UE statement on Jerry Codiñera

C/o PinoyExchange

This is complete statement by the University of the East. Posted in full and without edit.

The University of the East wishes to inform its public, including the members of the Philippines’ sports media/UAAP Press Corps as well as the collegiate sports audience that appropriate measures are being taken to strengthen the performance of all UE Red Warriors teams in the various tournaments of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, as well as in other sports tournaments.

In line with this, UE Red Warriors-Men’s Basketball Team Head Coach Jerry Codiñera has been assigned a bigger task as Sports Consultant of the University, to help strengthen UE’s sports program.

We in Coach Codiñera’s alma mater regard him with the highest respect and esteem. Indeed, not only is he a UE alumnus, he had also made a name for himself as a UE Red Warrior and as a superstar “defense minister” during his stint with the Philippine Basketball Association.

His more than three decades of experience in the sporting arena would surely be beneficial in the broader, more time-requiring responsibility of attending to UE’s entire sports program—a program that covers over 30 sporting squads, aside from our basketball teams.

In the interim, filling Coach Codiñera’s big shoes for the UE Red Warriors will be a colleague of his, a fellow UE alumnus and a fellow Red Warrior: David “Boycie” Zamar.

Coach Zamar will now steer the all-Filipino UE Red Warriors-Men’s Basketball Team, as the entire squad faces its opponents anew for the UAAP 75 tournament’s second round—starting with this Saturday’s game against the De La Salle Green Archers. Coach Codiñera, as UE Sports Consultant, is expected to remain on hand to provide inspiration and support to the UE Red Warriors.

Revisiting the Premiership's Sensational Goals

In 2009, FIFA decided to reward the aesthetic-ness of scoring goals with the FIFA Puskás Award. The award is named after the legendary Hungarian, who captained the Mighty Magyars of the 1950s and played for the Real Madrid in the 1960s.

The past three years have gone to Cristiano Ronaldo (Champions League QF for Manchester United versus FC Porto), Hamit Alintop (Euro 2012 Group A Qualifying for Turkey versus Kazakhstan) and Neymar (2011 Campeonato Brasileiro Série A for Santos versus Flamengo).

It looks like 2012 will not be lacking in drama as we have already seen sensational goals that we can deem as very very Puskás-worthy.

Here are five from last season's in the Premiership worth your time and attention, something worth revisiting with club football being officially back in business in Europe this past weekend. The standard has been set, so to speak.

Robin van Persie (Arsenal) - The PFA Player of the Year carried the Gunners most of the season, ending up with 30 goals for the Gunners. This one, with Thierry Henry witnessing from one of the boxes, is a stroke of beauty and grace. All Red Devils fans are looking forward to seeing him do his magic for them instead of against them this year.



Peter Crouch (Stoke City) - With Wayne Rooney being unavailable for England for a portion of the Euro 2012 due to a suspension, it was thought that he could be a viable option, thanks to this magical goal. Well, Roy Hodgson has other ideas, going with Andy Carroll instead in the Euros.

Papiss Demba Cisse (Newcastle) - Considered by some as the best January transfer buy in the Premiership, Newcastle used some of the profits from the transfer of Andy Carroll to Liverpool into Demba Ba, who sizzled at the start of the season, then added his Senegalese teammate from German side SC Freiburg. He has scored 13 goals since the move, but this one against Chelsea on May 2, was a true beauty.

Luis Suarez (Liverpool) - You will only see one aspect of the sensation chip from distance below, but someone provided alternate views. This was the highlight of the Uruguayan's hat trick against Norwich, his first with the squad from Anfield.

Hatem Ben Arfa (Newcastle) - The French international was sensational in this run below. The GIF does not do it justice.

Sebastian Coates (Liverpool) - Scissors kicks are an awesome thing to see as a fan, as seen here below.

Encapsulating the UAAP - Week 6

Rankings after the week's games:

UST - They earned their stay here, as Abdul and Fortuna make sure Coach Pido keeps his "chamba" run going.
Ateneo - Even with some new wrinkles being hurled at them, the Blue Eagles still figured it out.
FEU - Bert Flores must be having Ryan Buenafe flashbacks circa 2010. And they still haven't figured out JP Erram for two years running.
La Salle - They could have beaten the Bulldogs much earlier if not for their foul shooting. Kudos to Jeron for his scorching 35 points.
NU - Bright days may be in the horizon even with the double OT defeat, and it is not just because of Stephie Sy returning as their courtside reporter.
UP - Finally, good breaks went their way.

Adamson -  Rodney Brondial might be stating his case the best performing local big in the UAAP. Put a scare into the current co-leaders until they wilted in the final two minutes.
UE - Whatever positive vibe they had in their victory over the Falcons was undone with their defeat against a previously winless UP.
 
