Monday, August 31, 2009

Spare Japeth, ban advisers

source: Joaquin Henson | philstar.com

The uproar over Japeth Aguilar’s reported refusal to play in the PBA after he applied for the draft and was picked first overall by Burger King is understandable. It’s like the 22-year-old wunderkind took the 34-year-old PBA for a ride, basked in the glory of becoming the league’s first overall draft choice and now is declaring free agency.

You can’t blame the PBA for crying foul. Aguilar hogged the spotlight in the recent PBA draft and nearly wept when commissioner Sonny Barrios officially declared him the year’s top overall pick. A dream come true was how Aguilar described his ascension to the pro ranks.

But Aguilar has since changed his tune. He’s been offered the maximum three-year contract by Burger King, leaving no room for negotiation, and the former Western Kentucky reserve center isn’t signing.

Under PBA rules, a drafted player who doesn’t come to terms with the team that has his rights will sit out a year. He will sit out another year if he still fails to reach an agreement with the same team. On the third year, he will be allowed to reenlist in the draft. The consolation of the team that held his rights is he will not have played for any other team for two years.

In Aguilar’s case, the PBA is considering a lifetime ban or at least a severe penalty. The rules don’t stipulate such a penalty but Barrios has the discretion to lower the boom on Aguilar for reneging on his commitment to play in the PBA.

“The PBA rules allowing for a two-year sit-out do not apply to Japeth because this is not a case of negotiation since he has been offered the maximum terms,” said a PBA insider. “We never forced Japeth to apply for the draft but he did. With his application comes a commitment to play. He was drafted first overall, an honor for any player, and for Japeth to now refuse to play in the PBA is a slap on the face of a league that is an institution.”

Some PBA Board members chastised Aguilar for making a mockery of the league because of his turnaround.

However, is Aguilar really to blame? Remember, he’s just a kid. His father Peter, a former PBA cager, is in Chicago and unable to appreciate the circumstances surrounding the case.

* * * *

When Aguilar joined the Smart-Gilas tryouts in Las Vegas last summer, he gained the vote of confidence from Serbian coach Rajko Toroman who described him as the country’s best big man prospect by far. Aguilar subsequently told Toroman he wanted to play for Smart-Gilas and would delay his application for the PBA draft.

Toroman said Aguilar hardly saw action for Western Kentucky the last two years and the 6-9 prospect needed to gain more court experience before entering the pros.

Then, Aguilar arrived in Manila and was surrounded by advisers who promised the PBA they would deliver the kid to the league. The advisers swore they meant well and only had Aguilar’s best interests in mind.

To warm up Aguilar for the PBA, national coach Yeng Guiao brought him to Taipei to play for the Powerade squad at the Jones Cup. Aguilar later joined the national team in Tianjin for the FIBA-Asia Championships.

It was during the Tianjin tournament that reality dawned on Aguilar. His eyes were opened to the bottom line that he’s not ready to go to war in the pros. Because of his lack of competitive exposure, Aguilar would be easy prey for the likes of Jay-R Reyes, Kerby Raymundo, Sonny Thoss, Asi Taulava and even a hardened rookie like Rico Maierhofer in the PBA.

Aguilar must have realized he listened to the wrong advisers. He was clearly misled. In Las Vegas, it seemed certain he would join Smart-Gilas and postpone his entry into the PBA. But shortly after he landed in Manila and spoke with his “well-meaning” advisers, he changed his mind.

If Aguilar had maliciously and deviously plotted to snub the PBA, then maybe he deserves a lifetime ban. But it’s evident that he never meant to malign the PBA. He was misled into thinking he was ready for the pros by advisers who like to present themselves as righteous and sincere. Surely, the PBA can’t be harsh on a kid who made a serious mistake in finding his basketball career path. Instead of detractors ganging up on Aguilar, his advisers should be lined up against the wall in front of a firing squad.

* * * *

Aguilar has a tremendous upside and will someday be a dominant force in the PBA but not right now. In two or three years, he will be ready for the PBA and be a valuable asset. At the moment, Aguilar is better off learning the ropes from Toroman and playing for Smart-Gilas. In the end, the PBA will benefit from this maturing process.

If Aguilar is forced to play in the PBA and doesn’t impress, the effect will be damaging to his career. Of course, he may prove this theory wrong by dominating as a rookie but that’s not likely.

Meanwhile, there is the matter of compensating Burger King which has Aguilar’s signing rights in the PBA. Perhaps, to ease the pain of his withdrawal, Burger King could be compensated by a team that’s willing to take a chance on Aguilar as a future project. That way, Burger King doesn’t walk away empty-handed unless the Whoppers choose to keep his rights and wait for further developments.

If Aguilar is convinced he isn’t ready for the PBA and would like more court experience with Smart-Gilas, the humane thing to do is to let the kid do his thing. He shouldn’t be branded for life but encouraged to learn from this mistake. He should also be more discerning in listening to advisers who pretend to be well-meaning.

By the way, a similar case involved Danny Ferry in the 1989 NBA draft. He was picked second overall by the Los Angeles Clippers but refused to play for the team. Ferry spurned the Clippers and played a season in the Italian league. The Clippers soon gave up on Ferry and traded his rights to the Cleveland Cavs who signed the center a year later.

Note that the NBA didn’t slap a lifetime ban on Ferry even if the former Duke star applied for the draft and was actually picked.

In Aguilar’s case, maybe Talk ‘N’ Talk could trade for his rights. Because of common ownership with Smart-Gilas, the Tropang Texters may choose to sit out Aguilar and allow him to play for Toroman. This way, Burger King is compensated via the trade, Aguilar gets his wish to gain more court experience outside the PBA, Smart-Gilas is reinforced by a major recruit and the PBA still keeps Aguilar in its rolls through Talk ‘N’ Text.

SBP hands-off on Aguilar controversy

source: June Navarro, Cedelf P. Tupas | sports.inquirer.net

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas is keeping its hands off the Japeth Aguilar-Burger King issue.

Amid calls by a Philippine Basketball Association official for the country’s ruling basketball body to clarify its stand on the latest hoop controversy, the SBP—which stands to gain the most if Aguilar insists on leaving Burger King —said, through a source, that it will wait for a resolution of the row before releasing any statement.

“As far as I know, the SBP is not yet ready to offer a contract unless Japeth and Burger King come up with a decision on their dispute,” said the source.

“It’s really a very sensitive issue and the SBP does not want to get involved.”

No other SBP official has made any comment on the Aguilar controversy.

PBA chair Lito Alvarez, also the board representative of Burger King, said he is confused over the continued silence of the SBP, whose stand on the issue could break the impasse.

“The SBP stand, especially that of executive director Noli Eala is the key to this issue,” said Alvarez, whose team made the 6-foot-9 former Western Kentucky forward the top pick in the recent PBA Rookie Draft.

“I do not understand why the SBP is keeping quiet on this,” Alvarez told the Inquirer. “Their silence is the one giving rise to many speculations. All they have to do is tell Japeth to honor his commitment with the PBA. Noli Eala should know that because he was once commissioner of the PBA.”

Aguilar last week announced through his agent, sports columnist-broadcaster Ronnie Nathanielsz, his decision to leave Burger King to play for the Smart Gilas national team.

The Whoppers, Alvarez said, had offered Aguilar a three-year contract worth P8.7 million on top of an assurance he would be allowed to play for Smart Gilas.

Alvarez remained hopeful Aguilar would still change his mind, even as certain members of the PBA board raised the possibility of punishing the player with stiff sanctions or a lifetime ban.

Aguilar’s case recalled a similar controversy in 2005 when Alex Cabagnot, after being picked No. 2 by Sta. Lucia Realty, returned to Hawaii with a plan to spurn the Realtors for good.

Threatened with a lifetime ban, Cabagnot changed his mind and signed up with SLR, which later dealt him to Coca-Cola.

Eala was the PBA commissioner then.

Aguilar was a personal choice of national coach Yeng Guiao as top pick for Burger King when the former US NCAA player announced he was ready to turn pro during the Powerade-Pilipinas campaign in the Jones Cup last July.

Although described by Guiao, also the Burger King coach, as the next most important big man in the PBA, Aguilar was used sparingly in the Powerade-Pilipinas stint in the Fiba Asia championship where the Nationals finished eighth.

Nathanielsz said they have yet to get in touch with the SBP to discuss a contract for Aguilar.

“We want the issue with Burger King settled first,” Nathanielsz said.

Alvarez said the controversy could have an “impact” in the relationship of the SBP and the PBA, which he said is an “active member” of the federation.

“We don’t want the relationship of the PBA and SBP to be strained,” added Alvarez, noting that SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan and SBP vice president Ricky Vargas are part of the PBA family.

I want to play for RP, Aguilar says joining PBA draft a mistake

source: Waylon Galvez | mb.com.ph

Celebrated amateur Japeth Aguilar Monday said he wants to play for Smart-Gilas national team and is ready to face a possible lifetime ban from the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

Aguilar, the 22-year-old son of former PBA player Peter, said he’s sorry that he can’t sign up with Burger King, the team that made him the top pick in the recent PBA Rookie Draft.

“I mean... probably it was a mistake (to join the PBA draft),” the 6-foot-10 Aguilar said in press conference held at the Kamayan Restaurant in EDSA. “I’m sorry (to Burger King and the PBA) for my decision.”

Aguilar’s change of heart has drawn a sharp rebuke from Burger King representative and incoming PBA chairman Lito Alvarez who wants the former Blue Eagle banned for life from the league.

“If that’s their decision, wala ako magagawa. Kung ban ako siguro sa national team na lang ako mag-lalaro (in the future),” said Aguilar who was accompanied by sports columnist Ronnie Nathanielz.

Aguilar said his decision to stay as amateur had nothing to do with his limited playing time in the recent FIBA-Asia championship in Tianjin, China.

“Sa puso ko talaga, ‘yun talaga ang gusto ko. I don’t know what my critics are saying,” Aguilar said. “But after graduating, gusto ko talaga maglaro for my country. I already consulted my family and they are supporting me.”

His parents, Peter and Josephine, are based in Chicago, Illinois.

Money is not an issue, according to Aguilar.

After his stint in Tianjin, Aguilar said he realized that he can improve more playing international basketball as a member of the national team.

The Smart-Gilas squad, mentored by Serbian Rajko Toroman, is slated to play a number of international tournaments leading up to its goal of qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics.

