Pinto, Mammie named as latest Premier Cup weekly winners

From HoopNut

Arellano University's Nard Pinto was named as the Master Best Player of the Week for May 22-25 in the FilOil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup.

The point guard skippered the Chiefs to wins over San Beda and Jose Rizal University to end their regular season at 6-2, prompting comparisons by Koy Banal to Denok Miranda. He averaged 16.5 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals in securing the two wins.

Joining him in the Gatorade Best Five are Roi Sumang of UE, Noube Happi of EAC, Rodney Brondial of Adamson and Aljon Mariano of UST.

Meanwhile, Sumang's teammate Charles Mammie snagged the Gatorade Defensive Player of the Week after averaging 12 rebounds in their victories over Lyceum and La Salle to keep their winning streak going.

Ateneo, La Salle renew rivalry this weekend at FilOil

The much-awaited first meeting between bitter arch-rivals Ateneo de Manila and La Salle will finally take place this weekend, putting a bow to the regular season portion of the FilOil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup.

The Green Archers just formalized their entry into the crossover quarterfinals with a 64-45 victory over Letran, a win that towed the University of Santo Tomas along with them to the next round and eliminating the Knights in the process. The campaign has yielded positive signs with their talented and deep roster, namely the development of Jason Perkins and Gab Reyes. They did however suffer a minor blow with Yutien Andrada's knee injury that will sideline him for the season.

Meanwhile, Ateneo spent most of May in the United States and Japan for their annual summer training. Aimed as part of their preparations for the upcoming 76th season of the UAAP, the Blue Eagles only arrived home this past Sunday. Their Premier Cup campaign has been virtually spotless, save for their 63-57 defeat to UST, although they had to deal injuries to key cogs like Poy Erram, Kris Porter and G-Boy Babilonia. Although with a new head coach in Bo Perasol, they still have championship stalwarts Kiefer Ravena, Juami Tiongson and Frank Golla, alongside key newcomers in Vince Tolentino and Chris Newsome.

The rivalry kicks off the second half of their double-header at the San Juan Arena. La Salle remains undefeated against the Blue Eagles in this competition, but those victories remain untranslated into UAAP play, where Ateneo seeks to make history in trying to cop an unprecedented sixth straight UAAP men's basketball crown.

At stake in this year's edition is the seeding of Group B. The winner will get the top-seed in the division and go up against the 4th seed of Group A. The University of East will secured the second seed if Ateneo wins, or third seed if La Salle wins.

Opening the double-header is Adamson against San Beda at 2pm. Both teams have already secured a quarterfinal spot at 5-2, with the winner securing the 3rd seed of Group A, behind an unbeaten National University and a 6-2 Arellano University.

The Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup is presented by Hanes and Vulcaseal/Bostick. The collegiate basketball tournament is co-presented by Master Facial Wash, Starmobile, Meralco and San Mig Coffee. Sponsors include DHL, Nature’s Spring, Reyes BBQ, Banco de Oro and Bayo. Minor sponsors include Molten, Brother’s Burger, San Marino, Bank of the Philippine Islands and Bacchus Energy Drink.

Note: Adamson's Jericho Cruz was named as the Master Game Face Player of the Week for May 15-18. Joining him on the Gatorade First Five are La Salle's Jason Perkins, NU's Alfred Aroga, UE's Ralf Olivarez and San Beda's Art dela Cruz. The Gatorade Defensive Player of the Week is UE's JR Sumido.

PFF U-23 Suzuki Cup Final Set

It will be a Visayas versus Mindanao battle that would determine who will be the PFF U-23 Suzuki Cup champions on Thursday, May 30 in Dumaguete City.

Defending champions Negros Occidental will have a chance to retain their championship, after dispatching their rivals and 2011 finalists Iloilo, 2-0. Jimuel Ariola at Joshua Beloya both scored in the second half to get them through the final.

They will be facing Davao, who needed extra time to beat North Cotabato, 1-0. Francis Jay Abaluran is credited with the game-winner six minutes into the 1st half of ET.