What lies ahead:

Thursday @ the Mall of Asia Arena - 2 P.M. - National University vs Adamson / 4 P.M. - University of Santo Tomas vs Far Eastern University

Saturday @ the Mall of Asia Arena - 2 P.M. - University of the East vs De La Salle University / 4 P.M. - Ateneo de Manila vs University of the Philippines

Sunday @ the SMART-Araneta Coliseum - 2 P.M. - Adamson vs Far Eastern University / 4 P.M. - University of Santo Tomas vs National University

Other basketball games scheduled:

Women's

Thursday @ the Mall of Asia Arena - 8:30 A.M. - University of Santo Tomas vs University of the East / 10:15 A.M. - De La Salle University vs Far Eastern University

Saturday @ the Mall of Asia Arena - 8:30 A.M. - Ateneo de Manila vs University of the Philippines / 10:15 A.M. - National University vs Adamson

Juniors'

Wednesday @ the Mall of Asia Arena - 9 A.M. - Far Eastern University-Diliman vs National University

Analyzing the 2012 PBA draft

c/o Interaksyon

The 2012 PBA Draft came and went. Had the chance to watch this proceeding in person and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Petron: June Mar Fajardo, Alex Mallari, Mark Sarangay. Not surprised with Fajardo going 1st overall. Just making sure Team SMC has him on lock (he was on their ABL team). Hopefully his apprenticeship is smoother than what Sam Eman went through with them. An already strong frontline gets a boost with Mallari now in. Sarangay might just see himself doing ABL stuff soon.

Alaska: Calvin Abueva, Raphy Reyes, Karl Dehesa. The task now for Luigi Trillo would be to try to corral "The Beast" and integrate his skill set onto the triangle scheme. Surrounding himself with veteran coaches helps, as does having Topex Robinson (Calvin's HC at SSC-R). Reyes and Dehesa are depth picks at the backcourt.

Meralco: Cliff Hodge, Kelly Nabong, Janus Lozada, Eric Suguitan. Meralco gets a clear upgrade all around. Nabong and Lozada are going to be off-the-bench lesser versions of Mercado & Cardona. Suguitan gets to be Asi's understudy.

Barako Bull: Dave Marcelo, Lester Alvarez, Emman Monfort, Woody Co, Kokoy Hermosisima (and Sean Anthony). The Manong Brigade needed an injection of youth and skill, as well as being able to play immediately, with Marcelo chiefly being able to already plug the hole that Don Allado put himself into.

Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel: Chris Ellis, Keith Jensen, Ryan Boada, Jerick Canada, Paul Zamar, JR Buensuceso, Elliott Tan. Their first two picks are great additions of size and athleticism, especially with Ellis. Then they added 5 guards, all below 5'11. If you are accumulating that number of guards AND you have the likes of Cortez, Helterbrand and Labagala... Very David Kahn-esque of Siot.

Rain or Shine: Chris Tiu, Bacon Austria, Jewel Palomique. Coach Yeng pretty much has a grasp of the team's needs, adding role players that fit what he wants to achieve. We know Tiu and Austria can defend. They'll figure out their need on size in free agency / trade.

B-Meg: Aldrech Ramos, Jewel Ponferrada, Gian Chiu, Ramon Mabayo. Curious move to virtually trade up to snag Aldrech, especially having to give up a Sakuragi-esque player in Sean Anthony to pull it off. Also curious, snagging three bigs, with Ponferrada then Chiu. Mabayo is a long-shot to make the roster.

Global Port: Vic Manuel, Jason Deutchman, AJ Mandani, Macky Acosta, Jan Colina, VJ Serios (and Val Acuna). Clearly, Mikee Romero wants to beef up the remnants of Powerade. Manuel instantly slots in where Sean Anthony left off. AJ Mandani could be a capable reliever for Casio and David in the backcourt.

Air 21: Yousef Taha, Simon Atkins. The DLSU braintrust knows what Atkins can do, thus no-brainer at where they were picking him. Taha adds ceiling to a really small team (only rookie Magi Sison is taller than 6'4".)

Talk 'N Text: Jaypee Belencion, Jason Escueta. Belencion can shoot. Ask La Salle during a certain Fil-Oil game. The lineup remains stacked, so this is merely a means to stock up on depth. TNT bench is very familiar with what Jumbo can provide, since they coached him.

Thoughts on the draft from being at the venue:

1. Huge crowd at Robinson's Midtown Atrium. All floors occupied as fans flocked around the venue. Someone unfurled an Aldrech Ramos tarp from one floor when he was drafted. Ditto with Raphy Reyes. But with his case, it's the one you're familiar with at courtside on the UAAP games. The PBA is going to be fine, y'all.

2. Ateneo vs La Salle. I was seated behind the Air 21 table. Sure has a DLSU feel to it, from Coach Franz to his assistants Tonichi Yturri and Jack Santiago to Renren Ritualo. Beside them is the Talk 'N Text table. You probably knew that Norman Black is their new head coach. He basically ported over virtually the entire Ateneo coaching staff, as Sandy, Jamike and Gene were there with Coach. Norman has already said he is going to finish UAAP's Season 75 with Ateneo. The PBA opens on September 30. Based on my schedule calculations, that is the Sunday of the UAAP Final Four Week. They are going to have an interesting stretch of games.

3. It pays to be in an established program / team. All Ateneans were drafted. All members of NLEX were drafted. The Adamson players that Coach Leo Austria nurtured were drafted.

4. A sense of timing. Ronald Pascual gets it. This year's draft class is stacked. Next year's batch won't be as strong, but it will be decent, highlighted by the crop of Ateneans in Slaughter and Salva.

Winners:

Teams: Rain or Shine, Meralco and Barako Bull.

Steals: Janus Lozada (Meralco), Gian Chiu (B-Meg), Jaypee Belencion (TNT).

Huge bust potential? Aldrech Ramos (didn't really shock the world with the Patriots), Jason Deutchman (injury issues)

Spoelstra's Homecoming, Revisited

Erik Spoelstra is proud of his Filipino heritage, and as part of paying homage to it, has been flying in to the country to return to his roots.