Aguilar had turned down the offer of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) similar to the three-year, P8.7 million deal from Burger King.

But Nathanielz, who represents Aguilar, said he expects the SBP to renew its offer.

There is no provision in the PBA charter banning a player for refusing to sign up with the team that drafted him, according to Nathanielz.

Nathanielz said that if the league amends its by-laws and constitution, “it’s not retroactive.”

The veteran columnist-turned agent said there are remedies to the issue.

He said that Aguilar can sit out the first year, and Burger King can renegotiate after the season. If there’s no deal, he can sit out anew in the second year and then renegotiate at the end of the season.

If again the two camps fail to reach an agreement, the player becomes eligible for the 2012 PBA Rookie Draft.

Aguilar was set to fly to the United States last night to visit his parents as well as fiancée Jessica Magley, who he plan to marry next year.

The two met at Western Kentucky University, where Aguilar played the last three years. Magley, who stands 5-foot-11, also played college ball.

Aguilar said playing in the PBA after his stint with the national team remains an option. He’s also eyeing a possible stint in the Euro league or the NBA developmental league.

Aguilar is hoping that the PBA will allow him to play for Smart-Gilas in the coming PBA season.

Alvarez and Burger King coach Yeng Guiao could not be reached for comment. Calls to PBA Commissioner Sonny Barrios were not answered.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Playing the waiting game

source: Rick Olivares | /businessmirror.com.ph

All seemed quiet a day after Japeth Aguilar’s representatives engaged in a sort of a tug o’ war with Burger King management.

Perhaps because the crisis is being managed with care so much so that the six-foot-nine, 22-year-old No. 1 draft pick would be eventually convinced to don a Whopper jersey come the Philippine Cup of the 35th Philippine Basketball Association season in October.

“Nothing has been finalized. We will see where this goes,” said Ronnie Nathanielsz, a newspaper columnist and sports broadcaster who is said to be Aguilar’s manager.

Yeng Guiao, the Burger King head coach who wanted to win his first All-Filipino crown with Aguilar on the Whopper roster, left the decision to his team’s management.

“I will leave this to Lito Alvarez to sort out. If Japeth signs with us then we will welcome him to our team because as you know, we could use a talent like him for the PBA wars,” he said.

Alvarez is Burger King’s representative to the PBA board. He is also the 35th season league chairman.

Aguilar, represented by Nathanielsz and his father Peter, a former pro, reportedly did not sign any contracts with Burger King when his camp met with Alvarez on Wednesday afternoon in Makati. The elder Aguilar is in the US but actively participated in the negotiations through telephone.

The young center apparently was turned off with how Guiao handled him during the Fiba-Asia Championship in Tianjin, China. Aguilar was sparingly used, especially against the powerhouse teams Iran, Jordan and even Korea.

Guiao earlier reasoned out Aguilar was not ripe for the Tianjin tournament—although he has repeatedly described the former Ateneo Blue Eagle as the “next dominant big man in the PBA.”

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas has been openly expressing its interest for Aguilar to join the Smart-Gilas developmental team full-time. As a result, speculations are rife he is headed toward that direction.

Aguilar hurt by coach’s snub in FIBA tilt?

source: Waylon Galvez | mb.com.ph

Japeth Aguilar remained unheard from after reports circulated that 6-foot-10 former Ateneo Blue Eagle who was drafted first overall in the recent PBA draft by Burger King might dump his team Burger King and join the all-amateur Smart-Gilas national development team of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.

The report was triggered by his refusal to sign a contract with Burger King which has offered him the maximum P8.7-million over three years.

The reason, according to sources, is not about money. Rather, it was the way he was treated by the Philippine team coaching staff headed by Yeng Guiao during the FIBA-Asia championship in China.

If this were true, it would be ironic since it was Guiao who insisted on Burger King management to take him as No. 1 overall pick.

Aguilar, who has been courted heavily by both the PBA and the SBP, was said to be unhappy over his limited playing time during the FIBA-sponsored tournament.

Calls to Aguilar to confirm the reports were not answered. Burger King official and PBA chairman Lito Alvarez and coach Yeng Guiao also could not be reached for comment.

SBP executive-director Noli Eala said they have not been in contact with the Western Kentucky University standout, although he had said earlier that the SBP door is wide open for Aguilar.

“We have no comment on that,” Eala said. “We have not talked to Japeth, or his father Peter (Aguilar), or his representatives.”

A number of prized rookies have signed contracts with their respective teams, including Rico Maierhofer of Purefoods and Jervy Cruz of Rain or Shine.

Aguilar had been offered a three-year deal by the SBP to join Smart-Gilas before the draft, but he opted to join the PBA last August 1.

In the event he does not sign with Burger King, Aguilar, will be barred from playing with any PBA ballclub, but he can play with any other team outside of the PBA.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

No. 1 pick Japeth to Burger King off?

source: Rick Olivares | bleachersbrew & Business Mirror

Japeth Aguilar, the No. 1 draft pick, reportedly would not be donning a Burger King (BK) jersey after all in the coming 35th season of the Philippine Basketball Association.

The Business Mirror learned that Aguilar’s negotiations with BK management on Wednesday bogged down. Aguilar reportedly does not chart his basketball career. Ex-pro Peter, his father, and Ronnie Nathanielsz, a newspaper columnist and sports broadcaster who is said to be his manager, do the negotiating.

The six-foot-10, 22-year-old Aguilar, the Business Mirror learned further, would instead play for Smart Gilas, a developmental team being honed for the 2011 continental championship that would determine Asia’s representative to the 2012 London Olympics.

Interestingly, telecommunications tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan, who funds the Smart Gilas team, is a part-owner of Burger King. He is also president of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, which has the Smart Gilas in its long-term programs.

Caguioa back in top form – Uichico

source: Waylon Galvez | mb.com.ph

Mark Caguioa will make his return in the coming PBA season after missing the entire season due to tendonitis.

The five-foot-11 Barangay Ginebra guard reported for practice two weeks ago and appeared in top form, retaining the quickness and shooting touch that made him one of the league’s premier players.

“So far so good,” Ginebra coach Jong Uichico said of Caguioa. “He is ready to go, unless his knee acts up.”

Caguioa, 29, sat out last season and spent six months in the United States to rehabilitate his knee.

He was supposed to rejoin the team during the late stage of the Fiesta Cup, but team management decided against fielding him back into action.

With Caguioa’s return, Ginebra is now loaded at the two-guard spot as he will share playing minutes with 2009 Most Valuable Player (MVP) and buddy Jayjay Helterbrand, Cyrus Baguio, and Ronald Tubid. Uichico doesn’t see it as a problem.

The Kings also upgraded their frontline with the recent additions of 6-foot-6 Enrico Villanueva, 6-foot-5 Rich Alvarez and 6-foot-6 Paulo Bugia, joining mainstays Willie Wilson, Billy Mamaril, and former MVP Eric Menk.

“Last season, we really lacked the size. We actually have the size but not quick players compared to the other teams. That’s one of our weak spots,” Uichico said.

The multi-titled mentor said that their new recruits are doing well in practice, trying to fit into the system and finding their right roles to be effective in their campaign to regain the all-Filipino crown they last won in 2006-07 Season.

Despite the addition of new players, Uichico still feels they are not in the same calibre as powerhouse teams like reigning Fiesta Cup champion San Miguel Beer and defending Philippine Cup champion Talk ’N Text.

“We’re just one of the regulars,” Uichico said. “We may have improved particularly on our frontline rotation, malayo kami sa teams like San Miguel Beer and Talk ’N Text. Kumbaga humahabol lang kami sa kanila,” he added.

Aguilar still welcome to join RP 5, says SBP

source: gmanews.tv

Despite the fact that Japeth Aguilar would already suit up for Burger King in the Philippine Basketball Association, the youthful center is still welcome to join the Smart Gilas Pilipinas cage team in its international quest.

“The door is always open to anybody who likes to help the team," Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) executive director Noli Eala said.

The Gilas team under Serbian coach Rajko Toroman is tasked to try to win the 2011 FIBA Asia men’s championship and earn the lone slot allotted for Asia in the 2012 London Olympics.

Its players, all from the amateur ranks, are committed to stay with the team for three years in the lead-up to the Olympic quest.

But since Aguilar decided to turn pro, the SBP would have to make special arrangements with the PBA and Burger King to get the services of the 6-10 slotman.

“We are going to discuss this with Japeth, his team and the PBA," Eala said. “We’re optimistic that we will get him for the RP team."

The son of former Northern Consolidated center Peter Aguilar is not new to playing for flag, having been part of the PBA-backed Powerade Team Pilipinas team that finished eighth in the last FIBA-Asia Championships in Tianjin, China.

Eala believed Aguilar would strengthen the inside game of the Smart Gilas team which has Jason Ballesteros and Greg Slaughter as frontliners.

Other members of the squad are JV Casio, Chris Tiu, Mac Baracael, Andy Mark Barroca, Aldrech Ramos, JR Cawaling, Dylan Ababou, Magi Sison, Chester Taylor and 6-11 naturalized player CJ Giles.

Eala said as part of the team’s preparations for the next 2011 FIBA Asia meet, which the Philippines is also bidding to host, Gilas would play as guest team in the PBA Philippine Cup that would open shop on October 11.

All the games of the squad would count in the team standings so that all the regular PBA teams would play the Gilas cagers seriously, according to Eala.

“We’re thankful for this opportunity. This is a great chance for us to show how Smart Gilas is improving while we play the PBA teams and give the players the much-needed exposure," he said.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Gin Kings want a big, shooting guy

Barangay Ginebra is not yet through with its rebuilding process.

A month after being involved in a multi-player trade, the Gin Kings are reportedly working on another series of trades that could work positively for their campaign.

Coach Jong Uichico, who arrived from a vacation in the United States, did not divulge the players involved in the trades, but he stressed the importance of getting a versatile big man and an additional solid presence inside.

"We are a balanced team, but we want to make it more balanced to boost our chances," said Uichico, the second winningest coach among active mentors with eight championships.

"We want to get a big man, who can not only post up, but who can shoot the ball and spread the floor for us. Of course, since Eric [Menk] is not getting any younger, we want to get an additional solid presence inside," added Uichico.

