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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......»»
Always About the People
“Solid!” That was the only reaction, or lack thereof, that I could muster after that first breakaway slam of Kiefer Ravena’s UAAP collegiate basketball career over the outstretched arms of UST’s foreign center, Karim Abdul. Moments before, you could see Kiefer was going to go hard, as it was a one-on-one breakaway and he had the speed advantage over Abdul, who was hot on his heels. Little did I know that he was going to go for that highlight that would announce his entry into college basketball. That reaction, that loss for words, can pretty much sum up my past 10 years of covering college basketball for ABS-CBN Sports. They first asked me to write about my most memorable UAAP game coverage; but I must confess, I was never really good at remembering exact details of games, unlike some of my fellow sportscasters, or even coaches I know, who remember almost detail for detail, or play by play. My memories come in highlights, or sometimes even just flashes of good or memorable plays. I remember a 6’8”, 18-year old Ben Mbala, whom we first saw a glimpse of while Anton Roxas and I were covering the CESAFI league in the hot and humid Cebu Coliseum, sometime around 2012. He was playing for the Southwestern University Cobras, wasn’t as built and polished as when he was with DLSU, but you could already see the raw talent and athleticism. Fast forward a few years, I remember well how he took the UAAP by storm, with his monster dunks, and how he piloted La Salle to a championship while winning league MVP in Season 79. I remember the heralded rookie season of Kiefer Ravena in the men’s division, after a storied juniors career. Kiefer won Rookie of the Year honors and helped lead Ateneo to two more titles to round up their 5-peat, before it was Jeron Teng’s turn to lead the Green Archers to a championship over his elder brother Jeric and the UST Growling Tigers. I remember Bobby Ray Parks Jr. and his back-to-back MVP seasons. He was arguably the most complete college player during that time. It was painful to see his team fall short especially during his second MVP year. The Bulldogs made history the year after though, with Alfred Aroga, Troy Rosario, and Gelo Alolino now at the helm, winning the school’s first ever championship after more than forty years. I would argue that the past decade saw some of the brightest UAAP college basketball stars, both local and foreign, take to the hard court. It would almost be unfair to start naming them because I’ll surely end up leaving some names worthy enough to be mentioned. But we all remember Greg Slaughter, Ryan Buenafe, RR Garcia, Terence Romeo, Mac Belo, RR Pogoy, Roi Sumang, Charles Mamie, Alex Nuyles, Jericho Cruz, Papi Sarr, Jeron Teng, Jason Perkins, Aljun Melecio, Kiefer and Thirdy, Bobby Ray, Alfred Aroga, Kevin Ferrer, Karim Abul, Jeric Teng, Ange Kuoame, Matt and Mike Nieto, Paul Desiderio, Juan GDL, and the list goes on and on… all of them making their mark in the UAAP the past ten years. Aside from the highlights, there were the more mundane, behind-the-scenes memories, especially covering out-of-town games when we used to do the CESAFI and the PCCL. That was basketball coverage at its purest. There was a time we traveled to Lanao Del Sur to cover the Mindanao regional selection of the PCCL. Lanao was about another two to three hour drive from Cagayan de Oro along a dark highway with trees and mountains all around; and where there was only one mall in the entire town. Or when we traveled by van to La Union to cover the north regional selection of the PCCL… or even staying a whole week at the Cebu Grand Hotel, for the VisMin regional selection. Coverages then were bare bones: no real-time stats or live graphics, and I would even sometimes have to tally the points and rebounds of each player in-game on my notebook just so that I’d have some semblance of stats to mention on the coverage. Still, those games were so much fun because the players, getting their first shot at national TV coverage, would leave everything out on the floor. In a year or so, both the UAAP and the NCAA will announce their respective new homes, and new broadcast teams will have the privilege of covering the best collegiate basketball players in the country. That’s how the ball bounces. I’m a firm believer that in life there are seasons, and a perfect time for everything. I’m just thankful for the opportunities thrown my way. If you were to ask me why the coverage of the UAAP helped build the league into what it is today, my answer would be simple: it was always about the people. At the end of the day, what makes the UAAP and its coverage great are the stories of the people that play, coach, officiate, cover, and run the games. It’s not really about the championships or the awards, but rather the challenges, hardships, and journeys of each of the individuals that brought them there. And it is also about the directors, producers, cameramen, reporters and make-up artists that make sure that the audience sees what is supposed to be seen – the winning basket, a fan’s priceless reaction, the agony in defeat, and the glory of victory. It’s what Boom Gonzalez or Mico Halili