started for the Ateneo Blue Eagles in place of the graduated Macky Escalona. Although the Blue Eagles won both matches, Monfort had much difficulty leading the Blue Eagles’ offense as he averaged a paltry 4 points, 1 rebound, and .5 assists in 8 minutes of action.

By the third game, against the similarly undefeated UE Red Warriors, Monfort was sent to the bench in place of Jai Reyes. It was also a situation switch as UE had the backcourt of Marcy Arellano and James Martinez.

The match saw 17 lead changes but in the endgame, Monfort committed two crucial turnovers that helped the Red Warriors upend Ateneo 76-73. Monfort, from Ateneo de Iloilo, would be benched for four matches for the rest of the season and go scoreless in four others. He did have his best game against NU in the second round but perhaps the match is best remembered for the loss to the Bulldogs that gave La Salle an opening to take the 2^nd seed in the Final Four and the crucial twice-to-beat advantage it carried.

Monfort was dropped from the line-up the following season after norming 3.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 1.2apg in 10.5 minutes per game. He was sent to Team B to hone his playmaking skills.

As luck would have it, the Blue Eagles would go on to win the championship the following season. Although players on Team B are treated as part of the senior team, not being a part of the squad did bother the 5’6” point guard who oft watched the matches from the stands.

Despite his small size, he was conspicuous from the stands as he accepted handshakes and well wishes from Ateneo supporters. He would have been passed over once more had not Mike Baldos been removed due to academic ineligibility. 

The Blue Eagles might have given up size but to the coaching staff, they couldn’t have been more pleased.

Bert Flores, is Far Eastern University’s Team B coach and every time his team faced Ateneo, he knew that he was off to the races. “Si Monfort at ‘yan si Alec Rivera… kung ‘di ka handa ay papatayin ka ng dalawang yun.”

The last time UST Head Coach Pido Jarencio saw Monfort, his tall guards led by Jojo Duncil and Japs Cuan gave their smaller Atenean counterparts (Escalona, Tiu, Reyes, and Monfort) fits with their size.

He may have scouted Monfort but judging by how the Tigers defended him, they had not gotten his full measure.

Hope and gamble

An hour and a half before their match, forwards Khasim Mirza and Dylan Ababou were doing some jogging outside the locker room of the Growling Tigers. The two forwards have been the scourge of their opponents as they’ve dropped 21ppg and 20ppg respectively.

In UST’s two previous matches, both wins, they had used their superior speed, outside shooting, and athleticism to overwhelm the Adamson Falcons and NU Bulldogs.

Mirza knew they were up against the defending champs but he expressed optimism, “Bilog yung bola. Tatakbo kami hangga’t kaya. Kailangan daanan naming sa bilis.”

And UST’s one hand was quite obvious, to draw Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Nonoy Baclao out to the perimeter. And it worked for a while as Baclao seemed tuckered out chasing Ababou all around. Al-Hussaini, although he scored 9 points in the first quarter, got two fouls in the first quarter, no doubt suckered by the physical and mental ploy by the under-sized Melo Afuang who was giving up four inches to the Ateneo center.

Detonation

With 3:34 left in the first quarter, Black sent in Ryan Buenafe for Kirk Long, Nico Salva for Baclao, and Monfort for Reyes. Mirza would score two straight baskets to give UST the lead 18-16.

Ateneo with Monfort (a triple) and Buenafe (9 points) leading the way, unloaded 14 straight points to give the Blue Eagles a cushion they would not relinquish. Ababou nailed a trey at the first quarter buzzer 30-21 but that was their last gasp.

The second unit continued the assault as they rendered UST’s strategy in tatters by bombarding from the outside and outrunning them. Monfort’s entry sped up the cherished uptempo game of Black that the Tigers were unable to keep pace with.

Monfort drilled three triples and cashed in on two free throws for a total of 11 points in the second quarter as Ateneo posted a 52-35 halftime lead.

The back-up guard marauded the passing lanes and disrupted UST’s passing game. He drove the lane twice against UST’s Chris Camus and Mirza and though he came up empty each time out, he revealed the doughnut hole in the middle of the Tigers’ defense. Although he was whistled for a technical foul that Ababou was unable to take advantage of as he missed both freebies to start the third quarter, Monfort returned and knocked down two more treys as Ateneo led by 19 at 68-49 end of the third. His fiery play clearly lit a fire under the Ateneans who early in the game were up against the spirited Tigers.

