Week 4 UAAP Power Rankings

Before the Wednesday UAAP games, I will be posting my UAAP rankings based on the games they played during the past week. So the record may not necessarily match the rankings.

FEU (beat NU and UST) - Terrence snags another Player of the Week nod. The beat goes on.
UE (beat Ateneo and La Salle) - The man known as"Ang Alamat" pulls out another rabbit out of his hat in Dan Alberto.
Adamson (beat NU) - You gotta put in the work (see Don Trollano), but you also need some luck (see the Robin Rono miss)
Ateneo (lost to UE, beat UP) - Bo gave the boys the right motivation in showing the state of the standings.
UST (lost to FEU) - The Tigers were gassed out having the deal with the leaders.
NU (lost to FEU and Adamson) - Parks is having a shooting slump, but the FT line is clearly his manna from heaven.
DLSU (lost to UE) - Surely they won't lose like that for a third straight game later, right?
UP (lost to Ateneo) - Kudos to Renee Fopalan of GMA for calling out the Fighting Maroons on his contribution for GMA's Layup Lines. Let's see if their competitive fire comes out.

NU now solo leaders in UAAP Juniors division

National University is the lone team remaining on top of the juniors basketball action in the UAAP this past weekend.

The Bullpups dispatched the Adamson Baby Falcons, 67-43 on Saturday, to maintain their unblemished record after five matches.

Hubert Cani poured half of his 14 points in the pivotal third quarter, where NU outscored Adamson, 22-8. He added five rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block.

Renier Quinga led the Baby Falcons with 17 points and 7 rebounds.

The De La Salle-Zobel Junior Archers wanted to join the Bullpups on top of the standings, but Ateneo foiled their chances on Sunday, escaping with a 73-68 win.

Thirdy Ravena scored 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Mike Nieto chipped in 19 and 24 for the Eaglets, who controlled the most of the game. The lead grew to as large as 15 late in the fourth, before the Junior Archers scored the last ten points of the game.

Henri Subido scored 25 points, while Alfonso Banzon added 22 for Zobel.

Ateneo joins FEU with a 2-2 record, as the Baby Tamaraws bucked a slow start to win against the UPIS Junior Maroons, 63-55.

FEU ended the first quarter down 23-10, but managed to comeback in the second and third quarters, before pulling away late.

JJ Domingo led the Tamaraws with 18 points and seven assists, while Diego Dario scored a game-high 20 points and seven assists for UPIS.

The other game during the weekend sees Mark del Rosario tally 12 points and 11 boards for the UE Junior Warriors, as they stunned the UST Tiger Cubs, 62-55.

The Tiger Cubs were led by Aaron Reyes and Ice Dandan, who each scored 20 points.

Box scores:

FEU 63:  JJ Domingo 18, Escoto 7, Completo 7, Lee 6, Aquino 6, JS Domingo 5, Tabudlo 4, Runbaoa 4, Bienes 4, Comboy 2, Paglinawan 0, Lumba 0, Harrow 0, Cano 0, Ardiente 0

UPIS 55: Dario 20, Sablan 13, Gomez De Liano 7, General 5, Lopez 4, Pajarillaga 3, Gregorio 3, Ragos 0, Labao 0, Chua 0

Quarter Scores: 10-23, 29-32, 46-43, 63-55

NU 67: Cani 14, Mosqueda 13, Go 11, Dyke 9, Lopena 7, Battad 5, Claveria 4, Grealy 2, Guzom 2, Mina 0, Manalang 0, Lapiz 0, De Guzman 0, Castillo 0, Bautista 0

Adamson 43: Quinga 17, Munsayac 9, Casino 8, Villos 2, Mocorro 2, Camacho 2, Beltran 2, Navarro 1, Solomon 0, Morelos 0, Magkalas 0, Madriaga 0, Jamias 0, De Guzman 0

Quarter Scores: 14-9, 31-23, 53-31, 67-43

UE 62: Del Rosario 12, Briones 12, Marata 11, Mohamad 10, Altamirano 9, Garcia 4, Antonio 3, Contorno 1, Penalosa 0, Gutierrez 0

UST 55: Reyes 20, Dandan 20, Laman 9, Ramirez 2, Mayor 2, Corre 2, Syyap 0, Salinas 0, Marcelo 0, Borje 0, Berdijo 0

Quarter Scores: 11-12, 22-25, 44-43, 62-55

Ateneo 73: Ravena 25, Nieto 19, Escaler 8, Mendoza 7, Black 6, Ramos 5, G. Joson 2, Mamuyac 1, Salandanan 0, Magpoc 0, L. Joson 0, Jose 0, Calilung 0

DLS-Z 68: Subido 25, Banzon 22, Melecio 10, Maldinger 4, Romero 2, Cabarrus 2, Abanilla 2, Sajulga 1, Quintos 0, Paraiso 0, Isaac 0

Quarter Scores: 21-18, 42-36, 56-50, 73-68

FEU, DLSU dominate respective opposition

Far Eastern University continued its winning run in women's basketball, as the Lady Tams overwhelmed the UP Lady Maroons, 68-31 at the San Juan Arena on Sunday, its 23rd straight win.

The defending champions asserted its dominance, opened the game on a 12-0 run before eventually erecting a 18-3 first quarter lead. FEU forced UP to shoot 15% from the field overall.

Camille Sambile led the way with 22 points and 14 rebounds for the Lady Tams. Jack Tanaman added nine points and 7 rebounds.

Marie Aliermo led UP in scoring with six points and eleven rebounds, while Sheerose Luna and Bernice Furagganan each added five points.

