Awesome poster for USA vs Mexico WCQ.

 

In just over a week, Columbus will be rocking for the Hexagonal World Cup Qualifier match between the current frontrunners United States against a Mexico side currently struggling with form. I posted it here because I got to say that the poster is awesome. The man who designed this is Brent Rollins, whom possibly some Filipinos may have seen do some stuff for Status here in the Philippines.

Could be a song to groove to with this video.



h/t to SI's Grant Wahl for directing me to this nice masterpiece.

Malditas called up for Manila Camp portion of AFF

The Philippine Football Federation (PFF), through head coach Ernie Nierras, revealed the identities of the 24 young women called up to participate the Manila-based camp of the Philippine Senior Women's National Team, more recognizably known as the Malditas. The camp is the final phase of preparation for the 2013 AFF Women's Championship that is scheduled to take place in Yangon, Myanmar from September 9-22.

The team includes ten players culled from the lineup that participated in the AFC Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers in Bangladesh earlier this year, including skipper Marielle Benitez and Heather Cooke as well as the three ladies who were the final cuts for the said qualifiers in Isa Mondero, Raylene Larot and Chalise Baysa.

According to Nierras, he is using this tournament as part of the Under-19 team's preparations for next year's AFC U-19.

Almost the entire team is already here in Manila and they are already deep into their two-a-day training. They will also have scheduled friendlies, including one against the Pinay Futbol League All-Stars on September 1 at the Emperador Stadium, which serves as a donation drive for the victims of Maring.

The list of participants for Manila camp of the AFF Women's Championships are as follows:

Marielle Benitez
Samantha Nierras
Patrice Impelido
Natasha Alquiros
Isa Mondero
Christina De Los Reyes
Inna Palacios
Heather Cooke
Maria Louisa Park
Joana Houplin
Camille Wilson
Olivia Schmitt
Dominique Oro
Sunshine Soriano
Amanda Empleo
Sydney Pagador
Kristyn Alonzo
Patricia Dull
Chalise Baysa
Claire Lim
Jillian Jamero
Niki Regalado
Raylene Larot
Natalie Sanderson

Sealions, MOB tote 2-0 records in Danny Espiritu Cup

Veterans Egay Billones and Gilbert Malabanan helped maintain Sealions' unbeaten record in the 2013 Danny Espiritu Cup at the Makati Coliseum.

Billones led the way with 22 points and 11 rebounds while Gilbert Malabanan added 21 points as they beat Globalport, 100-87.

Erwin Sta. Maria led Globalport with 33 points, but the BatangPier allowed their opponents to come back from an early 13-point deficit to give their opponents their 2nd straight win.

In the second game, defending champions Mighty were pipped at the end by MOB Alliance, 71-70.

Jeff Viernes gave MOB their only lead of the game on a transition lay-up following a steal from Richie Melencio with 16 seconds remaining. The lay-up was the 17th point for the former NAASCU MVP, while also contributing four rebounds and five assists for the now 2-0 squad. They were down by as large as 18 points before undertaking the remarkable comeback.

Mighty had the chance to win the game, but Robby Celiz and Janus Lozada misfired on their attempts from beyond the arc. They were led by Bernson Franco, who had 17 points and eight rebounds while Celiz added 15 markers.

The scores:

First game

Sealions 100 -- Billones 22, Malabanan 21, Asoro 13, Zagala 12, Garrido 10, Martinez 9, Alfao 7, Solis 3, Raymundo 2, Alfad 1.

Globalport 87 -- Sta. Maria 33, Gamboa 22, Gavina 9, Baculi 8, Arejola 8, Bercede 5, Capacio 2, Colina 0.
Quarters: 17-30, 48-44, 69-63, 100-87.

Second game

MOB 71 -- Viernes 17, Custodio 14, Maconocido 10, Melencio 10, Montilla 8, Cornjeco 4, Tajonera 4, Reyes 4, Sarangay 0, Acosta 0, Liaz 0, Corpuz 0.

Mighty 70 -- Franco 17, Celiz 15, Marquez 12, Acibar 8, Manuel 4, Lozada 3, Ferrer 3, Gamboa 2, Francisco 2, Evangelista 2, Colina 2, Dimaunahan 0.
Quarters: 13-22, 29-38, 51-58, 71-70.

Week 7 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.