Jarencio’s team looked bewildered because they were being clobbered from everywhere. If they weren’t being bombarded from the outside (11 treys at 45.8% shooting), they were being bludgeoned from the inside as 32 Ateneo points came from the inside (Al-Hussaini finished with 13).

The Tigers were averaging a league-high 90pg entering their match with Ateneo, but the Blue Eagles flashing deadly and stifling defense held them 13 points below their average.

The fourth quarter was nothing more than a formality as Ateneo cruised to a 93-77 win; their third straight this Season 72 and fifth consecutive against UST dating back to three campaigns ago.

Anyway you want it

In their first game of the season, the Blue Eagles battled FEU’s bench and topped them. Against UE, they took the Red Warriors’ best shots from the outside. Ateneo adjusted, overhauled a 17-point deficit to beat them with outside shots and strong post play. Against UST, they challenged the Tigers from the perimeter while shutting down the interior. They matched speed for speed, half-court offense with punishing half-court game.

After the match, Monfort was ushered inside the Media Room for the post-game press conference. “Ganito pala dito sa loob,” he said as he entered.

It was his first time to have more than a dozen tape recorders and cameras thrust in his face with every sports writer eager to lap up all his words and he gregariously answered all the questions asked of him. The game had ended some 10 minutes earlier yet he was still a bundle of energy.

After a question was fielded towards Monfort, Black waited for his point guard to finish before he asked the media if he could answer it too.

“What can I say about Emman?” said the proud coach who gave pause for his words to sink in. “We’re glad to have him back.”

Ateneo 93 – Monfort 20, Salamat 14, Buenafe 14, Al-Hussaini 13, Salva 8, Tiongson 7, Long 7, Baclao 4, Golla 2, De Chavez 2, Chua 2, Sumalinog 0, Reyes 0, Gonzaga 0, Burke 0, Austria 0

UST 77 – Maliksi 20, Ababou 17, Mirza 13, Teng 6, Bautista 6, Afuang 5, Mariano 4, Green 2, Fortuna 2, Camus 2, Ungria 0, Felix 0, Cam 0

 

 

 

Breaking Down the Ateneo-UST game

Breaking down the Ateneo-UST game

Field Goal Percentage
Ateneo 49.2%
UST 33.3%

Rebounds
Ateneo 43 total 12 offensive
UST 41 total 18 offensive

Assists
Ateneo 16
UST 12

Steals
Ateneo 8
UST 6

Blocks
Ateneo 5
UST 2

Turnovers
Ateneo 15
UST 14

Fastbreak Points
Ateneo 12
UST 10

What won the match for Ateneo aside from the usual stats match-up and defense?

* The bench – The bench mob that included Emman Monfort, Ryan Buenafe, and Nico Salva turned the tide of the match with their all-around brilliance. Buenafe scored 9 points at the close of the first quarter to give Ateneo a 30-21 lead.

* Then Monfort drilled in three triples in the second period to continue the onslaught that UST had no answer for.

*The Blue Eagles shot a blistering 61.3% in the first 20 minutes of action. They hit 6 of 12 triples while UST only hit 5 of 15. They also showcased their vaunted passing game as they dished for 12 assists to UST’s mere 4.

In truth, there’s not much passing to go around when a team keeps chucking up those three-pointers.

By the time Eric Salamat and Rabeh Al-Hussaini returned, it was more trouble for the overmatched Tigers.

Having Nonoy Baclao chase Dylan Ababou around didn’t seem to work. The UST forward took 9 shots in his first match against Adamson, 25 against NU and 19 versus Ateneo. Removing Nonoy from the middle opened a hole in the Ateneo defense. And they hauled down 18 offensive rebounds. That’s 6 more than Ateneo. In Ateneo’s three games so far, we’ve been outrebounded twice and lost all three times in the offensive category.

Teams will surely exploit this next time around.

Powerade RP loses its second straight match (damn)

Trying to bounce back from a 31-point demolition job handed to them by Jordan, the Philippine Team went into their match against Chinese Taipei in the 31st edition of the William Jones Cup with high spirits.