Negros Occidental, sponsored by Ceres and Davao, sponsored by Medvil, have met previously during the eliminations of the competition, where the Negrenses won, 5-0.

The finalists will be bolstered by well-known names in the collegiate and UFL ranks. Negros Occidental has Joshua Beloya, Jinggoy Valmayor and Reymark Fernandez, while Davao has Michael Simms and the Diamante brothers in David and Derrico.

Kickoff for the final is pegged at 2:30pm, while Iloilo and North Cotabato will participate in a 3rd place playoff at 8:30am.

The competition is part of the continuing involvement of Suzuki Philippines with the development of football in the Philippines, with the goal of finding new talent that would eventually lead to the growth of home-grown stars in the football scene. This partnership, established since 2011 in the aftermath of the country's achievements in the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup, is supplemented with sports programs and football clinics.

Crucial matches highlight Monday Premier Cup action

Three seniors matches highlight the Monday basketball action at the San Juan Arena as the group stage matches of the FilOil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup winds down this week.

The first game of the seniors triple-header features San Beda against fellow NCAA opponent College of Saint Benilde. The Red Lions at 4-2 can officially book their seat in the quarterfinals with a win, while the Blazers at 3-4 can still make a play for a quarterfinals spot with a win, trying to follow-up their upset of Far Eastern University in their last fixture. Two slots to the next round have already been sewn up by National University and Arellano University.

The second game features two also-rans in Lyceum and Emilio Aguinaldo College at 145pm. The Pirates are still looking for their first victory in the Premier Cup, while the Generals want to end their campaign on a winning note.

The final game of the seniors triple-header features La Salle trying to bounce back from their 60-53 loss against UE this past Saturday against a Letran side still seeking a chance to play in the quarterfinals. The Knights own a 4-3 record and are tied with UST in the chase for the remaining two spots in Group B. The Archers are at 5-1 and will end their campaign against Ateneo this Saturday. They play at 330pm.

Tiebreakers will be broken by either wins over the other or via quotient.


The Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup is presented by Hanes and Vulcaseal/Bostick. The collegiate basketball tournament is co-presented by Master Facial Wash, Starmobile, Meralco, and San Mig Coffee. Sponsors include DHL, Nature’s Spring, Reyes BBQ, Banco De Oro, and Bayo. Minor sponsors include Molten, Brother’s Burger, San Marino, Bank of the Philippine Islands, and Bacchus Energy Drink.

Nike reveals new England kit

Sporting apparel titan Nike revealed the latest kit for England national team on Monday, highlighting the Football Association's 150th anniversary.

Marking the FA's anniversary on the new kit, Nike uses the three lions crest and adorns its dark blue hue with a gold border, a gold star to mark their lone World Cup title in 1966, and a gold ribbon graphic with the inscription of "150 years." The ribbon is sandwiched by the years 1863 and 2013.

Reflecting the sleekness and style of English fashion, the white kit will have a dark blue classic crew neck collar, the exact color that had been used on the first kit. To add, St. George's cross subtly adorns the hem of the shirt.

To go along with white top, the shorts will be completely dark blue, and the socks are to be white, with a thin dark blue band on top of it.

The simplistic, clean and distinctive design won't be complete without some technological features aimed to bring the best out of the one who wears it.

It weighs 23 percent less that the previous Nike kits at 150 grams. The fabric has Nike Dri-Fit technology that is designed to draw sweat away from the body through the fabric, where it can evaporate in order for players to be cool and dry. To aid it further, ventilation zones consisting of tiny laser-cut holes are located underneath both arms and at the shorts' waistband for additional comfort and cooling. The mesh panel at the back allows for increased air circulation.

In addition the kit, which has a twenty percent stronger knit structure and significantly improved stretch, uses bonded T-bars to support the seams at key points and inner welded seams with a clean finish to give a more striking appearance, while also increasing comfort and performance.