The De La Salle Lady Archers matched FEU's 5-0 record by blowing out the University of the East Amazons, 63-35.

The Filoil preseason champions opened each half strong, allowing just 15 points combined in the first and third quarters.

Ara Abaca finished with a double-double, 18 points and 11 rebounds in just 24 minutes, while Trisha Piatos added 12 points.

Bienca Ramos led the Amazons with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

National University kept themselves in step of the pace-setting Lady Tams and Lady Archers, as they beat the Adamson Lady Falcons, 76-66.

The Lady Bulldogs held a 13-pt lead in the fourth quarter before Adamson cut that lead down to five with a minute remaining.

Kristine Abriam led six Lady Bulldogs in double figures with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Analie Tongco scored a game-high 20 points for the Lady Falcons.

Meanwhile, Ateneo remains winless in women's basketball, bowing down to the University of Santo Tomas, 72-63.

The Lady Eagles led at the end of the third quarter, 53-51, but the Tigresses opened the final quarter on a 16-2 run to secure a 67-55 lead that Ateneo was unable to recover from.


Jeanine Ong and Kim Reyes, combined for 39 points and 11 rebounds for UST, while Danica Jose nearly had a triple-double for Ateneo, with 14 points, 16 rebounds and 9 blocks. Kat Nunez topscored for the Lady Eagles with 15.


The next women's basketball matches will take place on July 28 at San Juan Arena.

9am - UP vs Ateneo / 1030am - UE vs FEU / 12nn - La Salle vs NU / 130pm - Adamson vs UST

Box scores:

UST 72 - Ong 20, Reyes 19, Cortes 11, Mejia 7, Salvador 6, Rivera 5, Andrade 4, Mandilag 0, Magdaluyo 0, Brillante 0, Angeles 0

Ateneo 63 - Nunez 15, Jose 14, Uy De Ong 10, Bo-ot 9, Belarmino 5, Posadas 4, Deacon 4, Buendia 2, Veloso 0, Limcaoco 0, Javier 0, Aseron 0

Quarter Scores: 16-12, 38-32, 51-53, 72-63

NU 76 - Abriam 15, Paig 13, Bernardino 13, Gupilan 11, Tongco 10, Bonleon 10, Escoto 2, Antiquiera 2, Seno 0, Maghibon 0

Adamson 66 - Tongco  20, De Castro 16, Balasta 13, Cochico 8, Ong 3, Taller 2, Mateo 2, Quingco 1, Garrido 1, Lozano 0, Bilbao 0, Avila 0, Amper 0

Quarter Scores: 19-9, 30-24, 48-39, 76-66

DLSU 63 - Abaca 18, Piatos 12, Garcia 6, Oyao 5, Claro 5, Vergara 4, Santos 4, Ramos 3, Revillosa 2, M. Ong 2, Corcuera 2, Scott 0, Pineda 0, A. Ong 0, Melendres 0, Gonzales 0

UE 35 - Ramos 12, Mendina 5, Doqueza 5, Ventura 4, Valdez 4, Domino 3, Sto. Domingo 2, Llosala 0, Ano-os 0

Quarter Scores: 19-7, 34-17, 50-25, 63-35

FEU 68 - Sambile 22, Tanaman 9, Albano 8, Siat 7, Soriano 5, Gesalan 4, Gabriel 4, Castro 4, Lozano 3, Valenzona 2, Villareal 0, Chan 0, Basa 0, Baldonado 0, Arellado 0

UP 31 - Aliermo 6, Luna 5, Furagganan 5, Wong 4, Salapong 3, Isip 3, Daez 3, Topacio 2, Tatel 0, Pioquinto 0

Quarter Scores: 18-3, 32-10, 54-22, 68-31

LETRAN OFFICIAL STATEMENT re: Franz Dysam

Information on this statement came from the NCAA via their official website for Season 89.

Franz Dysam is now in stable condition after he was shot by riding in tandem near the corner of N. Domingo and Araneta Avenue, yesterday.

Medical results show that all his vital signs are in good condition. He is scheduled for operation tomorrow to remove four bullets in his body.

Letran administrators decided not to disclose the hospital where he is in for security reasons. Two police officers and Letran personal security were already deployed to ensure his safety. Franz mother already arrived from Cebu.

Franz is conscious and is already aware of the passing of his girlfriend, Joanne. Like a gallant knight, Franz protected his girlfriend during the incident that got him six gun shot wounds. While only one shot was received by his girlfriend, it was too fatal that she was declared DOA by the hospital where they were first brought. Their three-month old child is safe.

The investigation is still ongoing although there is already lead being looked by the investigators handling the case. Said lead, as advised by the investigation body, cannot be disclosed yet. The CCTV footage that captured the incident and to identify the gunmen was already with the police authorities.

The Letran community is behind Franz in his rally. All assistance, including moral and spiritual, is given him. He is consistently being prayed for especially by the Letran priests.

Franz is thankful to all who are praying for him and his family, especially to the Letran community who never left him in this trying times.

Letran officials pray for the speedy recovery of Franz and wish for the fast resolution of the case. We also pray for the eternal repose of the soul of Joanne Sordan.

FEU, La Salle hold serve in UAAP women's hoops

Defending women's basketball champions Far Eastern University extend their UAAP-winning streak to 22 games in beating the University of Santo Tomas, 52-51 to cap the quadruple-header of women's hoops held at the San Juan Arena on Sunday.

The Lady Tams held a 52-40 lead with 3:18 remaining in the game before the Tigresses made a valiant comeback attempt, scoring eleven straight points to cut the deficit to one with seven seconds remaining. Unfortunately for UST, that is how far they were able to go, as they fell down to 2-2 for the season.