They knew that they were in for a tough match against the hosts and stayed neck-and-neck with them as Japeth Aguilar rammed down a vicious slam to notch the count at 68-all with six minutes left in the game. The Filipinos kept pace for the next few possessions but two straight traveling violations on Wynne Arboleda and two missed free throws by Cyrus Baguio curtailed the RP Team's momentum and gave Taipei the space it needed in the end game to come away with a 86-77 win. 

The Philippines came storming back after playing shoddy defense in the first half that saw Taipei rain 11 triples on the Filipinos. 

Taiwan 86 - Tien 26, Yang CM 14, Yang CY 14, Chang 8, Lee 8, Chen 8, Chen SN 7, Lin 2, Hsu 2, Wu 2

Philippines 77 - Miller 15, Raymundo 12, Yap 12, Santos 10, Aguilar 10, Baguio 7, Arboleda 4, De Ocampo 2, Norwood 2, Dillinger 2, Taulava 1, Thoss 0

Bleachers' Brew #167 That Rah Rah Spirit

That Rah Rah Spirit

by rick olivares

You believe that things happen for a reason, right?

Kristine Sheelah “Sasa” Carandang Abella was watching the opening day proceedings of the 72^nd Season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines where UST was playing Adamson. It was halftime when she momentarily took her eyes off the halftime cheering of UST when her husband remarked, “May nahulog na cheerleader.”

From high up the Araneta Coliseum, Sasa quickly scanned the floor where everyone’s attention was now turned. The Yellowjackets, as UST’s cheerleaders are called, continued with their routine despite the injury to cheerdancer Kathleen Sy who had broken her leg in two.

Abella said a quick prayer for the fallen cheerleader as her mind raced back to a similar accident 12 years earlier. One where she figured in a terrible fall that could have scarred her for life.

In 1997, Sasa Carandang was in her third year at the University of the Philippines where she was taking up Film and Audio-Visual Communications. A year earlier, she and several others were in the process of forming the UP Pep Squad.

Cheerleading was in Sasa’s blood and she always had enough megawatts in her to charge even the dourest of the party poopers. So it was no surprise to anyone who knew her that she’d be in the thick of things trying to revitalize school spirit. No one was watching even if the other varsity teams were winning and Carandang and her merry band sought to change the culture of apathy at the State University.

It wasn’t easy. They not only had to contend with sparse crowds but also a lack of support from their own school. But they were young, energetic, and possessed by a can-do attitude that enabled them to try anything. They even chipped in to buy their outfits that made use of the expensive lycra material. And to save on money, they rode with the basketball team on their way to games.

They practiced even longer than the basketball team. That was some four to five hours. Everyday. It wasn’t only murder on their petite bodies but also on relationships. “Parusa para sa mga sumusundo,” recalled Sasa.

“Mga addict,” their parents called their kids who got a natural high from being tossed 30 feet up high.

“What do you get out of this?” was mommy dearest’s exasperated follow-up question.

For the newly formed UP Pep Squad, it was an opportunity to carry the school spirit and all that rah rah.

The Fighting Maroons were playing the Blue Eagles at the Ateneo Gym. UP had Bryan Gahol, Paolo Mendoza, and Dexter Racho. Ateneo had John Verayo, Sandy Arespacochaga, and Rainier Sison. The Maroons had a contending team while Ateneo was trying to keep its head above the water.

During the halftime break, the Pep Squad took to the floor. Sasa was held aloft by one of the male lifters for a snake routine when he missed the two-count and accidentally dropped Sasa.

Unprepared for the fall, Carandang fell on her tailbone. An intense feeling of pain immediately shot up to the top of her skull. It took her two seconds before she could get up and continue the routine that was almost done.

As she jogged off the floor, all Sasa could suddenly see was the floor of the Ateneo Gym rushing up to meet her face. “Oh no! My nose!” was all she thought in a moment of misplaced vanity.

How long she lay flat on her face she can’t remember. She was conscious but could not feel anything. What she does remember was that people tied her up in towels to keep her body in place. She was lifted and placed on the bench of the UP team where the players worriedly asked how she was. Unmindful of her condition, she yelled at the Maroons, “Uupakan ko kayo pag di kayo nanalo!”

Under pain of such a threat, they won in a hard-fought game.

Sasa spent the next three months in an Intensive Care Unit at the Capitol Medical Center in Pasig. She was suffering from spinal cord edema where the fall caused swelling in her spine. She was unable to walk or even more. Worse, people thought she’d never walk again.

