Friday, March 26, 2010

STA LUCIA vs GINEBRA Images







PBA IMAGE 1 - Ryan Reyes looking for Kelly Williams as he cuts thru the defense of Marc Caguioa
PBA IMAGE 2 - Erik Menk in trouble after he was caught from the double defense if Kelly WIlliams and Marlou Aquino.
PBA IMAGE 3 - Ryan Reyes tries to get a hand on the ball from Ronald Tubid.
PBA IMAGE 4 - Avey Storey with the hustle for the ball against Bon-bon Custodio.
PBA IMAGE 5 - Enrico Villanueva was intercepted by Ryan Reyes as he makes his move against Anthony Johnson.

TNT vs Rain or Shine Images







PBA IMAGE 1 - Harvey Carey and Jai Lewis chase the lose ball.
PBA IMAGE 2 - Jai Lewis gets triple teamed by TNT's Shawn Daniels, Mark Yee and Jimmy Alapag who strips him the ball.
PBA IMAGE 3 - Gabe Norwood tries to snatch the ball from harvey Carey.
PBA IMAGE 4 - Jai Lewis gets triple teamed again inside the shaded area by TNT's Shawn Daniels, Mark Yee and Mark Cardona who blocks his shot from behind.
PBA IMAGE 5 - Jay-r Reyes lands his body on Jared Dillinger after he got a good timing rebounding the ball.

SMB vs Air21 Images







PBA IMAGE 1 - Keena Young puts up a shot over Gabe Freeman.
PBA IMAGE 2 - Mick "The Slick" Pinnisi got slicked by the hard nosed defense of Air21's Beau Belga.
PBA IMAGE 3 - Egay Billiones goes hard to the hoop against Denok Miranda while Mick Pennisi comes in to block from his side.
PBA IMAGE 4 - Gabe Freeman comes up flying for the ball while Doug Kramer got nothing to do but to hold him and commited a foul.
PBA IMAGE 5 - Alex Cabagnot driving over Ramsy Williams and tries to dish the ball but Wesley Gonzales reads his movement.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

PBA Fiesta Conference 2010 logo

TNT vs GINEBRA










PBA IMAGE 1 - Harvey Carey shoots in traffic against Jay-jay Helterbrand and Cyrus Baguio.
PBA IMAGE 2 - Cyrus Baguio tries to beat the shot clock while Aaron Aban contest him.
PBA IMAGE 3 - Awvee Storey drives hard over the defense of Harvey Carey.
PBA IMAGE 4 - Shawn Daniels was pushed by Eric Menk while making his move.
PBA IMAGE 5 - Ranidel De Ocampo gets control of the ball against Awvee Storey.
PBA IMAGE 6 - JAred Dillinger reverses his shot over JC Intal.
PBA IMAGE 7 - JC Intal loses the ball on his take off to the hoop while being guarded by Jason Castro and Jared Dillinger.

Barako makes triumphant debut

Games Wednesday (Araneta Coliseum)
5 p.m. – Coca-Cola vs
Barako
7:30 p.m. – San Miguel vs Air21

Barako Energy Coffee, featuring a retooled lineup playing under new coach Junel Baculi, made a triumphant debut in the 2010 PBA Fiesta
Conference, outfighting Sta. Lucia Realty, 97-93, at
the Araneta Coliseum.

Import Sammy Monroe dished out a solid
double-double job and new local recruits Al Vergara, Rob Wainwright and Jerwin Gaco put in significant help as the Energy Coffee Masters went to a
winning start after finishing dead last in the recent Philippine Cup.

“I really believe that with hard work, we can win games. The goal is to
come out of the rut. We don’t want a repeat of our performance in the
last conference,” said Baculi, the team’s new coach taking over from Leo Isaac.

“It’s good to win our first game and it doesn’t stop
there. It’s just the first game. There’s 17 more, so it’s still a long,
long way to go,” Baculi added.

Monroe, an all-playoff teamer and
co-playoff MVP with the Rochester Zeniths in the 2007-08 Premier Basketball League, had an impressive first game in the local pro league, churning out 39 points, 11 rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes of action.

