DLSU, San Beda set for exhibition Yolanda fund-raiser

In an effort to raise money for the relief operations, the champions of the two premier collegiate basketball leagues will face each other on the hardcourt in a homage to an age-old rivalry.

UAAP champions La Salle and NCAA champions San Beda will play in the Champions for a Cause on December 7. Tip-off is scheduled at 12nn at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum and will be shown LIVE on TV5, with a replay scheduled at 9pm on AksyonTV.

If you are going to watch it at the Big Dome, tickets will cost PhP 1000 for Patron, PhP 500 for Lower Box, PhP 300 for Upper Box A, PhP 150 for Upper Box B and PhP 20 for General Admission. Tickets are available at the Athletic Departments from both schools, aside from TicketNet.

Sports5 Head and SMART-Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes says, “Sports5 is privileged to be collaborating with the schools and Fil-Oil Flying V in presenting this rare basketball game where the two best collegiate teams will be giving their best for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda. Basketball fans will surely enjoy this game where everyone wins.”

Match commissioner Rey Gamboa expects this to be a good game, as he adds, “Not only do you get to see great basketball but you get to help.”

Both teams are also scheduled to face each other, in addition to this game, as they have earned their spot in the PCCL Final Four, which will have a round-robin format once the four teams have been revealed. (Already booking their spot alongside the two is Southwestern University, while ongoing right now is the Luzon-Metro Manila qualifiers)

San Beda just secured its fourth straight title in the NCAA, surviving Letran in a repeat of last year. Led by Boyet Fernandez, he will entrust it to his core, led by Finals MVP Art Dela Cruz, Baser Amer, Rome de la Rosa and Ola Adeogun. Fernandez says that they have to defend the school's honor in this exhibition game, and that fans can expect to see San Beda basketball.

La Salle ended their championship drought by beating the University of Santo Tomas in a dramatic finals. Led by Juno Sauler, he has solid rotation led by their Finals MVP Jeron Teng, Jason Perkins, Almond Vosotros and Arnold Van Opstal. Juno remarked that they know of the age-old rivalry between both schools, although he acknowledged that they don't play much since they are with different leagues, but there are times that they do manage to face each other in the pre- and post-season tournaments. He expects that both champions teams will play their best.

School legends Frankie Lim and Lim Eng Beng reflected on the school rivalry. Lim, who won two titles for the Red Lions as a player and four as its head coach, says that they have had good battles with La Salle. This would be confirmed by Beng, who helped DLSU win titles in 1971 and 1974.

Still lost or confused with PBA on your tv?

Hopefully, this matrix serves as a guide to watching the PBA. As what the #FromTheStands people say, if you can watch it live, do so.

TNT, I'm Dynamite (Danny)

I enjoy listening to old-school hard core rock classics.

Cos I'm
T.N.T.
I'm Dynamite
T.N.T.
And I'll win the fight
T.N.T.
I'm a power-load
T.N.T.
Watch me Explode 

Danny Seigle got lost in the shuffle involving Barako Bull Energy. It happens when the team, at one point, had around 30 players before the start of the season, comprised of the holdovers, the traded assets and of course, their draft picks.

So the Manong Brigade's quest to win now resulted in leaving the Dynamite in the storage room, without a contract.

Technically, Danny Seigle was a free agent that anybody could have had. Until this week. When you think about it, he was actually practicing with them before, so this move was inevitable. It would have been done already if not for Kelly Williams being cleared to play.

This is probably not the only transaction that will be done and completed. As explained by Snow Badua for SPIN, TNT adding the Dynamite would result in the team exceeding the Fil-for limit of five players (Jimmy Alapag, Sean Anthony, Harvey Carey, Ali Peek & Williams are on the active roster, with Rob Reyes in the injured/reserved list). I am very sure they will figure out how to juggle the roster, which has them putting the Dynamite on reserve (h/t to Job de Leon of GMA News).

And then there is this Danny Ildefonso rumor.



So is TNT the new Manong Brigade? Oi. Oi. Oi. Oi. Oi...

Reedley remains unbeaten in MMBL

With all the attention coming in the top tier secondary school teams that are grouped into Div I & Div II of the Metro Manila Basketball League (MMBL), the Reedley Silverbacks are flying in under the radar in their first stint in the league.

The school from Pasig are currently unbeaten in Div III-B of the MMBL after they demolished La Salle - Lipa, 71-43 for their third straight victory.

The combination of Jay Javelosa and Karbala Gueye was too much for La Salle-Lipa to handle, as the duo by themselves went on an 18-4 run to establish a 36-21 lead, while on the defensive end, their size forced their opponents to shoot from outside the lane.


Javelosa finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds while Gueye had 20 and 20 for the Nat Imson-coached side.

Ranger Dimaunahan led La Salle-Lipa with 14 markers.

In the MMBL's Div IV, Espiritu Santo Parochial School withstood a comeback from Southridge-C to secure a 68-59 win.

ESPS were up 20 early in the third before Jag Dagelet sparked Southridge's rally. The guard's defense, along with the offense from Mateo Gonzales, Alvin Yco and Kyle Trinidad cut the lead down to eight.