Due to the NBA lockout last year, it was a pretty much muzzled experience for most Pinoys, who would have loved to enjoy and relish the Heat experience of making the Finals in Lebron+Dwyane+Chris's first year. In spite of that, Grantland writer Rafe Bartholomew wrote a definitive narrative of his visit then.

Fast forward a year later.

The Miami Heat wins the championship and some much needed satisfaction for each individual on that organization.

For Spoelstra, it brings legitimacy to his coaching acumen, something he first learned in Miami as a video-coordinator and then as an assistant under Pat Riley.

Now a champion, he makes his triumphant return to the Philippines, with fans looking forward to when he will visit. And he did earlier this month, squeezing a lot onto this schedule.

He made a splash during the PBA Governor's Cup Finals, watching Game 5 and visited the locker room. He held a press conference to a happy set of Filipino media and had a courtesy call with the President of the Republic. He taught kids. He explained Game 4 of the NBA Finals to a throng of Heat fans in a movie theater.

I was privileged enough to be able to watch the latter that particular night, after earlier having the opportunity to be one of the few media members able to attend a Facebook video chat conducted by Gatorade Philippines. I took the chance to record the event as seen below...



We are privileged to have had Erik Spoelstra come to our shores for the past few years, making an impact with those around him.

Rajon Rondo in Manila?

If you believe the timelines, yes. That is true.

Red Bull Philippines (You may follow them @RedBullPH) is bringing the Kentucky alum and Boston Celtics point guard extraordinaire to Manila. See this tweet, which first broke the news on August 18:

Wait for further announcements as to how this is going to go down.

Blog Outsourcing - August 20, 2012 edition

Today is Eid'l Fitr, where we pay homage to our Islamic friends as they end their Ramadan fast. It is an occasion and celebration.

But also, something happened today. Tony Scott, the famed director, passed away. In tribute, this is an appropriate intro.


Here forth are the links after the jump.
The lockout looms. (c/o Chicago Tribune)

Before that happens, some being locked up with extensions in Montreal and Philadelphia. (c/o Montreal Gazette and Philadelphia Daily News)

Still getting Giggy with it. (c/o Pro Hockey Talk)

The plan to finally get their NCAA berth gets a boost. (c/o Rant Sports)

New AD at BC. (c/o Soaring To Glory)

We all know this is inevitable at Badger Nation. (c/o Detroit Free Press)

Someone running counter to the norm in Happy Valley. (c/o Larry Brown Sports)

Someone does not like the new Fighting Irish unis. (c/o SB Nation Chicago)

Can the Honey Badger overcome this? Someone says yes. (c/o Forbes)

Yep, that was Julius Peppers' transcript. (c/o Charlotte Observer)

Someone does not like what JPP did. (c/o The Trentonian)

Greg Jennings looks fine. (c/o National Football Post)

The knee is much better. (c/o San Jose Mercury News)

The NFL says it's fine. No problems whatsoever. (c/o Pro Football Talk)

Rays have sweeping generalizations. (c/o Los Angeles Times)

Buccing the trend? (c/o Call To The Pen)

The struggles continue. (c/o Boston Herald)

Adios, Brad Mills. (c/o Houston Chronicle)

Serge is locked in. (c/o Tulsa World)

Hey look, the Premiership is back and so is La Liga! (c/o The Guardian and Inside Futbol)

To part, here is a beat-boxing beauty queen.

2012 PBA Draft Results (complete roster)

At the Robinson's Place Manila Midtown Atrium, 69 names lay in waiting for the names to be called. 39 names were successfully called over six rounds:

1st Round:

1. Petron: June Mar Fajardo – University of Cebu / San Miguel
2. Alaska: Calvin Abueva – San Sebastian / NLEX
3. Petron: Alex Mallari – Lewis-Clark State / Big Chill
4. Meralco: Cliff Hodge – Reedley College / NLEX
5. Barako Bull: Aldrech Ramos – FEU / Air Asia Philippine Patriots (Note: draft rights traded to B-Meg in exchange for Sean Anthony + draft rights to Dave Marcelo)
6. Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel: Chris Ellis – Mary Harden Baylor / NLEX
7. Rain of Shine: Chris Tiu - Ateneo / SMART-Gilas
8. Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel: Keith Jensen – NYU / Big Chill
9. B-Meg: Vic Manuel – PSBA / Cebuana Lhullier (Note: draft rights + Val Acuna traded to Global Port in exchange for Sean Anthony)
10. Global Port: Jason Deutchman – San Diego State / Cafe France

2nd Round

1. Air21: Yousef Taha – North Lake/Mapua
2. B-Meg: Dave Marcelo – San Beda / NLEX (Note: draft rights + Sean Anthony traded to Barako Bull in exchange for draft rights to Aldrech Ramos)
3. B-Meg: Jewel Ponferrada – NU / Big Chill
4. Global Port:  AJ Mandani – University of Missouri-Rolla / Blackwater
5. Barako Bull: Lester Alvarez – Adamson / Cebuana Lhullier
6. Barako Bull: Emman Monfort – Ateneo / NLEX
7. Rain or Shine:  Kelly Nabong – Santa Rosa Yayce / Blackwater (Note: draft rights traded to Meralco for 2015 2nd rounder)
8. Barako Bull: Woody Co – UP / NLEX
9. Alaska: Raphy Reyes – UE / Big Chill
10. Talk 'N Text: Jaypee Belencion – Letran / NLEX

