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DID YOU KNOW? Ben Mbala wanted to go to Ateneo
Ben Mbala spent three years of his life undergoing residency for De La Salle University. Once he was eligible, however, he left no doubt that he was worth the wait, teaming up with Jeron Teng to lead the Green Archers to a dominant 16-1 title run in UAAP 79. At the same time, the 6-foot-8 center was the league's undisputed top individual player - posting per game counts of 20.6 points in 54 percent shooting, 16.2 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 1.4 steals, and 1.2 assists. He wound up more than 20 statistical points ahead of his closest competitor. A year later, he won his second straight MVP and carried the Taft-based team to just a win shy of back-to-back championships. For sure, Mbala is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, La Salle Green Archers. Way back when, though, if only he had his way, he wouldn't even have been clad in green and white. "Ateneo was my first choice. I am going to be honest," he said, with a laugh, in the inaugural episode of The Prospects Pod last Friday. Yes, La Salle wasn't "Big Ben's" first choice - and even worse for their faithful, he wanted to go with the enemy. Asked why that was so, he answered, "A lot of their bigs were graduating and I was looking for a team where I can have a lot of stability and get playing time." He then continued, "Going to La Salle, they had [Arnold] Van Opstal, Norbert Torres, Yutien Andrada, [Jason] Perkins. I gotta go over them and compete to have playing time so I was like, I'm gonna go to Ateneo." By that point, all of Greg Slaughter, Poy Erram, and Justin Chua were no longer in blue and white. Already a two-way force in Southwestern University, Mbala opened eyes of the big leagues and the big programs in Metro Manila and just about everybody had interest in him. Ultimately, it came down to two choices - the Green Archers and the Blue Eagles. Apparently, he even got to visit an Ateneo practice. "I remember seeing you in one of our practices, actually," then-King Eagle Kiefer Ravena recalled. "After 5 to 10 minutes in the office across that library, I went to the gym. They told me to dunk and I didn't stretch yet so I just made a two-handed dunk and they were like, 'Woah. Yeah,'" the Cameroonian replied. Imagine a team with Ravena and Mbala. Just imagine that. History had other plans, however, and the now 25-year-old wound up with the Green Archers. "Coach Yayoy, one day, he called me to go to La Salle and I was like, 'What do you mean? I want to go to Ateneo,'" he shared, talking about SWU head coach Yayoy Alcoseba. "But he was like, 'You go to La Salle. It's going to be better for you because I know people there." Fast forward to now and, of course, Mbala has no regrets - the Animo spirit lives in him through and through. As he put it, "At the end of the day, I feel like going over there and competing with all those bigs made me improve. When you et there, you can't just lay down and say I'm going to wait for my turn." --- Follow this writer on Twitter, @riegogogo......»»
Blue Eagles coach tempers Final Four expectations amid momentum
Ateneo Blue Eagles head coach Sergio Veloso is not getting ahead of himself as his team is slowly showing its form in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament......»»
No chemistry issues amid new acquisitions, says Choco Mucho coach
Loaded with new talents, the Choco Mucho Flying Titans are seeing no problems regarding the chemistry of the team ahead of the upcoming Premier Volleyball League (PVL) season......»»
Huge win over TNT toughens up Rain or Shine
Pulling off a victory over the TNT Tropang Giga will surely help Rain or Shine prepare for "tougher games ahead" in the quarterfinals of the PBA Commissioner's Cup, Elasto Painters head coach Yeng Guiao said......»»
Adjustments highlight Topex’ mastery
Sportung chaneLa Salle coach Topex Robinson will be the first to admit that the Archers couldn’t have won the UAAP men’s basketball championship without his core staff......»»
Archers hang hat on humility
De La Salle University men’s basketball head coach Topex Robinson never wavered in reminding his players to be humble throughout the UAAP season so when the final buzzer sounded to end the Finals that brought the Archers back to the throne after a seven-year wait before 25,192 fans at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last Wednesday, there were no stare-downs, no chest-thumps only the shaking of hands in the spirit of sportsmanship......»»
Now-champion coach Topex bares self-doubt after Archers lopsidedly lost Game 1
La Salle head coach Topex Robinson joined an elite company on Wednesday, as he now counts himself among the first-year coaches in La Salle who have led the Green Archers to the championship......»»
Champ at last: Topex Robinson ends ‘runner-up curse’ with La Salle
‘This is my first championship as a college head coach after so many tries, and you just don't want to give up,’ says coach Topex Robinson after winning a UAAP championship right on his debut season with the La Salle Green Archers.....»»