However, ESPS regained their momentum once Dagelet replaced and even when he returned to the floor, it was not enough to stem the tide.

The Trequartista Sweeper: Post-scripting Season 75 UAAP Football

With the UAAP about to resume football for Season 76, it is sort of appropriate to look back at the previous season.

I was blessed enough last season with the chance and opportunity to be able to cover the games at the Erenchun and Ocampo Fields inside the campus of my alma mater. It was an enjoyable experience, having been able to watch most of the games and being able to write about them for a consistent basis.

And now, I have been blessed to be able to do that again for this upcoming season. This time, the games will be at FEU-Diliman and its turf field.

Here are some things I took out of the coverage during the course of last season.

I am impressed with how Ateneo handled themselves on their title run. They never made late mistakes that cost themselves games and points. In fact, they managed to even steal some points. Yes, they only lost once, and that was a decisive second half defeat against arch-rivals La Salle to snap a winning streak, but they got some poise and composure that keeps them on even keel and with some swag to boot. (Case in point, their 2nd round draw vs FEU). Kudos to the senior leadership (Murayama, Mabanag and Tuazon) and the coaching staff for setting things straight.

It's impressive how National University performed in their first foray in UAAP football. Growing pains is to be expected, but still, not finishing last is an achievement in itself for the Bulldogs. They have some interesting parts, and knowing how they have been in the other sports, it won't be a surprise if they can figure themselves to be in the chase for the Final Four. What I would like to see is if they can already build a women's team (and a juniors squad) in the future.

Speaking of which, I do hope that Adamson will be fielding a football team soon. They are the only one that does not field a men's team this season. Ditto for Adamson, NU and UE for the women's side.

It remains to be fascinating how the UAAP is unique with their set-up. Going with a playoff to break ties is a classic thing for the league to do. It pretty much rendered the impressive and gaudy goal difference of FEU as irrelevant. I find the Final Four format as okay, since there are leagues (namely Major League Soccer) who have a postseason format.

Here are the winners from the awarding ceremonies last season, in case you have forgotten:

Ladies'

2nd Runner-up: University of Santo Tomas
1st Runner-up: De La Salle University
Rookie of the Year: Toni Zoemima Nolasco (De La Salle University)
Best Defender: Mea Bernal (Far Eastern University)
Best Midfielder: Loreta Ladero (Far Eastern University)
Best Goalkeeper: Inna Palacios (De La Salle University)
Fair Play: University of Santo Tomas
Best Striker: Barbie Ann Sobredo (Far Eastern University)
Most Valuable Player: Barbie Ann Sobredo (Far Eastern University)
Champions: Far Eastern University

Men's

2nd Runner-up: Far Eastern University
1st Runner-up: University of the Philippines
Rookie of the Year: Leo Carlo Liay (Ateneo de Manila University)
Best Defender: Gregory Norman Yang (De La Salle University)
Best Midfielder: Michael Jeremy Mabanag (Ateneo de Manila University)
Best Goalkeeper: Nicholas Michael O'Donnell (Ateneo de Manila University)
Best Striker: Jesus Joaquin Melliza (Far Eastern University)
Fair Play: Far Eastern University
Most Valuable Player: Nicholas Michael O'Donnell (Ateneo de Manila University)
Champions: Ateneo de Manila University

Juniors'

2nd Runner-up: De La Salle-Zobel
1st Runner-up: Ateneo de Manila University
Rookie of the Year: Javier Augustine Gayoso (Ateneo de Manila University)
Best Defender: Audie Menzi (Far Eastern University)
Best Midfielder: Javier Augustine Gayoso (Ateneo de Manila University)
Best Goalkeeper: Dave Parac (Far Eastern University)
Best Striker: Harold Alcoresa (Far Eastern University)
Fair Play: Ateneo de Manila University
Champions: Far Eastern University
Most Valuable Player: Audie Menzi (Far Eastern University)

Here are my choices for the All-UAAP XI in the men's division last season:

All-UAAP 1st Team

Melliza (FEU) - Valmayor (UP) - Da. Diamante (DLSU)

Amita (FEU) - Bugas (FEU) - Mabanag (Ateneo)

Bonoan (Ateneo) - Seguinal (UP) - Yang (DLSU) - Fernandez (UP)

Deyto (DLSU)

All-UAAP 2nd Team

Giganto (FEU)

A. Antipolo (NU) - Liay (Ateneo) - Villasenor (FEU) - Calvo (Ateneo) - Alquiros (DLSU)

Amisola (DLSU) - Chio (FEU) - Noel (Ateneo) - Tuazon (Ateneo)

O'Donnell (Ateneo)

All-UAAP 3rd Team

Rabaya (DLSU)

Celdran (DLSU) - De. Diamante (DLSU) - Gadia (UP) - Felongco (UST) - De Guzman (UP)

Baya (UP) - Marcelino (Ateneo) - Aguinaldo (FEU) -Yatco (UP)

M. Menzi (FEU)

UAAP Season 76 Football Schedule

Here is the consolidated schedule for collegiate football in the UAAP next week. All of the games will be held at the artificial pitch of FEU-Diliman.