Ginebra's frontline got a big boost with the acquisition of Enrico Villanueva, Rich Alvarez and Paolo Bugia. The team also added stability to the point guard spot with the arrival of Celino Cruz, who was a part of the multi-player trade involving Purefoods and Burger King.

The soft-spoken mentor is also excited for the return of Mark Caguioa, who already practiced with the squad. Rey Joble - Manila Standard Today

Giles stint in PBA Philippine Cup in question

source: Joel Orellana | businessmirror.com.ph

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) opens its 35th season with the Philippine Cup in October but questions have been raised as to whether guest team Smart-Gilas could field its American reinforcement CJ Giles.

According to incoming board chairman Lito Alvarez of Burger King, the board agreed during a meeting in Tagaytay City recently that Smart-Gilas’s games in the Philippine Cup will count just the same as the regular squads, meaning the Rajko Toroman-coached team could bring home the trophy.

Alvarez hopes to clarify the issue when the executive committee convenes on Wednesday.



The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) is hoping to include Giles, who once played for the Los Angeles Lakers, in the national squad as a naturalized player. For now, he remains an American and thus, ineligible for the Philippine Cup.



“If Giles is really part of the program because they will be joining a tournament this year, I think walang problema sa akin. And we want to clarify that to the board if they will allow Giles to play kasi nga All-Filipino tayo,” Alvarez told the BusinessMirror.

Originally, the plan was for Smart-Gilas to only play tune-up games against the PBA teams and the results of its games will have no bearing in the team standings.


[source]

“It’s like playing against a team with an American import. Hopefully, we can validate this matter to the board. Kasi for sure, hindi aabot ang naturalization niya kasi October na ang All-Filipino,” he said.

“We want to know from the SBP of its plans like kung may tournament ba silang sasalihan this year because [as]I understand, one-year contract ang pipirmahan niya sa SBP.”



According to SBP executive director Noli Eala, the federation is close to signing the 22-year-old Giles to a one-year contract but his stint with the Philippine team for the 2011 Asian qualifier for the Olympics still depends on his performance and on-and-off the court behavior. [update: click here]

Giles, who will arrive on September 1, is a former first-round selection of the Lakers in the National Basketball Association and played for the Smart-Gilas team in the International Basketball Federation (Fiba)-Asia Champions Cup in Jakarta in June where the team finished a decent fifth.


Talk ’N Text is the defending champion in the All-Filipino tournament. Curiously, the team is owned by Manny V. Pangilinan, also the president of SBP.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Kings still trying to become bigger, meaner

Ginebra's bid to become taller and bigger in the coming PBA season is far from over.

Kings coach Jong Uichico yesterday told Malaya his team has until early next month to come up with the additional ceiling that will help them contend with the rest of the teams.

"We're still filling up some of our spots and hopefully we can put the finger on the final lineup we want by the end of this week," said Uichico.

What is definite for Uichico is the idea of which teams to keep up with.

"Talk N Text, San Miguel Beer and Purefoods, because they can effectively play big or small. I don't have that luxury yet," said Uichico.

The Philippine Cup opens on Oct. 11 and Uichico hopes to have a contending roster by then, including four major players, Mark Caguioa, Junthy Valenzuela, Eric Menk and Jayjay Helterbrand, who should be completely healed from their injuries.

Caguioa is already practicing with the team after missing the entire season-ending Fiesta Conference due to a knee injury while Valenzuela is already strengthening his own knee that was operated on last February.

Menk suffered from a strained muscle between his calf and Achilles tendon and is set to return next week from a US vacation while Helterbrand has been given until the first week of September to heal his hamstring injury.

Uichico stressed they are closely watching the progress of Caguioa and Valenzuela.

"With Mark, so far so good. He's been reacting positively to intensive training, pero ang tinitingnan namin how his knee will react kapag sunod-sunod na ang games at practices. Baka kasi mag-react negatively, pahinga na naman siya ng matagal," Uichico said.

"Si Junthy naman, question mark pa rin pagdating sa basketball stage," Uichico added. "Any time now, baka maalis na ang sakit, then he can start going 100 percent na sa strengthening. But we're giving him an extra month, to see how it goes."

The return of Caguioa, Helterbrand and Valenzuela, however, can only add on to Ginebra's intrinsic strength, which are its small men that includes Cyrus Baguio, Chico Lanete, Ronald Tubid and Sunday Salvacion.

The team's real problem lies in the frontline, as showcased in its Fiesta finals against eventual champion SMB.

"Once we went big, we sacrificed so much in offense. Once we went small, outmatched naman kami," he pointed out.

Trades with Purefoods have netted Ginebra slotman Enrico Villanueva and forwards Rich Alvarez and Paolo Bugia, as well as playmaker Celino Cruz. Noli Cortez - Malaya Online Edition

Kelly Williams shows 'positive signs' in 1st game for Realtors

source: gmanews.tv

After a four-month absence, Kelly Williams finally played his first game for Sta. Lucia.

In a rare appearance, the high-flying forward suited up in an exhibition contest between the Realtors and the Purefoods Giants in Roxas City last Saturday, drawing positive observations over his recovery from a blood disorder and boosting team confidence that he will be in tip-top shape when the 35th PBA season begins Oct. 11.

“Maayos naman ang laro niya," said Realtors’ coach Boyet Fernandez of Williams, the 2007-08 MVP who missed the second half of last season’s Fiesta Conference after being diagnosed with a rare blood disease.

“Hindi pa fully 100 percent, but it’s so nice to see him back on the court, doing what he does best," Fernandez said.

The electrifying forward was found to have contracted immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) last May – a blood disorder where blood platelet counts dramatically rise - while being part of the Philippine team during the All-Stars break. At one point, Williams’ platelet count reached 245,000 from 7,000, according to SLR governor Buddy Encarnado.

He never saw action since then – most especially as a key member of the RP team that tried to secure a World Championship slot in Tianjin, China this month - but has slowly been getting better after a series of steroids’ and anti-bodies’ treatments.

Fernandez, though, isn’t expecting too much, too soon from Williams’ recovery. All he desires right now is for his main man to get in shape one step at a time.

“Alalay lang muna, tutal matagal pa naman ang (PBA) opening," said Fernandez.

But if ever Williams does get in tip-top form in time for the league’s most prestigious tournament, Sta. Lucia will likely be regarded as a dark-horse ball club seeking to reclaim the crown it won against Purefoods in 2007-08.

“I’m coming back and nobody can stop me," the 6-foot-7 Williams, who has reportedly been given a fresh three-year contract with maximum salary, said in the team’s official website. “I miss the games and I’m very excited to play again."

PBA's last hurrah

source: Joaquin Henson | philstar.com

There is no justification for the PBA to continue representing the country in FIBA-Asia competitions. The time has come to call it quits. Not because Powerade Team Pilipinas played poorly at the recent FIBA-Asia Championships in Tianjin but because a program can never be in place for the PBA to be title-competitive.

Let’s face it. The PBA has its own priorities. There are games to be played season in, season out with little time left for the PBA to maintain a national team for training and overseas exposure. It’s almost unfair to expect the PBA cagers to go beyond the limits of human endurance and play their lungs out in FIBA-Asia tournaments after months and months of giving it their all during the pro season. Besides, playing in the PBA and FIBA-Asia requires a tremendous amount of adjustment. It’s not easy switching gears when a player is used to certain rules.

Just in case you didn’t notice, FIBA-Asia plays four 10-minute quarters, imposes a four-foul team limit before penalty, disqualifies a player on five personals (including technicals), stipulates a penalty of two free throws plus possession on every technical, disallows subs in between free throws, prohibits players from calling a timeout, resets the shot clock to 24 never to 14, gives a free throw shooter five seconds (not eight) to attempt, does not recognize an injury timeout, applies the possession arrow rule on jump-ball situations and provides only five full time-outs (compared to the PBA’s six plus three 30-seconders).

The basic difference is in FIBA-Asia, the pace is frenetic. The PBA allows a lot more time to breathe because there are more timeouts and two minutes more each quarter. In FIBA-Asia, games are played nearly everyday. In the PBA, players get one or two-day breaks in between contests.

* * * *

Watching the recent Tianjin competitions, you’re convinced that Powerade had the best individual talent on a man for man basis – even considering the players from Iran, China and Jordan (the top three finishers that booked tickets to the World Championships in Turkey next year). The problem is lack of familiarity with the international game and minimal exposure playing together as a team cramped Powerade’s style.

If you compare the stats of Powerade and Iran, you’ll notice a major disparity only in free throw shooting (possibly, a function of fatigue) and assists (failure to execute as a team).

Here are the comparative stats (Powerade first, Iran next) – rebounding (39.7, 39.2), assists (10.8, 16.8), two-point field goal percentage (.499, .541), three-point field goal percentage (.307, .335), free throw percentage (.596, .651) and points per game (78.2, 82.2).

Coach Yeng Guiao did a masterful job of rotating his players to keep them fresh for every game. His philosophy of equal opportunity was evident in that not a single PBA player was in the top 20 in scoring. Cyrus Baguio was Powerade’s leading scorer (11.6) and ranked only No. 24.

In terms of single-game scoring highs, Korea’s Se Keun Oh registered a tournament best 31 points at the Philippines’ expense. That came in the battle for seventh as Korea nipped Powerade, 82-80. How ironic that the top score was against the Philippines. Only one other player, 6-1 Yusuke Okada, hit at least 30 – in Japan’s 148-45 romp over Sri Lanka. James Yap posted the highest score for Powerade, 23 against Chinese-Taipei.

Only Baguio averaged in twin digits for the Philippines. The only other player to score at least 20 was Jared Dillinger who fired 21 against Sri Lanka. Highly-touted Japeth Aguilar sat out three games and went scoreless in three. Willie Miller missed the last two games (losses to Qatar and Korea) due to a groin pull.

Showing signs of exhaustion down the stretch, Jay-Jay Helterbrand was a combined 1-of-21 from three-point distance in Powerade’s last three games – losing to Jordan, 81-70 , Qatar, 83-65 and Korea , 82-80.



The slump in Powerade’s intensity was clear after the Philippines was booted out of title contention by Jordan in the knockout quarterfinals. It was reminiscent of the Philippines’ two-point setback to Kazakhstan in the playoff for third after losing a heartbreaking one-pointer to Korea in the semifinals of the 2002 Asian Games.