3rd Round

1. Air21: Simon Atkins – La Salle / Cebuana Lhullier
2. Alaska: Karl Dehesa – Waldorf College / NLEX
3. Barako Bull: Ryan Boada – University of Houston
4. Meralco Bolts: Janus Lozada – Adamson / Cebuana Lhullier
5. Petron: Mark Sarangay – Mapua / Erase Placenta
6. Global Port: Mark Acosta – Mapua / Erase Placenta
7. Rain or Shine: Bacon Austria – Ateneo / Cebuana Lhullier
8. Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel: Jerick Canada – Adamson / Indonesia Warriors
9. B-Meg: Gian Chiu – Oberlin College
10. Talk 'N Text: Jason Escueta – Ateneo / Junior Powerade

4th Round (Alaska, Air21, Petron and Talk 'N Text exercise their passes)

1. Barako Bull: Kokoy Hermosisima – NU / Boracay Rum
2. Meralco: Eric Suguitan – UE/San Beda/ACSAT / NLEX
3. Global Port: Jan Colina – Adamson / RnW Pacific Pipes
4. Rain or Shine: Jewel Palomique – Mapua
5. Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel: Paul Zamar – UE / Blackwater
6. B-Meg: Ramon Mabayo – San Sebastian/STI

5th Round (Barako Bull, Meralco, Rain or Shine and B-Meg exercise their passes)

1. Global Port: VJ Serios – UP / Philippine Patriots (ABL, in 2009?)
2. Brgy. Ginebra: JR Buensuceso – BYU Hawaii / RnW Pacific Pipes

6th Round (Global Port exercise their pass)

1. Brgy. Ginebra: Elliot Tan – Biola University / Big Chill

7th Round (None, since Brgy. Ginebra exercise their pass)

List of Undrafted players. They get the chance to peddle their wares to all the teams, hoping that they become the diamond in the rough.

3. Marvin Agacer – San Sebastian / Ilocos Sur (Liga Pilipinas)
4. Richard Albo – De Ocampo Memorial College
6. Jerry Ang
7. Junar Arce – PCU / Cagayan
10. Ephraim Balagtas – University of Arkansas – Fort Smith (US NCAA Division II)
11. Fhadz Bandaying – UE / Boracay Rum
12. Darwin Barrameda – Ateneo de Naga
16. Jesse Bustos – Philippine Maritime Institute / RnW Pacific Pipes
19. Andrian Celada – Arellano / Cebuana Lhullier
23. Ramil Cordero – Lacson College
24. Erwin Cornejo – Mapua / Boracay
26. Anthony Del Rio – San Sebastian / Erase Placenta
27. Franz Delgado – San Sebastian / RnW Pacific Pipes
29. June Dizon – UST / Big Chill
33. Jayve Ferreria – PATTS / Freego
34. Paul Gonzalgo – Adamson
37. Mark Jeffries – San Diego Mesa College / Blackwater
39. Rex Leynes – St. Francis of Assisi / Chang Thailand Slammers
42. Raymond Maconocido – San Sebastian / Cebuana Lhullier
45. Allan Mangahas – Mapua / Erase Placenta
48. Ricky Maurillo – PSBA / Wang's Ballclub (MBL)
49. Louie Renn Medalla – University of Mindanao
52. Vincent Neri – Felipe Verallo Foundation College
55. Christopher Pestano – George Brown/Centennial College
56. Czarvin Pilapil – University of Caloocan
58. Danny Pribhdas – UST / MOB Packers (B6BL)
61. Jerome Rubi – CSU – Northridge
64. Stephen Siruma – PCU / Boracay Rum
69. Aldrin Valencia
70. Robby Zablan – AMA / Cobra Energy Drink

Clear Dream Match Rosters Named

Team James or Team Phil? Make your choice

On August 25, a charity football match benefiting the Tuloy sa Don Bosco Foundation in Alabang  is to take place at the University of Makati, featuring the newest faces of Clear shampoo, James and Phil Younghusband of the Loyola Meralco Sparks FC and the Philippine Men's Senior National Football team. This is what we know as the Clear Dream Match.

The Clear Dream Match will feature not only feature those who ply their trade in the United Football League, but also feature celebrities who also have a knack for the sport. Fans selected the final pool of 40 from an all-star ballot of 60 players found on Clear's Facebook page. From that pool, Phil and James selected their roster in a draft that took place on August 11 at the Tuloy Sa Don Bosco Foundation.

Before the draft proper, a clinic was conducted with the kid beneficiaries alongside students from The Younghusband Football Academy (TYFA), with certain members from the final pool helping out. The highlight of the clinic is a futsal match involving all parties.

A coin toss conducted by sportswriter Rick Olivares determined who will be selecting first in the Clear Draft, which Team Phil managed to secure.

The first phase of the draft involved both Phil and James making their initial five picks. These particular picks are based from the entire pool available. The UFL's Golden Boot winner went with Kaya FC's Saba Garamoundi as his top overall pick to set the tone for his plan, as the rest of his initial selections reflected a desire to solidify his defense (Park Min Ho, Yves Ashime, Roxy Dorlas and Armand del Rosario, in order of selection). Contrast that with James going with a combination of Kaya FC and Green Archers United players (In order of selection: Anton del Rosario, Nate Burkey, Pat Bocobo, Jonah Romero and Patrick Deyto).