Note: Games that are in italics are for women's football, while the game marked with an * is the televised LIVE game of the week on Studio 23.

Nov. 23 (Sat)

10 AM -  DLSU vs  UST
1 PM - UP vs UE
3 PM - FEU vs NU *

Nov. 24 (Sun)

1 PM - ADMU vs UST
3 PM - DLSU vs UP

Nov. 26 (Tue)

10 AM - ADMU vs FEU
1 PM - UST vs NU
3 PM - UE vs DLSU

Nov. 27 (Wed)

1 PM - FEU vs ADMU
3 PM - UST vs DLSU

Nov. 29 (Fri)

10 AM - UST vs ADMU
1 PM - NU vs UE
3 PM - DLSU vs UP *

Dec. 1 (Sun)

1 PM - UP vs UST
3 PM - DLSU vs FEU

Dec. 3 (Tue)

10 AM - ADMU vs  UE
1 PM - UST vs FEU
3 PM - UP vs NU

Dec. 6 (Fri)

3 PM - UE vs FEU *

Dec. 7 (Sat)

1 PM - FEU vs UP
3 PM - ADMU vs DLSU

Dec. 8 (Sun)

1 PM - NU vs  DLSU
3 PM - UP vs ADMU

Dec. 13 (Fri)

3 PM - UST vs UE *

Dec. 14 (Sat)

1 PM - UP vs ADMU
3 PM - UST vs FEU

Dec. 15 (Sun)

1 PM - FEU vs UP
3 PM - ADMU vs DLSU

Dec. 18 (Wed)

1 PM - NU vs ADMU
3 PM - UP vs UST

Dec. 20 (Fri)

3 PM - DLSU vs FEU *

PBA Post-draft Deconstruction, Part II AND All-Filipino Cup Preview

Now that I have time to sink into these matters, time to dive in further with the draft additions:

Barangay Ginebra: Greg Slaughter (1st, 1st), James Forrester (1st, 4th), John Usita (4th, 33rd), Alvin Padilla (5th, 39th), Jens Knuttel (6th, 42nd)

Roster: Bryan Faundo, James Forrester, Billy Mamaril, Josh Urbiztondo, LA Tenorio, Emman Monfort, Jay-J Helterbrand, Jay-r Reyes, Greg Slaughter, Japeth Aguilar, Dylan Ababou, Chris Ellis, Mac Baracael, Mark Caguioa.

Projected Depth Chart:

Starters: Tenorio, Caguioa, Ellis, Aguilar, Slaughter
1st tier Reserves: Urbiztondo, Helterbrand, Forrester, Baracael, Reyes
2nd tier Reserves: Monfort, Ababou, Mamaril, Faundo

Alfrancis Chua may not be coaching this team in an official capacity, but this team is clearly his vision. If if hasn't happened already, LA Tenorio is seizing control of the operation away from Caguioa. Uptempo aggressive offense, especially if he has runners alongside him like Japeth, James and Chris.

San Mig Coffee: Ian Sangalang (1st, 2nd), Isaac Holstein (1st, 7th), Justin Melton (2nd, 13th), JR Cawaling (3rd, 30th)

Roster: Justin Melton, Rafi Reavis, Isaac Holstein, JR Cawaling, PJ Simon, Ian Sangalang, Alex Mallari, Andy Barroca, Marc Pingris, James Yap, Jerwin Gaco, Val Acuna, Joe Devance, Yancy de Ocampo

Reserves: Lester Alvarez, Allein Maliksi

Projected Depth Chart:

Starters: Barroca, Simon, Yap, Pingris, Devance
1st tier Reserves: Melton, Mallari, Reavis, de Ocampo, Sangalang
2nd tier Reserves: Holstein, Acuna, Cawaling, Gaco

Tim Cone's triangle continues to get upgrades while infusing a little youth. Sangalang can immediately contribute, and because they got good picks, they used it on projects. But the trusty reliables are still the same.

Rain or Shine: Raymond Almazan (1st, 3rd), Alex Nuyles (1st, 9th), Jeric Teng (2nd, 12th), Gayford Rodriguez (2nd, 19th), Ervic Vijandre (3rd, 29th)

Roster: Paul Lee, Gabe Norwood, Jireh Ibanes, Jeric Teng, Alex Nuyles, Larry Rodriguez, TY Tang, Jeff Chan, Chris Tiu, Ryan Arana, Jervy Cruz, Beau Belga, Ronnie Matias, JR Quinahan

Reserves: Jon Uyloan, Raymond Almazan (this was released before end of NCAA season, so he is here for now)

Starters: Lee, Chan, Norwood, Rodriguez, Belga
1st tier Reserves: Tiu, Arana, Nuyles, Cruz, Quinahan
2nd tier Reserves: Tang, Ibanes, Teng, Matias

It is a fruitless exercise trying to determine Yeng Guiao's depth chart, because he has interchangeable parts at his disposal, allowing him to have different combinations to field in different situations. He preaches readiness, effort AND defense. Those new additions will definitely allow Yeng to tinker with different things.

