GILAS PILIPINAS: FINAL LINE UP FOR THE 2019 FIBA WORLD CUP ANNOUNCED

The final line up of the Gilas Pilipinas for the 2019 World Cup was announced yesterday after their last tune up match against the Adelaide 69ers of Australia. Coach Yeng Guiao  choose a mix of veterans and young blood to comprise the 12 players going to Foshan, China this week.

Only 5 holdovers from the 2014 World Cup team was picked - naturalized player Andray Blatche, Gabe Norwood, PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo, Japeth Aguilar and Paul Lee.

Also making the cut are players from the World Cup Qualifiers Raymond Almazan, Mark Barroca, Troy Rosario, Roger Pogoy and the comebacking Kiefer Ravena, whose suspension ended over the weekend. Two PBA rookies will wlso be debuting in the world cup - Robert Bolick and CJ Perez.

Our Gilas Pilipinas line-up for the 2019 FIBA World Cup is COMPLETE! 🇵🇭 #SBP #GilasPilipinas #LabanPilipinas #ParaSaBayan #PilipinasGotGame #FIBAWC pic.twitter.com/rtqXbDppbr

— SBP (@officialSBPinc) August 25, 2019

The Philippines will be part of Group D and will play the group stage at the International Sports and Cultural Arena in Foshan, China. The schedule of Gilas for the group stage is in the tweet below and will be shown live in ESPN 5:

Here’s the official game schedule of GILAS PILIPINAS for the upcoming FIBA WORLD CUP 2019 Group D against Italy, Serbia & Angola. GAME ON!! 🇵🇭👊🏻 #LabanPilipinas #PUSO #PilipinasGotGame #FIBAWC2019 pic.twitter.com/vUsBxC1j3s

— KuwentongGilas (@KuwentongGilas) August 19, 2019

UAAP SEASON 81: KOBE PARAS DEBUTS AS A FIGHTING MAROON

The new face of Philippine 3x3 launched just a few days ago Kobe Paras debuted in the Fighting Maroons uniform yesterday in the new UAAP event - the UAAP Last Man Standing Hoops Challenge and he did not disappoint.

Paras was a last minute replacement to Joe Gomez de Liano who was injured and was not able to participate in both the 1x1 Last Man Standing and the Slam Dunk events. Paras only learned that he will play a day before the event. But this did not stop him from impressing in the contest.

In the Slam Dunk event, he was given the free pass to the final round but went up against formidable opponents like Daniel Chatman of the National University and Soulemane Chabiyo of the University of Santo Tomas. Also a guest participant was David Carlos - a FIBA 3x3 veteran slam dunker.

The final round ended with a tie between Paras and Carlos. A dunk off then ensued and the first 2 dunks ended with tied scores again. In their last dunk, Paras edged out Carlos - getting a perfect 50 for a pumped up 2 handed jam over UST's Brent Paraiso and Ricci Riveros' brother Rasheed against Carlos' 48, to win the title for the Maroons.

In the 1x1 Last Man Standing Event, Paras first went up against Jason Strait of University of the East and won 9 - 8; then went head to head with Quinito Banzon of Ateneo de Manila University and won 10 - 7. In his last game in the group stage, he won via default since Adamson University's Ivan Maata got injured in the Slam Dunk qualifiers.

In the semi-finals, Paras went up against this season's hosts National University's Robert John MInerva. He won with a score of 11-9. Coming off the Slam Dunk event, Paras was visibly tired and out of playing condition when he faced De La Salle University's Jordan Bartlett. Bartlett won 11-8, with Paras settling to 2nd place.

In the other events, AJ Madrigal represented the Maroons in the 3 Point Shootout and Lorenzo Battad joined the Skills Challenge. Madrigal unfortunately did not advance to the final round. Battad on the other hand, advanced to the semi-final round but eventually fell short.

Image is from the ABS-CBN Sports Twitter page.

FIBA WORLD CUP 2023 : LET US MAKE #playlouderin2023 TREND ON DEC 8 AND 9

To help our joint bid to host the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas is again asking for our help. They will be presenting to the Central Board who will decide to whom they will award the hosting rights on Saturday, December 9. If last time, our #PUSO trended, they are again counting on us to make our new campaign slogan - #playlouderin2023 trend starting Friday, Dec 8 until Dec 9.

SBP President Al Panlilio urging Filipino fans to help promote #playlouderin2023 to help the country's (multi-nation) hosting bid for the 2023 FIBA World Cup pic.twitter.com/wfHjeX6Ci6

— HoopTalk (@hooptalk918) December 4, 2017

The Philippines is bidding again to host the FIBA World Cup after losing 2 years ago to China. Now, the country is in a joint bid with Indonesia and Japan. They are up against another joint bid by Argentina and Uruguay after both Turkey and Russia withdrew their bids last month. This will be the first time that more than 1 country will host the said event.

If we win the hosting rights, the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals will be played here at the Philippine Arena and the Filipino fans will get a glimpse of world class basketball in our home soil.

I really hope that the Pinoy fans support this like what we did 2 years ago. Let basketball come back home, to our home. Bring the 2023 World Cup to the Philippines.

#playlouderin2023

GILAS PILIPINAS : 12 MAN LINE UP FOR 2019 WORLD CUP QUALIFIER VS JAPAN REVEALED

The 12 man line up of Gilas Pilipinas that will go up against Japan for the 1st game of the 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifier was announced this morning by Coach Chot Reyes via a live video streamed in the Kwentong Gilas Facebook page.