The next phase sees both players picking the remaining 15 players from a set pool of positions (Forwards, Midfielders, Defenders and Goalkeepers). Among the ones joining Team Phil are his Loyola teammates Davide Cortina (12th pick), Dexter Versario (13th pick) and Byeong Jeong Yeol (14th pick). As for those who wore the country's colors, Pachanga's Freddy Gonzales (15th pick) and Stallion FC's Ojay Clarino (16th pick) will be Phil's attack partners. On the other hand, the select group of players comprising Team James include his Loyola teammates Pat Ozaeta (9th pick) and Ref Cuaresma (20th pick), as well as former national team players Rudy del Rosario (6th pick) and Diliman FC's Reymark Fernandez (11th pick).

Celebrities dot both rosters, with Rafael Rosell (7th pick), Daniel Matsunaga (9th pick) and Paolo Bediones (8th pick) joining Team Phil while Jake Cuenca (10th pick) and Andrew Wolff (19th pick) gets to be with Team James. 2/3 of the fabled Boys Night Out are also participating and in fact, will be on opposing sides (Tony Toni is Phil's 10th pick, while Slick Rick is James' 12th pick).

The last phase of selections involve wild cards, to which Phil and James can select someone who was not included in the 40-man pool. James went first, going with the national team physical therapist Wally Javier, while Phil, apparently still being true to his plan, went with his Loyola teammate in Anto Gonzales. This phase also is where they revealed their coaching selections, with Phil choosing Randy Roxas and James selecting Vince Santos and Fr. John Cordero.

Ticket details for this charity match are on Clear's Facebook page. But if you can't see them live, you can watch it on AkTV.  Coverage starts at 8PM after the NCAA Games.

Updates: Based from information secured by Rick Olivares, Ojay Clarino and Wilson Munoz were pulled out upon request by Penson Stallion Gilligan's, while Freddy Gonzales will be unavailable due to his own personal commitments. 2/3 of the vacancies were filled by Michael Menzi and Ousseynou Diop.

Team Phil 

Forwards: Eric Tai, Yannick Tuason, Freddy Gonzales and Fabio Ide

Midfielders: Rafael Rosell, Paolo Bediones, Daniel Matsunaga, Tony Toni, Davide Cortina, Byeong Yeong Jeol, Ojay Clarino, Ousseynou Diop

Defenders:  Park Min Ho, Yves Ashime, Roxy Dorlas, Armand del Rosario, Dexter Versario, Janrick Soriano, Alvin Ocampo.

Goalkeepers: Saba Garmaroudi, Wilson Munoz Michael Menzi

Wildcard: Anto Gonzales

Coach: Randy Roxas

Team James

Forwards: Nate Burkey, Patrick Bocobo, Rudy del Rosario, Eric Dagroh, Andrew Wolff

Midfielders: Marvin Kiefer, Jojo Durian, Jake Cuenca, Slick Rick, Mikko Mabanag

Defenders: Anton del Rosario, Jonah Romero, Patrick Ozaeta, Raymark Fernandez, Ronald Batisla-ong, Andrew Santiago, Nico Bolzico

Goalkeepers: Patrick Deyto, Ref Cuaresma

Wildcard: Wally Javier

Coaches: Vince Santos and Fr. John Cordero

Brook Lopez is coming to the Philippines

Fresh from the homecoming of Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, the Philippines will once again be the host of a NBA guest in a few days.

To commemorate NBA 3X Philippines 2012 presented by Sprite, Brooklyn Nets big man Brook Lopez will be visiting and partaking of the activities, scheduled from August 17-19 at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall and the SM by the Bay,

Joining the seven-foot Stanford alum will be the Charlotte Lady Cats Dancers as well as Stuff, the Magic Dragon, a.k.a. the mascot of the Orlando Magic.

Brook, who recently signed an extension with the Nets, is very excited to visit the country, adding that, "I know some of the NBA’s most avid fans are in the Philippines and I look forward to bringing a taste of the league to their home country and seeing a great display of basketball talent.”

Alongside the 3x3 event will be a slam dunk contest as well as a skills challenge, both of which will be sponsored by Sprite, as well as a three-point shootout sponsored by KFC. In addition, there will also be try-outs for the Sprite Uncontainable Game, a basketball match centered around Lebron James' Team Sudden facing off against Kobe Bryant's Team Intense. Both players will assemble their roster from a global pool of players, which will include a couple from the Philippines. Those selected to participate gets to go to the 2013 NBA All-Star Game. Check out Sprite's ad for this event.



Those who are not participating in the event can still enjoy the experience, as live bands and DJs will provide some entertainment. There will also be NBA merchandise giveaways. Ballers from the different basketball leagues as well as local celebrities will also grace the event, which has Sprite and KFC as its main partners. The event also has the following partners: SOLARtv Network Inc., Studio 23, X-Play, Philippine Star, PhilStar.com and SLAM Philippines (for media), Marriott Manila, Spalding and Monster Cable (for support) and SM Mall of Asia and SM Cinemas (for venue).