NU (beat UST) - Team Ball and Speed kills. This is the Bulldogs team that was ticketed to be the favorite.
DLSU (beat UP) - Perkins continues to impress. Juno sees this team getting better and better.
FEU (beat UE) - Arrested a skid without RR. Season 77 might be bright with Achi as the third wheel.
Ateneo (beat Adamson) - Quietly creeping up the standings.
UE (lost to FEU) - Just to remind people, Ralf Olivares is a one-and-done deal.
UST (lost to NU) - Postseason hopes teetering on the ropes.
Adamson (lost to Ateneo) - Probably on the outside looking in now.
UP (lost to DLSU) - New coach, same deal.

UAAP suspends Mammie, Casajeros, Torres

The UAAP announced yesterday that Commissioner Chito Loyzaga handed down suspensions to three players as a result of their actions over the weekend.

Loyzaga issued two-game suspensions to UE's Charles Mammie and Lord Casajeros, while La Salle's Thomas Torres was handed a one-game suspension. All of their suspensions are due to an accumulation of unsportsmanlike fouls with the "intent to hurt."

Torres was caught throwing a punch to Sam Marata in the 2nd quarter of La Salle's match against UP.

Casajeros hit Terrence Romeo twice in UE's double-OT match against FEU. It was supposed to be a one-match suspension given that  it had been the 2nd instance this season, but due to his "flagrant unsportsmanlike actions," it has been upgraded to two games.

Mammie extended his leg on Romeo on that same game, which led to Romeo reinjuring his foot. Since it is his third such violation, he has been suspended two games.

Mammie and Casajeros are to miss their matches against NU on Saturday and La Salle next Wednesday, while Torres is going to observe his suspension against Ateneo on Sunday.

UK Training for Philippine U-11 set

The Philippine Football Federation (PFF) on Friday announced that they have entered into an agreement with the British Council as well as the British Embassy that would send the Philippine U-11 football team to the British Isles for an innovative educational and sports training program.

This particular program, which will be from August 24 to September 14, aims to fill the need of long-term training that would help them prepare for the qualifying tournaments of the 2019 FIFA Under-17 World Cup as well as the 2024 Olympics. Said training will be conducted at Loughborough University in Leiscestershire. The institution is among the world's best, as arguably it might have the greatest concentration of high performance sporting facilities in the United Kingdom, which is renowned mainly for its sports education, as well as world-class facilities, coaches and players.

In selecting the current composition of the U-11 team, the PFF, through its team of national coaches, picked out the outstanding participants from the Kasibulan Grassroots Program from all over the country. The program, which has the support of the Department of Education (DepEd) and is principally sponsored by the Philippine Amusements and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and the Asian Football Development Project, is the chief grassroots program of the federation, seeking out and developing football talent from the ages of 6-12 years old. From this program, regional "Festivals of Football" were conducted all over the country.

Accompanying the 22 players are five coaches and PFF staff, including their head coach Ely Fabroada. They are scheduled to play matches against their English counterparts, as well as get the chance to be able to watch a Barclays English Premier League match as well as the World Cup Qualifier match between England and Moldova that is to take place at the new Wembley Stadium in early September.

The program is supported by ABS-CBN Studio 23, Mitre, SM West Avenue Theatre Inc, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Voyage Film Studios and Spears Sports Activation. A film documentary about this endeavor, entitled Football Dreams, under the stewardship of Clodualdo del Mundo and Baby Ruth Villarama and produced by Albert Almendralejo is also in the works.

The 22 players are noted below:

Mark Alanquihan (Miputab Elementary School in Dipolog)
Amir Andre Amaikurut (Ateneo de Davao)
Josh Asignar (Don Bosco Technology Center in Cebu)
Yuan Reña (Don Bosco Technology Center in Cebu)
Tristan Enad (Don Bosco Technology Center in Cebu)
Charles Unabia (Don Bosco Technology Center in Cebu)
Chevey Celeste (Tandang Sora Elementary School in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental)
Shemrei Marobillo (Ramon Magsaysay Elementary in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental)
Joie Gaid Jr. (Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon via Cagayan de Oro)
Greg Naquines (Abbon Orchard in Alwana, Cagayan de Oro)
Jan Karl Soloma (Casa Bambino in Sta. Barbara, Iloilo)
Jil Pillora (Central Philippines University in Iloilo)
Agiel John Rojo (Koronodal Central Elementary School in South Cotobato)
Drexler Valencia (West City Elementary School in Dumaguete, Negros Oriental)
Ildefonse Escobin (Lumban Academy in Laguna)
Robert Orr (La Salle Greenhills in NCR)
Michael Osorio (PAREF-Southridge in NCR)
Jacob Pedernal (Ateneo de Manila in NCR)
Jose Dante Guitierrez (Don Bosco-Makati in NCR)
Nicolai Art San Jose (Halang Elementary School in Calamba, Laguna)
Shane Clemente (Acacia Elementary School in Malabon in NCR)
Vin Joel Dela Cruz (Don Bosco-Mandaluyong in NCR)