The 12 men who will be playing tomorrow are:

Jayson Castro
Kevin Alas
Kiefer Ravena
Roger Pogoy
Matthew Wright
Allein Maliksi
Calvin Abueva
Gabe Norwood
Troy Rosario
Japeth Aguilar
June Mar Fajardo
Andray Blatche

Here is the video posted in Facebook:

Gilas Cadets Mac Belo and Carl Bryan Cruz and Raymond Almazan will sit out in tomorrow's game.

The line up for Monday's game vs Chinese Taipei in Manila can still change depending on the needs of the team.

Goodluck Gilas!

UP FIGHTING MAROONS : A GREAT END TO SEASON 80 FOR THE MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM

Last November 11 was a great end of the men's basketball team of the UP Fighting Maroons for Season 80.

The first game was a do-or-die game against the NU Bulldogs. The winner of that game will wait for the result of the second game between the FEU Tamaraws and the Adamson Falcons. If Adamson wins, the winner of the first game will force a play off against FEU for the last spot in the Final Four. If FEU wins, they automatically advance to the Final Four.

Before this game, the Maroons were really inconsistent. They won against FEU which boosted their chance to the Final Four but lost to Adamson in their next game by a huge margin. Then they went toe to toe with the then spotless Ateneo which broke our hearts by opening the game wide and eventually winning in the last few minutes of the last quarter, Their played better in that Ateneo game - with better player rotation and 3 point shooting in the 1st half but eventually lost their steam at the end game.

So we really did not know what to expect in this game against NU. We also watched their first round match where they lost by 7 points also just in the last few minutes of the game. We can all argue that it would have been a different story if Jun Manzo was not injured in that game. But it is what it is, The Maroons and the UP community just want to have a great win to end the season just in case it does end that night.

As expected, the UP faithfuls came in droves. Students, alumni and supporters were really there to watch the game and support the guys. It was safe to say that half of the fans in the Big Dome were UP fans. We were seated at the Adamson area and that side was dominated by UP fans as well. It was really a good atmosphere there.

I will not give  lengthy game by game narration of the game but the UP was able to get a statement win - a 106 - 85 win over the Bulldogs, still having a chance at the Final Four that the school last experienced in 1997 - a clear 2 decades ago. But 2 hours after, FEU was able to win over Adamson, sending the Maroons out of contention and just a win away from the semis, finishing 5th at 6wins and 8 losses. This is still a marked improvement from the past season where we finished sixth with a 5 - 9 win loss record.

I have tweeted this in my account but I want to congratulate the team for a good season despite falling short of the goal. Hats off to our four graduating players who played their last game. To Andrew Harris and Paolo Romero who served 7 years for UP and 5 playing years, despite getting limited minutes, you will still be known as the captains of this special group of guys. To Ibrahim Ouattara, one year in the UAAP might be short but your heart and the hardwork you showed is really commendable. To Rob Ricafort, the road to UAAP was never a clear one for you but the fight to #DontRobRob was worth it.

To our King Maroon, Paul Desiderio, we admire your tenacity in the court, always playing more than 30 minutes per game. Thank you for giving us those clutch 3 pointers that we never get tired of watching. Thank you for being our go to guy every time we needed that boost of energy. Thank you for giving us a new unofficial mantra - Atin To Papasok To - that will forever be in our hearts. We just want to say - One More Year King Maroon.

To our super rookies - Juan Gomez de Liano and Jun Manzo who defied all odds and showing us that you need that be afraid even if you are a newbee. For Jun Manzo, thank you for all the amazing spin moves, great floaters and superb playmaking for this season, your connection with Paul Desiderio really made wonders this season. To our Rookie of the Year Juan Gomez de Liano, you sure proved that you are a blue chip rookie - scoring at least 20 points in a couple of games and playing like a veteran in your rookie year make us wonder what you can develop into in the next years after gaining experience this season.

To the best bench in the UAAP, thank you for all the contributions to the team, whether you are starting or not, you are always ready when your name is called. Thank you Javi Gomez de Liano, for the great defense this season and your connection with your younger brother Juan really is exciting to watch, Thank you Jarrel Lim and Kyles Lao for always being there to stabilize the team in times of panic. Thank you Jan Jaboneta for the amazing 3 pointers during the DLSU first round game. Thank you Noah Webb for those chase down blocks but also for the unforgettable reactions you gave us at the sidelines. Thank you Jerson Prado for those hustle rebounds and good defense you played despite having quite a disadvantage at the center position. Thank you Gelo Vito for those crucial shots you gave the team at crunch time. Thank you Diego Dario for being the 3rd guard in the rotation and despite the limited minutes, you still get to deliver especially during the Ateneo second round game. Thank you Enzo Battad that despite having limited minutes, you did well in your rookie year and we know that you have worked hard and deserved that last spot in the roster.

To the coaching staff, Coach Bo, Coach Ricky, Coach Rodney, Coach Poch, Coach Mark, Coach Alex, Coach Joe and the other coaches and staff, this will not be possible if you guys were not there to guide these guys.

To the UP community, the best fans in the UAAP this season. It was an honor to be a part of this community and to cheer with all of you guys whether we are #TeamMOA or #TeamAraneta or #TeamBahay or even #TeamLivestream at the car or at the office. You definitely gave these guys a boost by always believing in the UP Fight spirit.