The Philippines still had a chance to finish fifth after bowing to Jordan but two straight losses to Qatar and Korea dropped Powerade to eighth. The Philippines had little spirit left against Qatar and could’ve trounced Korea in the playoff for seventh but crashed out both times.

Did the Philippines overachieve in Tianjin? If you consider that it was the first time the national team qualified for the FIBA-Asia quarterfinals in nearly 20 years, the answer would be yes. But if you consider that the Philippines could’ve played better and tougher against Qatar and Korea , the answer would be a resounding no.

In Tianjin, the Philippines posted an overall record of 4-5 but managed to finish eighth. In Tokushima two years ago, the national team wound up with a 5-2 record, winning its last four and claiming ninth spot. Losing two close decisions to Iran and Jordan in the “Group of Death” eliminations doomed the Philippines’ hopes to making it to the Final Eight.

The question to ask is – which team did the country prouder, the Tokushima ninth placer with a 5-2 record or the Tianjin eight placer with a 4-5 slate?

China’s failure to capture the title has sparked a widespread clamor for coach Guo Shiqiang’s head. In contrast, Powerade ended up eighth and the PBA wants another crack because it “overachieved” in Tianjin.

With the PBA’s experiment over, Smart Gilas now moves to the forefront. Serbian coach Rajko Toroman has three years to whip the “new” national team to shape. Unlike a PBA selection that has built-in restrictions, Toroman has the freedom to assemble a cast with a naturalized player and a young nucleus whose focus isn’t to turn pro – at least, not in the next three years.

To the PBA, thanks for the memories. To Smart-Gilas, the door is now open to show what you’ve got.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Miller, Baguio, Thoss brightest spots in Tianjin

source: pba.ph

Anybody can be bitten by a 20/20 hindsight vision and Powerade-Team Pilipinas mentor Yeng Guiao is no exception.

He also has the eyes of a hawk when it comes to pinpointing those who he feels exceeded expectations and others who failed to meet the bar in the recent 25th FIBA-Asia Men’s Championship in Tianjin, China.

In fact, Guiao feels that knowing what he does now, it would have been a different team he would have fielded, one that would have done well in the kind of competition international play provides.

“Two-way players, me opensa, me depensa,” said Guiao. “Iyun kasing pagbukas ng isip mo pagdating sa possibilities, walang tigil ‘yung gulong ng ideas sa isip mo. Ito pwedeng gawin, ito hindi. Ito pwedeng isama, ito hindi,” he added.

In fact, Guiao stated all he needs is for another FIBA-Asia to come around in another two months’ time and he is ready to come up with a team that could give Asia’s traditional favorites and emerging powerhouses a run for the region’s three slots for next year’s World Championship in Turkey, one that is drastically different from his team that wound up eighth in the tournament formerly known as the ABC.



“Titingnan mo na rin kung sino ang mga nandiyan na, sasamahan mo na lang ng iba na p’wedeng-p’wede ang style sa international play,” he said.

The loss of Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes to a blood disorder and hamstring injury, respectively, told heavily on the Nationals’ campaign.

“Put in Kelly and Ryan, instant lakas ulit tayo, both ends,” he stated. “Kasi isa pang pino-problema ko, ‘yung mga tres (small forwards) ng kalaban ang lalaki. That’s why ang tres natin si Gabe (Norwood) at Jared (Dillinger). Ang mga tinatao nila mas malalaki sa kanila.”

Those absences turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the likes of Willie Miller, Cyrus Baguio and Sonny Thoss, whose inclusion were questioned by some quarters before they turned out to be the brightest spots for Team RP.

Miller emerged as a leader on court and off it while acting out his role as a transplanted two-guard while playmaker Jayjay Helterbrand tried to recover from a hamstring injury.

“Gusto lang kasi nung iba sa atin eh yung mga players na puro porma,” said Miller, who went 5-of-5 from three-point range to key the quarterfinal-clinching 77-70 win over Chinese-Taipei.

“Para sa bansa na ito. Hindi na puede porma-porma dito,” he added.

Baguio easily became the most consistent among the Nationals, combining some daredevil offensive plays with an in-your-face defense that belied his reed-thin frame. He scored in twin digits in six of the Nationals’ nine games and averaged a team-leading 11.5 ppg.

“Si Cyrus kasi makes up for his lack of size with agility,” noted Guiao.



Thoss, also a first-time RP Team member like Baguio, Miller and Dillinger, became the Nationals’ acknowledged tower of strength despite his 6-foot-7 height many thought was too undersized for a center.

“Napakalaki ng in-improve ni Sonny,” said Guiao, who also utilized Thoss as a big forward and even gave him the license to aspire for triples.

“Sonny really played consistently throughout the tournament,” said Mick Pennisi, a statement that drew a smile from the erstwhile frowning Thoss.

“I thought I let the team down,” said Thoss, whose short stab of a followup rimmed out in the last seven seconds, enabling Korea to escape with an 82-80 win over the Nike-sponsored Filipinos in their battle for seventh last Sunday.

“But hearing these things from coach and some of my teammates, it’s kind of heartwarming,” Thoss quipped.

Dillinger also became a potent force on both ends at times and said he had hoped for a better team RP finish.

“In a heartbeat,” was his reply when asked if he would like to represent the country anew.

The same sentiment was aired by the rest of the team, including James Yap and Kerby Raymundo, who performed not as well as expected. Ditto for Helterbrand, who struggled for the most part of the tournament.

Norwood, Arwind Santos, Pennisi and skipper Asi Taulava were mainly disappointed with themselves for also falling short, especially the last two who many here feel are in the twilight of their international careers. Leaving raw Japeth Aguilar and a still undetermined naturalized player to accompany Thoss and Raymundo in carrying the brunt for future RP frontliners and anchor their attack. (NCo)

Menk to end his career playing for Ginebra

source: insidesports.ph

Erik “Major Pain” Menk who has been a stalwart of the Barangay Ginebra frontline plans to end his playing career with the Gin Kings, dousing coldwater on reports that he was likely to move to another team for the forthcoming 2009-2010 PBA season.

Ginebra coach Jong Uichico confirmed that they had discussed the terms of Menk’s new contract and come to an agreement before Menk who played well in the last Reinforced Conference championship series against San Miguel Beer after returning from a calf injury, left for the US to visit his parents.

Uichico told us Menk had assured him that he would end his career in the PBA playing for Ginebra and there was no doubt he would keep his word.

www.insidesports.ph, Standard Today and Viva Sports learned that Menk had agreed to a one-year contract after which, depending on his physical condition and performance they would talk about the years ahead.

Menk who formed an awesome twosome with Sonny Alvardo who suited up for Tanduay Rhum but was later ruled to be ineligible to play as a Filipino signed up with Ginebra shortly before Tanduay sold its franchise to FedEx, now flying the colors of Air 21.

Menk who turns 35 on August 24 was a direct hire by Tanduay in 1999 and played college basketball in the US for Lake Superior State University.

However, Menk was loaned to the Philippine Team that was preparing to compete in the Asian Games under a team coached by Uichico and Ginebra struggled in both the Governors’ Cup and the Commissioner’s Cup.

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Toroman singles out three pros for Gilas 5

source: Abac Cordero | philstar.com

Only three players from the Powerade Team Pilipinas that competed in 25th FIBA-Asia Championship in Tianjin, China have earned a second look from Smart Gilas Pilipinas coach Rajko Toroman.

They’re not James Yap, Willie Miller or Cyrus Baguio but Japeth Aguilar, Jared Dillinger and Gabe Norwood.

“Rajko believes that these three players plus the core of our Smart Gilas team and a naturalized player we can be competitive,” said Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Noli Eala.

Aguilar is an incoming rookie in the PBA, fresh from a stint in the US NCAA Division 1 while Dillinger and Norwood are young Fil-Americans who have created ripples in the country’s premier league.

The RP team that went to Tianjin landed eighth, a notch higher that its 2007 finish, but failed to impress the SBP leadership which believes that a long-term program is the thing to do for the country.

The Smart Gilas team, fully supported by the SBP under Smart/PLDT chairman Manny V. Pangilinan, has the finest amateur players in the fold like Chris Tiu, Andy Barroca and JV Casio.

“We’re trying to get a naturalized player and putting the team in place. And then the PBA can come in and help through these players that we have in mind,” said Eala of Aguilar, Dillinger and Norwood.

The Smart Gilas team is also looking at Ateneo’s Rabeh Al-Hussaini, UE’s Paul Lee and University of Cebu’s Junmar Fajardo as candidates to the team that will carry the load for the Philippines from now on.

“Right now they’re not the best but in two to three years they will be among the best. It’s not the matter of being the best but the ability to play together. If you look at Iran, they look ordinary but look at how they play,” Eala added.

He added that if the PBA wants to help, then lending these three players is all the SBP would ask for.

The SBP the other day said it’s taking full control of the national team and gear it up for the 2010 Asian Games in China and the 2011 FIBA-Asia Championship which will serve as a qualifier for the 2012 London Olympics.

“The mandate and business model of PBA at this time is not consistent with demands and needs for maintaining a national team. We believe this (Smart Gilas) is the more comprehensive, more focused and obviously more responsive program,” said Eala.

Toroman, the Serbian coach who steered Iran to the 2007 FIBA-Asia crown in 2007, is at the helm of the SBP program, and has so far impressed the federation with his knowledge of the international brand of play.

“Rajko has a very good, very keen sense of international basketball and what has to be done,” said Eala, adding that Iran, Jordan and Lebanon, the hottest teams in Asia today, all have European coaches.

Eala said that once they got to Tianjin and saw all of the teams play, Rajko had insisted that Iran has what it takes to beat China. True enough, the Iranians crushed the Chinese in the finals.

Monday, August 17, 2009

PBA releases lineup for 2009 NBA Asia Challenge

source: Rick Olivares | bleachersbrew

The Philippine Basketball Association released its line-up that will participate in the 2009 NBA Asia Challenge on September 11 at the Araneta Coliseum.

Donning game jerseys years after they hung up their sneakers are PBA greats Benjie Paras, Allan Caidic, Alvin Patrimonio, Kenneth Duremdes, and Ronnie Magsanoc. They will be joined by current PBA players Wynne Arboleda, Arwind Santos, Sonny Thoss, Willie Miller, Japeth Aguilar, Joseph Yeo, Dondon Hontiveros, Enrico Villanueva, Jay-R Reyes, and Marc Pingris. The PBA All-Stars will be coached by Yeng Guiao.