Then the seizures came where her fingers and toes would constrict and the pain that she felt when she first fell would come back magnified many times over. The seizures lasted anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute where she would be unable to breath and start to turn violet. It was frightening for all because here was a normal healthy girl who after one fall was in danger of being paralyzed for the rest of her life.

But Carandang was determined to beat her condition. For one, the medical bills were piling up to the point that one could buy a brand new car with the accrued fees. Second, she couldn’t bear to see her family, friends, and classmates cry anymore. And lastly, her thoughts were, “Oh my God! Matatapos ko ba yung sem?”

Once the seizures lessened, she moved to a recovery room where she stayed for a month as her therapy began. She told herself that if she couldn’t walk she wouldn’t be able to leave the hospital. And by her force of will she refused to give in.

“What do you get out of it?” she remembered those questions about her commitment to cheerleading.

And the person who always had enough energy, mustered the spirit to walk and prove to all that she was well.

Within a few months, Sasa Carandang was back on the UP Pep Squad. She would perform one more dance during halftime after which she stayed in the sidelines just cheering.

She’s married now and has since made a career in production.  Sasa Abella has a daughter who has no interest in cheerleading much to her relief. She occasionally gets seizures and there’s constant back pain. And she now has this fear of heights. But she’s learned to live and deal with it. And that iron-clad will of hers that served her well in her quest to walk again serves her in good stead at work and in inter-personal relationships. She will move heaven and earth to get things done.

“You know the adidas tagline, ‘Nothing is impossible’?” she says with full conviction. “I’m living proof of that.”

 

 

 

UAAP Week #2 Notes

UAAP Reporter’s Notebook #2

When UST beat NU last Thursday July 16, 2009 104-89, it was the first 100-point game since August 13, 2006 when the Bulldogs beat the Maroons 107-104.

That same 2006 Season, Ateneo beat UST 114-78 in first round on August 6. Then prior to that, Adamson beat NU 116-103 on July 10, 2005.

Adamson Falcon Alex Nuyles dislocated his right shoulder following a collision with UP’s Mikee Reyes. He will be out for at most two weeks and return right before the end of the first round.

 

Best dunk of the young season: UST's Khasim Mirza on Nico Salva of Ateneo.

Runner-up: Adamson’s Alex Nuyles on UP.

Best stat lines of Week Two:

Rabeh Al-Hussaini, ADMU - 27 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block vs. UE

Dylan Ababou, UST - 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists vs. NU

Khasim Mirza, UST - 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 6 assists vs. NU

Jan Colina, Adu - 14 points and 12 rebounds vs. UP

Reil Cervantes, FEU - 11 points and 13 rebounds vs. DLSU

Melvin Baloran, NU – 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 steals vs. UE

After posting 37 turnovers against NU in their season opener, UP committed only 22 to Adamson’s 23. They still lost with four crucial turnovers in the final two minutes.

De La Salle lost its second consecutive game to open the season. The last time that happened was during their league debut in 1986.

 

Adamson Wins A Close One

Adamson wins a close one

Adamson 72 vs. UP 68

by rick olivares

Leo Austria knows a thing or two about nail biters. His team, the Adamson Falcons have lost quite a few of them (see those three losses to Ateneo in 2006 and UST in their 2009 season opener).

He lost his high-flying forward Alex Nuyles to injury a quarter earlier after the Bicoleño gave the Falcons a badly needed shot of adrenaline with a big time stuff where he attacked the baseline, suspended himself for a second or two up in the stratosphere before flushing down a one-handed jam on the Maroons. He followed it up with a coast-to-coast drive. Adamson was down by three at 45-42.

On the next play, with the momentum clearly on Austria’s squad, they lost Nuyles to a dislocated shoulder following a collision at halfcourt with UP’s point guard Mikee Reyes. But his team would stay within striking distance of the Maroons.

Under two minutes to play, Woody Co gave UP a one-point lead via two free throws after a foul by Adamson rookie Eric Camson 68-67. The Falcons missed two freebies of their own on their next possession.

The next two UP possessions were shocking and glaring for their poor execution. Adamson had gone to a three-guard line-up of Jerick Cañada, Lester Alvarez, and Canuday while Jan Colina and Camson were the only bigs.

