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Great Brown Hope
The entire nation erupted in celebration when Kai Sotto finally made his debut in the National Basketball Association Summer League. It was such a memorable performance. The 7-foot-3 Filipino posted six points, four rebounds, three blocks, and an assist in the Orlando Magic’s 88-71 defeat to the Portland Trail Blazers. Aside from washing away the bitterness from being benched in their first three matches against the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, and New York Knicks, Sotto’s breakout performance could pave the way for him to land a two-way contract in the NBA. We, however, have to manage our expectations. The Filipinos’ road to the NBA is littered with tears, frustrations, and a lot of heartbreaks. Unlike the Chinese, Japanese, Iranians, and Koreans, no full-blooded Filipino has ever penetrated the NBA since its founding in 1946. Johnny Abarrientos came very close when he caught the attention of the Charlotte Hornets following Alaska’s grand slam season in 1996. In fact, the Hornets sent its international scout, Joe Bettancourt, to the country to watch the 5-foot-7 Abarrientos live and in action. Bettancourt was on the sidelines when Alaska battled Purefoods, hoping to give Abarrientos a 10-day contract that would have him replacing the injured Muggsy Bogues, the 5-foot-3 court general who ran the offense for Hornets coach Dave Cowens. Abarrientos, Bettancourt, and Alaska coach Tim Cone even had a “secret meeting” at the Manila Peninsula in 1997 to discuss the terms of Abarrientos’ contract and the possibility of him becoming the first Asian to play in the NBA. But it never happened. Cowens eventually pulled the plug on Bogues and sent him to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for BJ Armstrong, a 6-foot-2 playmaker who was part of the great Chicago Bulls squad that won three straight NBA titles. With Bogues gone, Abarrientos’s chance of making it to the NBA also vanished. Japeth Aguilar tried to revive the Filipinos’ NBA dream a decade later. After seeing action for Ateneo de Manila University in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines league, Aguilar moved to the United States to enroll at Western Kentucky University, a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I program that produced NBA players like Courtney Lee, Mitchell Robinson, and Jeremy Evans. But the 6-foot-9 Aguilar failed to adjust to the speed and physicality of American basketball that had him struggling in his two years with the Hilltoppers. Aguilar was invited to a two-day workout with the New Orleans Hornets but their scout, Don Sellers, said that he remained a “work in progress” and was not yet ready for the NBA. Then, he was drafted in the seventh round by the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA D-League but his run also didn’t last long as he was eventually relegated to being a practice player until he was waived. Aguilar’s Gilas Pilipinas teammates — Ray Parks and Kiefer Ravena — also tried their luck with the NBA but their journeys only brought them as far as the NBA D-League. Veteran international campaigner Jojo Lastimosa was spot on with his observation: In this time and age, making it to the NBA is harder than it used to be. It’s no longer height that matters, but the mentality, work ethic, international exposure, and overall skill set that are the most important. For Sotto to make it to the NBA, he has to develop a reliable outside shot and quicker feet that will make him deadly in pick-and-roll attacks and enable him to switch to smaller, faster players at the defensive end. He also has to spend a lot of time getting exposed to American basketball, where giants like Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic are shooting, running, attacking, and dribbling like skilled playmakers. Sotto is a generational talent. He is our only hope to break the solid walls of the NBA, where only 450 roster spots are available. If he doesn’t make it, maybe — just maybe — it’s time for us to abandon our NBA dream. The post Great Brown Hope appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Ginebra, TNT go for broke