Sealions, MOB trip Naughty Needlez in Danny Espiritu Cup

Sealions and MOB won their respective matches against Naughty Needlez in the second week of the 2013 Danny Espiritu Cup held last week.


Naughty Needlez, a team composed of ex-pros and TV personalities first bowed to an Egay Billones-led Sealions, 94-84 at the Treston International College Gym in Taguig. They later in the week would lose to MOB, 91-85 at the Letran Gym.

Sealions dominated Naughty Needlez from the start, even erecting a 20-pt lead in the second quarter. Ian Garrido leading the way with 19 points and 13 rebounds, followed by Gilbert Malabanan who had 15 points. Ed Asoro added 12 markers while Billones netted 11.

MOB relied on Jopher Custodio to anchor a 16-2 blast in the third quarter to turn a four-point deficit into a ten-point lead, while Jeff Viernes helped expand it to 17 with three minutes remaining, giving themselves a large enough lead that Naughty Needlez would not be able to overcome.


Viernes finished with a game-high 20 points and 10 assists while Custodio contributed 17 markers.

Naughty Needlez remains winless in the tournament, named after the famous sports agent.
 

The scores:

First game

Sealions 94 -- Garrido 19, Malabanan 15, Asoro 12, Billones 11, Martinez, 9, Zagala 8, Solis 7, Junio 6, Santiago 5, Alao 2, Villareal 0, Tuble 0.

Naugthy Needlez 84 -- Martinez 21, Canta 16, Vijandre 8, Cunanan 8, Espinosa 7, Valles 7, Alcaraz 7, Cabonce 6, Alandy 4.

Quarters: 27-20, 55-38, 76-66, 94-84.

Second game

MOB 91 -- Viernes 20, Custodio 17, Melencio 13, Reyes 10, Corpuz 8, Cornejo 7, Liaz 5, Maconocido 5, Ranises 3, Acosta 2, Montilla 1, Sarangay 0, Gonzalgo 0.

Naughty Needlez 85 -- Taupa 19, Canta 18, Espinosa 15, Martinez 12, Aguilar 8, Alcaraz 4, Ybanez 4, Cunanan 3, Alandy 2, Vijandre 0.

Quarters: 20-22, 37-42, 66-62, 91-85.

Reflecting on the Anarchist

There is a report from SLAM (the mothership, not the one here) that Allen Iverson is about to announce his retirement in the next few days.

Allen Iverson. The 6'0" guard who feared no one. Someone who Magoo Marjon can really equate with the interjection "Buwis Buhay."

The guy who has the cojones to do this to His Airness.



He drove with reckless abandon, his swag was wickedly amazing. Everyone and his mama knew he is the first, second, third and fourth option in Philadelphia, and yet he still gets it done.

Those Sixers teams were perfectly built for him. Guys like Aaron McKie, George Lynch, Eric Snow, Dikembe Mutombo, Tyrone Hill. They took care of the dirty work, and let Allen take care of them. More often than not, he bailed them out in more ways than one.

He could have had a championship ring, but arguably one of the greatest teams in Lakers history stood in his way. But he did have his indelible Finals moment.



He was the anti-establishment, someone who was comfortable in his own skin and in his own image, in a way that he expressed his rebellious and exuberant on court persona made the suits in the NBA go pause. Through Allen, the hiphop culture invaded the league and helped it evolve into what eventually has turned into today. Of course, the NBA had a ready response to protect their image. But it felt inevitable, anyway.

The Answer was the anarchist, who delivered on-ball chaos with crossovers, death-defying drives, bowling ball-esque mayhem in the lane. His small frame bore the brunt of the contact and the pain and yet he still got up and did it again. Over and over.

One might say, one aspect of his game became the template for one Dwyane Wade.

He owns a legendary soundbite, and basically started the sleeve trend.