For more details, check out NBA Philippines, either on the web, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

Encapsulating the UAAP - Week 5

Rankings after the week's games:

UST - With the others idle (not because they wanted it to be in that situation), they made sure they stay on top.
Ateneo -Is rust going to be a factor? Good thing their opponents are facing the same issue.
NU - Need to translate the momentum from the last match into this one.
FEU - Is rust going to be a factor? Good thing their opponents are facing the same issue.
La Salle - The refrain still remains. Shooting. Foul. Shots.
Adamson - Gave the Archers their all. Just doomed in the end.
UP - Need to translate those close matches into something more soon
UE - Cannon fodder for opposition, but the easiest portion of the schedule looms.

What lies ahead:

Wednesday @ the Araneta Coliseum - 2 P.M. - University of the East vs Adamson / 4 P.M. - University of the Philippines vs University of Santo Tomas

Saturday @ the Araneta Coliseum - 12 nn (with 2 P.M. airing) - National University vs La Salle / 4 P.M. - Ateneo de Manila vs Far Eastern University

Sunday @ the Araneta Coliseum - 2 P.M. - University of Santo Tomas vs Adamson / 4 P.M. - University of the Philippines vs University of the East

Philippine Olympic Postscript

c/o Meetmanila

And so it ends for the quest for a medal in the Olympics a goal that remains unattained for the last four Olympic Games. Let's see how each fared on their respective events.

Jasmine Alkhaldi - Swimming (Women's 100-meter freestyle): She finished 5th in her heat with a time of 57.13 seconds.  She was 34th out of 48 entrants. The gold medal swim of the Netherlands' Ranomi Kromowidjojo was an Olympic-record 53 seconds.


Mark Anthony Barriga - Men's Boxing (Light Flyweight = 49-kg): Loses Round of 16 match against Birzhan Zhakypov of Kazakhstan, 17-16.

Rachel Anne Cabral - Archery (Women's Individual): Loses 1st round match against Inna Stepanova of Russia, 7-1.

Daniel Caluag - (Cycling - Men's BMX Racing): Finishes tied for 7th in his heat with 29 points


Hidilyn Diaz - Weightlifting (Women's 58 kg): The flagbearer for the Philippines in the Opening Ceremonies is one of two competitors who was not able to complete her lift, as she was unable to register a result in the Clean and Jerk. Her Snatch lift of 97 kg put her in 13th in the 19-woman field.

Rene Herrera - Track and Field (Men's 5000 meters): Finished 21st in his heat with a personal-best 14:44:11 time. On aggregate, he was 41st overall. Mo Farah's gold medal-winning run was at 13:41:66.

Tomohiko Aldaba Hoshina - Judo (Men's +100 kg): Loses by ippon to Kim Sung-Min of Korea in the 1st round.

Mark Javier- Archery (Men's Individual): Loses 1st round match against Brady Ellison of the US, 7-1.

Jessie Khing Lacuna- Swimming (Men's 200-meter freestyle): Finished 5th in his heat with a time of 1:52:91, putting him in 36th overall in the field. The gold medal swim of France's Yannick Agnel was at 1:43:14.

Paul Brian Rosario - Shooting (Men's Skeet): Finished tied for 31st in the qualification phase, with 110 points.

Marestella Torres - Athletics (Women's Long Jump): Finished 11th in her group with a 6.22m jump. The result puts her 22nd overall. The gold medal-winning attempt by Britney Reese of the United States was at 7.12m.

And so, the quest to pinpoint the blame has resumed in earnest. What really is need to be done here? That's the question.

College Basketball Postponements

With all the monsoon rains inundating the country to the extent of current flooding, the collegiate leagues have decided to postpone their respective games.

The UAAP had previously announced the postponement of their August 8 matches to a later date. Today Wednesday, they announced the postponement of the August 9 women's basketball matches and the August 11 matches of the juniors and seniors division matches. The reason for the new postponements are due to the current unavailability of the Philsports Arena, which is currently an evacuation center.

They have decided to move the August 8 matches (La Salle vs Adamson at 2 PM, UE vs UST at 4 PM) to Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum. The August 11 (UST vs Adamson at 2PM, NU vs La Salle at 4PM) and August 12 (UP vs UE at 2PM and Ateneo vs FEU at 4PM) matches to the following weekend (August 18 and 19). The August 18 and 19 matches have no confirmed venue yet.

UPDATE:  The UAAP Online Media Bureau has posted the revised schedule.

All Men's Seniors matches are scheduled at the Araneta Coliseum.

August 12, Sunday: 2 P.M. - La Salle vs Adamson / 4 P.M. - University of the East vs University of Santo Tomas

August 15, Wednesday: 2 P.M. - University of the East vs Adamson / 4 P.M. - University of the Philippines versus University of Santo Tomas

August 18, Saturday: 12 nn (with 2 P.M. airing) - National University vs La Salle / 4 P.M. - Ateneo de Manila vs Far Eastern University

August 19, Sunday: 2 P.M. - University of Santo Tomas vs Adamson / 4 P.M. - University of the Philippines vs University of the East

Juniors games will be at the San Juan Arena unless otherwise stated.