Games Wednesday: (Smart Araneta Coliseum) 5:45 p.m. Ginebra vs TNT Series summary: Game 1: Ginebra 102, TNT 90 Game 2: TNT 95, Ginebra 82 Game 3: Ginebra 117, TNT 103 Game 4: TNT 116, Ginebra 104 An all-out war gets underway as Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and TNT Tropang Giga collide for an all-important victory in Game 5 of their Philippine Basketball Association best-of-seven finals series on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Action starts at 5:45 p.m. with both squads tipped to be at their best to deliver a win that will put them a heartbeat away from clinching the title of this season-ending conference. According to PBA head of statistics Fidel Mangonon III, the battle had turned into a cold-blooded shootout with Ginebra piling a total of 405 points with 56 three-pointers while TNT compiled 404 points with 55 treys. In Game 3, in fact, the Kings ran wild from the rainbow area, hitting 18 three-pointers to set a franchise record for the most number of treys. But TNT responded in Game 4 as it unloaded a finals record of 21 long bombs to eclipse its previous mark of 20 that it tallied in a 121-119 double-overtime win over Rain or Shine in Game 7 of its 2015 Commissioner’s Cup best-of-seven finals series. TNT head coach Jojo Lastimosa said their sharp form from downtown was a product of their good spacing and ball movement. “If you shoot well, most likely, you’re gonna win,” said Lastimosa, also the team manager of the Tropang Giga. “I think what we did was we went back to what we do best. If we have Rondae (Hollis-Jefferson) there as a screener and we have proper spacing, and we can locate shooters on the corner, we know that we’re gonna get shots.” He added they marched into Game 4 with fire in their eyes after realizing their mistakes in Game 3. “The problem with our last game was that we didn’t have good spacing. Rondae was our facilitator and the ball didn’t go to the shooters,” he said. “But in Game 4, Calvin had a lot of looks and it stemmed from our spacing. If it’s your night, it’s your night. We have a lot of heroes, Kib Montalbo was a huge part of this game, and without Roger there, having a broken finger, we need somebody who can step in and help out in the scoring side.” For Montalbo, it’s all about getting prepared, whatever your role is, and in Game 4, he was promoted to become a starter and immediately made a huge impact, scoring 16 points and hitting 4-of-8 treys. “I wasn’t able to play much previously, but I was inserted to the starting position and I just took advantage,” Montalbo said. “For me, it’s about putting in the work because, you’ll never know. Things like that can happen in the finals.” “We also brought that mentality of refusing to lose and Coach Jolas is one guy who doesn’t want to lose,” added Montalbo, who played one of his better games in the tournament capped by a buzzer-beating desperation heave from way, way out to close out the first half. Ginebra coach Tim Cone admitted that Lastimosa, his team captain when he won a grand slam with Alaska in 1996, outwitted him. “We played badly and they we’re off to a good start, so now the series is tied,” Cone said. “It was quite disappointing and, in many ways, it was embarrassing. But it’s a series, so we need to get ready for Wednesday.” Seeing Justin Brownlee, who lost the Best Import plum to Hollis-Jefferson, getting into early foul trouble and watching his team missing 10 of 23 attempts from the free throw line are some of areas Cone sees need some improvement. With Brownlee, a three-time Best Import winner, nursing five fouls, TNT was able to attack his defense, putting to waste his 28-point effort. In Game 2, Brownlee was limited to only 12 points, his lowest in the conference, and went without a three-point field goal for the first time in 77 games. That’s why if there’s one player who can inspire the Kings to regroup, it’s Brownlee, who is on his quest for record seven championships that will make him the winningest reinforcement ever to play in the PBA. The post Ginebra, TNT go for broke appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Sonny Thoss hangs jersey
Veteran slotman Sonny Thoss will no longer join Alaska, formally putting an end to a 17-year career in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Alaska head coach Jeffrey Cariaso made the announcement, saying that the 39-year-old center will no longer return to see action in the league’s 46th season next month. “Sonny will not be joining […] The post Sonny Thoss hangs jersey appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Aces finish strong to edge Dyip
Alaska Aces overcame a maze of errors early in the game to finish strong and carve out a scrambling, 99-96, victory over Terrafirma Dyip in the 2020 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup yesterday, Tuesday, October 27, 2020 at the Angeles University Foundation Sports Arena & Cultural Center Powered by Smart 5G......»»