It is not about if he gets in, but when will he get in. And when that day comes, he will speak to his peers and to an audience and he will still be who he is. He is Allen Iverson. He is simply the Answer.

Skyforce takes off in 2013 Danny Espiritu Cup opener

Skyforce relied on former ABL MVP Leo Avenido to come out unscathed in the opening week of the 2013 Danny Espiritu Cup at the Treston College Gym in Taguig.

Avenido finished with 16 points each in their two victories, a 93-76 blowout over Expert Global Solutions and a 93-83 win over GlobalPort. Ably helping the former FEU standout is Floyd Dedicatoria, who averaged 15.5 points in both games.

GlobalPort, which is mainly backstopped by the staff of the PBA team, relied on their early hot shooting, eventually ending up with 12 three-pointers for the game. They were not able to sustain it, however, to which Skyforce took advantage, although they did manage to cut the lead to eight before last year's finalists managed to bounce back and ensure victory.

Allan Gamboa led GlobalPort with 17 points while Erwin Sta. Maria and Franz Bercede combined for 27 points.



The scores:

First game
Skyforce 93-- Avenido 16, Dedicatoria 14, Sotto 10, Caceles 9, Sanders 8, Enrile 8, Capistrano 8, Sta. Maria 7, Allera 5, Vergara 4, Misolas 2, Tan 2, Visacarra 0, Salansang 0, Sta Cruz 0.

EGS 76 -- Caspe 16, Catamora 10, Valena 10, Kalaw 10, Ranises 8, Arias 8, Sigua 5, Feliciano 4, Roda 3, Catamora A. 2, De Vera 0, Milano 0, Lanzar 0, McCoy 0

Second game
Skyforce 93 -- Avenido 16, Dedicatoria 15, Sotto 14, Sanders 11, Allera 8, Viscarra 8, Vergara 6, Enrile 6, Sta. Cruz 4, Tan 3, Sta. Maria 2, Misolas 0.

GlobalPort 83 -- Gamboa 17, Sta. Maria 14, Bercede 13, Capacio 12, Arejola 8, Manalo 8, Adducul 5, Tenerepe 3, Bernal 3, Gavina 0, Tiamson 0.

Week 6 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.

NU (beat FEU & Adamson) - Masterful domination and the win vs the Falcons is the hot shooting game Parks needed.
UE (beat UST) - Roi Sumang again. What's new.
DLSU (beat Adamson & FEU) - Still got going in spite of missing parts. Kib's development very encouraging.
Ateneo (beat UP) - Slow start, smoothened out. Still not perfect. Just hanging around.
FEU (lost to NU & La Salle) - Is this the meltdown everyone was looking for?
UST (lost to UE) - the bigger concern is with the left ankle of Aljon Mariano
UP (lost to Ateneo) - Hot start, then fizzled and wilted. But they tried on the court. Off the court...
Adamson (lost to DLSU & NU) - the way they lost against NU is very disconcerting

Week 5 UAAP Power Rankings

Before the Wednesday UAAP games (although in this week's case, no UAAP games this week and next due to FIBA-Asia), 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.

With the FIBA-Asia forcing a temporary halt to college basketball activities, this week is tailored to seeing how each team can improve on their current standing, if any.

FEU (beat Adamson) - How will a team handle being on a great momentum run that had been halted due to extraneous circumstances. We will find out.
UE (beat UP) - Can they ease the offensive burden off of Roi Sumang
Ateneo (beat UST) - The break came at the most opportune time, as key players that are nicked up get the chance to fully recover.
NU (beat La Salle) - Will Bobby Ray Parks ever find a way to shoot better from the field.
UST (beat UP, lost to Ateneo) - With Jeric Teng still on the road back to recovery, Kevin Ferrer and Aljon Mariano need to shoulder the load.
Adamson (lost to La Salle and FEU) - Hopefully by now, we will have clarity with Ingrid's status.
DLSU (beat Adamson, lost to NU) - Shouldn't Juno be throwing a curveball to give a different look?
UP (lost to UST and UE) - At some point, they should be playing the kids, right?

UAAP Season 76 2nd Round schedule for Ladies

The matches are tiered to have 8am and 10am tip-offs.