“We will show the NBA that we are also strong,” jokingly warned PBA Commissioner Renauld “Sonny” Barrios when he announced the line-up.



The NBA contingent will be bannered by All-Stars and greats Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the former Milwaukee Buck and Los Angeles Laker who will coach the American side; Robert Horry, the former Houston Rocket, Phoenix Sun, Los Angeles Laker, and San Antonio Spur who won seven titles with three teams in a 16-year career; Dominique Wilkins, the Atlanta Hawks’ Human Highlight Film; Tim Hardaway, he of the killer crossover and a former Golden State Warrior and Miami Heat guard; and Vlade Divac, one of the best-passing big men during his time with the Los Angeles Lakers, Charlotte Hornets, and Sacramento Kings. They will be backed-up by players from the NBA’s Development League. The Dunking Divas and Sly, the Silver Fox mascot of the New Jersey Nets will also be on hand for the day’s entertainment in the largest NBA event in the Philippines.



“It’s a great way to kick off the upcoming PBA and NBA seasons,” said Peter Chanliong, Chief Operating Officer of Solar Sports the organizer of the event. “We’ve got the best fans outside the United States and we hope that this will mean greater interaction between the two leagues and us. And this could be the start of something big.”

Sunday, August 16, 2009

New faces boost Kings

The lack of ceiling that hampered its title-retention bid in the recent PBA Fiesta Cup believed to have been addressed by an ambitious pre-season buildup, popular club Ginebra San Miguel looks ready to reclaim its winning ways in the coming 35th season of the country's first professional league.

The acquisition of veteran campaigners Rico Villanueva, Rich Alvarez and Paolo Bugia, all big men, and spitfirish Celino Cruz through trades, coach Jong Uichico yesterday expressed belief that his Gin Kings will be able to bounce back from their loss to sister team San Miguel Beer in the 34th season closing tournament.

And with the acquisition of the four other players from another sister team Purefoods via a third party, Uichico said in yesterday's SCOOP Sa Kamayan weekly session, there is no need for them to make any adjustment playing with their new teammates.

"Of course, it was a mere coincidence that Rico, Rich and Paolo are for former Ateneans. It was not designed. It just so happened that they are the players we needed and that those we released are what Purefoods need," the multi-titled Uichico explained during the session, sponsored by ACCEL.

Uichico said his new recruits have been practicing with the teams thrice already and that he is very happy with what he's been seeing.

He pointed out that what the team did in the pre-season was try to get to the standard of the opposition like the Beermen, who beat the Kings beat, 4-3 in their best-of-seven title series for the Fiesta Cup.

Cruz, for his part, said adjusting to his new team won't be a problem either since, besides having Alvarez, Bugia and Villanueva as teammates at Purefoods last season, the three also used be his teammates, along with Cyrus Baguio and Junthy Valenzuela at Red Bull.

All four said they are excited to be members of the team basketball-crazy Filipinos love most.

"Masayang-masaya ako siyempre. Biro mo for the first time, maglalaro ako kakampi ko ang buong Araneta," Villanueva said in jest. Manila Bulletin

FIBA ASIA 2009 Final Ranking

Korea defeats Powerade Team Pilipinas, 82-80 (RP end up 8th place)

source: gmanews.tv

Korea denied Powerade-Team Pilipinas a decent exit in the 25th FIBA-Asia men's basketball championship as it hacked out a heartbreaking 82-80 win Sunday in Tianjin, China.

The Nationals lost grip of a nine-point fourth quarter lead and then watched Donggeun Yang score on a reverse lay up as time was running down, allowing Korea to take a two-point lead in the gripping battle for seventh place on the final day of the tournament.

Yang’s basket broke a tight 80-all contest with 1.7 seconds left, giving RP one final shot at a basket.

But James Yap’s long three-pointer at the buzzer failed to hit its mark, sparking a wild celebration over at the Korean bench as the Nationals walked off wearing long faces.

The tragic ending easily brought back memories of a similar aching loss another RP squad suffered at the hands of Korea during the semifinals of the 2002 Busan Asian Games when a Korean assassin by the name of Lee Sang Min drained a back-breaking three-pointer at the buzzer to deny the Nationals a place in the championship round, 63-62.

While little may be at stake in this loss, the feeling was just as excruciating.

The Nationals, a 69-56 loser to the Sokors in the preliminaries, wrapped up their campaign with a 4-5 (win-loss) card, losing their last three games to Jordan, Qatar and Korea and finishing eighth and last among the teams that made the quarterfinals.

While it slightly improved the ninth place finish of their 2007 predecessor, the Nationals still fell short of the seventh place finish achieved by the 1991 RP team that competed in the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) Championship, the highest placing the Philippines had accomplished in the last 18 years of the tournament.

The Nationals were actually on the verge of matching that feat as they led 73-64 on a completed three-pointer by Cyrus Baguio with 6:33 left in the game.

But behind Sekeun Oh and Joo Sung Kim, the Koreans battled their way back and outscored the Nationals, 12-2, in a four-minute stretch to grab back the upperhand at 76-75.

Two free throws by Baguio gave RP a two-point lead, before Oh tied it at 80 with a follow up off a miss by Kim with 31 seconds left.

The Nationals then bungled three straight shots in the next play, including what appeared to be an easy basket underneath by Sonny Thoss, opening the door for Korea’s dagger of a basket.

Cyrus Baguio led the Nationals with 17 points while Thoss (15), Kerby Raymundo (14) and Asi Taulava (9) combined for 38 points as RP dominated the Koreans inside the paint, 52-40.

Oh torched the Nationals for 31 points and grabbed 10 rebounds before leaving the game in the final 18 seconds following a collision with Yap underneath the Philippine basket.

Willie Miller missed the game for the second straight time (groin injury), even as JayJay Helterbrand continued to miss from the floor, hitting just 1-of-6 to finish with two points.

The scores:

Korea 82 – Oh 31, Kim 15, Kang 10, Lee 9, Yang 9, Yang D. 6, Lee D.J 2.

Philippines 80 – Baguio 17, Thoss 15, Raymundo 14, Taulava 9, Dillinger 9, Santos 6, Norwood 5, Yap 3, Helterbrand 2.

Quarterscores: 26-19; 43-42; 62-62; 82-80.

Friday, August 14, 2009

RP 5's wild card hopes end with loss to Qatar, 83-65

source: gmanews.tv

Qatar doused any hopes by Powerade-Team Pilipinas of making it to next year’s World Basketball Championships via the backdoor as it hammered out an 83-65 rout during the penultimate day of the 25th FIBA-Asia men’s basketball championship Saturday at the Tianjin gym in Tianjin, China.

Almost 24 hours after being booted out by Jordan, 81-70, the Nationals came out flat and vulnerable against the Qataris, who raced to an early seven point lead that ballooned to as much as 49-32 come halftime

Game over.

Coach Yeng Guiao himself groped for words when asked to asses about the team’s listless play.



“Hindi ko nga alam," he said after emerging from the dugout together with the entire team almost an hour following the game against Qatar.

“Probably, it’s part of the frustration or the loss of our game against Jordan (Friday). But we should be able to play above that especially in a tournament like this where every place is important."

The loss relegated Powerade-RP in a fight for seventh to eight place against the loser of the South Korea-Chinese Taipei match.

Most unfortunate, the Nationals bid goodbye to the possibility of being invited in a wild card tournament the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) is planning to hold as a separate qualifier for the 2010 World Championship.

In the event the meet is approved, the no. 4 and 5 teams after the FIBA-Asia may get invited as two entries from each zone will be disputing the four slots available in Istanbul, Turkey.

Only the top three finishers in this FIBA- Asia meet get an outright berth in next year’s World Championship.

Already down to an 11-man lineup with guard Willie Miller sidelined by a groin injury, the Nationals made it even worst when they shot a paltry 32 percent (12-of-38) from the floor in the first 20 minutes, allowing the Qataris to pour on the points and break free from what Guiao expected to be a tight game.

They eventually finished with the same shot percentage, hitting just 25-of-78 from the field.

“This is our worst game undoubtedly," Guiao admitted. “What’s really disappointing is that we did not play with any spirit, the defense we showed was awful. We did not resist the onslaught of the Qatar offense. We knew they we’re bigger and stronger, but we did not offer any resistance to that."

Powerade-RP had already surpassed the ninth place finish achieved by its predecessor during the 2007 FIBA-Asia in Tokushima, Japan and is on track of matching the seventh place finish of the 1991 RP team that competed in the Kobe Asian Basketball Championship with another win in the final day of competition Sunday.

Atoning for his so-so performance against Jordan, Kerby Raymundo showed the way for the Nationals this time with 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting, including 3-of-5 from the three-point region.

Jared Dillinger added nine while Cyrus Baguio had eight for Powerade-RP, which got clobbered off the boards, 54-38.

“Don’t go hard against the Philippines," pleaded Qatari coach Ali Ahmad Fakhroo. “This mean’s nothing to them. There’s no ambition, no goals, you know what I mean."

Saad Abdulraham Ali paced Qatar, which led by as much as 66-40, with 23 points while big man Mustafa Elsayad powered his way for 14 markers.

“I told the guys that I hope this game really makes them feel bad because we don’t want to repeat this tomorrow," Guiao said.

Scores:

Qatar 83 – Ali SA 23, Elsayad 13, Abdulla 11, Mohammed 9, Saeed 9, Salem 9, Abdulla MS 3, Daoud 2, Ali 3, Ismail 1, Abdi 0, Musa 0.

Team Pilipinas 65 – Raymundo 12, Dillinger 9, Baguio 8, Norwood 7, Helterbrand 7, Santos 7, Yap 6, Pennisi 5, Taulava 2, Aguilar 2, Thoss 0.
Quarter scores: 23-16, 49-32, 66-40, 83-65.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

JAWORSKI on RP chances vs Jordan Fiba Asia World Championship Qualifying

Guiao: Upset possible vs Jordan

source PHILstar.com

TIANJIN - Powerade Team Pilipinas, once the dominant team in Asia, battles emerging power Jordan today, looking for an upset win to stay in the hunt for a ticket to the World Championship in Turkey next year.

Powerade RP has avoided an early showdown with China but is setting out the underdog just the same against the Jordan team, which the Nationals have not beaten in their last three meetings.