Tenorio makes PBA comeback after beating Big C
Barangay Ginebra's LA Tenorio will be making his long-awaited comeback to the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) after successfully beating colon cancer. Tenorio, who underwent a six-month treatment in Singapore, is now in remission and ready to step back onto the court. The 39-year-old point guard expressed his excitement and high spirits ahead of his first game in 10 months. Despite acknowledging the challenge of readjusting to competitive basketball, Tenorio is determined to fit in seamlessly with his teammates. He also expressed his gratitude to his family, friends, management, coaches, and the entire sports community for their support during his recovery. Tenorio, known as the Iron Man for his impressive streak of 744 consecutive games in the PBA, had his streak interrupted due to a groin injury and subsequent cancer diagnosis. During his time away from the game, he served as an assistant coach for Gilas Pilipinas in the 19th China Asian Games, where the Philippines emerged victorious......»»
Archers acknowledge need to outhustle Maroons to find success in UAAP finals
Outworking a team full of "superstar players" will be the name of the game for the La Salle Green Archers as they face the UP Fighting Maroons in the UAAP Season 86 men's basketball finals, head coach Topex Robinson said......»»
La Salle s Quiambao, Nelle lauded for playing through grief, injury
Kevin Quiambao and Evan Nelle both gained the respect of head coach Topex Robinson by simply being on the court for the DLSU Green Archers in their 83-75 UAAP Season 86 win over the UE Red Warriors at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in España on Saturday......»»
Brownlee formula
The issue surrounding Justin Brownlee is a major blackeye to Philippine basketball. It is yet another heartbreaker for Filipinos, who were hoping and praying to see the national team reassert its dominance in the international arena. For the longest time, the Filipinos had struggled internationally. In the Asian Games, for instance, the Philippines emerged victorious in its first four editions — 1951 in New Delhi, 1954 in Manila, 1958 in Tokyo, and 1962 in Jakarta before suffering a string of frustrating finishes. The closest we got to the gold medal was in 1990 when the Basketball Association of the Philippines tasked the Philippine Basketball Association with assembling a team that would reclaim our Asian glory. It was a tall order at the time as the Philippines was coming off a bitter setback at the hands of Malaysia in the 1989 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur. The BAP knew that only an Asian crown would soothe the pain of a nation craving revenge. But it didn’t happen. Coached by Robert “Sonny” Jaworski, the team bannered by Allan Caidic, Benjie Paras, Ramon Fernandez, Samboy Lim, and Chito Loyzaga surrendered to powerhouse China featuring Shan Tao and Ma Jian in the gold medal match. Eight years later, Tim Cone was given the marching orders to assemble another star-studded squad to represent the country in the Bangkok Asian Games in 1998. But like Jaworski, his bitter coaching nemesis at the time, Cone was also unsuccessful as his Centennial Team had to settle for bronze behind China and South Korea. In the next edition in Busan in 2002, hopes were high. Despite a sudden coaching change after American mentor Ron Jacobs suffered a stroke in the final stretch of preparations, Jong Uichico was still able to form a solid team that had a mix of Filipino-foreign stars like Asi Taulava, Eric Menk, and Rudy Hatfield, as well as homegrown stars like Olsen Racela, Kenneth Duremdes, and Danny Ildefonso. But fate wrote a cruel script. The Philippines was ahead, 68-66, in the final 23.9 seconds of the semifinal clash against South Korea. A victory would have sent the Filipinos to the gold medal match against China, while a setback would relegate them to a battle for bronze against Kazakhstan. Racela was at the charity stripe for a chance to ice the game and seal the victory. But he missed both free shots. In a shocking — and heartbreaking — turn of events, Korean gunner Lee Sang Min buried a long three-pointer off a broken play at the buzzer that sent the host country to the finals. The players were crushed while a river of tears flowed through the streets of Manila as the entire country couldn’t believe how merciless the basketball gods could be. Since then, Philippine basketball has been reduced to a mere footnote in Asian basketball. We bombed out of the medal podium in Doha in 2006 and Guangzhou in 2010. We even suffered international embarrassment when head coach Chot Reyes instructed naturalized player Marcus Douthit to shoot at our own basket in Incheon in 2014. In 2018, a legitimate National Basketball Association campaigner, Jordan Clarkson, came along and was billed as the hero who would save Philippine basketball. But he was unsuccessful. The Filipinos’ string of misfortunes continued as Gilas Pilipinas settled for fifth place. Then here came Brownlee, tapped to see action as a naturalized player in the Hangzhou Asian Games. The 35-year-old American was tasked to power a team already familiar to him — guys he had been playing with for more than five years. The coach — Cone — had been his mentor since he arrived in Manila in 2016 and led Barangay Ginebra San Miguel to six PBA titles while winning three Best Import honors. There was no honeymoon period to speak of. He hit the ground running. The result was impressive as Brownlee dropped 36 points to lead Gilas Pilipinas to a razor-thin 84-83 win over Iran in the quarterfinals, before dropping back-to-back three-point bombs in their miraculous 77-76 victory over host China in the semifinals. The Filipinos won their first gold