August 14 at Araneta Coliseum: FEU vs DLSU / NU vs Adamson
August 15 at Araneta Coliseum: Ateneo vs UP / UST vs UE
August 18 at MOA Arena: UP vs NU / FEU vs UST
August 21 at MOA Arena: DLSU vs UE / Adamson vs Ateneo
August 24 at Araneta Coliseum: UE vs UP / Ateneo vs UST
August 25 at Araneta Coliseum: NU vs DLSU / Adamson vs FEU
August 28 at Araneta Coliseum: UE vs NU / UP vs FEU
August 31 at Araneta Coliseum: Adamson vs UST / DLSU vs Ateneo
September 1 at Araneta Coliseum: Ateneo vs NU / FEU vs UE
September 4 at Araneta Coliseum: UP vs Adamson / UST vs DLSU
September 7 at MOA Arena: UST vs NU / FEU vs Ateneo
September 8 at MOA Arena: Adamson vs UE / DLSU vs UP
September 11 at MOA Arena: NU vs FEU / DLSU vs Adamson
September 14 at MOA Arena: UP vs UST / UE vs Ateneo

Standings:

FEU 7-0
NU 6-1
DLSU 5-2
UST 3-4
UP 3-4
Adamson 3-4
UE 1-6
Ateneo 0-7

UAAP Season 76 2nd Round Schedule for Seniors

All seniors matches will have the usual 2pm 130pm (as per the UAAP Sports TV's Twitter account) & 4pm doubleheader tip-offs, save for the front end of the doubleheader that has the Ateneo-La Salle game on it. That game has been moved to a 12nn tipoff.

August 14: DLSU vs Adamson / FEU vs NU at Araneta Coliseum
August 15: Ateneo vs UP / UST vs UE at Araneta Coliseum
August 18: NU vs Adamson / FEU vs DLSU at MOA Arena
August 21: UE vs UP / Ateneo vs UST at MOA Arena
August 24: DLSU vs UP / UST vs NU at Araneta Coliseum
August 25: Adamson vs Ateneo / UE vs FEU at Araneta Coliseum
August 28: FEU vs Ateneo / UST vs Adamson at Araneta Coliseum
August 31: Adamson vs UP / NU vs UE at Araneta Coliseum
September 1: UST vs FEU / Ateneo vs DLSU at Araneta Coliseum
September 4: NU vs UP / UE vs DLSU at Araneta Coliseum
September 7: UP vs UST / FEU vs Adamson at MOA Arena
September 8: UE vs Ateneo / DLSU vs NU at MOA Arena
September 11: UP vs FEU / NU vs Ateneo at MOA Arena
September 14: Adamson vs UE / UST vs DLSU at MOA Arena

Standings:

FEU 7-0
UST 4-3
NU 4-3
UE 4-3
DLSU 3-4
Ateneo 3-4
Adamson 3-4
UP 0-7

UAAP Season 76 2nd round schedule for Juniors

All the Juniors matches are scheduled to take place at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. The matches are tiered with tipoffs at 8am, 10am, 12nn and 2pm.

August 17: UE vs Adamson / UPIS vs UST / Ateneo vs FEU / NU vs DLS-Z
August 20: FEU vs UPIS / UST vs Ateneo / UE vs NU / Adamson vs DLS-Z
August 24: UST vs Adamson / UPIS vs UE / NU vs FEU / Ateneo vs DLS-Z
August 27: FEU vs UE / Ateneo vs Adamson / UST vs NU / DLS-Z vs UPIS
August 31: Adamson vs NU / UPIS vs Ateneo / DLS-Z vs UE / FEU vs UST
September 7: Ateneo vs UE / Adamson vs FEU / UPIS vs NU / UST vs DLS-Z
September 14: UE vs UST / Adamson vs UPIS / NU vs Ateneo / DLS-Z vs FEU

Standings

NU 7-0
Ateneo 5-2
DLS-Z 5-2
FEU 4-3
UE 3-4
UST 3-4
Adamson 1-6
UPIS 0-7

The FIBA-Asia Final Round Brackets (Semifinal edition)

Here is the latest bracket. Huge weekend ahead.

#LabanPilipinas

Naniniwala ako sa bansa natin. Alam ko kayo rin.

The FIBA-Asia Final Round Brackets

Two wins away from a berth in Spain. Time for those who deserve it to claim it.

2013 FIBA-Asia Rosters for Group D

Group D is composed of Bahrain, India, Kazakhstan and Thailand. Top three teams from the round-robin will advance to Group F, alongside the top three teams of Group C.