Camille Sambile led FEU with a double-double performance, 18 points and 13 rebounds, along with four steals. Vangie Soriano added ten points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Maica Cortes also had a double-double, leading UST with 13 points and 14 boards, while Jeannine Ong and Marian Mejia each netted 11 markers and combined for ten rebounds.

Joining them on top are the De La Salle Lady Archers, who routed UP, 59-39. The Filoil champions pulled away in the 3rd quarter, to turn a slim 26-22 lead into a 45-28 margin. Alyanna Ong scored six of her ten points in the period, matching the output of the Lady Maroons.

Ara Abaca led La Salle with 12 points and eleven rebounds, while Patricia Tatel had a double-double of her own with ten points and 13 rebounds to lead UP.

The other matches saw the National University Lady Bulldogs keep the Ateneo Lady Eagles winless in four outings, in spite of Danica Jose scoring 24 points, 63-57, while the Adamson Lady Falcons thrashed the University of the East Amazons, 91-52.


Women's action will resume on Sunday at the San Juan Arena with the following matches:

9am - Ateneo vs UST / 1030am - NU vs Adamson / 12nn - UE vs La Salle / 130pm - FEU vs UP

NU 63 - Tongco 13, Escoto 11, Bonleon 8, Bernardino 8, Abriam 8, Antiquiera 6, Paig 4, Sison 3, Gupilan 2, Seno 0, Maghibon 0, Cenarosa 0




Ateneo 57 - Jose 24, Uy De Ong 11, Nunez 7, Posadas 5, Buendia 4, Belarmino 4, Bo-ot 1, Aseron 1, Javier 0, Deacon 0

Quarter Scores: 19-6, 35-23, 49-45, 63-57

Adamson 91 - Cochico 20, Quingco 11, Ido 9, Balasta 9, Tongco 8, De Castro 8, Amper 8, Bilbao 6, Lozano 4, Taller 2, Osano 2, Buscas 2, Avila 2, Ong 0, Mateo 0, Garrido 0

UE 52 - Ventura 21, Valdez 8, Doqueza 6, Domino 6, Sto. Domingo 5, Nama 3, Ano-os 2, Mendina 1, Tacula 0, Ramos 0, Llosala 0, Adorador 0

Quarter Scores: 22-11, 43-20, 65-32, 91-52


DLSU 59 - Abaca 12, A. Ong 10, Piatos 6, M. Ong 6, Garcia 6, Corcuera 5, Scott 4, Santos 4, Claro 4, Vergara 1, Ramos 1, Revillosa 0, Pineda 0, Oyao 0, Melendres 0, Gonzales 0

UP 39 - Tatel 10, Luna 6, Furagganan 6, Topacio 5, Wong 4, Salapong 4, Isip 4, Pioquinto 0, Lapid 0, Daez 0, Aurellado 0, Aliermo 0

Quarter Scores: 9-8, 26-22, 45-28, 59-39

FEU 52 - Sambile 18, Soriano 10, Albano 8, Gesalan 6, Gabriel 5, Valenzona 2, Siat 2, Chan 1, Tanaman 0 

UST 51 - Cortes 13, Ong 11, Mejia 11, Rivera 7, Reyes 7, Angeles 2, Salvador 0, Penaflor 0, Magdaluyo 0, Brillante 0, Andrade 0

Quarter Scores: 12-9, 26-18, 39-36, 52-51

#WitnessHistory: Nike Philippines brings Lebron James to Manila

On July 23, NBA superstar LeBron James will be in Manila for a one-day visit. Nike Philippines will host the festivities, dubbed as the Witness History Manila Tour, for the basketball superstar at the Mall of Asia Arena. The tour is designed for the King's passion for the game to inspire young Filipino athletes to embark on their own pursuit of greatness.

It is that quest for greatness that inspired LeBron way back from his high school days at St. Vincent St. Mary's in Akron, to his early days with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and now with the Miami Heat, winning back-to-back NBA titles and four MVP trophies along the way. It is also that kind of drive that aided him to help the United States win two Olympic gold medals.

Lebron recognizes that there is a constant need to improve his game, spending countless hours in the gym to practice and hone his skills. Acknowledging that he is a still far from being a finished product, he preaches the concept that greatness is a process that requires continual introspection and fine-tuning. That concept is something he would want others to pick up on and go with it, especially with the Filipinos that he will be meeting on July 23.

Tickets for the free event were released at noon today at the Nike Park in Bonifacio High Street on a first come, first serve basis, with a maximum of two tickets per person.

Fans can also participate by leaving their personal messages to LeBron via social media. Taking a cue from Nike's "Leave a Message" digital and social media campaign shortly after the Heat won their back-to-back title, they can visit the Nike Basketball Facebook page and "leave a message" by posting a photo of themselves with a personal message to James. They just need to tag Nike Basketball Philippines (www.facebook.com/nikebasketball.phils) and include the hashtag, #WITNESSHISTORY.

They can also tweet their message by tagging Nike Basketball Philippines on Twitter (@NikePH) and the #WITNESSHISTORY hashtag.

For more information on the Witness History Tour, follow Nike Basketball on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/nikebasketball.phils) and Twitter via @NikePH.

Week 3 UAAP Power Rankings

Before the Wednesday UAAP games, I will be posting my UAAP rankings based on the games they played during the past week. So the record may not necessarily match the rankings.