We all believe that the future is bright next season not just beacuse Bright Akhuetie will be playing for us but because we have proven one thing this season, We might not made it to our goal of entering the final four but what we have proven this season is that we are not the push overs anymore. We are here to compete and we are here to win.

Just like what Jun Manzo posted in Twitter :

Walang imposible sa taong naniniwala 🙏🏻 #UPFIGHT

— Jun Manzo (@JkManzo13) September 23, 2017

Nothing is indeed impossible. From that 0-14 season in Season 76 and that single win in Season 77 that prompted us to have bonfire after ending that long losing streak, we really have come a long way. Thank you for making this happen, for making the UP community believe again.

We can't wait for the next season. Hoping it will be our time - and we believe that our time will come.

FIBA 3X3 WORLD CUP : 2018 FIBA 3X3 WORLD CUP WILL BE HOSTED BY THE PHILIPPINES

It's confirmed! FIBA announced through the FIBA 3x3 official Twitter account that the hosting of the FIBA 3x3 World Cup has been awarded by none other than basketball crazy Philippines!

FIBA 3x3 World Cup 2018 dates announced #3x3WC ➡ https://t.co/Zn0X2x8bI0 pic.twitter.com/RcJMPQ3aQY

— FIBA3x3 (@FIBA3x3) November 17, 2017

The event will be held on June 8 to 12, 2018 with venue still to be announced. Being the hosts, the Philippines will also be awarded outright slots in the event for both the men's and women's division.

With this schedule, the finals will be held on June 12 - a national holiday of the Philippines (Independence Day) which will give a chance for the fans to troop to the venue and watch the games.

To the basketball fans, mark your calendars as early as now. I am really hoping that this is just a prelude to the announcement that we will be co-hosting the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Let's pray for this to happen.

ALAB PILIPINAS : FIRST HOME GAME WILL BE FREE TO THE PUBLIC

The Philippine team in the ASEAN Basketball League or ABL, the Tandiuay Alab Pilipinas  announced yesterday that their first home game on November 19 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena will be free to the public. This is a big treat to all of their fans.

It's a treat to our supporters. Free tickets. Just check @AlabPilipinas IG FB and Twitter accounts. Thanks @TheOfficialSMDC and @MOAArena pic.twitter.com/tFjlxSkp6s

— Charlie Dy (@SportsAgentCD) November 4, 2017

So to all basketball and Alab fans, this is a good chance to watch the newly revamped team, catch Dondon Hontiveros play again, watch Jimmy Alapag's coaching debut and get a glimpse of Christian Standhardinger live in actin as part of the Hong Kong Eastern Long Lions team.

So guys, mark your calendar and see you there on November 19 (which is coninceidentally my birthday as well)!

GILAS PILIPINAS : 23 MAN POOL FOR THE 2019 FIBA WORLD CUP QUALIFIER REVEALED

Just a few hours after their first practice, the 23 man pool of Gilas Pilipinas for the Asian qualifiers for the 2019 FIBA World Cup was revealed in a post in the official website of FIBA.

The line up is a mix of veterans and cadets with 11 of the 12 Gilas players who joined the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup making it to the list, which may help the team chemistry having played which each other in a FIBA tourament already. Only 2017 PBA Rookie Draft first pick Christian Standhardinger was omitted in the list mainly because of his commitment to his club team in the ASEAN Basketball League, which is in the country as well to have some tune up matches against some PBA teams.

Leading the team are 4 time PBA Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo and 2 time Asia's Best Point Guard Jayson Castro. The 23 man pool is as follows (pic is from the same post in the FIBA website) :

Notable names is the list includes Mac Belo and Russell Escoto who are both coming from injuries, Kevin Alas who was part of the cadets team before and was named as reserve in Gilas 2.0 and Kiefer Ravena - the only non-PBA player in the roster technically since he was just drafted last week. Andray Blatche, who was sent home by his team in the CBA due to injury will be our naturalized player. I do hope that he has recuperated from his injury and is in good shape.

It is just comforting to see a pool of familiar names with a mix of youth and veterans. Coming from limbo where Filipino fans do not know who will play and will they be allowed to play, at least now, it is clear - we have a team that will compete. Only having three weeks to prepare and Andray Blatche coming in on November 12, I hope this will be enough for us to get the 2 wins in this playing window.

UAAP SEASON 80 : SO WHERE IS THE UST CROWD?

Over the years, one of the most recognizable cheer is definitely the Go USTE cheer of the University of Santo Tomas or UST. They always have that unbelievable crowd that seems to be synched every time they use this cheer.

I have watched several volleyball games and a basketball game where UP was up against UST and their fans are really united in cheering and supporting their team.

I had the chance to watch the first round game of UP versus UST last month and their crowd didn't disappoint. They were greater in number compared to us, the UP crowd but we really tried our best to keep up to their cheers. Fortunately for us, Paul Desiderio gave us the win with his now infamous line "Atin 'to, papasok to" and the game winning 3 point shot.

From there, UST piled up losses after losses - making this one of their worst season in UAAP history. Last October 25, UST lost their 11th straight game this season. After the game, as customary, they sang their school hymn to an almost empty UST side of the arena. But there is this only one student clad in UST uniform singing with them. This picture as posted in Twitter has become viral ever since:

Singing of UST Hymn.