Rosters:

Bahrain - Head Coach:  Sasa Nikitovic

4 - Mohammed Ebrahim
5 - Hussain Al-Tawash
6 - Mohammed Kawaid
7 - Bader Malabes
8 - Ahmed Ismaeel
9 - Mohammed Al-Derazi
10 - Yunes Kawaid
11 - Subah Azzam
12 - Chester J. Giles
13 - Abdul-Rahman Mubarak
14 - Ahmed Akbar
15 - Ahmed Aman

* Ahmed Al-Derazi and Ali Hasan were also included on team's entry form (Probable alternates).

India - Head Coach: Scott William Flemming

4 - Sambhaji Kadam
5 - Narender Kumar Grewal
6 - Pratham Singh
7 - Vinay Kaushik
8 - Arjun Singh
9 - Vishesh Bhriguvanshi
10 - Amritpal Singh
11 - Joginder Singh
12 - Satnam Singh Bhamara
13 - Amjyot Singh
14 - Yadwinder Singh
15 - Rikin Shantilal Pethani

Kazakhstan - Head Coach: Matteo Boniciolli

4 - Timur Sultanov
5 - Jerry Johnson
6 - Rustam Murzagaliyev
7 - Mikhail Yevstigneyev
8 - Vitaliy Lapchenko
9 - Nikolay Bazhin
10 - Konstantin Dvirnyy
11 - Anton Ponomarev
12 - Dmitriy Klimov
13 - Rustam Yargaliyev
14 - Leonid Bondarovich
15 - Alexandr Zhigulin

Thailand - Head Coach: Manid Niyomyindee

4 - Chanachon Klahan
5 - Attaporn Lertmalaiporn
6 - Wattana Suttisin
7 - Danai Kongkum
8 - Wutipong Dasom
9 - Anasawee Klaewnarong
10 - Darongpan Apiromvilaichai
11 - Darunpong Apiromvilaichai
12 - Sukhdave Ghogar
13 - Kannawat Lertlaokul
14 - Kannut Samerjai
15  - Wacharapong Tongsri

 

2013 FIBA-Asia Rosters for Group B

Group B is composed of Hong Kong, Japan and Qatar. A fourth team, Lebanon, was supposed to be in the group, but due to internal issues, FIBA has placed the nation under suspension. As a result, all three teams will advance to Group E alongside the top three teams of GroupA.

Rosters:

Hong Kong - Head Coach: Wai Cheung Kwong

4 - Shing Yee Fong
5 - Chun Wai Wong
6 - Ki Lee
7 - Siu Wing Chan
8 - Yik Lun Chan
9 - Duncan Overbeck Reid
10 - Tung Leung Lau
11 - Kim Wong Li
12 - Tsz Lai Lau
13 - Wai Kit Szeto
14 - Man Chun Lam
15 - Chi Ho Poom

Japan - Head Coach: Suzuki Kimikazu

4 - Keijuro Matsui
5 - Daiki Tanaka
6 - Makoto Hiejima
7 - Atsuya Ota
8 - Yuta Watanabe
9 - Takahiro Kurihara
10 - Kosuke Takeuchi
11 - Ryota Sakurai
12 - JR Sakuragi
13 - Naoto Tsuji
14 - Kosuke Kanamaru
15 - Sean Ichioka

Qatar - Head Coach: Thomas Robert Wisman

4 - Mansour Atif El-Hadary
5 - Jarvis James Hayes
6 - Saad Abdul-Rahman Ali
7 - Daoud Mousa Daoud
8 - Khalid Suliman Abdi
9 - Ali Turki Ali
10 - Yasseen Ismail Musa
11 - Erfan Ali Saeed
12 - Mohammed Seleem Abdulla
13 - Mohammed Yousuf Mohammed
14 - Malek Salem Abdulla
15 - Baker Ahmad Mohammed
 

2013 FIBA-Asia Rosters for Group A

Group A is composed of Chinese-Taipei, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the hosts of this competition, the Philippines. The top three teams of the round robin will advance to Group E alongside teams from Group B.