FEU (beat DLSU) - Character comeback victory. Nash's system getting themselves going. Huge test against NU later today.
NU (beat UST and UP) - Took advantage of Jeric Teng's absence in 2nd half, then pounded UP with 40 FTs. Opportunity to topple the leaders later.
Ateneo (beat Adamson) - JP Erram emerges. Ivan Enriquez gets to be a member of Club Trillion (definition can be found here), but ask Ingrid Sewa what Ivan's biggest impact was in the game.

UST (lost to NU, beat UE) - Jeric Teng will be a huge loss, so time to wake up, Aljon Mariano.
Adamson (beat UE, lost to Ateneo) - Gameplan allowed them a large enough margin vs UE, but Ateneo outsmarted them.
DLSU (lost to FEU) - They were great for the first 38+ minutes. Unfortunately, the game lasted for 45 minutes.

UE (lost to Adamson and UST) - Expect teams to try to get into Charles Mammie's head for the rest of the season.

UP (lost to NU) - Score the fewest, allow the most. They really are at the cellar.

y 14, 2013 4:00 PM  16  Adamson University  vs  Ateneo de Manila University MOA Arena 59 - 71 July 14, 2013 2:00 PM  15  National University  vs  University of the Philippines MOA Arena 74 - 60 July 13, 2013 4:00 PM  14  De La Salle University  vs  Far Eastern University MOA Arena 79 - 83 OT July 13, 2013 2:00 PM  13  University of the East  vs  University of Santo Tomas MOA Arena 77 - 88 July 10, 2013 4:00 PM  12  National University  vs  University of Santo Tomas Smart Araneta Coliseum 71 - 67 July 10, 2013 2:00 PM  11  Adamson University  vs  University of the East Smart Araneta Coliseum 78 - 71 - See more at: http://www.pba-online.net/basketball/uaap/full-schedule/#sthash.62Cl2f9n.dpuf

UPIS dispatches AdU in 4OTs

The University of the Philippines Integrated School (UPIS) Junior Maroons basically needed one more half to secure their first win this season, a marathon 89-87 quadruple overtime victory over the Adamson University Baby Falcons at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday morning.

Josiah Cruz scored eight of the Junior Maroons' final twelve points in the third and fourth OTs, including a triple with 2:07 left in the fourth overtime to give UPIS an 88-87 lead. Raymart Sablan would then add one more free throw with 83 seconds remaining for what turned out to be the final score.

The Baby Falcons started off strong, holding down the Junior Maroons to just 7 points in the first quarter. The combined efforts of Joseph Navarro, Lester Munsayac and Patrick Beltran allowed Adamson to erect a 17-point lead in the second quarter, before UPIS uncorked a 16-1 run spanning the end of the second quarter and the start of the 3rd. Sablan scored eight straight points in that stretch for the Allan Gregorio-coached team.

Froilan Jamias nailed a triple to seemingly quell the rally, but UPIS answered with an 11-1 run to retake the lead at 39-34 just before the end of the 3rd quarter.

Adamson would rely on Laer Nemenzo in the fourth, scoring ten points, aiding the Baby Falcons in securing a 53-48 lead with 3:21 left, but Sablan went off, scoring UPIS' last eight points, including the OT-forcing bucket with 9 seconds left at 56-all.

UPIS needed late game heroics to stave off defeat in the extra periods. Freddy Pajarillaga forced a second OT with a bucket with just five seconds remaining to make it 63-all. In the second OT, After Adamson put up a 72-68 lead with 2:35 left, Jozhua General scored eight of the next ten UPIS points in the following two minutes, before Allan Casino tied the game at 74 for Adamson with 21 seconds left to force a third OT. In that third OT, General nailed a triple with 2.1 seconds left to tie the game at 82, setting the stage for Chua's heroics in the fourth OT.

Allan Gregorio was pleased with the win, "It's a clear case of perseverance and trust in each other that gave us this sweet victory."

Sablan finished with 29 points, 16 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks in 52 minutes. Pajarillaga added 19 points and 17 rebounds before fouling out in the second OT. General netted 17 and 7 in 45 minutes.

The still winless Baby Falcons were led by Navarro, who scored 16 points and 7 rebounds. Reiner Quinga added 13 points, four blocks and a game-high 23 rebounds in a game-high 53 minutes.

The other Juniors game saw National University dominate the University of Santo Tomas, 81-56, to join La Salle-Zobel as the only unbeaten teams so far this season at 3-0.

A 22-4 run that spanned the second and third quarters made an eight-point NU lead into a 26-point bubble that UST could not fully extricate themselves out of.

Hubert Cani almost had a triple-double with the Bullpups, with 20 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, while Paolo Corre led the Tiger Cubs with 20 points and four rebounds.

Juniors action will resume later today at the Mall of Asia Arena, with both NU and Zobel seeking to maintain their unblemished records against separate opposition. The Bullpups face the University of the East Pages at 8am, while the Junior Archers will face the Tiger Cubs at 10am.

UPIS 89 - Sablan 29, Pajarillaga 19, General 17, Chua 11, Dario 7, Lopez 3, Gomez De Liano 2, Ragos 1, Vergeire 0, Labao 0, Gregorio 0

Adamson 87 - Navarro 16, Quinga 13, Munsayac 12, Nemenzo 11, Jamias 8, Magkalas 6, Beltran 6, Villos 4, Casino 4, Camacho 4, Agbong 3, Morelos 0

Quarter scoring: 7-14, 20-29, 39-36, 56-all, 63-all, 74-all, 82-all, 89-87

NU 81 - Cani 20, Mosqueda 13, Dyke 12, Cauilan 9, Battad 8, Go 6, Claveria 4, Grealy 3, Lopena 2, Guzom 2, De Guzman 2, Mina 0, Lapiz 0, Castillo 0, Bautista 0

UST 56 - Corre 20, Dandan 10, Reyes 6, Marcelo 6, Borje 4, Mayor 3, Salinas 2, Ramirez 2, Dela Serna 2, Berdijo 1, Syyap 0, Santos 0, Montes 0, Laman 0


Quarter Scores: 21-9, 33-19, 62-35, 81-56

FIBA suspends Lebanon

FIBA has suspended the Lebanese Basketball Federation, after local parties were unable to resolve their impasse as of the deadline that FIBA imposed on them on Friday.

