Gilas Program Extended For Two More Years!

Good news for Gilas fans: the program has been extended for two more years.

Gilas team manager Frankie Lim said that he has assurances from tycoon Manny Pangilinan that the Gilas program will continue to receive support with a new goal in mind: the 2014 FIBA World Championships.

Pinoy Dragon Boat Champion Rowers Grab Second Gold!

They may be short on funds but they're kicking everyone else rich butt.

The Philippine Dragon boat Team won their second gold in the ongoing International Dragon Boat Federation World Championships, this time, in the Premier 200m Mixed Event.

They were followed by Trinidad and Tobago then Puerto Rico and Italy.

More on this story here.

Guirado Eyes Indonesian Or Japanese Club!

Azkals striker Angel Guirado is looking to stay closer to home.

Opting not to resign with his Spanish Club, Guirado is now in talks with scouts from Japanese and Indonesian clubs for a possible stint in Asian leagues.

If ever the Fil-Spanish midfielder is signed to one of the regional leagues, he will insist on his contract having a clause allowing him to play for the Azkals whenever he is needed.

More on this story here.

Jones Cup Resked, Gilas Faces Iran tomorrow!

South Africa pulls out belatedly and throws the Jones Cup schedule awry! Organizers decide to add a semifinal round instead.

New schedule has Gilas going up against powerhouse Iran tomorrow at 5pm!

Schedule for Gilas for the rest of the tourney is as follows:
August 7 - Philippines Vs Taiwan, 7pm
August 8 - Philippines Vs Jordan, 3pm
August 9 - Philippines Vs Malaysia, 3pm
August 10 - Philippines Vs Korea, 5pm
August 11 - Philippines Vs UAE, 3pm
August 12 - Philippines Vs Japan, 5pm
August 13-14, TBA

Steve Zimmerman Looks Like The Real Deal!

Holy crap!

At 14, Steve Zimmerman has got great athleticism, exceptional coordination and moves that remind me of David Robinson!

He's very mature on the offensive end, has got his spins, curls and pump fakes down pat and is a ball hound off the boards.

Is Stephen Zimmerman The Star Of The Future?

He's 6'10". He's fluid. He's athletic. He's skilled. he's hard-working. He's also just 14-years old.

Stephen Zimmerman is still in junior high school and yet he's already received scholarship offers from the best basketball programs in the US.

UNLV, UCLA, Kansas and Connecticut re already keeping an eye on the youngster and it seems like only a matter of time before Zimmerman becomes the new face of US youth basketball.

Doctors project Zimmerman's final height to be at 7'1" - 7'2".

More on this story here.

Top Two Finish For Gilas?

That is what captain Chris Tiu sees for the Gilas National Team as prepare to play their first game in the Jones Cup tomorrow against Jordan.

Tiu cites the team's recent performances against the Smart All-Stars as well as their semifinal appearance in the FIBA-Asia Champions Cup as indicators of the team's capability to compete against strong opposition.

Coach Rajko Toroman was no less enthusiastic in his prediction, saying he sees Gilas finishing in the top three.


More on this story here.

2011-2012 NBA Season Set To Be Canceled!

That's what Player Association executive director Billy Hunter sees in the near future, as the players union and the NBA remain as far apart in the negotiations as they were a year ago.

Hunter believes that it is the influx of new owners who paid heavy premiums on their franchises who are causing the league to be intractable at the negotiating table.

The union has urged NBA players to find overseas work during the stoppage and several have already inked deals with European deals, including Deron Williams, who signed with Turkey's Besiktas.

More on this story here.

Gilas Hopes Military Basketball Gets Them To Olympics!

Show off your skills but do it within the system.

That, in a nutshell, is how Coach Rajko Toroman managed to rein in 12 bright basketball talents and mold them into a cohesive team.

Gilas is giving up a lot of height and heft to teams from China, Iran, South Korea, Japan and Lebanon but will try to make up for it with precision basketball and unmatched cohesiveness.

The Nationals hope that the team-oriented, regimented style of basketball that Coach Toroman has installed will translate into an Olympics slot. The last time the Philippine Basketball Team went to the Olympics was in 1972.

More on this story here.

Pinoy Dragon Boat Champion Rowers Grab Gold!

The people's investment paid off immediately.

The outpouring of support from the private sector and the public were rewarded immediately as the gallant Philippine Dragon Boat Team struck gold in the 1000m race.

The Pinoys finished the race in 4minutes 57 seconds, ahead of other finalists Australia, Hungary and Trinidad and Tobago.