Rosters:

Chinese-Taipei - Head Coach: Chin-Che Hsu

4 - Wen-Ting Tseng
5 - Quincy Spencer Davis III
6 - Hsueh-Lin Lee
7 - Lei Tien
8 - Shih-Chieh Chen
9 - Chih-Shan Hung
10 - Po-Chen Chou
11 - Chin-Min Yang
12 - Chih-Chieh Lin
13 - Cheng-Ju Lu
14 - Wen-Cheng Tsai
15 - Douglas Creighton

Jordan - Head Coach: Evangelos Alexandris

4 - Fadel Kamal Al-Najjar
5 - Ahmad Hekmat Al-Dwairi
6 - Hani Mohammad Al-Faraj
7 - Ahmad Mustafa Al-Hamarsheh
8 - Jimmy Devon Baxter
9 - Khaldoon Abu Ruqayah
10 - Abdallah Radwan Abu-Quora
11 - Wesam Yacoub Al-Sous
12 - Mahmoud Nzar Abdeen13 - Mohammad Ahmad Hussein
14 - Mohammad Hamdan Hadrab
15 - Ali Jamal Zaghab

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - Head Coach: Nenad Kradzic

4 - Mohammed Al-Marwani
5 - Mustafa Al-Hwsawi
6 - Mohammed Abu-Jabal
7 - Jaber Kabe
8 - Marzouq Al-Muwallad
9 - Ayman Al-Muwallad10 - Mohammed Al-Sager
11 - Fahad Belal
12 - Nassir Abo Jalas13 - Mathna Al-Marwani
14 - Turki Al-Muhanna
15 - Ahmed Almukhtar

The Philippines - Head Coach: Vincent "Chot" Reyes

4 - Jimmy Alapag
5 - Lewis Alfred Tenorio
6 - Jeffrei Chan
7 - Jayson Castro
8 - Gary David
9 - Ranidel De Ocampo
10 - Gabriel Daniel Norwood
11 - Marcus Eugene Douthit
12 - Larry Alexander Fonacier
13 - June Mar Fajardo
14 - Japeth Paul Aguilar
15 - Jean Marc Pingris Jr.

2013 FIBA-Asia Rosters for Group C

Group C is composed of China, Iran, Malaysia and South Korea. The top three teams from the round-robin will advance to Group F, alongside the top three teams of Group D.

Rosters:

China - Head Coach: Panagiotis Giannakis

4 - Shuo Han
5 - Wei Liu
6 - Jianghua Chen
7 - Shipeng Wang
8 - Xiaoyu Liu
9 - Yue Sun
10 - Jianlian Yi
11 - Bo Zhang
12 - Zhelin Wang
13 - Muhao Li
14 - Xiaoxu Li
15 - Peng Zhou

Iran - Head Coach: Mehmed Becirovic

4 - Jamshidi Jafarabadi Mohammad
5 - Davoudichegani Aren
6 - Davari Javad
7 - Kamrani Mahdi
8 - Veisi Saman
9 - Sahakian Oshin
10 - Afagh Hamed
11 - Sohrabnejad Hamed
12 - Kardoust Poustin Saraei Asghar
13 - Arghavan Rouzbeh
14 - Nik Khahbahrami Mohammad Samad
15 - E Haddadi Hamed

Malaysia - Head Coach: Teh Choon Yean

4 - Soo Eng Heng
5 - Ng Sing Tee
6 - Wong Wee Seng
7 - Choo Wei Hong
8 - Ooi Ban Sin
9 - Tong Wen Keong
10 - Gan Hong Hoong
11 - Kuek Tian Yuan
12 - Yeo Ivan
13 - Wong Chin Yong
14 - Ng Kiat Kee
15 - Foong Min Joe

South Korea - Head Coach: Jae Hak Yoo

4 - Min Goo Kim
5 - Sun Hyung Kim
6 - Dong Geun Yang
7 - Tae Sul Kim
8 - Seong Gon Moon
9 - Ho Young Yun
10 - Sung Min Cho
11 - Joo Sung Kim
12 - Jong Kyu Kim
13 - Jun Yong Choi
14 - Seung Jun Lee
15 - Jong Hyun Lee

2013 FIBA-Asia Preliminary Round Schedule

All matches are at the Mall of Asia Arena unless otherwise stated:

August 1:

11am - Iran vs Malaysia
115pm - Jordan vs Chinese-Taipei
330pm - Japan vs Qatar
545pm - China vs Korea
6pm - India vs Bahrain (at Ninoy Aquino Stadium)
830pm - Saudi Arabia vs Philippines
1030pm - Kazakhstan vs Thailand

August 2:

11am - China vs Malaysia
115pm - Chinese-Taipei vs Saudi Arabia
330pm - Japan vs Hong Kong
545pm - Korea vs Iran
6pm - Kazakhstan vs Bahrain (at Ninoy Aquino Stadium)
830pm - Jordan vs Philippines
1030pm - Thailand vs India