Barako Bull: Jeric Fortuna (2nd, 14th), Carlo Lastimosa (2nd, 20th), Darwin Cordero (3rd, 23rd), Jett Vidal (4th, 32nd), Mike Silungan (5th, 38th)

Roster: Denok Miranda, Jonas Villanueva, Dorian Pena, JC Intal, Ronjay Buenafe, Rob Labagala, Dave Marcelo, Willie Miller, Mark Isip, Jeric Fortuna, Willie Wilson, Keith Jensen, Mark Macapagal, Mick Pennisi

Reserves: Rico Maierhofer, Carlo Lastimosa

Projected Depth Chart:

Starters: Miranda, Miller, Buenafe, Isip, Pennisi
1st tier Reserves: Villanueva, Wilson, Intal, Macapagal, Pena
2nd tier Reserves: Fortuna, Labagala, Jensen, Marcelo

Their management wanted a set of veterans who can allow the team to contend. Pressure on Willie to rekindle the old Thriller Magic? Because other than him, where can they get the offense.

GlobalPort: Terrence Romeo (1st, 5th), RR Garcia (1st, 6th), Justin Chua (1st, 10th), Nico Salva (2nd, 11th), Jopher Custodio (3rd, 22nd), LA Revilla (3rd, 24th)

Roster: RR Garcia, Sol Mercado, Jondan Salvador, Terrence Romeo, Nico Salva, Jay Washington, Marvin Hayes, Leo Najorda, Jewel Ponferrada, Jaypee Belencion, Justin Chua, Kelly Nabong, LA Revilla, Eric Menk

Reserves: Enrico Villanueva, Jopher Custodio

Projected Depth Chart:

Starters: Garcia, Mercado, Washington, Nabong, Menk
1st tier Reserves: Romeo, Hayes, Salva, Salvador, Ponferrada
2nd tier Reserves: Revilla, Belencion, Najorda, Chua

BroNation has something to look forward to, but the question now is how ready is Richie Ticzon to be a head coach. Also curious will be how he uses Garcia & Romeo alongside Mercado. This is now Sol's team

Alaska: Ryan Buenafe (1st, 8th), Ping Exciminiano (2nd, 18th), Raymund Ilagan (3rd, 28th)

Roster: Sam Eman, Cyrus Baguio, Ping Exciminiano, Sonny Thoss, Calvin Abueva, Eddie Laure, Ryan Buenafe, Aldrech Ramos, Leo Avenido, Dondon Hontiveros, Gabby Espinas, RJ Jazul, Tony dela Cruz, Jvee Casio

Reserves: Paolo Bugia, Raphy Reyes

Projected Depth Chart:

Starters: Casio, Baguio, Hontiveros, Espinas, Thoss
1st tier Reserves: Jazul, Buenafe, Abueva, Avenido, Ramos
2nd tier Reserves: Exciminiano, Laure, Eman, dela Cruz

Like his mentor Cone, Luigi Trillo needed just minor tinkerings to his lineup, thus grabbing Buenafe from the draft. Exciminiano provides defense that Luigi craves. Otherwise, this is still the same core that gave fits to opponents.

Talk 'N Text: JP Erram (2nd, 15th), Robby Celiz (2nd, 17th), Eliud Poligrates (3rd, 27th), Oping Sumalinog (4th, 36th), Byron Villarias (5th, 41st)

Roster: Jimmy Alapag, Harvey Carey, Eliud Poligrates, Nonoy Baclao, Ryan Reyes, Sean Anthony, Larry Fonacier, Jai Reyes, Jayson Castro, Kelly Williams, John Ferriols, Ranidel de Ocampo, Ali Peek, Aaron Aban

Reserves: Rob Reyes, Robby Celiz

Projected Depth Chart:

Starters: Alapag, Castro, Fonacier, De Ocampo, Peek
1st tier Reserves: R. Reyes, Anthony, Carey, Williams, Baclao
2nd tier Reserves:  J. Reyes, Poligrates, Aban, Ferriols

The aging core is still present, Norman Black adding some youth juice in Baclao and the rookies, but the biggest addition is the return of Kelly Williams.

Air21: Eric Camson (2nd, 16th), Joshua Webb (3rd, 21st), Angelo Ingco (4th, 31st), Randolph Chua (5th, 37th)

Roster: Vic Manuel, Mac Cardona, KG Canaleta, Simon Atkins, Eric Camson, Bonbon Custodio, Ren-ren Ritualo, Carlo Sharma, Joseph Yeo, Wynne Arboleda, Ogie Menor, Elmer Espiritu, Michael Burtscher, Asi Taulava

Reserves: Mark Borboran

Projected Depth Chart:

Starters: Arboleda, Cardona, Canaleta, Menor, Taulava
1st tier Reserves: Custodio, Ritualo, Yeo, Manuel, Sharma
2nd tier Reserves: Atkins, Camson, Espiritu, Burtscher

Franz Pumaren basically is getting closer to his dream Green Archer offensive team. Mac Cardona gets the chance to retake his place as one of the top offensive players in the league.