The kit also has an environment-friendly aspect to it, as it is made from recycled polyester. The shirts and shots that comprise the kit use up to thirteen recycled plastic water bottles in its construction.

From a plastic water bottle, it is chopped into flakes, which would then be melted to form yarn that can be used to spin the fabric. This method of developing polyester saves energy consumption by about 30 percent. Nike has used 1.1 billion bottles in this manner since 2010.



It is important to note that with all the innovations and technology put on the clothing, it is still up to the one wearing it who wins and loses games. As such, Nike takes the emphasis on that with its marketing campaign for the new kit. They also want to highlight that the kit belongs to the nation and not just to the ones who have been privileged enough to have represented England.

This specific emphasis can be seen with how Nike initially revealed the design. England international Jack Wilshere went back to his old stomping grounds at The Priory School in Hitchin, Hertfordshire. It was there that the Arsenal midfielder first worked on his dream to be playing for the Three Lions.

From observing a practice session, Jack selected one of the students to be the first one to officially wear the new kit. According to him, "his commitment and work-rate really impressed me today, he showed that it’s what you do on the pitch that matters — from your first match as a nine year-old all the way up to the international stage.”



Nike has also released next season's kits for the champions of four European leagues, (Turkey's Galatasaray, Italy's Juventus, France's Paris Saint-Germain and Spain's Barcelona).

Hibbert denial

This is one of the coolest photos of the NBA postseason. H/T to Matt Kryger of the Indianapolis Star for this great shot.

Red Lions and Red Warriors look to bolster Premier Cup QF positioning

San Beda and the University of the East look to secure quarterfinal slots against separate opposition in the FilOil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup later today at the San Juan Arena.

Currently in second place, the Red Lions will face Arellano University in the first seniors match at 1245pm. The defending NCAA champions look to overtake their opponents with a victory today, as they try to secure the second slot in Group A for the crossover quarterfinals behind National University, who finished regular season play unbeaten at 8-0.

With Rome dela Rosa, Arthur dela Cruz, Ola Adeogun and Baser Amer, San Beda beat Far Eastern University, 80-76 this past Saturday, while the Chiefs have back-to-back losses after a 4-game winning streak. SBC Head Coach Boyet Fernandez noted the strong play of the AU veterans, led by James Forrester, Prince Caperal and Nard Pinto, and as such, they want to improve their perimeter defense to secure that 4th win.

UE, on the other hand, is highly favored to secure its fifth win as they face a winless Lyceum side at 230pm. The Red Warriors dispatched UST, 85-68 on Saturday and would be looking at ensuring their hold on at least 3rd place in Group B, with the Tigers and the Letran Knights chasing the remaining quarterfinal spots. Their head coach, Boycie Zamar still is looking for the team to be more consistent in games during the preseason. They will end their regular season campaign against La Salle this weekend.

The 3-1 San Beda Red Lions and the 4-2 University of the East Red Warriors take on Arellano University and Lyceum of the Philippines University respectively when the Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup resumes today at the San Juan Arena.

The final match of the seniors triple-header will feature two teams already eliminated from the Premier Cup postseason play. A 2-4 San Sebastian side will face fellow NCAA team Emilio Aguinaldo College that remains winless in divisional play. Golden Stags head coach (and newly-minted PBA champion assistant coach) Topex Robinson wants to end the summer on a good note, and use the remaining matches as experience for their newcomers CJ Perez and Leo De Vera for the upcoming NCAA wars. That game will kick off at 415pm.

The Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup is presented by Hanes and Vulcaseal/Bostick. The collegiate basketball tournament is co-presented by Master Facial Wash, Starmobile, Meralco, and San Mig Coffee. Sponsors include DHL, Nature’s Spring, Reyes BBQ, Banco De Oro, and Bayo. Minor sponsors include Molten, Brother’s Burger, San Marino, Bank of the Philippine Islands, and Bacchus Energy Drink.

The Yankees-Manchester City Alliance gives birth to a fledgling new franchise

Major League Soccer's dilemma has finally been solved.