August 3:

11am - Malaysia vs Korea
115pm - India vs Kazakhstan
330pm - Hong Kong vs Qatar
545pm - Iran vs China
6pm - Bahrain vs Thailand (at Ninoy Aquino Stadium)
830pm - Philippines vs Chinese-Taipei
1030pm - Saudi Arabia vs Jordan

Philippines set for FIBA-Asia action today

The Asian quest for berths in the FIBA World Cup in Spain next year will commence today, as fifteen nations vie for the chance and opportunity to be the best basketball team in the region in the FIBA-Asia men’s basketball championships.

Held in the Philippines for the first time in over 40 years, the hosts are looking forward to replicate the feat of their 1973 brethren in winning the competition on their home floor. Winning the championship would also end a title drought that has taken place since 1985.

Bracketed in Group A, Gilas Pilipinas will open their campaign against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at 830pm, highlighting a seven-game opening salvo at the Mall of Asia Arena and the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Head coach Chot Reyes believes that there is a strong possibility that the Philippines can make it to the semifinals, noting that the current format of the competition is easier compared to his previous experience in 2007, where they exited in the first round. He also maintains the belief that any team can beat any team in this competition.

In spite of the lack of height and time to properly jell that the other teams have, Chot believes that we have the skill, the competitive desire and the crowd support to tide them through. He also gave the indication that both Jayson Castro and Ranidel de Ocampo will be playing after both suffered ankle injuries during their friendly with Kazakhstan late last week.

2013 Clear Dream Match Voting Pool

Just to remind everyone that this is still ongoing. Choose the people YOU want to see alongside Phil, James, Dennis and Fabio.

Here are your options:

FORWARD

Janrick Soriano (Kaya FC), Boyet Canedo (Pachanga Diliman), Chad Gould (Loyola Meralco Sparks), Byeong Yeol Jeong (Loyola Meralco Sparks), Rufo Sanchez (Stallion Sta. Lucia), Ian Mariano (Pachanga Diliman), Ian Araneta (Philippine Air Force), Ojay Clarino (Pachanga Diliman), OJ Porteria (Kaya FC), Fabio Ide, Daniel Matsunaga, Chieffy Caligdong (Green Archers United)

MIDFIELDER

Simon Greatwich (Loyola Meralco Sparks), Chris Greatwich (Kaya FC), Matthew Hartmann (Loyola Meralco Sparks), Armand Del Rosario (Loyola Meralco Sparks), Marwin Angeles (Global FC), Marvin Angeles (Global FC), Jason Cunliffe (Pachanga Diliman), Jonah Romero (Kaya FC), Oussenyou Diop, Eddie Mallari (Kaya FC), Massanari Omura (Kaya FC), Min Ho Park (Loyola Meralco Sparks), Hector Zaghi (Stallion Sta. Lucia), Marcus Lopez (Pachanga Diliman), Patrick Bocobo (Green Archers United), Jinggoy Valmayor (Pachanga Diliman & University of the Philippines), Mikko Mabanag (Nomads), Jolo Durian, Peter Amores, Slick Rick, Tony Toni, Sam YG, Jason De Jong (Stallion Sta. Lucia), Steven Silva, Jeff Christaens (Global FC), Patrick Reichelt (Singhtarua FC)

DEFENDER

Anton Del Rosario (Kaya FC), Carlie De Murga (Global FC), Junior De Murga (Loyola Meralco Sparks), Roxy Dorlas (Loyola Meralco Sparks), Yves Ashime (Pachanga Diliman), Ronald Batisla Ong, Andrew Santiago (Pachanga Diliman), Jonah Romero (Kaya FC), Chad Gould (Loyola Meralco Sparks)

GOALKEEPER

Patrick Deyto (Green Archers United), William Munoz (Stallion Sta. Lucia), Ref Cuaresma (Loyola Meralco Sparks), Saba Garmaroudi (Kaya FC), Nick O’Donnell (Kaya FC)

What is an Illegal Hit?

This is the new world order of football. In the era of paranoia with regards to concussions and head injuries, this is the reality. That hard hits need to be eliminated.

Also means things like this are going to be history...

 

It is inevitable that safety needs to be legislated into the sport. But it'll take time to integrate that on a culture like football.

That is just the way it has to be, then.