The impasse is rooted on the legal actions taken on a playoff series in the Lebanese Basketball League, with both parties unable to provide a proper resolution on this matter (even with the involvement of the Lebanese Ministry of Youth and Sports), FIBA made the decision to put the federation under suspension.

The suspension means that Lebanon cannot participate in any FIBA-endorsed competition, including the Jones Cup, which they are currently involved in. (They had just suffered a 69-67 loss to Jordan, to put their record at 2-4 and with two more games to play against the US and Iran.)

As a result of the suspension, Iraq will be replacing Lebanon in Group B of the FIBA-Asia Championships to be held in Manila in less than three weeks (a tournament that Lebanon was supposed to host), which has the teams from Qatar, Hong Kong and Japan. The top three teams of Group B will join the top three teams of Group A (which includes the Philippines) to form Group E in the second round.

CLEAR Dream Match II pegged this August

It was one year ago when Phil and James went up against each other to see who is the better Younghusband. On August 25, 2012, Team Phil beat Team James, 5-1 at the University of Makati Football Field.

Almost one year later, Team James either will attempt to even the score or Team Phil gets to double up, as the battle for CLEAR supremacy continues with the CLEAR Dream Match making its return this August.

Slated to take place on the 24th, the second edition of the Clear Dream Match will have some new wrinkles, but the most interesting one will be the involvement and participation of a couple of well-known international football legends in Dennis Wise and Fabio Cannavaro.

Wise is a central midfielder, a former England international and is best known for his stint with Chelsea during the 1990s, where he made 445 appearances for the Blues, scoring 76 goals. With Dennis as their skipper, the team from Stamford Bridge won six trophies (FA Cup in 1997 and 2000, League Cup in 1998, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1998, UEFA Super Cup in 1998 and the FA Charity Shield in 2000). He was the skipper when Phil and James were still at Chelsea then as youngsters.

Cannavaro is a central defender, best remembered as the skipper of the Italian national team that hoisted the 2006 FIFA World Cup. His exploits in Germany earned him the Ballon D'Or that year. He also made 532 appearances for clubs in Italy (Napoli, Parma, Inter and two stints with Juventus), Spain (a two-year stint with Real Madrid that saw them win back-to-back La Liga titles) and in the United Arab Emirates (Al-Ahli, where he finished his playing career and now serves as an assistant to newly minted manager Cosmin Olaroiu).

Aside from Wise and Cannavaro, thirty other footballers and celebrities will be taking part during the event, the identities and team composition will be determined in a two-pronged process like last year's event.

The first phase is the selection process, which will be conducted via Clear Philippines' Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/ClearPH). There are fifty names in the voting pool, comprising of current and former national team players (i.e. the Angeles Twins, Carli de Murga, Anton del Rosario, Chad Gould), UFL standouts (i.e. Rufo Sanchez, Jason Cunliffe, Jonah Romero) and celebrities (i.e. the Boys Night Out DJs). Also included in the voting pool are most of the awardees from last year's event (Best Keeper Saba Garmaroudi, Best Defender Yves Ashime, Best Midfielder Mikko Mabanag, Best Striker Oussey Diop and MVP Min Ho Park). Fans can pick their preferred players from now until August 9.

The second phase will be the draft. To be held on August 10, Phil and James each will be picking five players to start off the team, then the rest of the roster of Team Phil and Team James will be selected randomly. The right to pick first overall between the brothers will be determined by the fans, which is one of the new wrinkles for this year's edition.

According to the brand manager for CLEAR in the Philippines, Drew Copuyoc, the team with more fan interactions on Facebook will get the chance to pick first on the draft. Fans can either go to the CLEAR Philippines's Facebook page or download the Clear Stadium app to either vote, play in the games within the page or app, or share their support of either Team Phil or Team James. The most digitally active fan will be rewarded with the chance of a lifetime, a trip to Brazil in 2014 with the Younghusbands.

The Tuloy Sa Don Bosco Foundation will again be the beneficiary of the CLEAR Dream Match, with 5% of the proceeds from ticket sales, as well as PhP 500,000 worth of Unilever Personal Care products, going to to the foundation. Last year's draft was held at the foundation, and founder Fr. Rocky Evangelista, ODB was one of James' assistants in the match.

UAAP suspends Mammie, gives warnings to three more players

Photo from Mark Cristino

On a memo released to the media on Thursday afternoon, the UAAP has meted out a one-game suspension to University of the East's Charles Mammie in the aftermath of their 78-71 defeat to the Adamson Falcons on Wednesday.

The said memo noted that the center from Sierra Leone was seen confronting, pushing and kicking Roider Cabrera of Adamson from behind with the intention to hurt, just as the final seconds of the game had expired between the two schools.

Cabrera also was given a warning for a separate incident in the same game, an unsportsmanlike foul against UE's Lord Casajeros. Casajeros also was given the same warning.