10/25/17.
UST vs ADU.
MOA Arena.
UST Side.
0-11. pic.twitter.com/WfkBuBt7H5

— I.J. (@ColomaIsaacJeff) October 27, 2017

This guy was later named as Isaac Coloma, a graduating student making the most of his last year in UST by supporting the Tigers in as many games as he can watch, Players from the team such as Jordan Sta. Ana and Steve Akomo praised him for his support to the team despite their losing streak. Akomo even gave a free ticket to Coloma in their game against DLSU last weekend. The Alumni office also gave him free tickets to all the volleyball games next year.

So where is the UST crowd? The crowd that we always envy. The crowd that is always loud and proud to support the Growling Tigers?

In several tweets that I have seen (one is now deleted as of the time of posting), the UST crowd's non-appearance in the games is their protest against the continuing coaching of their head coach Boy Sablan. The crowd will only watch the games again if Sablan will be sacked or will resign.

Is this fair to Coach Boy Sablan? Definitely not. Coach Boy is making the most of what he has in his line up. They are pegged as one of the team that might pull out surprise win before the season started yet they have not impressed except for some close calls especially on their first UP game. Several players also opted to sit out this season to further improve their skills and come back next season. Notably in this bunch is Renz Subido who is a key cog in last season's team. Embons Bonleon almost transferred to Arellano.

But I get the point of the UST community, they need effective game plans, they need effective coaching and more importantly - they need to see results in form of wins. If Sablan will be sacked, it will be up to the management and clamour of the community must always be considered.

Is this fair to the players? Defintely not. The players are student athletes. They are balancing their studies, trainings, games and personal lives to represent their school. Do we only support them when they win games? Do we abondon them when they lose games? Of course not. The lyrics of the song Welcome to my Life of Simple Plan simply puts it into perspective:

To be hurt, to feel lost

To be left out in the dark

To be kicked when you're down

To feel like you've been pushed around

To be on the edge of breaking down

And no one there to save you

The players are definitely in their lowest morale right now with no win to boast of and not seeing any supporters watching their games is really a big blow to the low morale and making it lower. It in now that they need your support, your presence and your cheers. They need you - UST community.

The UP community is very much familiar with what the UST community is experiencing. We have been considered the team we can beat for so long. Remember Season 76 where we ended the season winless? The only difference is that we never abandoned the players. Even though the numbers dwindled, it never came to a point where the UP side is as empty as this. Remember our infamous bonfire in Season 77? Yes, in that season, we ended a 27 game losing streak. It is nothing to be proud of. We ended the season with a single win. Yet for us, that single win symbolizes a start of change - a new beginning. We have improved every single season after that but we are still in our quest for that elusive final four slot.

What I am pointing out here is that we should support our players win or lose. Winning games is not just about the players and the coaches. There is so many factors coming into the equation - training, academics, and yes - crowd support. The so called 6th man of the game is always important. It provides an added boost when the team is down and can do wonders to the team. The crowd should be there win or lose. We don't abandon the team, we don't leave in the middle of the fight. After all, they are representing not just their team but the whole school and the community.

I have seen some campaign in social media for the community to show up full force in the Tiger's last game on November 12 against UE. I really hope the UST community answers to this call. Let Isaac Coloma serve as an inspiration that they are behind their players back win or lose. They are already out of contention for the Final Four but let this be their preparation for Season 81. Give the players a good last game and hope that momentum will carry them to a better season next year,

So where is the UST crowd? They are still watching, they are waiting. But I hope they show up on November 12. You can do this UST community! We will be cheering for you, we always cheer for the underdogs - Go USTe!

UP FIGHTING MAROONS : THE GAME WE ALMOST DIDN'T WATCH

When the UP Fighting Maroons Men's Basketball team lost two Sundays ago, my sister and I had second thoughts about watching the game last Saturday live. We planned to watch it live at the MOA Arena as part of my birthday gift to her since she celebrated her birthday a few weeks back.

The loss was hard. We expected the team to fair well against UE since we beat them easily in the first round. The trend is somewhat happening again, we had a good start and lose steam in the end - just like last year, and just like what happened with the Women's Volleyball Team last season.

We parked the idea of watching the game for a while but I needed to decide before the morning of last Tuesday. My sister needs to file her undertime leave since she has work on Saturdays.

Why am I having second thoughts? I do not want to see the team lose again live. This season, we went to watch live the first round games against UST and DLSU which we both won. The 3rd game we watched was the first round NU game which we lost in the last few seconds. It was heartbreaking. I don't want to experience it again - especially if we will lose by a large margin - which happened in the first round game against FEU.

But we know we need to support the team, after a tough loss against UE, the guys needs as much support from the UP crowd. So we decided to go and watch. It was our first time to buy Patron tickets and we really hoped it will be worth it.

We arrived early and even got those foam thing from Piattos that we really were looking for the previous games. We caught the first game which was really quite predictable with Ateneo getting an easy win over UE. I actually can't remember the details of the game since I was more engrossed in looking at my Twitter feed about an org event I missed to watch the game, reading tweets of support to the UPMBT and getting surprised by the news that Coach Tai is no longer coaching Ateneo.