Aces squeak past Dyip
CLARK — Alaska survived a mad dash to the finish to edge out Terrafirma, 99-96, in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup Tuesday at the Angeles University Foundation (AUF) Gym here. Vic Manuel muscled his way to 18 points and seven rebounds while Robbie Herndon pumped in 12 points and four rebounds as the […] The post Aces squeak past Dyip appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Muscle Man’ powers Alaska over Rain or Shine
PBA Images Streaking Alaska handed Rain or Shine its first loss Thursday night after escaping with an 89-88 win in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultural Center in Angeles City, Pampanga. Vic Manuel flashed his pre-pandemic form when it mattered, hitting 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter as the Aces rallied from being down 75-68 midway in the period before enduring excruciating moments in the end to pick up their third straight victory after a 0-2 start. Jeron Teng had 13 points and eight assists while Abu Tratter and rookie Barkley Ebona added 10 points apiece for Alaska, which has been playing sound basketball following losses to TNT and Meralco. “When things didn’t go our way, we went back to just doing things we know we could do well that is defending and improving that aspect. We felt that would make it easy on the offensive end,” said Aces coach Jeffrey Cariaso. Alaska has limited its opponents to 83.7 points during the three wins, including against Rain or Shine. Manuel’s jumper and a running one-hander gave the Aces leads of 85-80 and 87-83 under the last two minutes, but his clutch shots nearly went for naught when the Elasto Painters gave them a scare. Beau Belga cut the gap to a point 89-88 with 7.3 seconds left, then forced Alaska guard Jvee Casio to lose the ball out of bounds off Teng’s inbound, giving Rain or Shine a chance to steal the game. Rey Nambatac, who came through in the clutch against San Miguel Beer and NorthPort, tried to do it again when he used a Belga pick to go for a driving layup. But Nambatac missed a finger roll against two defenders before time expired. The loss denied Rain or Shine a 4-0 start and a share of second place with idle Barangay Ginebra San Miguel. It also spoiled a career game from Sidney Onwubere, who topscored for the Elasto Painters with 16 points. The former Emilio Aguinaldo College standout was averaging 1.4 points in 20 games last season. Javee Mocon and Adrian Wong, the first Rookie of the Week winner of the PBA Press Corps, added 14 and 12 points for Rain or Shine. The scores: ALASKA 89 — Manuel 18, Teng 13, Tratter 10, Ebona 10, Herndon 9, DiGregorio 7, Brondial 7, Casio 5, Ahanmisi 5, Galliguez 3, Ayaay 2, Marcelino 0. RAIN OR SHINE 88 — Onwubere 16, Mocon 14, Wong 12, Torres 10, Belga 10, Nambatac 7, Norwood 5, Yap 5, Doliguez 3, Rosales 2, Ponferada 2, Rivero 2, Tolentino 0. Quarters: 22-18, 38-41, 61-63, 89-88......»»
Bolts recover in time to whack Aces, 93-81
The Meralco Bolts lost a big 17-point lead early, but recovered in time to carve out a 93-81 victory over the Alaska Aces in the 2020 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Angeles University Foundation Arena powered by Smart 5G, yesterday, Wednesday, October 14. .....»»
Castro, Pogoy power TNT past Alaska Aces
Roger Pogoy torched the Alaska Aces from distance all game long until Jayson Castro provided the end-game heroics to power TNT Tropang Giga past the Alaska Aces, 100-95, to kick off the resumption of the Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup Sunday, October 11 at the Angeles University Foundation gym......»»