The long drama on where the 20th MLS franchise finally ends, with the location most originally thought would be the prime place, as New York City has been named as the place where it will be based.

The intrigue isn't where it is going to be placed, but who has control over it.

The new franchise, entitled New York City FC, will be mainly owned by Manchester City. So yes, Sheikh Mansour and the ruling Emirati family that built themselves on petrodollars is controlling this operation. To help out with running the team, they enlisted the help of a local, that local being the New York Yankees, who in this working agreement with regards to NYCFC, will have Randy Levine as the head of the ownership group.

In other words, a Yankee operation with the Manchester City financial muscle that will start play in 2015.

Integrated within the deal for NYCFC will the eventual concept of having a stadium in New York City. There have been plans to have a soccer stadium in the Flushing Meadows area of Queens, but that does not preclude other possible sites within the five boroughs. Having the Yankees around certainly helps build a positive cache on the eventuality of having that stadium deal happening. And having them on board in the 2015 season, with the TV contracts ending in 2014 is an interesting ploy that possibly could benefit the league in the long run.

Manchester City, who finished second in the Premiership this just concluded season will be playing at Yankee Stadium this weekend against newly-minted UEFA Europa League winners Chelsea.

P.S. For those nostalgic about bringing back the New York Cosmos? Well, they will start play this August in the second-tier NASL.

Omorogbe, Aroga take the latest Premier Cup individual nods.

University of Perpetual Help-Dalta System forward Nosa Omorogbe was named as the Master Player of the Week for the matches that took place from May 6-11 in the FilOil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

The Nigerian forward padded the stat sheet with 28 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assist and 3 blocks in 31 minutes for the Altas in their 84-59 win over NCAA foes Jose Rizal University, their first victory for this year's Premier Cup.

Fellow African Alfred Aroga was named as the Gatorade Defensive Player of the Week for his exploits. The big man from Cameroon, alongside two-time UAAP MVP Bobby Ray Parks, maintained National University's spotless record in the Premier Cup.

Aroga netted sixteen rebounds and blocked five shots to add to his twenty points in their 70-68 OT victory over Adamson, then followed it up with a 15 rebound-1 block night alongside a game-high 22 points in a dominant performance against Arellano.

Joining Omorogbe, Aroga and Parks in the Gatorade Best Five is College of Saint Benilde's Mark Romero and University of Santo Tomas forward Aljon Mariano.

Romero help secure the Blazers' first Premier Cup win this season with 25 points against the University of the Philippines, while Mariano led the Tigers in scoring on both of their wins against San Sebastian and Letran.

Note: For the stretch of matches on May 1-4, the Master Gameface Player was Raymond Almazan of Letran. The Gatorade Defensive Player of the Week was Landry Sanjo, with the Gatorade Best Five being Almazan, Sanjo, Aroga, Charles Mammie of UE and CJ Perez of San Sebastian.

Gatorade Philippines helps refurbish UST beach volleyball court

On Monday, the University of Santo Tomas, with the assistance of Gatorade Philippines, reopened the beach volleyball court on its campus grounds along España in Manila.

Gracing the occasion were officials from Gatorade Philippines, led by its Senior Product Manager Mikey Rosales, as well as officials from Royal Pontifical University, led by their Athletic Director Fr. Ermito de Sagon, O.P.

Gatorade Philippines' Mikey Rosales with UST officials, led by UST AD Fr. de Sagon

UST was the winner among the seven UAAP schools that participated in the 2012 Gatorade UAAP Digital Activation "Fuel Your Battle" Application download contest.



The contest had students of the participating universities to download the corresponding posters and cover photos of their own representatives or varsity players. The school with the highest number of downloads when the end of the basketball season of UAAP Season 75 secured a sports grant from Gatorade Philippines, to help and support the student-athletes in fueling their game, so to speak.