Then, it's time for UP's game against FEU. The UP crowd was noticeably smaller compared to the previous game that we watched live. But deep in our hearts, these UP loyals will cheer our hearts out. In fact, even with our smaller crowd, we still out numbered the FEU fans. Saying our own prayers just before game time so that divine intervention can happen. The team started quite sluggish with FEU getting a double digit lead midway in the 1st quarter. Good thing we had a small run towards the end, only down by 4 at the end of the first 10 minutes.

The second quarter was a different story. The Fighting Maroons came in aggressive, starting the quarter with a 17 - 0 run spanning from the end of the first quarter up to the start of the second. They outscored FEU, 18 - 7 in this quarter and ended the half up by 7.

The 3rd quarter was the most excruciating quarter I have watched live. It was as if the basket is covered. Almost all the shots are not going in. The team was only able to score 5 points - the least any teams scored in a quarter this season. The quarter ended with the team down by 10.

Early in the fourth quarter, both teams were trading baskets but at some point, FEU was already ahead by 12 points with about 8 minutes left. The time is definitely not our side. Miraculously, our zone defense was working and FEU's basket are not going in and we even forced several turnovers. Thanks to the superb defense of Ibrahim Ouattara and getting shots on the other end, 4 straight points from Juan Gomez de Liano, Gelo Vito's put back from a Desiderio miss and a 3 point shot and Jun Manzo's floater, we had a 13 - 0 run to get the lead, 56 - 53 with less than a minute left.

When Jasper Parker got that 3 point shot to tie the game, we were just hoping for a sure 2 point shot or overtime. This was also the same wish we had when we were down 2 points at the end game of the UP - UST first round game. We know that Paul Desiderio will still be the go to player and we really hope that he still is the clutch that we witnessed in our first game of the season.

When the first play where Manzo missed the shot and the ball was said to be going to FEU, we were praying hard - Lord give us this win. We know that this win can really help our Final Four bid this season. After reviewing the tape, it was decided that UP keeps the possession. Then they fouled on the next play - leaving us 6.2 seconds to get the winning shot.

Lord, give us this one. We need this win.

Juan GDL inbounded the ball to Manzo who immediately passed the ball to Desiderio. With a step back shot, Desiderio released the ball on our vantage point, it seems to be going in. It seemed slow motion - that 2 seconds seems eternity. The shot went in and the UP crowd was ecstatic! With 1.1 clock ticks left, the inbound was stolen by Juan GDL and we get the win!

Yes, we got the win... Yes, we won! Our Final Four Dream is alive!

I was shaking after the game. I was shaking when we sang with pride "UP Naming Mahal". I was shaking when I took the team photo seen at the bottom of the picture above. I was still shaking after all of this. We literally had to settle down before we left the arena. We were so proud of the team and this win.

We were really happy we watched this game. At the end of the day, we support the team - win or lose. It turns out that the game we almost did not watch was the game we will surely remember for years. It was a good win. It was a team win. It was a win that takes us to the right direction - towards the goal of that elusive Final Four.

We went home and still watched the replay. We can't get over that last 6 seconds and the second game winning shot of Desiderio this season. We were these. We witnessed it live. We believe in this team and we will support the team - whether we get to the Final Four or not.

UP FIGHTING MAROONS : UP MBT ALUMNI JETT MANUEL AND DAVE MORALDE GOT PICKED AT THE 2017 PBA ROOKIE DRAFT

Two UP Men's Basketball Team alumni got picked in this year's rookie draft of the Philippine Basketball Association or PBA.

Former King Maroon and team captain Engr. Jett Manuel and energy man Dave Moralde got picked from a pool of 44 aspirants this year.

Jett Manuel who is still fresh from his stint with the Chooks to Go Pilipinas team that competed in the 2017 FIBA Asia Champions Cup got picked by the country's favorite team - Barangay Ginebra San Miguel as the 12th over-all pick and the last pick in the first round.I really think that his stint with the Chooks To Go Pilipinas team along side 2nd over all pick Kiefer Ravena, 3rd over all pick Raymar Jose and 5th over all pick Jeron Teng really helped him build his stock before the draft.

With the 12th pick of the #PBAGatoradeDraft2017, @barangayginebra selects @_jettmanuel. pic.twitter.com/S4JOOh6eod

— PBA (@pbaconnect) October 29, 2017

On the other hand, Dave Moralde had to wait for the 3rd round to get picked by Talk N Text Ka-Tropa as the 10th pick in the 3rd round or 33rd pick over-all.

3rd Round - 10th pick of the #PBAGatoradeDraft2017, @TalkNText selects @davemoralde8. pic.twitter.com/NyTzDsWYQ1

— PBA (@pbaconnect) October 29, 2017

Congrats Jett and Dave! Represent the Maroons well! Hope both of you can get slots with your respective teams.

UAAP SEASON 80 : MEN'S BASKETBALL 2ND ROUND SCHEDULE

The second round schedule for the men's basketball tournament of UAAP Season 80 has been released this afternoon. The 2nd round will immediately start this Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum with a double header.

Games will be in Araneta, FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan and in the MOA Arena.