The Nationals and the Jordanians clash at 2 p.m. for one of the coveted Final Four slots in the 25th FIBA Asia Championship, which stakes three seats to the Turkey world meet.

“Masyadong malakas, pero may silat yan (They’re so strong but don’t discount an upset),” said RP coach Yeng Guiao after seeing the Jordanians in their tough stand against the top seeded Chinese Wednesday night.

“If we beat Chinese-Taipei on our 50-percent three-point shooting, I think we have to shoot 60 percent to beat Jordan. That’s how tough they are,” said assistant coach Rhoel Nadurata.

The winner of the RP-Jordan duel will meet the victor of the Iran-Qatar match-up in the semis.

The other quarterfinal tiffs pit China against Chinese-Taipei and Korea versus Lebanon.

The Nationals are two wins away from achieving their goal of a stint in the 2010 world meet. But they are definitely in for rough sailing.

Jordan was the same team that crushed the Philippines’ hopes in the last Asian meet in Tokushima, Japan, toppling the Filipinos in a virtual knockout duel in the final day of the elimination round.

This was also the same team that walloped the Philippines, 90-59, in the recent Jones Cup competition in Taipei.

A tall, agile team made more potent by naturalized player Rasheim Wright, the Jordanians impressed everyone here with their brave stand against the Chinese, narrowly losing the match, 83-89.

Jordan went without a loss here before bowing to China. In the recent Jones Cup, the Jordanians swept all their assignments, except the one against the Iranians which was halted by a fight just a minute into the game. Jordan lost the match by forfeiture.

“They beat us by (more than) 30 points in the Jones Cup and I don’t know if we have improved by 30 points by this time. It’s going to be tough but we’re not giving up,” said Guiao.

The Nationals tried to polish their game in practice Wednesday evening and yesterday morning. The team was to watch a video and plot its game plan last night.

“Most probably, we would just let Wright to do his thing while trying to do our best to stop the others. He’s so good, we’ll just hope he gets tired,” said Guiao.

“He’s unstoppable going to the right. When forced to go to the left, he’s good at pulling up,” Guiao said.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

PHI – We want to push it as far as we can: Guiao

TIANJIN (FIBA Asia Championship): Stating basketball is a religion in Philippines might be an understatement considering massive fan following in the South East Asian nation.

And the performance of the National Team in the 25th FIBA Asia Championship must surely have warmed the cockles of the fans’ heart.

S Mageshwaran of FIBA Asia caught up with the Head Coach Joseller Guiao after Philippines finished their eight-final round games.

Can you analyze the performance of Philippines so far?

Considering everything worked we are pretty satisfied with what has happened so far. We have already improved upon our ninth place in Tokushima.

But we want to push it as far as we can.

We’ll now probably need a miracle now to make it to the top four.

We are up against either China or Jordan.

If we take it as Jordan, we lost to Jordan by 30 points in the William Jones Cup. Now, I don’t know if we have improved by 30 points in such a short period of time.

But we are not giving up on it.

We are going to be there and see what’s the best way we can give ourselves a chance of making it to the top four.

Can you elaborate more about this improvement beyond the ranking?

Yes ranking wise we will finish at least eighth, which is better than Tokushima. And this team has been together only for a couple of months and practicing just once a week.

The other thing is I’m really happy we have readjusting to the FIBA rules. We don’t the whole year experience that some teams have of playing in this style and officiating.

I think the PBA has to put in place a program where we will continuously participate in international tournaments. Just so we don’t get lost in the shuffle.

Now you are looking at not just rising up to the local standard but trying to rise to the Asian standards and probably the world standard.

Instead of merely trying to beat each other in the professional league, the whole league can have the perspective of beating the Korean league or the Japanese league.

How difficult was this adjustment? How did you manage it?

It was very difficult.

Even the week we left for the Jones Cup, some guys were still playing the league finals.

We had just seven-eight players practicing with us and we had to wait for the others to join us.

They come from different systems and different teams.

And when under pressure they go back to their old methods.

But a lot of such resorting to such methods happened in the Jones Cup. It’s got a lot lesser here.

May be that’s why we are performing a lot better.

But I don’t think it’s enough. That’s why I am suggesting that we should have such an experience and exposure the whole year.

On the court, what is the one single point of improvement that has impressed you?

The resilience with which this team has adjusted has been amazing.

We were struggling without three-pointer shooting at the start. But I think our three-point shooting has improved remarkably from our first game.

There’s no way we can win games or survive if we don’t make our outside shots. We are too small to post up any team here.

Is there any player you are pleasantly surprised by the way he has played here?

Cyrus Baguio has been really consistent.

And of course, Willie Miller.

Miller does not play point guard in the Philippines. He plays No 2.

I had to convert him into a point guard because one of our natural point guards could not play.

So Miller had to take up the position. And he has handled the new responsibility really well.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Menk to reunite with Telan at Rain or Shine?

A possible reunion looms for former Tanduay Rhum stalwarts Mark Telan and Eric Menk.

This as Rain or Shine, Telan's new team, expressed its intention to tab the former Philippine Basketball Association Most Valuable Player, who's one of the free agents left unsigned by the Ginebra Kings.

Team co-owner Raymond Yu told GMANews.TV that the team is considering Menk in their bid to shore up Rain or Shine's small frontline.

"We are always open to opportunities," said Yu, referring to Menk as one of the players in their short list of big men.

Aside from Menk, the Elasto Painters are also looking at center Carlo Sharma and forward Ken Bono of Burger King to join Telan, whom Rain or Shine recently signed to a one-year deal, at the fort.

Telan and Menk had previously teamed up for the Rhum Masters during the franchise's dominance in the Philippine Basketball League. They were two of the players elevated by coach Alfrancis Chua to the PBA when the franchise rejoined the PBA in 1999.

Menk could provide experience and toughness to a young Elasto Painters squad built around promising forward Jay-R Reyes, sophomores Gabe Norwood, Sol Mercado, TY Tang, new recruit Jeff Chan, third-year pro Ryan Arana and rookies Jervy Cruz and Marcy Arellano, who were both signed up by the squad last week.

"We're excited with our team right now. We tried to strengthen our weakening positions and we have added a veteran in Telan," said Yu. GMANews.TV

Powerade Team Pilipinas defeats Kuwait, 85-71 formally Advances to the Quarterfinal Round

source: gmanews.tv

The Powerade-Team Pilipinas ended its elimination campaign with an 85-71 win over Kuwait on Wednesday in the 25th FIBA Asia men’s championship in Tianjin, China.

With the win, the Filipinos wound up with a 3-2 win-loss slate and formally advanced to the quarterfinal round.

As the No. 3 finisher in Group E, the RP cagers next face the No. 2 team in Group F or the loser of the Jordan-China match later Wednesday. The host Chinese and the Jordanians are locked in a tie for first in Group F with identical 4-0 cards and would determine the top finisher in their group in their 7 p.m. match.


With a Last 8 slot already assured since Tuesday, Team Pilipinas played Kuwait with little pressure, seizing control in the first half which ended with the Filipinos on top, 40-29.

The Yeng Guiao-mentored squad went up by as many as 19 points, the last time at 83-64 on a basket by Japeth Aguilar, never allowing the Kuwaitis to go closer than eight points.

So much in control were the Filipinos that Guiao fielded in 11 players for at least 11 minutes each and gave regular big man Mick Pennisi a rest.

Four Filipinos finished in double figures - Cyrus Baguio with 14, Asi Taulava with 12, and Jared Dillinger and Kerby Raymundo with 10 apiece. Taulava also hauled down 10 rebounds.

Kuwait, which lost all its five games in the preliminaries, was led by Rashed Alrabah and Mohammad Ashkanani, who fired a game-high 20 markers each.

The scores:

Team Pilipinas 85 - Baguio 14, Taulava 12, Dillinger 10, Raymundo 10, Yap 9, Aguilar 9, Santos 9, Thoss 6, Norwood 3, Helterbrand 3, Miller 0.

Kuwait 71 - Alrabah 20, Ashkanani 20, Saeed 12, Fadhel 6, Alsaeid 4, Alhamidi 4, Alkhabbaz 3, Fahdel 2, Jamal 0.

Quarterscores: 17-13; 40-29; 60-51; 85-71

Update Team Pilipinas defeats Kuwait, 85-71

Our very own Powerade Team Pilipinas defeats Kuwait 85-71 which officially sends them to the knockout round to face the looser of the Jordan Vs China Game later this day.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Powerade-Team Pilipinas lost to Iran NT, 78-88

source: GMAnews.tv

The Powerade-Team Pilipinas team bowed to defending champion Iran, 78-88, Tuesday in the 25th FIBA Asia men’s basketball championship in Tianjin, China.

After falling behind by as many as 24 points in the first half, the Filipinos made a spirited rally to threaten within 73-82 on back-to-back treys by Willie Miller with still 4:10 left.

But the Nationals’ successive misses from the beyond the arc sandwiching a basket by Oshin Shakian and a triple by Mahdi Kamrani allowed Iran to seize a fresh 87-73 lead, 1:59 left.



The Filipinos cut the deficit to 12 on an undergoal stab by Sonny Thoss before Iran’s 7-foot-2 NBA player Hamed Ehadadi split his charities to make it 88-75 for the Iranians.

Jared Dillinger’s triple, which came after two consecutive flubbed treys by James Yap, accounted for the final score of the game.

Miller starred for Team Pilipinas with 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds, ably supported by Yap’s 14 and Gabe Norwoods’ 13.

Mohammadsamad Nikkah led Iran, which nailed its fourth straight win, with 25 points followed by Memphis Grizzlies center Ehadadi with 21 points and 16 rebounds.

The loss evened the Philippines’ card to 2-2 but the Filipinos could still formalize their entry to the quarterfinals with a win over Kuwait on Wednesday.

Update Team Pilipinas lost to Iran (88 - 78)

Our Team Pilipinas lost to the mighty Iranians by 10 on a 88-78 rout.

RP 5 outlasts Taiwan

Manila Bulletin - Monday, August 10

Games on Tuesday (Tianjin gym)
9 a.m. - UAE vs Kazakhstan
11 a.m. - Iran vs RP
2 p.m. - Kuwait vs Japan
4 p.m. - Chinese-Taipei vs Korea
7 p.m. - Lebanon vs China
9 p.m. - Jordan vs Qatar

TIANJIN, China - From having one foot in the grave to having one foot in the quarterfinal round - what a difference Miller Time makes.