With the victory, according to Fr. de Sagon, the university looked into using the grant to refurbish the beach volleyball court. The reopened court is still not up to the international standards with regards to its size, but the school is looking into the possibility of expanding it to meet said guidelines. The eventual plan is to have the UAAP beach volleyball tournament hosted inside the UST campus.

The tournament has been hosted in the previous years at the Caloocan campus of the University of the East.

To highlight the reopening, an exhibition beach volleyball match took place with UST Lady Tigresses Maru Banaticla and Ingrid Reyes facing teammates Pam Lastimosa and Mela Tunay. Pam and Mela beat Maru and Ingrid in three sets, 1-5, 5-3 and 7-5.

From L-R: Marsh of Gatorade PH, Mela Tunay, Pam Lastimosa, Ingrid Reyes, Maru Banaticla, Rick Olivares and Mikey Rosales

Maru formed half of the back-to-back winning tandem for UST in beach volleyball.

Gatorade Philippines continues to show support to the upcoming UAAP season, with Jeric Teng being UST's lone member in the roster of G Rising Stars.

Strong ratings for TV5 with Game 1 of Commissioner's Cup Finals

Game 1 of the Cebuana Lhullier PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals was a much-anticipated affair, with the Alaska Aces and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel looking to be named as champions after dispatching last year's finals participants during the PBA Semifinals.

The game ended in a 87-70 victory for Alaska, as they opened the game in front of 19,678 fans in the SMART-Araneta Coliseum with a 28-6 salvo. Eventual Best Import winner Robert Dozier scored 14 points and grabbed 22 rebounds, while reserve RJ Jazul led the team in scoring with 16. Dozier's counterpart in Ginebra, Vernon Macklin, led the team with 16.

Fans not at the Big Dome also managed to watch the game, as the "Live on 5" resulted into high ratings. Nielsen Media Research NUTAM data shows that Game 1 averaged almost 2.5 million viewers or an average audience shares of 18.4%. The apex of the coverage netted TV5 3 million viewers that generated a 26% viewership. The match was also simulcast on Aksyon TV as well streamed on Radyo5 92.3 News FM using the Radyo PBA feed of DZSR 918AM.

Mega-HS prospect Andrew Wiggins to Kansas

The next great high school prospect has a destination.

Canadian baller Andrew Wiggins made his decision to attend the University of Kansas on Tuesday, doing it in a no-frills ceremony that only had one member of the media, Grant Traylor of The Herald-Dispatch of Huntington (WV) invited.

This is what he tweeted.

Andrew Wiggins will be attending Kansas.

The Jayhawks were not perceived to be the huge favorites to land the uber-prospect, as Kentucky, Florida State and North Carolina were also going hard for him.

Andrew, the son of former NBA player AND Ginebra import Mitchell Wiggins and Canadian sprinter Marita Payne-Wiggins, is the Gatorade National Boys' Player of the Year and is the definitive top high school prospect. He has a brother, Nick, who is currently an incoming senior at Wichita State, which is just over two hours away from where he will be playing college ball.

As noted by ESPN's Dana O'Neil, Kansas and Duke (where highly touted prospect Jabari Parker is headed) will be facing each other at the Champions Classic at the United Center on November 12. Other notable opponents sees them go to Gainesville to face Billy D's Gators on December 10 and host Georgetown on the 21st.

The challenge has been laid to you, Bill Self.

Here is a comp between Andrew and LeBron:

 

TV5 to show Commissioner's Cup Finals

TV5 will be showing the Cebuana Lhullier PBA Commissioner's Cup Finals, which will start on Wednesday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

The switch from AkTV to TV5 met the PBA Board's approval on Thursday, with Commissioner Chito Salud noting TV5's signal strength and coverage goes hand-in-hand with the league's thrust to reach its fans nationwide.

According to Sports5 head Chot Reyes, “This excitement level for this year’s Commissioner’s Cup is truly unprecedented, with more fans either tuning in or watching the games at the venue. The PBA is now a television must-see. And with the games on TV5, more viewers will be able to satisfy their thirst for gripping basketball action.”