Here is UP's round 2 schedule:

Oct 11, 2pm (Wed) - vs UST (Araneta)
Oct 15, 4pm (Sun) - vs DLSU (San Juan)
Oct 22, 4pm (Sun) - vs UE (San Juan)
Oct 28, 4pm (Sat) - vs FEU (MOA)
Nov 5, 4pm (Sun) - vs ADU (Araneta)
Nov 8, 4pm (Wed) - vs ADMU (Araneta)
Nov 11, 2pm (Sat) - vs NU (Araneta)

Here is the complete schedule as posted in the UPMBT Twitter account:

Here is the full second round sched for #UAAPSeason80 pic.twitter.com/BVDxqEPzgc

— UP Fighting Maroons (@upmbt) October 9, 2017

Hoping for more wins for UP in the 2nd round. #UPFight

ASEAN BASKETBALL LEAGUE : ALAB PILIPINAS SCHEDULE FOR 2017 - 2018 SEASON

The schedule of Alab Pilipinas in the 2017 - 2018 season of ASEAN Basketball League is now out. The schedule for November to March play dates was posted in the official Twitter account of the league this evening.

This season, Alab Pilipinas will have a new head coach Jimmy Alapag. Rayray Parks, Robby Celiz and Lawrence Domingo will be back together with former PBA Chris Sumalinog. The team will be reinforced by former Talk N Text import Ivan Johnson.

Alab Pilipinas' schedule for the season is as follows:

Nov 19, 8pm - vs Hong Kong Eastern Long Lions - TBA
Nov 29, 8pm - vs Singapore Slingers - TBA
Dec 13, 8pm - vs Hong Kong Eastern Long Lions - Souther Stadium, Wan Chai
Dec 16, 3pm - vs Formosa Dreamers - Changhua Stadium, Changhua City
Jan 3, 8pm - vs Westports Malaysia Dragons - TBA
Jan 7, 4pm - vs Singapore Slingers - OCBC Arena, Singapore
Jan 10, 8pm - vs Singapore Slingers - TBA
Jan 14, 7pm - vs Mono Vampires - Stadium 29, Bangkok
Jan 20, 7pm - vs CLS Knights - GOR CLS Kertajaya, Surabaya
Jan 28, 5pm - vs Saigon Heat - CIS Arena, Ho Chi Minh City
Jan 31, 8pm - vs Nanhai Long Lions - TBA
Feb 4, 4pm - vs Singapore Slingers - OCBC Arena, Singapore
Feb 7, 8pm - vs Mono Vampires - TBA
Feb 11, 7pm - vs CLS Knights - GOR CLS Kertajaya, Surabaya
Feb 18, 7pm - vs Formosa Dreamers - TBA
Mar 4, 2:30pm - vs Westports Malaysia Dragons - MABA Stadium, Kuala Lumpur
Mar 11, 7:30pm - vs Nanhai Long Lions - Nanhai Gymnasium, Nanhai
Mar 14, 8pm - vs Saigon Heat - TBA
Mar 21, 8pm - vs CLS Knights - TBA
Mar 25, 8pm - vs CLS Knights - TBA

Good luck Alab Pilipinas!

UAAP SEASON 80 : A SWEET SATURDAY FOR THE UP FIGHTING MAROONS

Last Friday, our office volleyball team had a game against one of the good teams in our office tournament. One of my colleagues asked me, do you think we can beat them? I just answered, "Of course. You will start losing once you stop believing."

Unfortunately for us, our team lost but we still forced the game to a deciding set and in our hearts, we still won.

Yesterday, it was UP Men's Basketball Team's game against the defending champions De La Salle University. I actually planned to watch it at home but my sister called me last Friday night and said that we can still get tickets for the game. Being the impulsive person that I am, I agreed to go to MOA arena and watch the game.

I was scrolling my Twitter feed just before we went to MOA arena yesterday and I saw this tweet from UP MBT rookie point guard Jun Manzo:

Walang imposible sa taong naniniwala 🙏🏻 #UPFIGHT

— Jun Manzo (@JkManzo13) September 23, 2017

It was exactly what I believed in yesterday in our volleyball game the day before. Nothing is impossible - you just have to believe.

I was tempering my expectations - DLSU having a perfect record so far and with Ben Mbala back into the fold, I was just hoping for a miracle win at best or just at least a close game. We were there just to cheer our hearts out for the team since I really believe that this can be the team that can put UP back to the Final Four after so many years.

The game started quite as what people expected it to happen. We scored the first points with a 3 point shot from Juan Gomez de Liano but the Green Archers just stepped on the gas pedal after that and built a lead over the Fighting Maroons. The quarter ended with DLSU ahead by 9 points - DLSU 27 - 18 UP.

A more composed UP entered the court in the second quarter. They outscored DLSU by 13 points this quarter and headed into halftime break with a 4 point lead; 47 - 43. What made this quarter sweeter was the fact that almost at the end of this quarter, Rob Ricafort scored his first 2 points in the season with a shot from a pass from Paul Desiderio who slipped near the baseline. Rob battled his way to play for UP after being declared ineligible due to the age limit by the UAAP board but a TRO was released by the court to allow him to play.

May I just say here that the UP Pep Squad had an awesome halftime performance which I think was not shown on TV.

The 3rd quarter was just like a see saw battle between the two teams, with no team having the clear advantage. This is also when the UP crowd was on high gear as well - cheering on the team point after point after point. I also watched the UP - UST game 2 weeks ago which ended with the clutch 3 points by Paul Desiderio. The crowd then was wild. In this game, the crowd was larger and in number evidently but was outnumbered by the DLSU crowd. But we cheered our hearts out. The quarter ended with UP ahead only by 1 point, 66 - 65.