Pogoy drops 45 points as TNT tops Alaska
CLARK, Pampanga — RR Pogoy played an inspired game as he registered a career-high 45 points in leading the TNT Tropang Giga to a come-from-behind 100-95 victory over Alaska on Sunday night in the historic resumption of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup at the Angeles University Foundation Gym here. Pogoy waxed-hot with 45 […] The post Pogoy drops 45 points as TNT tops Alaska appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Players eager to resume PBA action
The Philippine Basketball Association received the go-signal from the IATF to resume its season on October 11. Alaska Aces Head Coach Jeff Cariaso said that based on experience with his own team, PBA players are more than ready and are actually eager to resume regular competition. .....»»
Alaska Aces invite children to join Alaska IronKids online experience
Members of the Alaska Aces basketball team invited children to stay active during this time of quarantine by joining Alaska IronKids Keep Fit at Home......»»
Ginebra star, 2 others in PBA Virtual 3-Point Shootout
By JONAS TERRADO Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s Scottie Thompson, Alaska’s Robbie Herndon and Blackwater rookie Chris Bitoon will represent their teams in the PBA Virtual Three-Point Shootout. Thompson handily beat Mark Caguioa, Herndon downed Mike DiGregorio and Bitoon dominated Diego Dario in the tournament using the PBA-themed video game Basketball Slam. […].....»»
Well-conditioned Alaska Aces will do well in short season
The Philippine Basketball Association hopes to resume its interrupted 2020 season soon with a conference that could be held within a two-month period......»»
Player fitness to be tested in PBA restart says Alaska owner
Any league attempting to return amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic will face their own set of challenges. The PBA, in particular, has been facing numerous delays in just having the teams return to practice. Nevertheless, there is hope for a return this year in order to at least finish the stalled 2020 Philippine Cup. Once that happens however, it might take a while before we get to see something close to normal in terms of the actual basketball games. "As a defender, am I gonna get down and am I gonna get in the guys face knowning he may be asymptomatic and therefore I could get the disease?" Alaska team owner Wilfred Uytengsu said on Sports Page with veteran sportscaster Sev Sarmenta, posing a situation worth taking into consideration. "I think it's unrealistic for players to play with masks," he added. The threat of the coronavirus will always be present, especially now that a global pandemic has broke out. But as other leagues around the world like the NBA have proven, sports can still come back provided that strict health guidelines are implemented. From then on, it's just a matter of getting the players ready, which again might take a while. "The fitness levels of players will be challenged. No matter how hard you're working at home, it's not like you have your teammates to push you," Uytengsu said. "You can do as much as you can, you think you're working hard but there's no substitute to competition, even on your own team. That's true for all players for all teams. The game might be a little slower [to start]," he added. — Follow this writer on Twitter, @paullintag8.....»»
Jeron Teng s 104-point high school game? He only made one 3-pointer
Jeron Teng's early introduction to mainstream Philippine basketball came in 2011. As a high school star for Xavier, Jeron scored a cool 104 points in a 164-74 victory over Grace Christian College in the Tiong Lian Tournament. Teng's 104 points were done the hard way too. He only made one three-point shot during the whole game. "Noong high school, di ako nag-three points, more of drive talaga," Jeron said during an appearance on 2OT. "Pagka-rebound, more of court-to-court na," he added. Jeron's full stat line for Xavier during that 2011 game was 104 points on 37/70 from the field and just 1/5 from deep. Teng likewise had 24 rebounds and six steals in 35 and a half minutes of play. He also went to the line to shoot 34 free throws, making 29 of them. At the time, Teng said his confidence was sky high after a stint with the RP Youth Team under coach Eric Altamirano. "Malaking factor din kasi, that year I came from playing in the national team," he said. "Mataas yung morale ko, mataas confidence ko. Pagbalik ko sa Xavier, parang one level higher na ako against sa competition," Jeron added. Jeron's 104-point game in 2011 made him a high-class recuit in college. He eventually went to La Salle and won Rooke of the Year in 2012. By his second season, he led the Green Archers to the UAAP championship. Jeron added another UAAP title in his final year at Taft, which then boosted his stock in the PBA Draft where he was selected fifth in 2017 by the Alaska Aces. "That day was really special," Jeron said. "I just felt everything was going my way that time, all my shots were going in," he added. — Follow this writer on Twitter, @paullintag8.....»»