would always say, that our job as anchors and analysts is to tell the people watching at home the story of what is happening in the game in the best way possible. I just want to tip my hat to all the people that allowed us to do our jobs the best way possible. From our directors, producers, cameramen, floor directors, fellow panelists, courtside reporters, league officials, statisticians, make-up artists, and all those people behind the scenes whom we worked with, know that we were able to give our best because of you; and the UAAP coverage will not be what it is if not for all of your hard work and dedication. It was, is, and will always be about the people. Marco Benitez was the team captain for the Ateneo Blue Eagles when they won the UAAP Season 65 men's seniors basketball title in 2002. Marco eventually covered collegiate basketball as analyst for ABS-CBN Sports starting in 2010. He is presently the President of the Philippine Women's University (PWU)......»»
Li at his best and builds early lead at PGA Championship
By DOUG FERGUSON AP Golf Writer SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Still young, often inconsistent, forever fearless, Li Haotong is capable of just about anything on a big stage in golf. He was at his best Friday in the PGA Championship. Three years after his 63 in the final round of the British Open, Li hit only four fairways at Harding Park and still managed a 5-under 65 that gave him the early lead and set the target for Jason Day, Brooks Koepka and Tiger Woods to chase. The 25-year-old from China capped a bogey-free round with his eighth straight par and was at 8-under 132, two shots ahead of Tommy Fleetwood of England among the early starters. Surprised? Depends on the day. “The last couple days, I've been pretty much all hit in the right spot,” Li said. Getting as much attention was the logo on his hat — WeChat, the Chinese social media company and one of his biggest sponsors. Li was in the spotlight at Harding Park one day after President Donald Trump signed executive orders on a vague ban of WeChat and TikTok in 45 days. Just as unclear was whether Li was aware of the development. “I don't know,” he said. “Who knows?” Li is a two-time winner on the European Tour, most recently in 2018 at the Dubai Desert Classic when he rallied down the stretch to beat Rory McIlroy by one shot. He was sensational at Royal Birkdale in 2017 — only five other players have 63 in the final round of a major. But he had a terrible week in his Presidents Cup debut at Royal Melbourne in December. When he first came to America, he made fast friends on the developmental tours with his constant laughter, engaging personality and aggressive play. “He's got the arsenal to take it low,” said Adam Scott, his teammate at Royal Melbourne. “But we don’t see that kind of consistency out of him, and that probably matches his personality a little bit. He’s young, though, and that’s the kind of golf he plays. He plays pretty much all guns blazing, and when it comes off, it’s really good.” And when it doesn't? He beat Koepka in the Match Play last year and reached the round of 16. But that was his last top 10 in America. And then there was the Presidents Cup. Li brought his trainer to be his caddie, and the caddie got lost on the course during a practice round, gave up and headed for the clubhouse. Instead of finding him, Li played the rest of the round out of another player's bag. International captain Ernie Els wound up benching him for two days, playing Li only when he had to. Li lost both matches he played. “It's been very tough on me, the Presidents Cup, because I didn't play until Saturday,” Li said. “So not quite in the Presidents that way, actually. But anyways, good experience.” Fleetwood had one of those final-round 63s in the majors two years ago at Shinnecock Hills in the U.S. Open. He had a 64 on Friday and was two shots behind at 134. Much like Li — maybe the only thing they have in common — it's been a slow start back. Fleetwood stayed in England during the pandemic, not returning to competition until Minnesota two weeks ago (he missed the cut). He also played a World Golf Championship last week with middling results, but he found his form in San Francisco. “It’s funny really, like when you’ve played poorly, you feel a long way off, and then you have a day like today and you obviously feel a lot better about it,” Fleetwood said. “I feel like I’ve prepared well last week and this week and felt way more in the groove of tournament golf.” Cameron Champ, who grew up in Sacramento, had a 64. He was three shots behind Li, along with Paul Casey (67). Brendon Todd, who shared the 18-hole lead with Day, settled for a 70 and joined them at 135. Li, who primarily plays the European Tour, went back to China in March when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down golf. He returned at the Memorial and missed the cut, and then tied for 75th in a 78-man field last week in Tennessee. “I didn't even (think) I could play like this ... got no confidence,” Li said. “Probably it helped me clear my mind a little bit.” He's wise enough to realize the tournament is not even at the halfway point. If the lead holds, Li would be the first player from China to hold the lead after any round of a major......»»