Also a veteran of the Mexican league where he once was a second leading scorer, Monroe personally clinched
the Barako win with a rebound and three free throws in the last 11
seconds.

“I would like to think we’re going to finish on top. I
hate to lose so expect me to play with all my heart every night. I’ll be aggressive and you’ll see a lot of entertainment,” said Monroe.

Vergara, a PBA returnee
after a stint with the Singapore Slingers in the Asean Basketball
League (ABL), was a big help, knocking in back-to-back baskets
that gave the Energy Coffee Masters a six-point spread, 94-88, with 1:25 left to play.

“He’s been there before. He’s a veteran. It’s just a matter of giving him the confidence. He’s aching to prove that he
belongs,” said Baculi of Vergara, who had a brief stint with Purefoods in 2009.

Vergara finished with eight points, the same output delivered by Wainwright –
another PBA returnee from the ABL. Wainwright went 2-of-2 from beyond
the arc and added a two-pointer and three rebounds in 18 minutes of
play.

The entire team was 37-of-69 percent from the field – the
biggest for the franchise in the last six conferences.

The Energy Foods and Drinks ball club went on a decline in the last three years,
finishing 10th and last in the league’s last three tourneys.

Monroe poured in 17 points in the third quarter, fuelling a hot charge that
opened double-digit leads for Barako.

Anthony Johnson and Kelly Williams spearheaded a fourth-quarter Sta. Lucia chase but the Realtors failed to sustain the effort, losing steam at the finish.

The Realtors,
who trailed by 12 points four times, pulled even at 88-all entering the
last two minutes of the game.

Monroe himself put Barako back on
top on two free throws off Bitoy Omolon, then Vergara had his crucial
back-to-back hits, giving the Coffee Masters the 94-88 margin.

Going down the drain was Johnson’s own double-double game (41 points and 13
rebounds).

The scores:

Barako Coffee 97 - Monroe 39,
Najorda 12, Vergara 8, Reyes 8, Wainwright 8, Menor 5, Dimaunahan 5,
Duncil4, Aljamal 4, Gaco 2, Faundo 2, Alonzo 0.

Sta. Lucia 93 -
Johnson 41, Espinas 14, Reyes 13, Custodio 8, Williams 6, Mendoza 4,
Misolas 3, Omolon 2, Aquino 2, Waters 0, Urbiztondo 0, Belano 0.

Quarterscores: 25-23, 44-46, 78-68, 97-93

Barako vs Sta Lucia Images







PBA IMAGE 1 - Ryan Reyes driving over the defense of Ogie Menor.
PBA IMAGE 2 - Ogie Menor with a hard nose defense n Anthony Johnson
PBA IMAGE 3 - Sammy Monroe tries to protect the ball from Gabby Espinas and Joshua Urbiztondo.
PBA IMAGE 4 - Sammy Monroe gets control of the ball over Kelly Williams

Saturday, March 20, 2010

M.Lhuillier nips Montana for title


The victorious Cebuanos with Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte (center) and Araw ng Dabaw sports committee chairman Christopher "Bong" Go (2nd from right, standing).(Photo courtesy of Renato B. Lumawag/Mindanao Times)


Mayor Rody Duterte watched intently from the sidelines. Around the gym, a sea of humanity filled every space of the gym, some craning their necks at every opening while the others bravely hung on posts.

Not an ordinary occurrence too was the electrifying performance of a young American missionary who was awesome in slamming his way to the dunk title.

Indeed, this was not an ordinary day.

Not an ordinary finish too, as hometeam Montana Pawnshop gallantly fought to the end but came out short against the visiting M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala 77-73 for the championship of the Mayor Rody-Inday Sara Invitational Basketball tournament, March 18.

But it was the not-so-ordinary performance of a slippery reserve that broke the hearts of the home fans.

Mark Ababon, who plays second fiddle to former pro Stephen Padilla in the M. Lhuillier rotation, stood ten feet tall in the finals as he almost singlehandedly quell a Montana uprising in the third, firing 12 of his 21 points in that stretch. And just when the Jewels closed the gap 73-74 in the dying seconds, the southpaw Ababon buried the dagger on the Davao franchise with a booming triple off a screen.