In the fourth quarter, the UP guys really stepped up, with Janjan Jaboneta hitting crucial 3 point shots, Jun Manzo really setting plays and also getting crucial shots, big men Ibrahim Ouattara and Paolo Romero helping the cause, the Gomez de Liano brothers helping on both sides of the court and Paul Desiderio taking charge. DLSU was in an unfamiliar territory - being down by double digits in the last 3 minutes or so in the final quarter. With great defense translating to good offense, UP did the unthinkable - beating the defending champions by 11 points - 98 - 87. A big congratulations to the team for this big win.

*Sorry for the blurred pic. It was hard to get a picture while shaking with excitement and singing UP Naming Mahal after winning this game.

This is a huge win for UP - not just for the players but for the whole community as well. As this blog post started, you should always believe in your self so you can win in any battle in life. With a good performance in the pre-season tournaments, I really believe that this team is special. I hope that the whole community - the students, the employees and the alumni - would also start believing and supporting this team. We have nothing to lose here, we have been in the dumps for so long and now we have started to taste victories that shows us the big hearts our players has, we owe them the support they need. We will always be one UP community.

After all, we only start losing when start to stop believing,

FIBA ASIA CHAMPIONS CUP 2017 : CHOOKS TO GO PILIPINAS LINE UP REVEALED

The line up of Chooks To Go Pilipinas for the FIBA Asia Championship 2017 has finally been revealed yesterday, way after the expected annpuncement last Friday which was the deadline for the team rosters.

The team are mostly PBA players and college standouts. Leading the charge for the Filipinos are the phenom Kiefer Ravena, former King Archer Jeron Teng and Gilas cadets member Carl Bryan Cruz. The team will be reinforced by naturalization candidate Isaiah Austin and CEU player Rob Ebondo.

Here is the complete list of players:

Alfrancis Tamsi
Almond Vosotros
Carl Bryan Cruz
Isaiah Austin
Jeric Teng
Jett Manuel
Jeron Teng
Kiefer Ravena
LA Revilla
Norbert Torres
Raymar Jose
Rob Ebondo

Andre Paras and Gab Banal has been included in the team as reserve players. The tournament will be on September 22 - 30, 2017 in Chenzhou, China. Games will be aired in Sports 5 / Aksyon TV. They will be showing the first two games live, still waiting for advise on the other games.

As of this afternoon, the team is already headed (if they have not already landed) to China.

Your Chooks to Go Pilipinas squad. CBC, Isaiah Austin, and Rod Ebondo will be flying to China tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/DidOTwOaqg

— Carlo Pamintuan (@carlo_pamintuan) September 20, 2017

The two reinforcements will be leaving separately after getting their visas only today. Rob will be leaving Manila by tomorrow while Isaiah is already on a train to Chenzhou after finally getting his visa in Hongkong after being denied in Manila.

Good luck Chooks To Go Pilipinas!

2017 FIBA ASIA CHAMPIONS CUP : CHOOKS TO GO PILIPINAS WILL PLAY AS A WILDCARD

It looks like Thailand's Mono Vampire is not the only Southeast Asian team that will join the 2017 FIBA Asia Champions Cup in Chenzou, China on September 22 - 30, 2017.

After a successful partnership with Gilas Pilipinas in the Jones Cup, 2017 FIBA Asia Cup and the 2017 Southeast Asian Games; Chooks to Go is again partnering with SBP to send a team - Chooks to Go Pilipinas to this tournament as well.

It was first announced by Coach Chot Reyes in his Twitter page with this post:

Breaking: Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas joins @FIBAAsiaCC. Games will be shown @TV5manila & @Sports5PH

— Chot Reyes (@coachot) September 5, 2017

It was confirmed by this article posted in the official website of the 2017 FIBA Asia Champion's Cup. Apparently, the Japan team SunRockers Shibuya withdrew due to the conflicting schedule with the B.League. Thus, FIBA awarded the wildcard to the Philippines.

The Chooks To Go Pilipinas team will be coached by none other than Coach Chot Reyes and Coach Jong Uichico as his deputy. Confirmed part of the team are Gilas players Fil-German Christian Standhardinger, Kiefer Ravena and Rayray Parks. It is also reported that Reymar Jose, Kobe Paras (if allowed by his college team), Jeron Teng, UP Maroons Jett Manuel and Bright Akhuetie will also join the team.

It is also not clear if PBA will also be allowing the Gilas Cadets to join the team, as this is not a national team tournament.

The team will be in Group A with BC Astana of Kazakhstan, Mono Vampire of Thailand, Petrochimi of Iran and Sarreyet Ramallah of Palestine.

The last time Philippines joined the FIBA Champions Cup was in 2011 when Smart Gilas Pilipinas hosted the other teams in the tournament. The team ended in 4th place that year.

Good Luck Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas! #LabanPilipinas

UP FIGHT : UP MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM ROSTER FOR SEASON 80 REVEALED

The roster of the University of the Philippines Maroons Men's Basketball Team for the UAAP Season 80 has been revealed just before the UP Pep Rally earlier today.

This team will be aiming to win the university's 2nd basketball title and end its final four and championship drought. The UP Fighting Maroons last entered the final four in 1997 which is already 20 seasons ago and last won its first and only championship in 1989 which is already 28 years ago.

This year's team will still be coached by UP alumni Coach Bo Perasol and will be co-captained by last year's UAAP Mythical Team member Paul Desiderio and senior Andrew Harris.