Petron: Sam Marata (3rd, 25th), Nate Matute (5th, 34th)

Roster: Chris Lutz, Alex Cabagnot, Chris Ross, Jason Deutchman, Paulo Hubalde, Marcio Lassiter, Doug Kramer, June Mar Fajardo, Chico Lanete, Yousef Taha, Arwind Santos, Ronald Tubid

Projected Depth Chart:

Starters: Cabagnot, Lutz, Tubid, Santos, Fajardo
1st tier Reserves: Ross, Lanete, Lassiter, Kramer, Taha
2nd tier Reserves: Hubalde, Deutchman

Same lineup, but the question is will the offensive philosophy reorient itself.

Meralco: Anjo Caram (3rd, 26th), Mike Parala (4th, 35th), Mark Lopez (5th, 40th), Ron Guevarra (6th, 43rd), Mark Bringas (7th, 44th)

Rosters: AJ Mandani, Nelbert Omolon, John Wilson, Cliff Hodge, Don Allado, Mike Cortez, Paul Artadi, Jared Dillinger, Reynel Hugnatan, Rey Guevarra, Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Gary David, James Sena, Sunday Salvacion

Reserves: Kerby Raymundo

Projected Depth Chart:

Starters: Cortez, David, Salvacion, Hugnatan, Al-Hussaini
1st tier Reserves: Mandani, Wilson, Dillinger, Hodge, Allado
2nd tier Reserves: Artadi, Guevara, Omolon, Sena

Meralco underwent a makeover that would be akin to what Ryan Gregorio wants. The key will be when Kerby returns to the lineup. It showed flashes of what they can do in the last conference.

BIG short-sleeved Jerseys come Christmas

I don't mind wearing these when I am out on the road or something like that, but I just don't like the idea of Blake, Chris, DJ wearing these on an actual NBA game.

Here is their press release:

Following the success of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) “BIG Color” holiday campaign in 2012, the league announced today the continuation of the BIG holiday tradition by unveiling an all-new “BIG Logo” platform tied to the marquee Christmas Day matchups. As part of the holiday campaign, adidas will unveil new uniforms featuring team logos that all 10 teams will wear on Dec. 25.

The campaign will include a TV spot to promote the uniforms titled “Jingle Hoops” which will feature six players: the Miami Heat’s LeBron James, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Kevin Durant, the Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose, the Houston Rockets’ James Harden, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Steve Nash and the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry. On the heels of last year’s award-winning “BIG Color” campaign that garnered more than 8 million YouTube views, the featured players recreate the wintertime classic “One-horse Open Sleigh” through a series of choreographed three-point shots -- all while dressed in their “BIG Logo” uniforms.

“Last season’s 'BIG Color' holiday campaign was an overwhelming success, grabbing the attention of our fans, and we wanted to find a way to top it,” said Jamie Gallo, NBA Executive Vice President, Marketing. “This season, we’re back with the game’s biggest stars to deliver an engaging and festive sequence that showcases another creative use of basketball skill.”



Highlighted in the spot are the new “BIG Logo” uniforms that feature team logos in reflective chrome as the focal point on the short-sleeve jerseys. To complete the uniforms, jerseys are paired with an ultra-lightweight short with chrome piping.

“We worked closely with adidas to create an innovative new uniform design for our Christmas Day games,” said Sal LaRocca, NBA Executive Vice President, Global Merchandising. "The BIG Logo collection will provide a unique look on-court and a variety of products for our fans."

The uniforms are part of the adidas NBA “BIG Logo” Holiday Collection, which includes new warm-up jackets and shooting shirts that feature print graphics inspired by knit holiday sweaters. The warm-up jackets feature team logos on the front chest and BIG team logos on the back, both made of chenille patches. Fans can purchase the adidas NBA “BIG Logo” Holiday Collection at NBAStore.com, the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue in New York City, and team retailers beginning on Nov. 14.

Jayhawk-on-Jayhawk crime

There are no words.

Football sectors join forces for Yolanda Relief

Super Typhoon Yolanda ravaged through the Visayas region over the weekend. Among those that were severely hit is the island of Leyte, which is the home province of the senior men's national team manager Dan Palami and senior women's national team head coach Ernie Nierras.

Relief efforts are being conducted by the different sectors and society, including the Philippine football community.

The United Football League announced on Tuesday that they have earmarked proceeds from ticket sales off the UFL Cup matches from the Round of 16 onwards until the UFL Cup Final in December to the relief effort. Tickets for the games cost PhP 50 for the bleachers and PhP 100 for the grandstand.

This is in addition to having the Emperador Stadium act as a drop-off point for donations whenever the UFL Cup matches are ongoing.

Meanwhile, football fans are enjoined to bring donations of either in cash or kind to the Mercato Centrale at the Bonifacio Global City on November 15, starting at 4pm until 3am the next day. Priority for donations in kind are water, ready-to-eat food, mats, blankets, and first aid items.