August 10, Friday: 8:30 A.M. - University of the East vs National University / 10:15 A.M. - La Salle-Zobel vs Adamson / 12 nn - Ateneo de Manila University vs University of Santo Tomas

August 11, Saturday (at Ynares): 10 A.M. - Far Eastern University vs UP Integrated School

August 14, Tuesday 8:30 A.M. - Adamson vs Far Eastern University / 10:15 A.M.- National University vs UP Integrated School / 12 nn - University of the East vs Ateneo de Manila / 1:45 P.M. - University of Santo Tomas vs La Salle-Zobel

August 17, Friday: 8:30 A.M. - UP Integrated School vs University of the East / 10:15 A.M.- National University vs Far Eastern University / 12 nn - Adamson vs University of Santo Tomas / 1:45 P.M. - Ateneo de Manila vs La Salle-Zobel


Women's basketball matches are scheduled below

August 10, Friday at San Juan Arena: 1:45 P.M. - La Salle vs National University / 3:30 P.M. - University of Santo Tomas vs Ateneo de Manila / 5:15 P.M. - Adamson vs University of the East

August 12, Sunday at Araneta: 10:15 A.M. - University of the Philippines vs Far Eastern University

August 14, Tuesday at San Juan Arena: 3:30 P.M. - National University vs University of Santo Tomas / 5:15 P.M. - University of the Philippines vs La Salle

August 15, Wednesday at Araneta: 8:30 A.M. - Far Eastern University vs University of the East / 10:15 A.M. - Ateneo de Manila vs Adamson

August 17, Friday at San Juan Arena: 3:30 P.M. - University of the East vs University of the Philippines / 5:15 P.M. - La Salle vs University of Santo Tomas

August 19, Sunday at Araneta: 8:30 A.M - Ateneo de Manila vs National University / 10:15 A.M. - Far Eastern University vs Adamson

Meanwhile, the NCAA Mancom will announce by Friday the new dates for the Aug 9 (JRU-Letran, SBC-SSC-R) & 11 (MIT-AU, SBC-Letran) postponements.

Relief efforts are currently conducted by most of the different member schools of both the UAAP and NCAA. Also, Kiefer Ravena, who was one of the architects of the Fastbreak charity hoops event, is planning to do a similar event to raise funds for relief efforts. You may follow @fastbreak15 for details.

Encapsulating the UAAP - Week 4

Thanks to Fabilioh.com

Rankings after the week's games:

UST - More cardiac action, thanks to double-OT. Hopefully, for their sake, less of that, considering their upcoming opposition.
Ateneo - Easy victories, but there are woes behind those victories. Can't have those woes against FEU.
NU -  A much-needed come-from-behind victory.
FEU -Shaky victory after an agonizing defeat. Not they way you'd like to face Ateneo in.
La Salle - Coach Gee must be having his players shoot a million foul shots.
UP - Keeping themselves close against the 2012 UAAP finalists? Who knew?
Adamson - It's the end of the road for Alex Nuyles.
UE - The fact that they were close for a half is more because Ateneo allowed it to happen.

What lies ahead:

Wednesday @ the Araneta Coliseum - 2 P.M La Salle vs Adamson; 4 P.M University of the East vs University of Santo Tomas Since been postponed as per the UAAP Board.

Saturday @ the PhilSports Arena - 2 P.M. University of Santo Tomas vs Adamson; 4 P.M National University vs La Salle Since has been postponed as per the UAAP Board

Sunday @ the Araneta Coliseum - 2 P.M. University of the Philippines vs University of the East; 4 P.M Ateneo de Manila vs Far Eastern University 2 P.M La Salle vs Adamson; 4 P.M. University of the East vs University of Santo Tomas (Original matches have been postponed and Wednesday's matches were moved to this date.)

Encapsulating the Spark in one graphic

Interesting tidbit I found from Mico Halili's blog. Thought of it to pass this interesting tidbit to all of you.

Maybe some other people need to have this kind of thing to bolster their profile.

2012 Kia Cup

Nice of Kia to step up to the plate in helping out the Philippines' Homeless World Cup squad. This is slated 3 weeks from now at the Alabang Country Club. (ACC).

A worthy cause, if you ask me.

The complete list of 2012 PBA Draft Applicants

71 names comprise the wannabe PBA Draftees. There are the clear and obvious ones, and then there are surprises.

The one on Interaksyon, where I took the list from, only noted the school, so I took the tedious time of looking for their respective semi-pro teams, if applicable.