The Cebuano pointguard danced and body-slammed with teammates on center court as the shocked crowd gave him their loud approval. Ababon was later named tournament MVP.

The finals, which drew the biggest crowd at the Davao City Recreation Center (formerly Almendras gym) in years, was not without drama and intensity. Montana’s Ronald Lamocha and Lhuillier’s Nat Cruz were thrown out of the game for throwing punches, 5:06 in the fourth. It helped that the Mayor was in the sidelines and nobody from the bench stood up to join the fray.

Former PBA journeymen Bruce Dacia and Marlon Basco combined for 30 points while dominating the boards for M. Lhuillier. Padilla, who averaged close to 5 triples before the finals, was limited to just two and a total of 8 points as he was shadowed the entire match. The Jewels got 14 from Henry Fernandez, 13 from Michael Manigo and 12 from Solitaria.

Montana suffered a severe blow when Fernandez, the team’s leading scorer, was tagged with his fourth foul early in the third period and had to sit out in a long stretch just as the Jewels was catching up on the Cebuanos.

In the appetizer small dunk contest, Clarence Jeffery of the Sports Ambassadors regaled the crowd with his gravity-defying dunks. The slams were simply oh-so-extraordinary—he started off with a windmill jam, followed up with a Jordanesque 45-degree skim-the-rim to earn perfect scores in the first two rounds. In the finals, he bounced off facing-about from the sidelines then caught the ball in mid air before slamming it home. His final dunk could have brought the house down but he failed in two attempts to execute the between-the legs East Bay Funk dunk.

Jeffery, nicknamed “The Black Superman”, is a former standout of the Mississippi College aand a member of the Ventures for Victory squad that regularly plays exhibition matches in the country. He is set to join the Asian College of Technology Cyberknights in the Cebu collegiate hoops.

Montana rookie Miggy Solitaria, a standout of Ateneo de Davao University, finished second in the dunkfest, showing off with two vicious double-handed jammers.

But the dunkfest happened so fast everyone wished they could see it on a replay.

In the battle for third, Team Bida of Laguna won a physical match against a fighting Pacman Warriors squad of GenSan 86-74. Leomar Losentes erupted for 30 points for Team Bida while John Eric Coronado had 14 for Pacman who wound up 4th.(pr)

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Montana faces M. Lhuillier in finals

Montana faces M. Lhuillier in finals


Montana Pawnshop of Davao bowed to Laguna’s Team Bida 84-82 but drew some luck in the quotients as it arranged a finals duel with Cebu’s M. Lhuillier for the Mayor Rody-Vice Mayor Inday Sara Invitational basketball crown.

It all came down to the stats with each basket counting as Montana, Bida and M. Lhuillier finished the eliminations with identical 2-1 win-loss slates. The Cebuanos topped the tie-breaker with a plus 12 quotient while Montana managed to finish no. 2 with a plus 6 quotient. Bida had a minus 4 and will be relegated to playing third against the Pacman Warriors of Gen. Santos City.
“I think these are the two teams most people wanted to meet. Montana may have the homecourt edge because it is the team from Davao but M. Lhuillier also has a lot of fans because of their exciting players,” said Bong Go, the Mayor’s executive assistant who was at courtside.

M. Lhuillier formalized its entry to the finals by drubbing Pacman Warriors 91-84 in Tuesday’s nightcap. Stephen Padilla once more displayed his vaunted firepower from beyond the arc as he came through with four triples for the night and a team-high 16 points. Frank Nailon had 14 while Marlon Basco and Ian Saladaga each had 12.

Team Bida made the standings a little complicated when it upset the Jewels earlier in the night. Ricky Ricafuente scattered four treys on the way to an 18-point output while Glenn Bolocon and Alfie Grijaldo played clean-up roles in the crucial fourth to preserve the reversal for the Drugbusters of Laguna. Francis Mercado had 13 for Laguna while Bolocon had 11.

The Jewels, who came back from a 50-38 deficit at the lemontime break to take the lead late in the third, were paced by Dondon Tadena with 18 while Ronald Lamocha had 17. For the second night, coach Nick Serafica used beanpole center Fred Canlas sparingly. It was Canlas who triggered a Montana uprising in the third period against M. Lhuillier in their first outing.