A huge three-point shot from Willie Miller - his fifth straight - that beat the shot clock with 13 seconds remaining slammed the door on Chinese-Taipei Monday night as Powerade-Team Pilipinas hammered out a 77-70 victory in the 25th FIBA Asia Men's Championship here.

The national team's third win in the preliminary round avenged an 86-77 loss to the Taiwanese in the William Jones Cup tournament last month and virtually assured the Philippines of at least an eighth place finish in the FIBA World Championship qualifier.

To skirt any unforeseen complications and make official their entry to the knockout quarterfinals, the Nationals will have to put away one of its two remaining elimination round games - against defending champion Iran Tuesday or Kuwait Wednesday.

"Just to be sure, we have to beat Kuwait. Pero ambisyunin na natin ang Iran bukas lalo na kung magiging ganito kaganda ang shooting natin," said Guiao.

Iran handed the Philippines its first loss in the Tokushima FIBA Asia Olympic qualifying tournament two years ago, and then ran roughshod over the Nationals in the 2009 Jones Cup.

After a dreadful shooting night against South Korea Saturday where they sprayed 23 three-point shots all over the Tianjin gym in going down, 69-56, the Nationals lit up the venue by burying 15 of 30 three-pointers in a deadly display of marksmanship, with James Yap draining six triples and Miller five - without a miss.

Yap was especially breathtaking in the third quarter where he drilled four 3-pointers - three in succession - and completed one 3-point play as he unloaded 15 of his game-high 23 points in a scorching stretch that overwhelmed Taiwan's shooters and gave the RP team a 62-54 lead at the end of the third quarter.

So comprehensive was the scouting report on the Taiwanese shooters, who scuttled the Nationals for 14 triples when they last met, that the RP defense, imposing an absolute clamp-down, allowed just one 3-point conversion in 15 attempts.

"We have a lot of respect for Taipei from what we saw in the Jones Cup, and we made a conscious effort to take away their three-point shot," said Guiao. "That's a key factor."

As scintillating as Yap was, however, it was Miller, a shooting guard masquerading as a playmaker here with Jayjay Helterbrand (8 points, 5 assists) slowed down by an old hamstring injury, who shone the brightest.

Not only did Miller went 5-of-5 from beyond the arc in contributing 17 points, he knocked down the biggest shot of the night after Taipei had come within 72-70 on free throws by guard Lee Hseuh-Lin with 1:36 left.

With the shot clock winding down, Miller let loose a cannon from slightly off top of the key to stop the advancing Taiwanese, with Gabe Norwood sealing their doom by towering over everybody else in hauling down a miss by forward Lin Chih-Chieh.

RP 77 - Yap 23, Miller 17, Thoss 8, Pennisi 8, Baguio 6, Helterbrand 6, Raymundo 5, Dillinger 3, Taulava 2, Norwood 2, Aguilar 0, Santos 0.
Taipei 70 - Tseng 21, Lee 8, Chang 8, Lin 7, Wu 6, Chang TH 6, Tien 6, Wang 4, Su 2, Yang 2, Chen 0, Wu CL 0.
Quarters: 16-21, 33-35, 62-54, 77-70.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

CONSISTENT GOOD OUTSIDE SHOOTING KEY AGAINST CHINESE-TAIPEI

Sun, 08/09/2009 - 20:59 — junior

TIANJIN – A day after the loss to South Korea, Powerade-Team Pilipinas coach Yeng Guiao expressed confidence Chinese-Taipei could be taken Monday when the next phase of the elimination in the 25th FIBA Asia Men’s Championship gets underway at the Tianjin gymnasium.

The 69-56 defeat at the hands of the South Koreans late Saturday left the Philippines with a second-best 2-1 record in Group A, raising concerns of the Nationals’ chances of making it to the knockout quarterfinals.

Guiao allayed those fears.

“I think this Taipei team is stronger than the one in the Jones Cup,” he said. “But I’m still confident and encouraged by the result of our first two games, including that loss to Korea, that we can pull it off.”

The Nationals face Chinese-Taipei at 4 p.m., Iran Tuesday at 11 a.m., and Kuwait Wednesday at 9 a.m. with a berth in the final eight at stake.

“We need to sustain a good shooting night,” Guiao said. “If we could do that, we have a strong chance against Taipei.”

Willie Miller, who has been remarkable, if out of place, at the point guard position with Jayjay Helterbrand slowed down by an old pulled hamstring muscle, said the shooting funk they fell into was beyond explanation.

“Yung isang tres ko, sabi ko ‘yari na’, kaso kinapos. Tapos yung sumunod, kumabig naman,” he said. “Nagkasabay-sabay na minalas. Di ko rin maipaliwanag. Pero hindi na siguro mauulit ‘yon.”

Six-foot-10 Japeth Aguilar, who missed the RP team’s last two games – including the all-important win over Japan Friday – because of a strained knee is 100 percent fine and raring to go.

“Talagang lalaro na ‘ko,” he said during a team lunch sponsored by PBA commissioner Renauld ‘Sonny’ Barrios and the league board of governors, led by incoming Board chairman Lito Alvarez of Burger King. “Maayos na pakiramdam ko.”

The son of former Northern Consolidated center Peter Aguilar will be badly needed if the outcome is to be different from the last time the two teams met.

Against practically the same lineup in the Jones Cup tournament, Aguilar had 10 points and nine rebounds and the Nationals still wound up losing, 86-77. They trailed, 30-14, after the first 10 minutes but outscored the Taiwanese, 24-12, in the third quarter only to lose steam in the end.

The RP team were waylaid by two factors: Taipei's torrid outside shooting (14 of 27 triples) and its own atrocious effort (3 of 21).

Focus for the RP defense should be Tien Lei, who had 21 points, with four 3-point shots, in front of the hometown crowd, Yang Ching Min and Yang Che Yi (14 points each), and Chen Tzu Wei, who took six attempts from beyond the arc and made two.

The Nationals controlled the boards then, 45-30, but that could change depending on Aguilar’s condition.

Arwind Santos was 0-for-6 in 3-point attempts that evening, Yap and Willie Miller 1-of-4 each, and Kerby Raymundo 0-for-3.

Chinese-Taipei advanced behind Group A leader Iran, bowing to the defending champion, 71-68, dumping Kuwait, 73-51, and crushing Uzbekistan, 102-78.

In other Day 4 matches, South Korea takes on Kuwait, Group C leader China faces United Arab Emirates, and Group D kingpin Jordan battles Kazakhstan as the next phase of the preliminary round begins. Group B pacesetter Iran meets Japan and Lebanon takes on Qatar.

Classification games at the Nankai University gym, the bracket the Philippines fell into after losing to Iran and Jordan in the first round in Tokushima, pit Sri Lanka against Uzbekistan and India versus Indonesia.

Apparently still euphoric from the conquest of Japan, the Nationals failed to sustain a second quarter comeback that brought it within striking distance from 13 points down.

Neither team shot well from the 3-point area in the first 20 minutes which ended with the South Koreans ahead, 35-25, their lowest halftime output so far.

But they found a way to compensate for their cold outside shooting, hitting 10 of 14 from within while the Nationals shot just 7 of 21.

Overall, the Philippines missed 23 three-pointers; South Korea 18.

Again it was Mick Pennisi, one of the heroes in the victory over Japan, who sparked the Nationals’ rally with a 3-point shot during a 7-0 first quarter run.

Two free throws by Cyrus Baguio cut the deficit to 17-16 early in the second quarter before the South Koreans regained their bearing, reverting to their tried-and-tested motion offense and drive-and-kick-out style instead of pounding the ball inside to 7-foot-3 Ha Seung-Jin.

A 10-2 surge, ignited and capped by three-point shots, gave the South Koreans a 45-35 lead at the half and the RP team was unable to get as close from there.

Other matches saw Jordan beating UAE, 79-67; Japan rebounding from two losses to wallop Sri Lanka, 148-45; Iran plastering Kuwait, 94-46; China overwhelming Qatar, 92-61; Kazakhstan edging India, 74-72 for the third slot in Group C, and Lebanon thumping Indonesia.

Meanwhile, Barrios and the league governors held a planning session Sunday, tackling, among others, the annual budget, building of a PBA coliseum, a one-game-a-day format, a women’s league, a bingo extravaganza at halftime, and a proposed partnership with a developmental league.

With Alvarez were Robert Non of Barangay Ginebra, Ely Capacio of San Miguel Beer, Rene Pardo of Purefoods, Atty. Mert Mondragon of Rain or Shine, Pato Gregorio of Smart Sports representing Ricky Vargas of Talk ‘N Text, Tony Chua of Barako Bull, and Buddy Encarnado of Sta. Lucia Realty.

JB Baylon of Coca-Cola was here much earlier as RP team manager.

Cyrus Baguio Highlights (RP vs. Korea )


RP VS KOREA (1ST HALF)

Korea defeats Powerade Team Pilipinas, 69-56 (Game Replay Video, Photos and Game Stats)

(source: GMANews.tv) Powerade-Team Pilipinas finally suffered its first loss in the 25th FIBA-Asia men's basketball championship falling prey to a superior Korean team, 69-56, Saturday at the Tianjin gym in Tianjin, China.

Unlike in their games against Sri Lanka and Japan, the Nationals couldn’t execute properly this time as it went cold from the field, converting just 23 of their 77 shots for a 30 percent shooting clip.

They also gave up a lot of points from the foul line, where the unbeaten Koreans (3-0) were 19-of-27 compared to RP’s 6-of-11.

I think we missed a lot of three-point shots and gave up too many free throws. I think those were the keys," said national coach Yeng Guiao, shaking his head as he took a glance at the game statistics he was holding.

The loss, coming in the aftermath of their morale-boosting 78-69 win over Japan just the other day, relegated the Nationals to second place in Group A behind the Koreans going into the next phase of the eliminations on Monday.

The tournament takes a one-day break Sunday.

South Korea, the Philippines and Japan from Group A take on Iran, Chinese-Taipei and Kuwait from Group B starting Monday, while China, Qatar and Kazakhstan from Group C battle Jordan, Lebanon and United Arab Emirates from Group D.

As per schedule, Powerade-RP is expected to cross paths with Chinese-Taipei, the no. 2 team in Group B.