Organized by some of the Azkals supporters, this is in conjunction with a previously planned Thanksgiving day for the national team, to be highlighted by a live airing for the FIFA International friendly involving the Philippines and India at 9pm.

Other football institutions overseas have joined in the clamor for assistance with regards to relief operations.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter revealed in a couple of tweets that he wrote a letter to Philippine Football Federation. On that letter, he expressed his "sadness and sympathy," as well as reassuring the federation that FIFA is on hand to provide "special assistance" if need be.

Football clubs like Juventus have tweeted out means to donate for relief operations, while Liverpool posted a letter from one of its Filipino fans.

MOB wins 2013 Danny Espiritu Cup

Erwin Cornejo nailed a three-pointer with two seconds left in the second overtime to give MOB a 91-88 victory over Skyforce to take the 2013 Danny Espiritu Cup at the Makati Coliseum this past Sunday.

Leo Avenido had tied the game at 88 for Skyforce, before Jeff Tajonera found Cornejo for the game-winner.

Mac Montilla led the champions with 28 points, nine of those came in the two extensions. Raymond Maconocido added 15, while Tajonera finished with 13 markers.

MOB played Game 3 without key players Jopher Custodio and Jeff Viernes. They forced a winner-take-all after taking Game 2, 85-67. Skyforce had taken Game 1 of their best-of-three series, 94-49.

MC Caceres led the back-to-back runners-up with 18 points, with Avenido adding 14.

31st Seaoil MMBL begins this weekend

The 31st edition of the Seaoil Metro Manila Basketball League (MMBL) is scheduled to tip off this weekend in different venues all across the Metro, with 48 high schools taking part in five divisions, which includes one for girls for a second consecutive season.

Founded by the legendary Ato Badolato, the MMBL aims to be the venue for high school players to continue their season after their respective mother leagues conclude their season in October. For the graduating players, this is their penultimate competition before they go to college.

From its simple beginnings, the MMBL has now evolved into a multiple-division league, with the top teams from UAAP tangle with their NCAA and Tiong Lian counterparts, while the smaller schools get the chance to gauge themselves against top-tier competition.

Once again, the MMBL has tied up with the Seaoil National Basketball Training Center, which serves as the grassroots hub of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pillipinas (SBP). The league now serves as the Metro Manila hub for the Seaoil National High School Basketball Championships that is scheduled to take place next year.

The Opening ceremonies will begin on Sunday, but matches in the lower divisions as well as the lone girls division will already be underway on Saturday.

The reigning champions for the boys' division are:

Div I: Hope Christian High School
Div II: Faith Academy
Div III: Colegio de San Benildo
Div IV: National University - C

The participating educational institutions:

Adamson University	Marist School
Ateneo De Manila University	National University
Caritas Don Bosco School	Our Lady of Fatima University
Chiang Kai Shek College	Quezon City Science High School
Colegio de San Juan de Letran	Reedley International School
Colegio San Agustin Biñan	Rich Golden Shower Montessori
Colegio San Benildo Rizal	San Beda College
De La Salle Lipa	San Beda College Alabang
De La Salle University Integrated School	Southridge
De La Salle Zobel	St. Benilde International School
Diliman Preparatory School	St. Dominic College Alabang
Emilio Aguinaldo College	St. James Academy
Escuela de Sophia of Caloocan	St. Jude Catholic School
Espiritu Santo Parochial School	St. Michael College Laguna
Faith Academy	St. Stephen High School
Far Eastern University	St. Thomas More Academy
Hope Christian High School	The Seed Montessori School
International School Manila	Trinity University
Jubilee Christian Academy	University of Perpetual Help Delta System
Kings Montessori	University of Santo Tomas
La Salle College Antipolo	University of the Philippines Integrated School
La Salle Greenhills	UNO High School
Lourdes School Mandaluyong	Valenuela Christian School
Malayan Institute of Technology	Xavier School

Gary David can understand and relate to Anthony Bennett

The stat hounds are currently out for Anthony Bennett.

The top overall draft pick in the current NBA Draft has not yet made a field goal so far in four games (spanning 15 tries) this season. The increased attention might be getting to him, after making initial thoughts about going "off-grid" while he deals with his struggles.

This is not a knock on Bennett, it is a little unfair that there is increasing criticism on him given the small sample size and all, in addition to the fact that he is doing the other aspects (rebounding, defending) that Mike Brown is asking him to do.

However  there is the off-chance that the Canadian might be pressing offensively in trying to get that 0-fer out of his system?

Then I remember Gary David. Make that, we all remember Gary David last August.

El Granada was totally struggling for SMART-Gilas Pilipinas in the early stages of the FIBA-Asia tournament. He went 2/18 in the first round, 0/7 against Jordan and Chinese-Taipei combined.

Then, I remember how we all came out to egg him on. To provide him with confidence. I remember how Jimmy Alapag and LA Tenorio as point guards trying to help him by running plays for him.

Then this happened.



The Filipino hoops fan arguably is one of the smartest ones out there. They knew that they'll need him at one point in the tournament, and they were right, if only for this game alone.