Dawn Macandili: It All Started With a Flying Shoe
Libero Dawn Macandili had to start somewhere before becoming Miss Everywhere. Her first venture into volleyball – the start of her successful journey – is as memorable as the pair of shoes she was wearing that day. Coming from a sports-loving family, it’s all but natural for the former De La Salle University star to be into sports. Her father played hoops for Jose Rizal University for a while but had to give it up as he was already juggling his studies and work. Macandili's paternal grandmother was a slugger on a softball team and her brother played basketball before shifting to tennis. Her eldest sister played volleyball and then became a team captain of a cheering squad in college while her other sister fell in love with tennis. She ended up choosing volleyball as her sport. “I started playing (volleyball) in the middle of fifth grade,” said Macandili, who recalled that she was around 11-years-old then when she joined the De La Salle University-Lipa team. The national team standout shared a humorous anecdote about her official volleyball game debut. Back then she was a spiker. “My first-ever official volleyball game was back when I was in Grade 5 and I was playing in Skechers with Velcro straps,” she said. “In the middle of the game while I was running for the ball, one of my shoes came off,” Macandili continued. “That was the most memorable first game ever.” From there Macandili never looked back. Transferring to De La Salle-Zobel, Macandili was given a new role under Ramil De Jesus, who was also the coach La Salle's high school team. “At first, I was a spiker for DLS-L’s grade school team because my teammates were almost the same height as me. When I moved up to the high school team I played libero as my height wouldn't suffice (as a spiker) anymore,” she said. “Our coach in the high school team was coach Ramil de Jesus. I, being a Lasallian at heart, could not imagine studying anywhere else but in DLSU,” Macandili added. “Another big factor was that coach Ramil is a great mentor and has produced elite players. I thought that if I was going to play in college. I was gonna play for him.” She won three high school UAAP titles from Season 73 to 75. Macandili was also a member of the team that won gold in the 2010 and 2012 Guam Youth Games and helped NCR win the Palarong Pambansa 2013 gold medal where she was also named Best Libero. Naturally, she moved up to play for the Lady Spikers in college. Her first two years weren’t as successful as she wished it to be after DLSU lost to Ateneo in the UAAP Finals in Season 76 and 77. The Lady Spikers got their payback in Season 78 and won two more titles as Macandili closed her collegiate career a champion. In that three-year reign, Macandili bagged two Best Receiver awards, Best Digger honors and the Season 80 Finals Most Valuable Player award. She brought her success to the Philippine Superliga, winning numerous titles and individual accolades, including the 2016 All Filipino Conference MVP. Macandili joined the national team in 2017 and saw action in the 2017 Kuala Lumpur Southeast Asian Games, 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia and in the Manila SEA Games last December 2019. Macandili was also recognized as 2nd Best Libero in the 2017 AVC Asian Senior Women’s Volleyball Championship held in Binan, Laguna. Looking back, Macandili can’t help but be grateful on that first volleyball game of hers. After all, the shoe that flew off somewhere brought her to where she is now. That gem of a memorable moment never fails to put a smile on her face. --- Follow this writer on Twitter, @fromtheriles.....»»