Here is UP MBT's Season 80 roster:

UP Fighting Maroons is ready to #GoForGreat this #UAAPSeason80! Here is the official list of players facing this year's feisty competition.✊ pic.twitter.com/RGBRhIPqnE

— UP Fighting Maroons (@upmbt) August 29, 2017

New faces for the UP Fighting Maroons are Cebuano Jun Manzo who transferred from University of the Visayas and served residency last year and UPIS standout and UAAP Season 79 Basketball Juniors MVP Juan Gomez de Liano.

This seems to be a solid roster for UP considering their good preseason build up where they were able to get a championship and train in Las Vegas last month.

For their first round schedule, please see this link to an earlier post.

Good Luck UP Fighting Maroons! #UPFight

ALAB PILIPINAS : JIMMY ALAPAG NAMED AS THE NEW HEAD COACH

Alab Pilipinas looks like it is really serious to bring back the ASEAN Basketball League Crown to the Philippines. Alab announced that they are getting the services of the Mighty Mouse and Gilas Pilipinas legend and now assistant coach Jimmy Alapag to be their head coach in the upcoming tournaments including the new season of ABL.

Bagong laban, bagong #pALABan! ALAB PILIPINAS welcomes new Head Coach JIMMY "The Mighty Mouse" ALAPAG! 🔥🔥🔥 Official signing in a bit! pic.twitter.com/zwGWzxn8DZ

— Alab Pilipinas (@AlabPilipinas) August 12, 2017

The announcement came after a few teasers in their official Twitter and Facebook pages and even coined him as the Fire Starter and the new pALABan and a known leader in the court. Fans has speculated that it is Alapag and was only confirmed today when the contract signing was also aired lived in their Facebook page.

Last season's coach Mac Cuan, who lead the team to a semi-finals finish in their maiden season will still be in the coaching staff. I am excited to know who will compose the new Alab Pilipinas team after some of their players have been signed by PBA teams. I really hope the team gets stronger and they can win the championship next season.

Congrats Alab Pilipinas and Jimmy Alapag! I hope this will start a new winning partnership in the ABL.

TEAM PILIPINAS: 3 GREAT WINS FOR A GREAT SPORTS NIGHT

Good things indeed come in threes.

Filipino sports fans was in for a treat tonight - with not one, not two but three great wins tonight from 3 different Philippine teams in 3 different sports.

The first win was scored by the Philippine National Women's Volleyball team when they sweep their first group match versus Hong Kong in the AVC Senior Women's Volleyball Championship at the Alonte Sports Arena in Binan, Laguna. The Filipinas had a tentative start but never looked back once they got the momentum. They beat the HK ladies via a 25-21, 25-16, 25-17 tally.

FINAL: PHI starts strong, sweeps HK, 25-21, 25-16, 25-17.

Catch #AVCWomensSCH: Philippines🇵🇭 vs Hong Kong🇭🇰 NOW AIRING on S+A! pic.twitter.com/8mJgoeGIuF

— ABS-CBN Sports (@abscbnsports) August 9, 2017

The team was led by Alyssa Valdez with 14 points and Jaja Santiago with 13 points. The next assignment of the girls will be Kazakhstan on Friday.

The next win was from Gilas Pilipinas who also opened their campaign in the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup in Beirut, Lebanon. In their first group stage match, they were able to get an upset win over defending champion China, 96-87.

The Philippines 🇵🇭 fight off a big comeback from China 🇨🇳 to open their #FIBAAsiaCup2017 campaign

📊 https://t.co/zbXwbsAnpH pic.twitter.com/t3GUKM644w

— FIBA (@FIBA) August 9, 2017

Gilas led most of the game, with China almost pulling off their come from behind surge in the fourth quarter, even getting the lead in the last quarter. But Gilas was able to hold on and was able to clinch the win. Terrence Romeo topscorred with 26 points, Japeth Aguilar has 5 blocked shots and Gabe Norwood coming up with 3 steals and 3 blocks. Here are the highlights of the game from FIBA's official YouTube channel:

Next game will be against WABA dark horse Iraq on Friday night.

To cap off this streak, PFL's Ceres Negros FC was declared as the ASEAN Zone Champion at the 2017 AFC Cup in front of their home crowd in Bacolod City.  Ceres Negros won over Home United FC at Bacolod with a score of 2-0 and a 3-2 win on aggregate. OJ Porteria started with an early goal at 2' time. The second goal was from a penalty kick from Manny Ott.

👑 Congratulations to the #AFCCup2017 ASEAN Zone champions @CeresNegrosFC! pic.twitter.com/HmP46npXMD

— AFC Cup (@AFCCup) August 9, 2017

This is the farthest a Filipino team got to since the start of the tournament. They will face FC Istikol on August 22.

Congrats to all the Filipino atheletes! #LabanPilipinas

UAAP 80 : UP FIGHTING MAROONS MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM ROUND 1 SCHEDULE

Here is the round 1 schedule of the UP Fighting Maroons Men's Basketball Team in UAAP Season 80. The season will start on September 9 but UP's game will only start the day after. This schedule is posted in the official Twitter page of the UPMBT.

SHARE & TAG your friends! #UAAPSeason80 is here! 

Like our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages for more updates: @upmbt :-) pic.twitter.com/GfhKF6ZtMX

— UP Fighting Maroons (@upmbt) August 7, 2017

I am planning to watch some games this season, so see you in the games fellow isko and iska. #UPFight