Cleveland knows that they need him to contribute, eventually. They know that right now, Andrew Bynum and Anderson Varejao have been around to shoulder the burden along with Tristan Thompson, but knowing the injury history of both players, it might be a stretch to expect them to be available for the whole season.

I am very sure that Mike Brown and his coaching staff, as well as Kyrie Irving and Jarrett Jack are doing what they can to get him off the offensive schneid.

Boston (Strong) Red Sox

In the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing, the Boston Red Sox has pretty much dedicated the rest of the season towards the city. Something that David Ortiz effectively spoke of their first home game since the incident.



Now that they sealed their third World Series in the last 10 years, they reaffirm that dedication in something that they have released in their local papers.

PBA Post-draft Deconstruction, Part I

Update: Two days after the draft, GlobalPort engineers a trade that sends Isaac Holstein to SanMig for Justin Chua and Leo Najorda. Now including in this post.

Before we proceed with the draft discussion postscript, we illustrate the result of the 2013 PBA Draft, first:

Round	Team	Pick	Trade Notes
1st	Barangay Ginebra	Greg Slaughter
1st	SanMig Coffee	Ian Sangalang
1st	Rain or Shine	Raymond Almazan
1st	Barako Bull	James Forrester	Pick traded to BGK in exchange for Rico Maierhofer & Willie Wilson
1st	Barako Bull	Terrence Romeo	Pick traded to Petron in exchange for Mark Isip & Magi Sison, who then traded pick to GlobalPort in exchange for Yousef Taha
1st	Barako Bull	RR Garcia	Pick traded to GlobalPort for Denok Miranda
1st	GlobalPort	Isaac Holstein	Pick traded to SanMig in exchange for Justin Chua & Leo Najorda
1st	Alaska	Ryan Buenafe
1st	Rain or Shine	Alex Nuyles
1st	SanMig Coffee	Justin Chua	Pick traded to GlobalPort, along with Leo Najorda in exchange for Isaac Holstein
2nd	GlobalPort	Nico Salva
2nd	Rain or Shine	Jeric Teng
2nd	SanMig Coffee	Justin Melton
2nd	Barako Bull	Jeric Fortuna
2nd	Alaska	JP Erram	Pick traded to Talk 'N Text in exchange for 2015 2nd round pick
2nd	Air21	Eric Camson
2nd	Talk 'N Text	Robby Celiz
2nd	Alaska	Ping Exciminiano
2nd	Rain or Shine	Gayford Rodriguez
2nd	Barako Bull	Carlo Lastimosa
3rd	Air21	Joshua Webb
3rd	GlobalPort	Jopher Custodio
3rd	Barako Bull	Darwin Cordero
3rd	Barangay Ginebra	LA Revilla	Pick traded to GlobalPort, along with 2016 & 2017 2nd round picks in exchange for 2014 1st round pick
3rd	Petron	Sam Marata
3rd	Meralco	Anjo Caram
3rd	Talk 'N Text	Eliud Poligrates
3rd	Alaska	Raymund Ilagan
3rd	Rain or Shine	Ervic Vijandre
3rd	SanMig Coffee	JR Cawaling
4th	GlobalPort	PASS
4th	Air21	Angelo Ingco
4th	Barako Bull	Jett Vidal
4th	Barangay Ginebra	John Usita
4th	Petron	Nate Matute
4th	Meralco	Mike Parala
4th	Talk 'N Text	Oping Sumalinog
4th	Alaska	PASS
4th	Rain or Shine	PASS
4th	SanMig Coffee	PASS
5th	Air21	Randolph Chua
5th	GlobalPort	PASS
5th	Barako Bull	Mike Silungan
5th	Barangay Ginebra	Alvin Padilla
5th	Petron	PASS
5th	Meralco	Mark Lopez
5th	Talk 'N Text	Byron Villarias
5th	Alaska	PASS
5th	Rain or Shine	PASS
5th	SanMig Coffee	PASS
6th	GlobalPort	PASS
6th	Air21	PASS
6th	Barako Bull	PASS
6th	Barangay Ginebra	Jens Knuttel
6th	Petron	PASS
6th	Meralco	Ron Guevarra
6th	Talk 'N Text	PASS
6th	Alaska	PASS
6th	Rain or Shine	PASS
6th	SanMig Coffee	PASS
7th	Air21	PASS
7th	GlobalPort	PASS
7th	Barako Bull	PASS
7th	Barangay Ginebra	PASS
7th	Petron	PASS
7th	Meralco	Mark Bringas
7th	Talk 'N Text	PASS
7th	Alaska	PASS
7th	Rain or Shine	PASS
7th	SanMig Coffee	PASS

Breaking down the 2013 PBA Draft Pool - Forwards

84 named filed their application to the PBA Draft (of course, the league will whittle that down after vetting the list).

Time to figure out who these are, based on how I remember them / after doing minimal research.

Part II - The Forwards.

The list has 16 players listed as forwards. It does not have the cache like Raymond, Greg or Ian, but a solid group.