Teng says Alaska Aces in shape, ready to compete
Despite the months-long quarantine which has stopped all activities of the Philippine Basketball Association and limited the movement of the entire country the Alaska Aces have managed to stay in shape through their regular group home workouts. .....»»
Aces 'ready for battle' as they hope for PBA resumption
The Alaska Aces are definitely here to stay. In an official statement Tuesday, the team expressed its desire to play in the PBA this year after the current league season has been suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. "Alaska is eager for the season to resume and will be ready for battle," the statement read. "More importantly, Alaska is staying the course to show that our team will always contribute to the welfare of the league, and be part of the good to make a better world through our passsion for basketball," the statement added. As part of the statement, the Aces also called for compassion and sensitivity amid trying times due to the COVID-19 pandemic and social issues not just in the country but around the world. Alaska proudly said that it will always be on the side of the good. "Alaska is a proud organization that is pillared by hard work, integrity, professionalism, and community service," the team said. [Related: PBA: Marcial quashes rumor of Alaska's league exit] Also Tuesday, PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial quashed rumors that the Aces were on their way out of the league. Marcial made the comment during the weekly forum of the Philippine Sportswriters Association. — Follow this writer on Twitter, @paullintag8.....»»
First title with TNT was the best for Ranidel De Ocampo
Before finally retiring from basketball, Ranidel De Ocampo sure had a colorful career in the PBA and for Gilas Pilipinas. RDO won six championships in the PBA and became a national team legend for his great work for Gilas. Retiring as one of the true greats, De Ocampo says there's two moments that really stood out from his career. "Syempre yung laban natin sa South Korea, FIBA-Asia 2013," RDO told Beau Belga on Extra Rice. Seven years ago, the Philippines beat South Korea in the semifinals of the 2013 FIBA-Asia Championships in Manila. The victory allowed the national team to advance to the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain. "Yung silver medal natin at naka-balik tayo sa World Cup, yun ang highlight ng career ko," De Ocampo added. In the PBA, RDO says his first-ever title is the best. After his Air21 Express lost the 2008 Fiest Conference Finals in seven games to Ginebra, RDO found himself traded to Talk 'N Text. De Ocampo's first game for Talk 'N Text was against the Express on Christmas Day 2008. He sank the final basket as TNT escaped with a 109-108 win. RDO ended up becoming the missing piece for the Tropang Texters that would go on to win the 2009 Philippine Cup, beating Alaska after seven games in the Finals. De Ocampo would be with TNT until 2017. "Sa PBA, yung first championship ko sa TNT. December 2008 ako na-trade, nag-champion ata kami January-February 2009," RDO said. "Kaka-trade ko lang, nag-champion agad. Kakagaling ko lang din sa Finals nun sa Air21, kalaban Ginebra nun. Tapos ito naman. Nung na-trade ako sa TNT, pakiramdam ko kailangang-kailangan nila ako nun, sobrang excited ako mag-laro, lahat sila gusto manalo. Sakto naman unang laro ko, naka-hit agad ako ng winning shot. Kaya yun ang pinaka-memorable sakin," he added. — Follow this writer on Twitter, @paullintag8.....»»
Marc Pingris speaks out vs affair rumors with Kim Rodriguez
Former Philippine Basketball Association star player Marc Pingris denied having an affair with actress Kim Rodriguez......»»
Pertussis or whooping cough: 40 child deaths so far this year – DOH
MANILA, Philippines — Assistant Health Secretary Albert Domingo reported on Wednesday that as of March 16 this year, some 40 children had died of whooping cough — a respiratory infection also called pertussis. An increase in new pertussis cases nationwide had been observed nationwide, with 28 cases reported from March 10 to 16. READ: What.....»»