Mammie had been given a warning for his actions against Emmanuel Mbe when UE and National University played on July 6. Since his actions against AdU counts as a second offense, it now warrants a suspension.

The UAAP also gave a warning to NU's Jeff Javillonar for the contact he had with Jeric Teng. The collision resulted in the shoulder injury that forced the University of Santo Tomas skipper to miss the rest of the game, which ended 71-67 in favor of the Bulldogs.

Jeric already had an MRI to check on the gravity of the injury, and according to him, the results will not come out for a few days. He has been advised to ice and rest the shoulder, and has been deemed as doubtful for Saturday's game against UE.

Week 2 UAAP Power Rankings

Before the Wednesday UAAP games, I will be posting my UAAP rankings based on the games they played during the past week. So the record may not necessarily match the rankings.

FEU (wins over Ateneo and UP) - Nash is keeping things steady while Romeo's stock continues to rise.
La Salle (wins over UP and Ateneo) - Juno found a new quirk with AVO.
UE (win over NU) - Hero Ball acknowledged, with Paul Lee's approval. And Boyzie enables it.
UST (win over Adamson) - They're still unbeaten, but they are still middling.
AdU (loss to UST) - Better point guard play is a must. Hopefully, Ryan Monteclaro is up to speed already.
NU (loss to UE) - The bigger disappointment lies with the NU athletic department re: Aroga.
Ateneo (losses to FEU and La Salle) Good to know that Bo is taking the responsibility for the loss.
UP (losses to La Salle and FEU) - Kudos for the Maroons for trying, but clearly, they might be here for a while.

Gilas Pilipinas scheduled for NZ Training Camp

SMART-Gilas Pilipinas

As part of their FIBA-Asia preparations, the senior men's national basketball team of the Philippines will fly to New Zealand on Tuesday, July 9, for a ten-day training camp.

The first half of the camp will have the team in Napier, where former Lebanon and Jordan national team head coach Tab Baldwin will assist with the training. They would then proceed to Wellington on July 15 and Auckland on July 17.

Highlighting the camp are matches against National Basketball League teams, including 2010-11 champions  Wellington Saints. They will also go up against the New Zealand national team, a.k.a. the "Tall Blacks," before the end of their sojourn.

In detailing the aspect of the NZ camp, national team head coach Chot Reyes on Monday said, "It will be a tiring camp for the team. In the days where there will be no games, we will have twice-a-day practice. For the game days, it will be practice in the morning, game in the evening."

He also adds, “We hope to simulate the game conditions that we will encounter in the FIBA Asia Championship. Only 30 days left and we will be facing the biggest challenge of our lives.”

The team will be back in the country on July 19.

Zobel beats FEU, takes lead in UAAP Juniors

La Salle-Zobel earned temporary solo leadership of the UAAP Season 76 Juniors Basketball tournament with a victory over defending champions FEU-Diliman on Saturday morning at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Karl Maldinger made the game-winning free throws with 7.3 seconds left, capping an 11-1 run by the Junior Archers to end the game. Anchoring the comeback from eight points down with 109 seconds remaining was Arjun Melecio, who nailed three consecutive triples to give Zobel a 59-58 lead. Melecio finished with 19 points, while adding nine rebounds and five assists.

David Completo then split his charities to tie the game at 59, setting the stage for Maldinger's heroics. The Baby Tams had one final opportunity to win or force overtime, but were unable to get off an attempt in time.

Renzo Subido finished with a game-high twenty points for Zobel, while the defending champions were paced by JJ Domingo and Wendell Comboy, who each scored thirteen points.

The other game in the doubleheader featured Ateneo getting its first win in basketball this season for all divisions, as the Blue Eaglets beat the UE Pages, 71-64.

Thirdy Ravena scored sixteen points, seven rebounds and four assists, while Mike Nieto netted thirteen and twelve rebounds.

Magic Marata led the Pages with twenty points and ten rebounds, while adding twelve points is Reymar Caduyac.

Women's action resumes today at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan with a quadruple bill, with opening day winners going up against each other. The Tigresses and the Lady Archers face each other at 10:30am, while the Lady Tams face the Lady Bulldogs at noon.  

Games today:
(Filoil Flying V Arena)
9 am- AdU vs UP (women)
10:30 a.m. - UST vs DLSU (women)
12 noon - NU vs FEU (women)
1:30 p.m. - ADMU vs UE (women)

The scores:

First Game (Jrs)

ADMU (71) - Ravena 16, Mi. Nieto 13, Ma. Nieto 11, Escaler 11, Mendoza 8, Black 6, Magpoc 3, Calilung 3.

UE (64) - Marata 20, Caduyac 12, Guttierez 5, Briones 4, Mohamad 3, Antonio 6, Altamirano 6, Del Rosario 5, Celarde 3.

Quarterscores: 20-13, 37-30, 54-49, 71-64

Second Game (Jrs)

DLSZ (61) - Subido 20, Melecio 19, Sajulga 9, Banzon 7, Maldinger 2, Romero 2, Castro 2, Isaac 0.

FEU (59) - Domingo JJ 13, Comboy 13, Lee 12, Escoto 7, Domingo JS 7, Completo 7, Aquino 0.

Quarterscores: 13-9, 25-26, 42-46, 61-59

La Salle, FEU open UAAP campaign with wins

Title favorites Far Eastern University and La Salle kicked off their respective campaigns on a positive note, with victories at the opening of the UAAP Season 76 women's basketball tournament at the Blue Eagle Gym on Thursday.

The Lady Tamaraws opened their title defense with a 54-48 victory over Adamson. Camille Sambile secured 25 points and 15 rebounds against the Lady Falcons, who were led by Jinky Ballanta's 16 markers.