UAAP volleyball enters break amid wide-open semis race
It’s the calm before the storm as teams embark on a much-needed pause ahead of an expected all-out race to the UAAP Season 86 volleyball tournaments Final Four......»»
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......»»
EDITORIAL — Next, speedy justice
After a year of being on the run, Arnolfo Teves Jr. is finally being brought back to the country to face multiple indictments for serious offenses. Teves was arrested Thursday in East Timor’s capital Dili by local police. He had been hiding in plain sight in Timor-Leste, occasionally posting videos taunting Philippine authorities who wanted him for multiple murder cases......»»
Squires back-to-back champions
Letran’s June Silorio is being advertised as the new “Captain Marbel,” or the second coming of ex-pro star Kenneth Duremdes......»»
Silorio stars as Squires zoom past Junior Altas for back-to-back NCAA crowns
Letran’s June Silorio is being tipped as the new “Captain Marbel,” or the second coming of ex-pro star Kenneth Duremdes......»»
Lovi Poe joins Prison Break director s upcoming Hollywood film
Actress Lovi Poe has joined the cast of an upcoming Hollywood movie with Canadian actor Adam Beach about Native American fire captain Paul Fullerton......»»
5 iconic Jaclyn Jose roles that made a mark in Philippine cinema
Cannes award-winning actress Jaclyn Jose may have passed too soon, but she left a lasting legacy through her laid-back acting performances, which was prevalent in her numerous film appearances. As coined by local film enthusiasts, her “no acting” acting style initially brought her local attention when Filipinos realized her somewhat emotionless line delivery in most.....»»
WATCH: Why should we commemorate the People Power Revolution?
We walk you through the numbers, narratives, and ideas behind the revolution that brought back democracy to the Philippines in 1986.....»»
Beermen, Hotshots seek finals rematch
Is it time to reignite an old sibling rivalry that brought forth seven games of tooth-and-nail fighting back in the 2019 duel for PBA Philippine Cup supremacy?.....»»
Metrobank soars in 2023 with back-to-back local and international awards
Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. (Metrobank) continued its upward momentum in 2023 as it brought home awards that demonstrated its strength and reliability for clients and cemented its leadership in the industry......»»
Metrobank soars in 2023 with back-to-back local and international awards
Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. (Metrobank) continued its upward momentum in 2023 as it brought home awards that demonstrated its strength and reliability for clients and cemented its leadership in the industry......»»
DSWD’s Oplan Pag-Abot reunites elderly with family in Abra
The family of 84-year old Tatay Alfredo is happy to welcome this Christmas season after he was reunited with them on December 14 through the Oplan Pag-Abot of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Tatay Alfredo was brought back to his hometown and reintegrated with his family in Sitio Banat, Barangay San Ramon […].....»»
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......»»
Inayawan barangay captain to back probe into tanods accused of assisting suspects in poseur-buyer’s slay
Inayawan barangay captain to back probe into tanods accused of assisting suspects in poseur-buyer’s slay.....»»