medal in 61 years following a 70-60 victory over Jordan in the final, but an asterisk was attached to the victory after Brownlee tested positive for Carboxy-THC, a banned substance linked to the use of cannabis. At this point, it is unknown whether Brownlee will contest the findings or how long his possible suspension will be. What is clear is that Brownlee made a tremendous impact on Philippine basketball as he proved that the best way to win an international title is to field a naturalized player who is very familiar with the Filipinos’ style of play. Brownlee may not be as exciting and flashy as Clarkson or as tall as Douthit and Blatche, but he knows Philippine basketball like the back of his hand. It’s time for the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas to create more Justin Brownlees by recruiting young foreign players who are willing to stay in the country for a longer period — not just to earn and play as imports in the PBA — but to win the hearts and minds of these basketball-crazy Filipinos. Brownlee’s professional career is in great peril, and we may not see him don the Gilas or Ginebra jerseys again. But we should always remember his most significant contribution to Philippine basketball. Nope, it wasn’t the incredible play he delivered against China or how he stood his ground against Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and the powerful Jordanians that led to the country’s first Asian Games title in 61 years. His most important contribution was the idea that to gain international success, the federation must recruit a naturalized player not based on skills, height, or popularity but on his love, respect, and dedication to the country he wishes to represent. The post Brownlee formula appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Defense saves the day for Maroons vs Archers
UP’s stellar defense triggered the huge turnaround in the second half of the Fighting Maroons’ UAAP Season 86 clash with La Salle en route to a heart-stopping 67-64 win for the Diliman-based squad, head coach Goldwin Monteverde said......»»
Unsatisfied Baldwin demands good basketball from Blue Eagles
Ateneo Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin said he was “not overly satisfied” with their gutsy 77-72 win over archrivals La Salle Green Archers in their UAAP Season 86 showdown Wednesday. .....»»
Archers on target
La Salle ushered in a new era under coach Topex Robinson with a bang by clobbering Far Eastern U, 87-76, in the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament yesterday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City......»»
US wary of German pride ahead of Basketball World Cup semi
Manila, Philippines Austin Reaves warned his United States team-mates on Thursday that national pride will transform Germany's players when they meet in the Basketball World Cup semi-finals. Reaves is set to square off against former Los Angeles Lakers team-mate Dennis Schroder when the United States and Germany meet in Manila on Friday with a place in the final up for grabs. Reaves expects Schroder to be a different player once he puts on his national team jersey and warned that he has a gift for "instilling confidence in others". "The passion that he has for basketball, when it comes to the Olympics, the World Cup, stuff like that it, intensifies by 10, just because he's so passionate about where he comes from," said Reaves. "They're all like that." Germany are the only unbeaten team left at the World Cup and booked their place in the semi-finals with a narrow win over Latvia on Wednesday. Schroder had a night to forget, scoring only four of his 26 field-goal attempts in what he called "probably the worst game I ever played in my career". The Americans are still wary of the threat that Schroder poses, and US captain Jalen Brunson said the Germany playmaker "can do whatever he wants on the court in any given moment". "He has those gifts," said Brunson. "We just have to be locked in defensively. While he is a lot of what they do, he's not all of what they do." The United States also have plenty of talent at their disposal and showed it in their 100-63 quarter-final demolition of Italy on Tuesday. Head coach Steve Kerr is ready to unleash his full breadth of attacking talent against the Germans and said "they don't need a speech" before the game. "I think the main job of our staff right now is to give them a blueprint," said Kerr. "Everything that we've done in preparation over the last five-and-a-half weeks is to get to this point. "Show them what they need to do, let them be themselves -- that's the plan." Kerr called shooting guard Anthony Edwards -- the Americans' top scorer at the tournament -- "one of the most talented players on Earth". Kerr has been rewarded with impressive performances throughout his squad, and power forward Paolo Banchero said the players have been "counting down the days" until the final. "This is the peak of the tournament, this is winning time, the last two games," said Banchero. "We're locked in." amk/pbt © Agence France-Presse The post US wary of German pride ahead of Basketball World Cup semi appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Phl glitters after Gilas routs China