The PBA Finals will also be simulcast on AksyonTV (Free TV: Channel 41 in Mega Manila, Ch. 29 in Cebu / Davao; Cable: Channel 1 on Cignal, Ch. 85 on Sky, Ch. 78 on Destiny). Encore telecasts will be made available on HYPER.

Game 1 will be on May 15, Wednesday; with Game 2 on Friday. Both games will be on at 7:30pm, LIVE.

The Trequartista Sweeper - The Final Chase in England and Spain

It's May. For most leagues in Europe, it's the final month of competitive football and with lots at stake, the drama mostly heightens.

These are what lies ahead for two of the most monitored European leagues.

England:

Title: Manchester United has officially been crowned as the Premier League winners, in what turned out to be Sir Alex Ferguson's final season as their manager.

Confirmed for European Play: Manchester United and Manchester City (Champions League); Swansea City and Wigan Athletic (Europa League); Chelsea and Arsenal (Champions League or Europa League)

Edin Dzeko locked up Champions League football with the lone goal of the match during the week, which means that relegation-threatened Wigan got themselves access to continental football via participating in the FA Cup Final.

Tottenham needs just one point from its remaining two matches (at Stoke and Sunderland) to assure themselves of European football next season, or for Everton to slip up either at home against West Ham or on the road against Chelsea to assure themselves of European football.

Of course, Spurs would want to play Champions League football. After all, they were denied that privilege with Chelsea's title run last year. They trail the crew of Rafa Benitez by three points and Arsenal by a point. The Blues finish on the road against Aston Villa and at home against Everton, while the Gunners host Wigan Athletic and visit Newcastle.

The difference between finishing third and fourth in the Premiership lies with the latter having to play in the Champions League qualifiers instead of the group stage that the former is secured with.

Confirmed for Relegation: Queens Park Rangers and Reading

Currently holding the distinction of the third team to be relegated is Wigan, who trail Sunderland, Norwich and Newcastle by three points. The Latics of Roberto Martinez will travel to Arsenal before hosting Aston Villa to end the season. 11th-place Stoke can officially escape relegation with a point either at home vs Tottenham or at Southampton. Fulham (Liverpool, at Swansea City), Aston Villa (Chelsea, at Wigan) and Southampton (at Sunderland, Stoke) will secure retention with one more win this season.

Spain:

Title: None official yet.

Barcelona can win La Liga if they can win one of their final four matches (at Atletico Madrid, Valladolid, at Espanyol, and Malaga) or if Real Madrid is unable to secure a win in any of their remaining matches (at Espanyol, at Real Sociedad, Osasuna)

Confirmed for European Play: Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid (Champions League)

The last Champions League slot available is up for grabs. Real Sociedad is in the driver's seat with 58 points, followed by Valencia two points back. Malaga is three points behind Valencia, but UEFA has handed the team with a one-year suspension from continental competition due to financial issues. Valencia and Malaga are currently holding the Europa League slots as the 5th and 6th place teams.

With both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid disputing the Copa del Rey, it opened up an additional slot for a Spanish team in the Europa League. Real Betis is currently holding it with 49 points, with Getafe, Sevilla and Rayo Vallecano in striking distance with four matches remaining.

Confirmed for Relegation: None official yet.

Six points separate 15th-place Granada from last place Mallorca with four matches remaining (save for Celta Vigo, who have three matches remaining). Real Zaragoza is barely above relegation, just one point ahead of 18th place Deportivo.

Dear Candidate, a #JuanVote Special from a Filipino Sports Fan

With the upcoming Philippine elections, it would be right and appropriate to be responsible enough to exercise our right to vote.

My friends in the #juanvote campaign have asked everyone on the special Blog Action Day (albeit mine will be posted a day later than everyone else's) to create a post with a theme of “Dear Candidate/s: Time to listen, time to answer questions”.

With only days to the election, and staying true to the theme of my blog, here is my open letter to the candidates.