Economists: 25-bps rate hike likely if inflation rises anew
Economists believe the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas might further raise its policy rate by 25 basis points to 6.75 percent next month if food supply issues and high global oil prices persist. Dan Roces, chief economist of Security Bank, said the BSP might make this decision at its meeting on 16 November to help temper inflation faster. “The higher policy interest rate is driven by mounting local inflation risks, attributed to supply chain disruptions and increasing global commodity prices, including the threat of crude price spikes brought about by tensions in the Middle East,” he told the Daily Tribune in a Viber message. Last Thursday, the central bank hiked its rate by 25 bps to 6.25 percent on an off-cycle period to arrest further inflation uptrend due to the aforementioned factors. Risks might linger Jun Neri, chief economist of Bank of the Philippine Islands, said these inflationary risks might linger until the government finds solutions to increase supply of rice, the main driver of re-accelerated inflation at 6.1 percent last month. While Neri said managing food supply is not the BSP’s responsibility, he agreed with the central bank that rate hikes can help slow inflation by restraining consumer spending. “The rate hike is a statement from the BSP that it is determined to bring inflation back to its target. Inflation expectations may shoot up further if the market doesn’t see any action from the BSP,” the economist said. Exacerbated by Israel-Hamas war “The risk of El Niño, as well as higher global crude oil prices recently among 11-month highs led to higher local fuel pump prices especially since July 2023. This could be exacerbated by the Israel-Hamas war that is still uncertain” Michael Ricafort, chief economist of Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., added. The post Economists: 25-bps rate hike likely if inflation rises anew appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Stray animal adoption urged to lessen abandonment cases
Senator Mark Villar on Thursday expressed concern about the increasing cases of animal abandonment in the country. Villar has filed a proposed measure strengthening the adoption of stray and impounded animals. Senate Bill 2257 seeks the provision of incentives to those who would adopt stray and impounded animals to lessen abandonment cases. Citing data from the Philippine Animal Welfare Society, Villar underscored the need to improve the government’s program for rescuing abandoned animals. According to PAWS, there were around 12 million stray cats and dogs in 2019, which are either logged as former family pets or those who have reproduced in the streets due to lack of proper shelter. Villar said the rising numbers of abandoned animals remain highly disproportionate to the support they ought to receive. “This 12 million number of strays we have in record was back in 2019. Apat na taon na po ang nakalipas. With the pandemic placing a great burden to Filipinos, we can only expect na mas dumami na po ang mga stray animals na walang proper care and shelter,” Villar said. “We must act on this and extend our aid in securing safe animal shelters,” he said. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals or PETA said animal homelessness in the Philippines “has reached a crisis point” as stray animals struggle to live unsupervised in the streets and impounded ones are euthanized every month in municipal pounds. The unfortunate fates of strays and impounded animals are due to the limited resources of both public and private shelters, it added. Villar cited the case of a certain local government unit in the National Capital Region which previously reported that its city pound captures an average of 200 stray animals weekly, yet “they do not have sufficient resources to maintain their care.” Villar stressed the need to exhaust all means to ensure that proper aid is given to animals left in shelters. “My heart goes to these animals who are forced to these unfortunate living situations, and some of them to their untimely deaths because they cannot be cared for. Bilang isang animal lover at pet welfare advocate, I will do my best to lessen these rising numbers of strays and euthanized impounded animals,” he said. SB 2257 or the Act Strengthening the Adoption of Stray and Impounded Animals, seeks to encourage the adoption of stray and impounded animals by providing tax incentive benefits to any individual or group that shall adopt stray and impounded animals, to reduce cases of euthanasia for stray and impounded animals. The bill also outlines the provision for adoption, highlighting the role of LGUs in facilitating the implementation of animal adoption programs. “Through this bill, we are hoping that the number of strays and impounded animals will decrease as it will provide guidelines for adoptions in close coordination with LGUs,” Villar said. “We are also looking forward to more Filipinos who will be encouraged to adopt, not just because of the tax incentives this bill provides, but also because of their love and care for animals,” he added. The senator lamented that while there are multiple non-government organizations and private shelters that encourage the adoption of rescued animals, “the pet adoption rate in the country remains at a concerning low rate, less than one percent in particular.” “I hope that the bill will increase the adoption rate of stray pets so as to ensure that animals will be brought up in comfortable homes rather than being forced to survive in the streets,” said Villar. The post Stray animal adoption urged to lessen abandonment cases appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»