Against the same squad in the finals, everyone is speculating whether or not Canlas will be fielded by Serafica. The Cebuanos parade a strong frontline in the slam-dunking Basco and the rugged Nailon along with Ariel Mepana and Abe Santos. The Jewels will also have to find a way to neutralize the sweet-shooting Padilla who had three triples in their first encounter. Padilla averages close to five triples a game, mostly thrown from the pro distance.
For the third straight playdate, Davao’s basketball-thirsty fans filled the Almendras Gym to the rafters, queuing up at the gates early despite the strict security checks. (pr)

Montana hands Pacman 2nd loss,M. Lhuillier downs Bida-Laguna

Will the real Pacman please stand up?
Manny Pacquiao’s basketball franchise went down to another heartbreaking defeat and with two losses in as many games, you get to start thinking if the real Pacman should be suiting up for his team or can Freddie Roach can help its cause.
But this is basketball and this team may not have the speed and marksmanship of its owner in a close 84-80 overtime loss to the home squad Montana Pawnshop on Monday night in the Mayor Rody-Vice Mayor Inday Sara 73rd Araw ng Dabaw Invitational basketball tournament.

Late in the night, Cebu’s M. Lhuillier turned back Team Bida of Laguna 91-75 to get back on track after an opening day loss and for the second playdate, fans filled the newly-refurbished Almendras Gym to the rafters reminiscent of the good old days.
Montana’s sweet-shooting wingman Henry Fernandez fired 8 of the Jewels’ last 10 points in regulation but it was Don Tadena’s putback that sent the game into overtime. Pacman’s Louie Medalla showed a lot of spunk in the fourth period, firing 11 of his 18 points, including a booming triple that could have won it for Pacman.

The story in overtime was about experience and that was essayed well by Montana’s veterans.
Speedy quarterback Michael Manigo broke Pacman’s swarming defense, regaled the crowd with several passes whipped from the blind side to Fernandez and Tadena as the Jewels survived the Warriors from Gen. Santos City who showed a lot of heart despite falling short of ammunition.

The second win shoved Montana by the doorstep to the finals as it remained the only unbeaten team in this tournament organized under the supervision of the City Sports Development Division and the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas (SBP).
Laguna’s Team Bida, which stands for Batang Iwas Droga, led through the third canto but wilted under the heat of Lhuillier rifleman Stephen Padilla’s scorching triples. Padilla, a former PBA journeyman, fired 7 triples from way out of the amateur arc to lead the Cebuanos with 24 points. Crowd favorite Marlon Basco added 14 including a one-handed slam in the dying seconds while Mark Magsumbol, who celebrated his birthday a night before, and Ariel Mepana combined for 23.

The Drugbusters were paced by Robert Sanz with 15 while Leomar Losented added 13.

Both Lhuillier and Bida tote a 1-1 win-loss slate and will need a win to at least tie for a finals berth. Lhuillier has a +12 quotient after 2 games while Bida has -6. That means Bida has to beat Montana in the last day of eliminations and pray that Lhuillier lose to Pacman to earn a ticket to the finals. A win by Lhuillier coupled by a Bida loss will arrange a Montana-Lhuillier finals.
A 3-way tie is possible if Montana loses to Bida and Lhuillier wins over Pacman. In that case, the quotient system will be the decider. Montana thus far holds a +8 quotient.

With the three franchises mathematically still in contention, Pacman will be relegated to the role of playing spoiler. It may not help its cause but it will surely rock the standings. A call from the real Pacman straight from Vegas may yet prick the pride of the franchise to go for one last crack at victory.
Whatever, expect a fight from the Pacman Warriors. Afterall, they do not cower like James Clottey. (pr)

Monday, March 15, 2010

Davao Jr. NBA Top Ten to give Cebuanos, Manilans a tough time







IMG_0590 - The Jr. NBA Davao Top 10 kids - Henry Asilum and Jefferson James Roxas of the Holy Child School of Davao, Miguel Competente of St. Paul College, Earl Nicole Hiso, Israel Dave Remolar and Carlo Lino Araguez of Stella Maris Academy of Davao, Miguel Paolo Gancio and Sean Patigue of the Ateneo de Davao, Al Rashid Indin of Daniel R Aguinaldo National High School and Troy Senen Macariñas of EMAR Davao City.