The win is FEU's 19th straight, after sweeping the field last season. They are seeking to secure a three-peat, something they were able to do from 1996-98 and last done by DLSU in their four-peat (1999-2002). They won't have the services of key cogs Allana Lim, Karen Columna and Soc Borja, as the trio already completed their playing years.

Meanwhile, La Salle dismissed arch-rivals Ateneo, 54-38. The inaugural champions of the women's division of the Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup, the Lady Archers relied on Ara Abaca and Trisha Piatos to dispatch the Lady Eagles. The two combined for 23 points for the triumph.

The remaining matches saw the Lady Bulldogs of National University escaping with a 60-51 win against the University of the Philippines Lady Maroons, while the Tigresses of the University of Santo Tomas relied on Maica Santos' 19 points, 19 rebounds and six blocks to take down the University of the East Amazons.

Women's action is set to resume on Sunday with the following match-ups at the San Juan Arena:

9am - Adamson vs UP / 1030am - UST vs La Salle / 12nn - NU vs FEU / 130pm - Ateneo vs UE

Juniors and Seniors action is set to resume on Saturday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum. The juniors doubleheader sees Ateneo try to bounce back from their defeat to NU against the UE Pages, while the Junior Archers of La Salle-Zobel seek to maintain their form against the defending UAAP Juniors champions FEU. For the seniors, UST and Adamson are seeking to join FEU on top of the leaderboard, followed by a rematch of the Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup final between NU and UE.


The scores:

First Game

UST (67) – Rivera 21, Cortes 19, Mejia 13, Reyes 4, Ong 4, Angeles 3, Brillante 2, Andrade 1, Salvador 0, Penaflor 0, Mandilag 0, Magdaluyo 0, Jerez 0, Isanan 0, Anies 0.

UE (45) – Ventura 10, Ano-os 9, Doqueza 8, Sto. Domingo 6, Valdez 4, Tacula 4, Mendina 4, Ramos 0, Llosala 0, Domino 0, Adorador 0.

Quarterscores: 17-11, 39-22, 50-35, 67-45

Second Game

NU (60) - Bernardo 12, Antiquiera 12, Gupilan 10, Paig 8, Tongco 7,Abriam 6, Escoto 2, Bonleon 2, Seno 1, Sison 0, Maghibon 0.

UP (51) - Tatel 15, Wong 12, Daez 10, Topacio 7, Luna 3, Salapong 2, Furaganan 2, Isip 0, Bautista 0, Aliermo 0

Quarterscores: 4-9, 22-22, 35-34, 60-51

Third Game

DLSU (54) - Abaca 12, Piatos 11, Corcuera 11, Santos 9, Ong M. 5, Vergara 4, Melendres 2, Revillosa 0, Ramos 0, Ong A. 0, Gonzales 0, Garcia 0, Claro 0.

ADMU (38) - Buendia 11, Nunez 9, Uy De Ong 8, Jose 5, Posadas 2, Javier 2, Aseron 1, Veloso 0, Tantanco 0, Limcaoco 0, Bo-ot 0, Belarmino 0.

Quarterscores: 8-12, 25-19, 33-36, 54-38

Fourth Game

FEU (54) – Sambile 25,Soriano 9, Gesalan 8, Valenzona 4, Siat 4, Tanaman 2, Albano 2, Gabriel 0, Chan 0, Basa 0.

AdU (48) – Balasta 16, Cochico 12, De Castro 9, Tongco 3, Ong 2, Lozano 2, Garrdio 2, Avila 2, Taller 0, Quingco 0, Mateo 0, Bilbao 0, Amper 0.

Quarterscores: 11-11, 21-22, 38-31, 54-48

NCAA Season 89 action scheduled this weekend

NCAA Season 89 action resumes later today at the San Juan Arena, televised on Aksyon TV and shown online via News5Everywhere.

Thursday's doubleheader has the hosts College of Saint Benilde trying to secure their first win of the season against fellow winless Emilio Aguinaldo College at 4pm.

At 6pm, defending champions San Beda look to bounce back from their stunning loss to Lyceum against an Arellano side pegged by many to be the Red Lions' biggest threat to the NCAA crown.

This Saturday, Mapua looks to provide Atoy Co with his 2nd win as they face Lyceum seeking to follow-up their upset of San Beda with another victory at 4pm, while Letran seeks to continue their unbeaten run against JRU at 6pm.

Catch all the exciting NCAA action LIVE on AksyonTV (On UHF free TV Channel 41 in Metro Manila, Channel 29 in Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao. On cable Channel 59 on SkyCable, Channel 78 on Destiny Cable, and Channel 1 on Cignal Digital TV.), while the replay of the games are to be shown on HYPER, the 24/7 sports channel on cable and digital TV.

NU, UE win in UAAP Season 76 Juniors action

Losing finalists National University began their quest to go one step further from last season's campaign on a good note, as the Bullpups withstood a 30-point final quarter from Ateneo to escape with a 79-72 victory on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The 2011 UAAP Juniors champions needed 24 points, seven rebounds and six assists from Hubert Cani to beat the Blue Eaglets. Providing him help are John Cauilan, who scored fifteen points, and Mark Dyke, who chimed in with thirteen points and eleven rebounds.

Thirdy Ravena scored 27 points to lead Ateneo. He also secured eleven rebounds. Teammate Matthew Nieto added ten points in the loss.

The other game featured the University of the East winning over UP Integrated School, 87-81. The Junior Warriors were led by Reymar Caduyac with 27 points. Justin Antonio added fourteen more, with eight rebounds.