Despite their cold shooting, the Nationals still found a way to battle back from a 13-point second quarter deficit as Cyrus Baguio wowed the crowd of 6,000 – including NBA star Li Jianli and the Chinese national team – by leading a big RP run in the third period.

Complementing Mick Pennisi’s three-point shooting, Baguio scored on dazzling plays in the open court, helping the Nationals to close the gap to within 36-40.

Powerade-RP was still in the match, 50-55, midway in the final quarter when the Koreans went on a decisive 12-2 run to seal the fate of the Nationals, 67-52.

Baguio led the RP charge with 16 points.

Ahead by only three, the Koreans capitalized on a 14-4 binge in the second quarter to post a 35-22 lead, a six-minute stretch when the Nationals scored only a basket per three minute intervals.

Willie Miller then drained a three-pointer – his first after six attempts – to trim the gap at 10 by halftime.

Compounding the Nationals woes was their poor shooting percentage from the floor, going just 9-of-35 for a paltry 26 percent.

In contrast, Korea proved more accurate from the field by making 46 percent of their shots (13-of-28).

Kim Minsoo already had nine for the Sokors at halftime and was chiefly responsible for that second quarter breakaway, scoring seven straight points including a two-handed slam, to instigate that big Korea scoring run.

Earlier, the Nationals also trailed by 11, (4-15), but Mick Pennisi’s three-pointer at the 4:09 mark of the first quarter got Powerade-RP going.

The period ended with the Nationals down by just three, 14-17.

Games earlier saw Japan vented its ire against Sri Lanka, 148-45, to post its first win in Group A while Chinese-Taipei (2-1) also scored a runaway victory over Uzbekistan (0-3) in Group B, 102-78.

Meanwhile, defending champion Iran and China kept their unbeaten slates after trouncing separate opponents in Group B and C, respectively.

The Iranians blasted Kuwait, 94-46, for a 3-0 record matched by the Chinese, a 92-61 winner over Qatar.

Kazakhstan registered its first victory by edging India, 74-72, in Group C game.

Scores:

Korea 69 – Yang 14, Kim 11, Oh 11, Kim Joo Sung 8, Kang 7, Ha 6, Lee 6, Joo 2 Yang Donggeun 2, Lee Jung-Suk 2.

Powerade-RP 56 – Baguio 16, Pennisi 9, Taulava 7, Raymundo 6, Dillinger 5, Yap 4, Norwood 4, Miller 4, Thoss 1, Helterbrand 0, Santos 0.

Quarter scores: 17-14; 35-35; 51-44; 69-56.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

FIBA Asia Championship Day 1 Results

Photos and Stats posted here are courtesy of www.china2009.fiba.com


PHILIPPINES DEF. SRI LANKA 115-31
Philippines: J. DILLINGER (21 pts), P. TAULAVA (13 rbs), W. MILLER (5 ast)


QATAR DEF. KAZAKHSTAN 77-62

Qatar: S. ALI (20pts), O. SALEM (11 rbs), Y. MUSA (4 ast)


KOREA DEF. JAPAN 95-74

Korea: H. YANG (23 pts), J. KIM (6 rbs), J. KIM (3 ast)



IRAN DEF. CHINESE TAIPEI 71-67
Iran: H. EHADADI (22 pts), H. EHADADI (13 rbs), M. NIKKHAH (11 ast)


CHINA DEF. INDIA 121-49
China: J. YI (16 pts), Z. WANG (7 rbs), W. LIU (4 ast)

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES DEF. INDONESIA 68-63
United Arab Emirates: R. ALZAABI (19 pts), J. ABDALLA (10 rbs), Y. IBRAHIM (4 ast)

KUWAIT DEF. UZBEKISTAN 69-64
Kuwait: R. ALRABAH (19 pts), M. ASHKANANI (10 rbs), R. ALRABAH (5 ast)


JORDAN DEF. LEBANON 84-67

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

FROM BARANGAY GINEBRA TO GSM BLUE?

Enrico Villanueva and five other key players of the 2003 Ateneo champion team in the UAAP have found themselves reunited at Barangay Ginebra.

Villanueva has moved over to his fourth team in the pro league as he figured in a major multi-player trade deal consummated Monday by sister teams Purefoods and Barangay Ginebra with Burger King as the intermediary.

The former Ateneo King Eagle, who has played for Red Bull, San Miguel Beer and Purefoods, was shipped to Barangay Ginebra alongside Rich Alvarez, Paolo Bugia and Celino Cruz a day after the 2009 PBA Rookie Draft.

Villanueva, Alvarez and Bugia are reunited at the Kings camp with former Ateneo teammates JC Intal, Doug Kramer and Macky Escalona.

In giving away the four players, the Giants, in return, reacquired the services of point guard Paul Artadi and also got frontliner Rafi Reavis, off-guard Cholo Villanueva and Chris Timberlake, the Kings’ first round, eighth overall pick in last Sunday’s Draft.

In allowing themselves to be the third party in the Purefoods-Barangay Ginebra transaction, Burger King acquired rookie draftee Orlando Daroya plus Purefoods’ 2012 first and second round Draft picks.

PBA operations chief Rickie Santos said this multi-player transaction has been approved by commissioner Sonny Barrios.

The Giants and the Kings entered into this deal with both teams hoping to strike a balance in their respective lineups for the coming 35th PBA season.

In getting Rico Maierhofer as the No. 2 pick in the Draft, the Giants only got more duplication at the power forward-center spots with the former La Salle standout joining Villanueva, Bugia, Marc Pingris, Kerby Raymundo, Don Allado and Romel Adducul.

Pingris was reacquired last week by the Giants from Burger King in exchange for their first and second round picks in next year’s Draft. Prior to that, Pingris was acquired by the Whopper in the trade that sent Arwind Santos to San Miguel Beer.

With the trade, the Giants also hoped they have solved their problem at guard spots.

Artadi and Timberlake are now to rotate with Roger Yap at the 1-position. (NC)

Update: Powerade Team pilipinas Defeats Sri Lanka (115-31)

South East Asia champions Philippines got off to a winning start, beating Sri Lanka 115-31 in the Group A opener on Thursday.

The Philippines, who had finished ninth in the 2007 FIBA Asia Championship in Tokushima, scored the first eight points of the game and cruised along thereafter.

Sri Lanka, playing in the FIBA Asia Championship after a gap of 14 years – the island nation’s last appearance came in the 1995 edition at Seoul – struggled with their scoring rhythm and returned a woeful 19% in field attempts.

Philippines led 28-9 at the end of the first quarter, and only grew in strength as the game progressed.

Jared Dillinger led Philippines’ scoring with a game-high 21 points, and collected 11 rebounds.

Pauliasi Taulava came off the bench and collected a game-high 13 boards to go with his 15 points, as coach Joseller Guiao used 11 of his players for more than five minutes each.

Philippines play East Asian champions Japans on the morrow, while Sri Lanka take on last edition’s bronze medalists Korea.

source: S Mageshwaran (FIBA Asia)

FIBA-Asia: RP 5 debuts vs obscure Sri Lanka

source: gmanews.tv

The Sri Lanka puzzle stands in the way of Powerade-Team Pilipinas when it formally kicks off its campaign in the 25th FIBA-Asia men’s basketball championship Thursday at the Tianjin gym in Tianjian, China.

Going into the 9 a.m. game, the Sri Lankans remain a big mystery to coach Yeng Guiao, as he hasn’t seen them play, personally or even on video tapes.

The only time the RP squad got a glimpse of their opponents came Wednesday morning during breakfast at the King Hall Hotel where both teams are staying.

Physically, medyo maliliit," Guaio noted of the Sri Lankans, a people more known to be adept at cricket than basketball.


(RP Team Departure @ NAIA) - thanks sir Rick for the pic!

Still, we don’t know anything about them," he added. “We have no scouting report on them and we haven’t seen them play."

A check with the FIBA-Asia organizers showed only the name of the 12-man roster of Sri Lanka, but no specific positions, heights and weights were included.

The Sri Lankans made it to the FIBA-Asia meet along with India following the East Asian qualifier that also involved Bangladesh and Pakistan, all cricket-playing nations.

Making up the Sri Lanka lineup are Iresha Abesekara (25 years old), Pushpakumara Agalathunga (27), Chamath Gokula Danawansa (26), Yasarathne De Silva (23), Fernando Suranga (21), Kolamba Arachchige (23), Kulathunga Kulathunga (24), Shanaka Prasad (24), Sanjeewa Rajapakshe (33), Sidath Senanayake (21), Serasinghe Serasinghe (23) and Randima Sooroyaarachchi (28).

No room for complacency


(RP Team Arrival at China) - thanks sir Rick for the pic!

Facing a blank wall, Guiao said there should be no room for complacency in Powerade-RP’s duel against the island country in South Asia.

We have to go all out against them regardless of what kind of team they have," said the RP coach shortly before the team went to practice at the vast Sports Hotel Wednesday.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) official Bernie Atienza and PBA operations and technical chief Rickie Santos later gave the RP team coaching staff last-minute insights about the Sri Lankans when they attended the team managers meeting Wednesday afternoon.

Joining them was SBP executive director Noli Eala, who arrived later in the day.

The RP-Sri Lanka game kicks off a heavy eight-game bill scheduled on opening day of the meet that serves as the qualifier to the 2010 World Basketball Championship in Turkey.

Other inaugural day matches pit Kazakhstan against Qatar, Iran against Chinese-Taipei, India against China, Indonesia against United Arab Emirates, Kuwait against Uzbekistan, Lebanon against Jordan and Japan against Korea.

The PBA-backed Team Pilipinas would be up against the Japanese on Friday (9 p.m.) and the Koreans on Saturday (9 p.m.).

Both teams dealt the country contrasting setbacks the first time they met in the Jones Cup two weeks ago.

The Japanese rallied back from a big 19-point deficit in the first half to pull off an 87-85 win while the Koreans kept the Nationals at bay in the endgame of an 83-80 victory.

Shooting guard James Yap is expected to arrive Thursday, but would miss the game against Sri Lanka. The Purefoods stalwart failed to leave together with the team to attend the burial of his mother-in-law, former President Corazon C. Aquino.

Yap is married to TV host and movie actress Kris Aquino, the youngest child of Mrs. Aquino and the late former senator Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino. Prior to her death, Mrs. Aquino had instructed Yap to continue playing for flag and country.