UP had Carlo Gomez, Martin Reyes, Arvin Braganza, Alvin Padilla, and Carlo Gomez in. Surprisingly, they had not brought back Magi Sison who was 6-10 shooting from the floor and was giving the Falcons problems.

With time running down on the shot clock and their options severely limited, Braganza drove the middle of the lane. Cañada slapped the ball away and passed off to a streaking Alvarez who was fouled but the veteran guard missed both free throws.

On UP’s next possession, they still went for the outside shot. But their faith was almost rewarded but Martin Reyes’ trey rimmed out and Camson collected the rebound. Running the break, Cañada lobbed a pass to Canuday who was waiting underneath the basket. 69-68 Adamson.

The game clock showed 16.4 seconds left when UP still took their time in bringing down the ball, Cañada promptly stripped Braganza of the ball a second time and was fouled. He made one of two free throws off Padilla’s last final foul. 70-68 Adamson. With 5 seconds left, Camson stole the ball and hit a shot at the buzzer 72-68 to give Adamson its first victory of Season 72.

Austria’s jaw dropped then he sucked in air. His young Falcons team had won a close game something they had been unable to do in previous years. He flashed a wide grin and shook hands with the UP team.

The Maroons in the meantime, dark horse contenders, were left groping for answers. Their first two matches – against NU and Adamson – were clearly winnable but despite their height advantage, they were 0-2 owing to a blow out a cliffhanger for a loss.

Adamson’s locker room was jubilant but tempered just right with a classroom atmosphere. They listened to Austria’s post-match talk where he noted that had they played their final two minutes right against UST, they too could be up there at 2-0 and not 1-1. “But we should count our blessings. And always, think positive, walang aayaw.” The team repeated the phrase several times in raucous unison. “We don’t have practice tomorrow,” followed through the coach. “So attend kayo ng Mass at kung ano yung mga homework gawin na. May team dinner kayo pero kaming mga coaches ay magtra-trabaho pa.”

He then had a fatherly talk with Canuday who led the closing team prayer about his end game heroics and his shot selection. The fifth-year player had been struggling with his shot. Austria told him to make sure that his first shot always be a good one and once it goes in it will give him the confidence to make his next ones. Canuday nodded and slapped low fives with his coach.

The coaches exited for the court.

Leo Austria knows a thing or two about nail biters. He’s lost his share and now he’s won one too. Along with assistant coach Jing Ruiz, they set out to study the Far Eastern University team, their next opponent, that was up against De La Salle in the main game. They counted their blessings but as always, the hard work doesn’t stop.

“Think positive. Walang aayaw,” the chants continued inside the locker room.

 

 

 

It... is... out... of... here!

Seventh inning stretch. Boo yeah! Mark Texeira saves AJ Burnett's ass with a three-run homer to give the New York Yankees a 5-3 win over the Detroit Tigers. The Bronx Bombers are now at 52-37 and are three games behind Boston in the AL East. 

So is Phil Hughes the new set up man before Joe Girardi hands the ball over to Mo Rivera?

Powerade-RP is blown off the court by Jordan

The Philippine National Team got a rude awakening when it was blown off the court by Jordan 90-59 in its first match at the 31st William Jones Cup in Taipei. 

Once more the Filipinos had no answer for Jordan's Rasheim Wright. The 6'3" point guard out of Philadelphia (he also played for the University of the District of Columbia) who carries dual American and Jordanian citizenship scored 12 points but his speed and playmaking got the Jordanian team of Coach Mario Palma out of the gates. 

Jordan not only out-rebounded the Philippines 47-33 but they also walloped the RP squad in the assists department 17-6. 

Jordan 90 - Alkhas 21, Wright 12, Almaayta 10, Abu 9, Daghles 8, Abbas 8, Idais 8, Awadi 6, Hadra 4, Soobzoko 2, Alnajjar 4

Philippines 59 - Taulava 10, Raymundo 8, Aguilar 8, Santos 7, Dillinger 6, Yap 6, Arboleda 5, Thoss 4, Miller 3, Norwood 2, De Ocampo 0 

Kaya natalo ang Ginebra kasi yung mga bida nila nakipaginuman

A shot from the new Ginebra commercial featuring Junthy Valenzuela, Mark Caguioa, Aling Dionisia, and some guy named Manny.