Although the aspirational campaign of the Philippines for a berth in the Paris Olympics in 2024 is all over, the 38,155 Filipinos and millions of others are hurting. Why should Gilas Pilipinas suffer four straight losses before waking up to the reality that we are the host of the world’s most prestigious basketball tournament? National interest should have been the guiding principle in preparing for this global affair that our people love so much. In deference to the presence of our guests let us wait after they have left to discuss in this column the various other interests that may have spoiled our preparation for FIBA World Cup 2023 Philippines. Meanwhile, let us share and enjoy together the blessings that this thing called sport has provided us in celebration of humanity in our country. It was midway through the third quarter before Jordan Clarkson took over with his fantastic shooting, with four straight three-point shots that put Gilas ahead 73-51 at the end of the third, maintaining that lead until the end of the fourth, with the final score, Philippines 96, China 75. Clarkson scored 34, Rhenz Abando 14, Kai Sotto 12, Dwight Ramos 11, Jun Mar Fajardo 9, Roger Ray Pogoy 7, AJ Edu 5, Scottie Thompson 4, Kiefer Ravena 0, Japeth Aguilar 0. This situation was similar in the first game of Gilas with the Dominican Republic, except that had Chot paced Clarkson and allowed him some rest before the fourth quarter, the inaugural game could have been an easy win for the home team. The colossal defeat devastated the 38,115 basketball-crazy fans present. The attendance at the world’s largest indoor coliseum in the country registered in the Guinness World Records the biggest numbers for a single FIBA World Cup basketball match. It took Chot and his players to play “and practice” four times and lose on thin margins — in the Philippine Arena, Mall of Asia, and Araneta Coliseum — before the watchful eyes of basketball enthusiasts from all over the sports capitals of the world. It was only after the fourth loss that Chot gained mastery of the plays that could clinch a victory, and he did it wonderfully. It was a massacre. Gilas registered its biggest win ever, at home, in FIBA World Cup history. The fault, perhaps, for Gilas’ four losses lay in a lack of practice. Had the team had sufficient time to practice their winning combinations, it might have been a different story. No sports team in the world can win a championship without practice. Practice makes perfect. Jordan Clarkson saved the Philippines from another winless FIBA World Cup run, salvaging a lackluster team performance. The third-place finish of the national team in the 1954 FIBA World Cup in Brazil has remained unsurpassed by any Asian country until now. The 1954 squad will always be remembered for having been inducted into the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame of the Philippine Sports Commission. The feat of the immortal squad included winning six and losing only two. The Philippines beat the following countries: Paraguay 64-52; Taipei 48-38; Uruguay 67-63; Canada 83-76; Israel 90-56; and France 66-60. The Philippines lost to: Brazil 62-99; and USA 43-56. The scoring leader was Carlos Loyzaga with an average score of 16.4 points per game. The captain ball was Lauro Mumar and the coach was Herminio Silva. Player and senator-to-be Ambrosio Padilla headed the 1954 national basketball team. The post Phl glitters after Gilas routs China appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Release the dragon : China coach dares players to go all out vs Gilas
Ahead of China's crucial FIBA World Cup classification round game against Gilas Pilipinas on Saturday, head coach Aleksandar Djordjevic said he would "love" for his players to release their inner dragon as they try and book the outright ticket in next year's Paris Olympics......»»
Clarkson weirded out by booing from home crowd
The home crowd booing Gilas Pilipinas head coach Chot Reyes ahead of the Philippine team’s FIBA World Cup clash against Italy at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Tuesday is “weird,” according to star Jordan Clarkson......»»
Scotland’s Graham at the double against Italy in Rugby World Cup warm-up
Darcy Graham marked his return from injury with two tries as an experimental Scotland side beat Italy 25-13 on Saturday in a Rugby World Cup warm-up match at Murrayfield. The 26-year-old Edinburgh wing missed the Six Nations with a knee injury but, after scoring a hat-trick in his last match for the Scots against Argentina in November, he picked up where he left off. Replacement Josh Bayliss sealed the victory with the Scots' third try in the last play of the match after Monty Ioane's score just after the hour had given the Italians hope. Graham was one of the few established internationals in Gregor Townsend's starting XV as the Scotland coach rested key players ahead of a double-header against World Cup hosts France. The visitors started well, but Scotland made the breakthrough in the 13th minute when Graham, on the right wing, collected Ben Healey's kick and helped himself to a straightforward touchdown. The Azzurri edged in front by half-time courtesy of two penalties from Harlequins stand-off Tommaso Allan. Scotland were back in front eight minutes after the interval when Healy scored a penalty. In the 56th minute, Graham claimed his second try of the match when he received a reverse pass from Ali Price and bounded over the line. Healy was accurate with the conversion as the Scots opened up a 15-6 advantage. Italy got back into the match just after the hour when Ioane went over on the left after a lovely pass from Allan, who converted. The hosts regained control when Healy kicked another penalty in the 74th minute. They finished on a high note, with substitute Bayliss scoring his first international try, converted by the impressive Healy. "It was a bit of a mixed bag," Scotland captain Rory Darge told Amazon Prime. "Loads of good stuff, especially in defense. "The shots and physicality were really good but we'll have a lot to work on come Monday, especially taking care of the ball. It was tough conditions but we could have done a bit more, especially around the breakdown." The post Scotland’s Graham at the double against Italy in Rugby World Cup warm-up appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»