MG_0536 - Beautiful piece of action at the Jr. NBA Regional Selection Camp Davao.


Davao Jr. NBA Top Ten to give Cebuanos, Manilans a tough time

About 150 Davao kids joined the Jr. NBA Regional Selection Camp at the Ateneo de Davao campus on March 14. But in the end there could only be ten. The Jr. NBA Regional Selection Camp is the penultimate stage of the third consecutive Jr. NBA program presented by Hi-Smart Multivitamins.
Henry Asilum and Jefferson James Roxas of the Holy Child School of Davao, Miguel Competente of St. Paul College, Earl Nicole Hiso, Israel Dave Remolar and Carlo Lino Araguez of Stella Maris Academy of Davao, Miguel Paolo Gancio and Sean Patigue of the Ateneo de Davao, Al Rashid Indin of Daniel R Aguinaldo National High School and Troy Senen Macariñas of EMAR Davao City bested other worthy competition and will join the ten kids selected from the Cebu Regionals last March 7 in the Jr. NBA National Training Camp in Manila scheduled from April 16-18. Twenty more young basketball hopefuls will be chosen from Luzon and the National Capital Region on March 21.

PBA Legend and NBA-appointed Jr. NBA coach Ronnie Magsanoc said the ten were standouts from the very beginning. “The Davao kids were highly skilled, very disciplined and the best made it to the Top Ten,” he said. Magsanoc was joined by former PBA player and Jr. NBA Davao coach Cadel Mosqueda in running the Davao selection camp. Local coaches Eddie Salac and Ramon Pido assisted the two PBA legends in administering the drills, skills challenges and basketball clinics to the 12-14 year old participants.
“We want to show that Davao players are not behind their counterparts in Manila and Cebu. These boys will really give it their all in the Jr. NBA National Training Camp,” Mosqueda said proudly.

Respected local coach Eddie Salac added, “The Davao youngsters were attentive, disciplined, coachable and very talented. In the coming Jr. NBA National Training Camp, the Davao players will shine”.

The Jr. NBA participants’ standings in the camp were determined by their total scores in five skills stations: the Hi-Smart Layup Station, the Hi-Smart Dribbling Station, the Gatorade Shooting Station, the BTV Passing Station and the Mitsubishi Footwork Station. They were also given vitals checks, tests of speed, stamina, flexibility and vertical leaping ability. The Top 20 who registered the highest scores in the skills stations were the only camp participants who could join the scrimmage towards the end of the camp. The coaches chose the final Ten from their performance in the scrimmage.

The high point of the 2009-10 Jr. NBA Philippines Program presented by Hi Smart Multivitamins will be the National Training Camp in April which will be led by US NBA coach Frank Lopez and NBA Legend BJ Armstrong, three-point ace and three-time NBA champion. Forty National Training Camp finalists from Davao, Cebu and Manila will undergo intensive training for three days at the Jose Rizal University Gym in Mandaluyong City. They will compete for eight choice slots to be named the 2009-10 Jr. NBA Philippines All Star Team and they will be rewarded with an authentic NBA experience in October.

The Jr. NBA Philippines effort is presented by Hi-Smart Multivitamins with the support of Official Sports Drink Gatorade, Official Broadcast Partner Basketball TV, Official Automobile Partner Mitsubishi Motors, Official Mall Partner SM Supermalls, Official Supplier Spalding, and the Department of Education.
For more information about the Jr. NBA Philippines Program, go to the Jr. NBA event website www.nba.com/jrnba/philippines. Every stage of the program is completely free.


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About Hi-Smart Multivitamins and New Marketlink

Hi-Smart Multivitami\ns is marketed by New Marketlink Pharmaceutical Corporation, one of the leading national pharmaceutical companies in the Philippines. New Marketlink seeks to become the preferred marketing partner of a variety of international healthcare companies in providing Filipinos with specialized, high quality and value-for-money medicines and health products.