Dear Candidate,

I am a voter, a voter seeking clarifications and answers regarding specific matters. At the same time, I am a sports fan, with my rooting interests and passion that includes a nationalist fervor.

There are some things that I would like seek your thoughts on, things that I feel need to be paying attention:

1. We have an old and dilapidated national stadium in Manila called the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex. What do you intend to do with it? Do you have suggestions on improving our different sports facilities nationwide?

2.  Do you think we are compensating our athletes well? After all, they are representing the three stars and the sun. Have we honored them enough for bringing pride to our Motherland?

3. Is the PSC meeting what is expected from them? Is the budgeting done accordingly well? Are we making the right investment/s?

4. Are you going to uphold the rights of the student-athlete? Do you agree with the stance that Sen. Pia Cayetano has taken on the recent eligibility rules recently invoked in the UAAP?

5. Is the Department of Education, in your opinion, doing enough with regards to sports on the youth? What can still be done?

I still remain an undecided voter. I wonder if someone can provide clarity on these matters. If you do, you may have just gotten my vote.

Sincerely yours,

A Commentweeting Sports Fan

Ravena, Sanjo highlight FilOil Premier Cup's awardees for 2nd week

From Inboundpass

Ateneo de Manila's Kiefer Ravena and Southwestern University's Landry Sanjo's feats during the week of April 22-27 netted them the major individual awards for the 2nd week of action in the FilOil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup.

Kiefer was once again named as the Master Best Player of the Week, amassing the most statistical points in their wins against Letran, UE and Lyceum to almost close out their regular season run for the Blue Eagles. Ateneo is currently toting a 6-1 record with their final match against La Salle on June 1.

Landry was named as the Gatorade Defensive Player of the Week, averaging 11 rebounds in their final three regular season matches for the Cobras, all victories.

Completing the list of awardees are Ravena, Bobby Ray Parks of National University, James Forrester and Nard Pinto of Arellano University and Jon Rebollos of San Sebastian College-Recoletos, which comprises the Gatorade Best Five. 

What's next for Manny Pacquiao?

In the afterglow of Floyd Mayweather maintaining his undefeated streak, we finally heard from Manny Pacquiao. Well, sort of.

The trusty Kevin Iole (@KevinI on Twitter) of Yahoo! Sports has secured the necessary detail that Filipino and global fight fans needed.

Pacquiao-Rios a done deal. Nov 24 in Macau

Macau is a familiar location for boxing fans, as Brian Viloria lost his title there earlier this year. There will be another upcoming fight in the SAR involving a Filipino on July 27. That event will have the guy who beat the Hawaiian Punch, Juan Francisco Estrada, going against Milan Melindo for his first title defense.

Who is Rios? Well, it's Brandon Rios, the guy who survived two brawls with Mike Alvarado. Freddie Roach thinks he is a better match for Manny.

We'll see if the fighting honorable representative from Sarangani still has it.

The 2013 RHB Singapore Cup 1st Round schedule

Here is the schedule of matches for the 1st round of the Singapore Cup (all matches have a 7:30pm kickoff):

Sunday May 26: Loyola Meralco Sparks FC (Phi) vs Harimau Muda
Venue: Jalan Besar Stadium
  Tuesday May 28: Albirex Niigata (S) vs Home United
Venue: Jurong East Stadium
  Wednesday May 29: Woodlands Wellington vs Geylang International
Venue: Woodlands Stadium
  Wednesday May 29: Hougang United vs Tampines Rovers
Venue: Hougang Stadium
  Thursday May 30: Lao Police FC (Laos) vs Brunei DPMM
Venue: Jalan Besar Stadium
  Friday May 31: Tanjong Pagar United vs Boeung Ket FC (Cam)
Venue: Jalan Besar Stadium
  Saturday June 1: Warriors FC vs Global FC (Phi)
Venue: Choa Chu Kang Stadium
  Saturday June 1: Courts Young Lions vs Balestier Khalsa
Venue: Jalan Besar Stadium