1. Calvin Abueva – San Sebastian / NLEX
2. Mark Acosta – Mapua / Erase Placenta
3. Marvin Agacer – San Sebastian / Ilocos Sur (Liga Pilipinas)
4. Richard Albo – De Ocampo Memorial College
5. Lester Alvarez – Adamson / Cebuana Lhullier
6. Jerry Ang
7. Junar Arce – PCU / Cagayan
8. Simon Atkins – La Salle / Cebuana Lhullier
9. Bacon Austria – Ateneo / Cebuana Lhullier
10. Ephraim Balagtas – University of Arkansas – Fort Smith (US NCAA Division II)
11. Fhadz Bandaying – UE / Boracay Rum
12. Darwin Barrameda – Ateneo de Naga
13. Jaypee Belencion – Letran / NLEX
14. Ryan Boada – University of Houston
15. JR Buensuceso – BYU Hawaii / RnW Pacific Pipes
16. Jesse Bustos – Philippine Maritime Institute / RnW Pacific Pipes
17. Jerick Canada – Adamson / Indonesia Warriors
18. JR Cawaling – FEU
19. Andrian Celada – Arellano / Cebuana Lhullier
20. Gian Chiu – Oberlin College
21. Woody Co – UP / NLEX
22. Jan Colina – Adamson / RnW Pacific Pipes
23. Ramil Cordero – Lacson College
24. Erwin Cornejo – Mapua / Boracay
25. Karl Dehesa – Waldorf College / NLEX
26. Anthony Del Rio – San Sebastian / Erase Placenta
27. Franz Delgado – San Sebastian / RnW Pacific Pipes
28. Jason Deutchman – San Diego State / Cafe France
29. June Dizon – UST / Big Chill
30. Chris Ellis – Mary Harden Baylor / NLEX
31. Jason Escueta – Ateneo / Junior Powerade
32. June Mar Fajardo – University of Cebu / San Miguel
33. Jayve Ferreria – Patts / Freego
34. Paul Gonzalgo – Adamson
35. Kokoy Hermosisima – NU / Boracay Rum
36. Cliff Hodge – Reedley College / NLEX
37. Mark Jeffries – San Diego Mesa College / Blackwater
38. Keith Jensen – NYU / Big Chill
39. Rex Leynes – St. Francis of Assisi / Chang Thailand Slammers
40. Janus Lozada – Adamson / Cebuana Lhullier
41. Ramon Mabayo – San Sebastian/STI
42. Raymond Maconocido – San Sebastian / Cebuana Lhullier
43. Alex Mallari – Lewis-Clark State / Big Chill
44. AJ Mandani – University of Missouri-Rolla / Blackwater
45. Allan Mangahas – Mapua / Erase Placenta
46. Vic Manuel – PSBA / Cebuana Lhullier
47. Dave Marcelo – San Beda / NLEX
48. Ricky Maurillo – PSBA / Wang's Ballclub (MBL)
49. Louie Renn Medalla – University of Mindanao
50. Emman Monfort – Ateneo / NLEX
51. Kelly Nabong – Santa Rosa Yayce / Blackwater
52. Vincent Neri – Felipe Verallo Foundation College
53. Jewel Palomique – Mapua
54. Ronald Pascual – San Sebastian / NLEX
55. Christopher Pestano – George Brown/Centennial College
56. Czarvin Pilapil – University of Caloocan
57. Jewel Ponferrada – NU / Big Chill
58. Danny Pribhdas – UST / MOB Packers (B6BL)
59. Aldrech Ramos – FEU / Air Asia Philippine Patriots
60. Raphy Reyes – UE / Big Chill
61. Jerome Rubi – CSU – Northridge
62. Mark Sarangay – Mapua / Erase Placenta
63. VJ Serios – UP / Philippine Patriots (ABL, in 2009?)
64. Stephen Siruma – PCU / Boracay Rum
65. Eric Suguitan – UE/San Beda/ACSAT / NLEX
66. Yousef Taha – North Lake/Mapua
67. Elliot Tan – Biola University / Big Chill
68. Chris Tiu – Ateneo / SMART-Gilas
69. Aldrin Valencia
70. Robby Zablan – AMA / Cobra Energy Drink
71. Paul Zamar – UE / Blackwater

The Historical Box Score

Yup, the box score happened. An absolute torching by the United States against Nigeria in Olympic competition. The team's on fire... Indeed.

Encapsulating the UAAP - Week 3

Thanks to Fabilioh.com

Rankings after the week's games:

UST - Character-building victory against a preseason darling. They earn their stay here.
Ateneo - Classic victory over its rival. Nothing to see here that we haven't seen before.
FEU - Escapes cardiac mode with smashing victory.

La Salle - LA Revilla is the motor that keeps them going. Can Coach Gee find a way to lessen his burden?
NU - Two easy blowouts, Getting blown out themselves, and now allowing someone to come back and beat you. What are the Bulldogs' true identity. Maybe the Tamaraws can answer this for us.
Adamson - Jericho Cruz is the successor of Alex Nuyles.
UP - Nice comeback, but allowing a hustle play on defense and awful final offensive execution killed the Maroons. With the finalists of the last couple of seasons coming this week, it's not looking good.

UE - Getting blown out by 26 is really ugly. And the champs are coming next.

What lies ahead:

Thursday @ the Araneta Coliseum - 2 P.M Ateneo de Manila vs University of the Philippines; 4 P.M National University vs Far Eastern University

Saturday @ the Mall of Asia Arena - 2 P.M. University of Santo Tomas vs De La Salle; 4 P.M University of the East vs Ateneo de Manila

Sunday @ the Mall of Asia Arena - 2 P.M. Far Eastern University vs University of the Philippines; 4 P.M Adamson University vs National University

The Olympics in Brick

We all know about the Taiwanese's NMA TV's now-legendary animations of news bits. Here is their rendition of Ye Shiwen's sensational swim.



Thanks to the Guardian (h/t to Deadspin for pointing this), the newfangled way of illustrating action is now through bricks.



Back-story after the jump:

The Olympics, as we all know, is the biggest sports spectacle for most sports. If you are going to lose, as much as possible, you'd want your opponent to earn the victory, make them work for it. Show that they deserve that gold medal. But it would really hurt if the defeat was aided by a certain technicality, a timing issue, or an error.

Which is what had happened in the women's épée match between Korean A Lam Shin and German Britta Heidemann. A timing error resulted into a clock reset from zero to one second, which is what Britta needed to secure a point to advance to the final, which resulted in the sit-in.

Now you sort-of have an idea as to why until now, the 1972 US men's basketball team has not accepted their silver medals.

Speaking of basketball, here is one of the brick-construction of USA vs France.