New Marketlink Pharmaceutical Corporation, fueled and propelled by the holding company, TAO Corporation, is poised to undertake bold moves to further establish the new company as a respected leader in the pharmaceutical industry and become a valuable component of TAO Corporation’s mission of building communities and people.

New Marketlink supports the Jr. NBA program by providing Hi-Smart Multivitamins products which assist in the physical and mental development of kids and teenagers who want to achieve their basketball dreams and to help them become a Jr. NBA S.T.A.R. on and off the court.



About the NBA

The NBA, founded in 1946, is a professional sports league and global business that features 30 teams in the United States and Canada. During the 2009-10 season, NBA games will reach 215 countries and territories in 41 languages. The league’s worldwide reach is also displayed in the 83 international players from 36 countries and territories on NBA rosters. NBA merchandise is sold in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents. NBA.com averages more than 26 million page views per day, with more than 50 percent of the site’s visitors coming from outside of North America. Through NBA Cares, the league, its teams and players have donated more than $115 million to charity, provided more than one million hours of hands-on service to communities around the world, and created more than 440 places where kids and families can live, learn, or play.

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Laguna’s Bida stops Pacman, Montana edges M. Lhuillier

Manny Pacquiao’s Pacman Warriors failed to ride on the crest of their chief backer’s convincing win on Sunday and the home team Montana Pawnshop pulled off a big one before their ecstatic fans as Davao quenched its thirst for the big leagues with a newly-refurbished arena.

Contrasting fates as they turned out to be, still there was no missing the point. Basketball’s happy days are back.

Mayor Rodrigo Duterte formally opened the doors to the new-look Davao City Recreation Center (nee Almendras Gym) in an emotional ceremony marked by the recognition of the city’s sports heroes and the return of big-time tournaments in this basketball-crazy city. After giving his short but heart-tugging speech, the Mayor who will end his term on June, took a bow and the crowd stood up in appreciation.
And unlike the 51,000 paying fans over at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, the capacity crowd that filled the DCRC did not go home frustrated. There was just a lot of making up to do in terms of basketball action. Mayor Duterte watched from the sidelines along with Councilor Mabel Sunga-Acosta and a host of barangay captains, and Purefoods assistant coach Ronnie Magsanoc.

Action was intense on the hardcourt as the Pacman Warriors were stopped to their toes in a game that almost turned ugly with a near-boxing match. But still, that’s part of basketball. Anyways, Pacman’s squad took it flush on the chin from Laguna’s Team Bida 87-77 for its first loss while the Jewels of Davao walked off proudly with a 91-87 conquest of M.Lhuillier Kwarta Padala.
That and more capped a grandiose opening of the Mayor Rody-Vice Mayor Inday Sara 73rd Araw ng Dabaw Invitational basketball tournament.

If defense was Manny Pacquiao’s main problem on the ring, Team Bida’s defense was also the headache for his Warriors. Former San Miguel Beerman Marlon Legaspi imposed his presence in the paint while Leomer Losentes and Glen Bolocon provided the spark for the Laguna franchise. Together, the troika conspired for 30 markers.

The Warriors were frustrated no end by the pesky defense of Bida even as Jhon Gonzaga caught fire with 16 and Louie Medalla had 13. At crucial stretches in the fourth period, they just could not turn their luck around.

In the nightcap, Montana Pawnshop pulled away from a tight first half with beanpole Fred Canlas scoring off nifty passes inside and then survived a big rally by M. Lhuillier in the final period. The 6-9 Canlas scored 10 points in the third quarter, six of them coming off and-one plays, as the Jewels erected a 61-45 lead, 4:06 left.

Ronald Lamocha, who took over at center when the red-hot Canlas was curiously benched in the fourth, and Donald Tadena preserved the win after the Cebuanos equalized in the fourth period with a scorching run keyed by Ian Saladaga and ex-pro Stephen Padilla. Montana was led by Lamocha with 17, veteran Michael Manigo had 16 and a slew of threading-the-needle feeds, while Canlas and Fernandez added 13 and 12, respectively.