The Junior Maroons had Diego Dario score 21 points and dished out eight assists, while Raymart Sablan netted seventeen points.

NU and UE join UST and La Salle-Zobel in the winning column for Season 76 Juniors action.

Meanwhile, the women's basketball portion of Season 76 in the UAAP begins with a quadruple-header later today at the Blue Eagle Gym.

Opening the day are the UST Tigresses against the UE Amazons at 9am, followed by the NU Lady Bulldogs against the UP Lady Maroons at 1030am.

Whilst their male counterparts will face off on Sunday, Ateneo and La Salle will tangle later at 12nn, before defending back-to-back champions FEU go up against the Adamson Lady Falcons at 130pm.


Games today, Thursday at (Blue Eagle Gym)

9 a.m. - UE vs UST (women)
10:30 a.m. - NU vs UP (women)
12 noon - DLSU vs ADMU (women)
1:30 p.m. - FEU vs AdU (women)

The scores:

First Game (Jrs)

UE (87) - Caduyac 27, Antonio 14, Briones 11, Del Rosario 10, Mohamad 9, Contomo 6, Gutierrez 5, Marata 4, Altamirano 1, Ceralde 0, Garcia 0, Gonzales 0, Penalosa 0.

UPIS (81) - Dario 21, Sablan 17, General 15, Gregorio 12, Lopez 9, Pajarillaga 4, Gomez de Liano 3, Chua 0, Jimenez 0, Labao 0, Ragos 0.

Quarterscores: 22-14, 39-33, 63-50, 87-81

Second Game (Jrs)

NU (79) - Cani 24, Cauilan 15, Dyke 13, Lopena 10, Go 8, Battad 4, Mosqueda 3, Grealy 2, Bautista 0, Claveria 0, Castillo 0, Lapiz 0.

ADMU (72) - Ravena 27, Nieto Ma. 10, Nieto Mi. 9, Mendoza 7, Escaler 5, Ramos 4, Jose 3, Salandanan 3, Black 2, Magpoc 2, Calilung 0, Joson G. 0, Joson L. 0, Mamuyac 0.

Quarterscores: 18-14, 41-25, 58-42, 79-72

Week 1 UAAP Power Rankings

Before the Wednesday UAAP games, I will be posting my UAAP rankings based on the games they played during this week. So the record may not necessarily match the rankings.


FEU - Terrence Romeo posting a near trip-double, with 12 assists to boot. Can he make a reprise?
AdU - Ingrid Sewa and Rodney Brondial made mincemeat of the Maroons bigs. Karim Abdul might be a different story this weekend.
NU - Ray Parks needed a dagger three to quell a Blue Eagle uprising. Mbe needs to step up with Aroga on the backburner as of the moment.
UST - Had to eke out a victory, thanks to Aljon finishing things off.
Ateneo - Migoy Lizada wrote it best. As I hum to Adele's Skyfall.
UE - Have we raised our expectations too much? We will soon know.
La Salle - Ballpen shenanigans notwithstanding, there are really a lot of things that need fine-tuning real bad.
UP. - Ricky Dandan vs Mikee Reyes. Clearly the storyline as of the moment.

Season 76 Juniors action already underway

The HS basketball portion of UAAP Season 76 began this past Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena, with defending champions FEU-Diliman stumbling to the University of Santo Tomas, 71-65.

Ice Dandan scored 18 points, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter, and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the Tiger Cubs, who had to withstand numerous FEU-D rallies down the stretch.

Leading the way for the Baby Tamaraws, who lost eleven players (including current FEU freshmen Joshua Aguilon and Joel Lee Yu, as well as the currently serving residency in Ateneo two-time UAAP Juniors MVP Jerie Pingoy) to graduation, is JJ Domingo with 18 points.

The opening game for the Juniors division saw La Salle-Zobel deny Goldwyn Monteverde his first win as Adamson's head coach, as Renzo Subido iced the game with 3.5 seconds in overtime to escape with an 84-80 victory.

Subido finished with 18 points, but leading the Junior Archers is Quinito Banzon, who stuffed the stat sheet with 25 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four steals.

For the Baby Falcons, Rainier Quinga led them with 24 points and 26 rebounds.

Juniors action is slated to resume on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena, with the losing finalists National University Bullpups going up against the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eaglets at 10am, with the UPIS Junior Maroons facing the UE Pages at 8am.

The scores:

First Game (Jrs)

DLSZ (84) - Banzon 25, Subido 18, Sajulga 14, Maldinger 10, Melecio 6, Isaac 5, Cabarrus 4, Abanilla 2, Paraiso 0, Quintos 0, Romero 0.

AdU (80) - Quinga 24, Casino 17, Munsayac 11, Nemenzo 9, Navarro 7, Camacho 5, Beltran 3, De Guzman 2, Madriaga 2, Jamias 0, Morelos 0, Villos 0.

Quarterscores: 13-20, 40-35, 52-55, 74-74, 84-80

Second Game (Jrs)

UST (71) - Dandan 18, Corre 11, Mercado 10, Laman 8, Ramirez 8, Mayor 6, Reyes 6, Syyap 4, Berdijo 0, Borje 0, Miquiabas 0.

FEU (65) - Domingo JJ 18, Escoto 9, Completo 7, Ardiente 6, Bienes 6, Lee 6, Domingo JS 5, Comboy 4, Tabudio 2, Aquino 1, Cano 1, Fajarito 0, Paglinawan 0, Runbaoa 0.

Quarterscores: 14-13, 33-25, 55-40, 71-65