Leading the cast is Nico Salva and Eric Camson, two UAAP standouts who became teammates at NLEX. Camson's teammate with the Falcons, Alex Nuyles, is a standout small forward and will be a late first-rounder to an early second round selection.

A key asset in Blackwater's run to their inaugural title,  Robby Celiz could be a possibility in the 2nd round.

Then we have a couple of JRU Bombers alumni in John Lopez and Jeckster Apinan, both of whom managed to average close to 10 rebounds a game in the NCAA at one point. Another solid player would be Dave Najorda.

Meanwhile, while we recognize the rise of the Perpetual Altas now, Raffy Ynion carried them back in their dark ages. Although undersized, he was their best player on the floor.

A couple of notable collegiate names that lost their luster are also in the draft in Joshua Webb and Paul Sanga. One might say that in Webb's case, it was more high school than college.

Breaking down the PBA Draft Pool - Guards

The PBA has officially whittled down the final list of draftees to 79.

Time to figure out who these are, based on how I remember them / doing minimal research.

The Swingmen:

Five players listed themselves as G/F on the PBA Draft database: three of them are of familiar note.

James Forrester is athletic and explosive. He may not be ideal as a top offensive option (see the disappointment of Arellano's Season 89 campaign), but as a complementary piece, he'll be a good addition.

Mike Silungan was one of the biggest name prospects coming into college, but he was unable to elevate the UP Maroons to relevance during his stay. His shooter reputation could get him drafted.

Oping Sumalinog will do whatever is asked. Versatile role player that was hidden amongst the stars of the Blue and White.

Guards:

JR Cawaling feels like he can possibly replicate Allein Maliksi's skill set. Sam Marata tried to carry a UP team in Season 76 in vain. But he can be a contributor off the bench.

Ryan Buenafe is one of the top prospects due to his basketball IQ. If you can work around your initial concerns with conditioning, he will be a major asset.

Jeric Teng's stock rose after his UAAP Finals performance for UST. 

Need size from playmaking position? Carlo Lastimosa and Mark Lopez can give that, with the Benilde product a better prospect on the offensive end.

Then we have the JRU prospects in Nate Matute and Byron Villarias.

The NCAA last season was all about Jett-Sanity. Jett Vidal was a scoring machine for the Perpetual Altas. He could be a possible 2nd rounder.

Need a pass-first PG, Jens Knuttel can give you that. He's among the best PGs in the D-League.

Justin Melton is an athletic freak. But is raw. Similarly, Eliud Poligrates has talent, but needs work on making the right decisions.

The two top guard prospects in the draft played together in the UAAP, in RR Garcia and Terrence Romeo.

Garcia is the more pro-ready prospect. Can play both guard spots. Romeo has a higher ceiling, but needs more polishing. Both can score like heck, especially Romeo.

Sleeper potential? There is a Zamboanga-based draftee named Darwin Cordero who has the guard chops.

Solid PGs also available in Anjo Caram, Jeric Fortuna and LA Revilla. In the latter's case, only his health concerns is the hindrance.

2013 PBA Rookie Draft this Sunday

The local basketball world will once again gaze their eyes towards the Robinson's Midtown on Sunday, November 3, as the opening event of the new PBA season beckons in the 2013 PBA Rookie Draft.

With a promising crop of hopefuls, 79 in all, the league's ten teams look set to upgrade their lineups in time for the All-Filipino conference set to tip off on November 17 in Manila, Cebu & Davao.

Headlining the draft is a trio of big men that carved their name in the UAAP, NCAA and the D-League that could possibly be a foil to June Mar Fajardo for the next few years.

Greg Slaughter, Ian Sangalang and Raymond Almazan are expected to go 1-2-3 in that order for Barangay Ginebra, SanMig Coffee and Rain or Shine, respectively.

Other standouts in the draft include reigning UAAP MVP Terrence Romeo, former UAAP MVP RR Garcia, UST skipper Jeric Teng, LA Revilla of the newly-UAAP champions De La Salle University, ABL standouts Justin Melton and Jeric Fortuna, Arellano scoring threat James Forrester, and stalwarts of the recent Ateneo dynasty in the UAAP in Nico Salva, Justin Chua, JP Erram and Ryan Buenafe.

The draft will be shown LIVE on TV5, starting at 4pm.

1st Round Draft Order:

1. Barangay Ginebra
2. SanMig Coffee
3. Rain or Shine
4. Barako Bull
5. Barako Bull
6. Barako Bull
7. GlobalPort
8. Alaska
9. Rain or Shine
10. SanMig Coffee

2nd Round Draft Order:

1. GlobalPort
2. Rain or Shine
3. SanMig Coffee
4. Barako Bull
5. Air21
6. Alaska
7. Talk 'N Text
8. Alaska
9. Rain or Shine
10. Barako Bull

Succeeding Rounds

1. Air21 or GlobalPort (alternating between rounds)
2. GlobalPort or Air21 (alternating between rounds)
3. Barako Bull
4. Barangay Ginebra
5. Petron
6. Meralco
7. Talk 'N Text
8. Alaska
9. Rain or Shine
10. SanMig Coffee