The crowd erupted in frenzy just before the buzzer sounded to end the first half when Lhuillier’s Marlon Basco, another former PBA player, caught the ball on air after a missed jumper and then slammed it home with impunity.

By all indications, the happy days of basketball are here again. (pr)

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Liga teams brace for tough battle

This doesn’t look like an excursion for the visiting teams of Liga Pilipinas. This loom like a war.
“Every team vowed to go all out to win this one, the teams committed to play all out,” said Bong Go, executive assistant to the Mayor and head of the sports committee of this year’s Araw ng Dabaw festivities.

All four squads—Cebu’s M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala, Gen. Santos City’s MP Pacman, Laguna’s Team Bida and hometeam Montana Pawnshop—bring to town their formidable line-ups and impressive records. These teams dispute the Mayor Rody-Inday Sara 73rd Araw ng Dabaw Invitational basketball tournament which gets going this Sunday at the Almendras Gym.

Although the teams’ final line-ups will not be known until Saturday when they check in on the eve of the tournament, it looks like the cast is all square at this point. Montana Pawnshop for sure will enjoy the hometown edge and a big crowd rooting for them, but even that is no assurance that the local franchise has the tactical edge.

Manny Pacquiao’s MP Pacman will be hoping to ride the crest of their chief backer’s glory most especially if the Filipino world pound-for-pound champ wins his fight also this Sunday against Joshua Clottey. That should rub intensity to the team whose pride will be put to a severe test.

The Cebuanos, as usual, are expected to flaunt their physical game which has been their trademark. Coach Yayoy Alcoseba’s charges could well enjoy the advantage in experience having been consistently taking part in various tournaments in and out of Cebu.

But focus will be on Team Bida. The Laguna-based franchise may yet fly in with an intriguing line-up formed out of a vast pool of basketball talent in Luzon.
Even then, no team enjoys a distinct advantage over the other and this should make the tournament more exciting. Gamedates will be from March 14 to 17 and will be free to the public courtesy of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Vice Mayor Inday Sara Duterte.
The tournament is organized by the CMO-Sports Development Division and sanctioned by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP)-Region XI. (pr)

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Poll starts for All-Star starters


DAVAO CITY'S PETER JUNE SIMON (PBA photo)



VOTING for this year’s PBA All-Star game is now ongoing as fan balloting will determine the starters for both the North and South teams.
Puerto Princesa, Palawan is this year’s host of the mid-season spectacle to be held April 23-25.
The league reverts back to the North versus South format after temporarily giving way to the Powerade-RP Team’s training and preparation for the FIBA-Asia Men’s Basketball Championship campaign last year when the Nationals played three exhibition games against the North and South squads, respectively.
The last time the two rivals played in Bacolod two years ago, the South won in overtime, 163-158, with Peter June Simon adjudged as the Most Valuable Player.
The two teams are 4-4 in their head-to-head encounter.
PBA fans can vote their favorite players through the polling places to be found at the different playing venues, while online voting through www.pba.ph starts on Monday, March 1.
With fan voting determining the starting line ups, the rest of the all-star selection will be filled up by the different coaches of the 10 ball clubs.

PUREFOODS Championship Images






PUREFOODS vs ALASKA Game 4 Images










PBA IMAGE 1 - James Yap with the KFC officials awarded as KFC PBA Best Player of the Conference
PBA IMAGE 2 - James Yap and Comm Sonny Barrios and with teamates as he receives the KFC PBA Best Player of the Conference
PBA IMAGE 3 - James Yap and Comm Sonny Barrios as he receives the KFC PBA Best Player of the Conference
PBA IMAGE 4 - LA Tenorio with Sonny Barrios and KFC Officials as he was awarded as the KFC Assist Player
PBA IMAGE 5 - LA Tenorio tries to create room for against Refi Reavis and Roger Yap
PBA IMAGE 6 - Willie Miller looks to have control of the ball against Don Allado
PBA IMAGE 7 - Sonny Toss gets sorrounded by Purefoods defense namely Rafi Reavis, Kerby Raymundo and Mar Pingris
PBA IMAGE 8 - Sonny Toss was blocked from behind by Marc Pingris
PBA IMAGE 9 - James Yap dribble drives against Willie MIller