More on this story here.

UP Maroons Win Over FEU Tams!

Say that again?

Yup, the UP Fighting Maroons ended a 7-year, 12-game losing streak to the FEU Tamaraws by upending them 76-63.

UP leaned on the early game heroics of Gelo Montecastro and Alinko Mbah and the end game heroics of Jett Manuel and Mike Silungan to comfortably lead FEU throughout the entire game.

Manuel scored 20 points in 17minutes, Silungan had 16points, and Montecastro and Mbah had 14points each.

More on this story here.

Azkals To Prepare For 2012 AFC Challenge Cup In Nepal!

After a much needed break, the Azkals will start preparations for the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup, which will be held in Nepal.

It is the first time the Philippines has qualified in the championships, joining other finalists Palestine, India, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and defending champion North Korea.

North Korea remains to be the prohibitive favorites having found great success in football, including an appearance on the World Cup stage.


More on this story here.

Weiss To Stay As Azkals Coach...For Now.

It seems like a no-brainer, retaining the coach who has brought your team to new heights, heights never before achieved by the team.

But that was also the same scenario former Azkals coach Simon McMenemy found himself in late last year and the Azkals management wasted no time in replacing him with German Hans Michael Weiss.

Could Weiss be facing the same fate? Azkals manager says no...not yet, anyway.

Expressing satisfaction with how Weiss managed the team, Palami says that Weiss' methods show the resuklts that they want to see in the Azkals. But he also declined to comment on making a long-term commitment to Weiss.

More on this story here.

Lastimosa Tows St. Benilde To Win!

He's certainly proving to be worthy of the name.

Carlo Lastimosa, nephew of PBA legend Jojo Lastimosa, score 12 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter to lift the St. Benilde Blazers past the JRU Heavy Bombers 78-77.

Lastimos also scored the winning basket  on a drive with just 5 seconds left in the ball game. JRU's Ronnel Carampil bobbled the ball away in the Bombers' final possession, seling their fourth loss in 6 games.

The Blazers move to 5th place in the standings, with a 3-3 record.


More on this story here.

Goalkeepers, Always Look Behind You!

Else suffer this same fate.

Iranian Star To Miss FIBA-Asia Championships!

Nineteen year old Arsalan Kazemi, arguably Iran's third or fourth best player, will miss the upcoming FIBA-Asia Championships.

Kazemi, a Sports Management sophomore at Rice University, cited his academic load as the reason for his missing the championships. Kazemi said that his inability to attend training might disrupt the flow of the Iranian National Team, which is bannered by Memphis grizzlies center Hamed Haddadi.

But Kasemi believes that, inspite of his absence, Iran is still the team to beat.

This, of course, is welcome news for Gilas, who will have one less Iranian scorer to mark. Now, the Nationals can concentrate on limiting the touches of Haddadi and keeping Mahdi Kamrani and Nikkha Bahrami from penetrating inside.

More on this story here.

Kevin Durant Catches Fire In Rucker Park!

Durantula strikes again!

NBA Sues Players Union!

So much for amicable talks.

After weeks of hearing that anti-trust cases could be filed against them by the players union, the NBA has finally taken action...by filing two cases against the players union.

The league accused the union of being uncooperative in CBA talks and cited lawyer union attorney Jeffrey Kessler for using "impermissible pressure tactics" in the negotiations. Kessler also represented the football players in their CBA talks with the NFL.

This latest development further endangers the upcoming NBA season, which has already canceled the rookie orientation and summer league play.


More on this story here.

Little Razcals Land In World Series Group Of Death!

The Little Rascals are welcomed in Texas by the Filipino community

It's going to be an uphill battle for the Little Razcals.

The Little Razcals' reversal of fortune came about as they were transferred from the much easier White Division to the Orange Group, which is comprised of the five-time World Series champions West Zone, the highly touted North Zone and the championship-caliber Mexican Zone champions.

The White Division is composed of the South Zone, the Carribean Zone and the host zone.

More on this story here. 

Azkals In Club Championships!

Phil Younghusband and James Younguhsband vs Chieffy Caligdong, Ian Araneta and Misagh Bahadoran. That is the spectacle awaiting Filipino football fans as the Smart Club Championships begin.

These Azkals as well as several other football standouts have joined the various teams contesting semifinals berths in the inaugural edition of the championships.

The Younghusbands will suit up for the Smart San Beda FC while Calidong, Araneta and Bahadoran will play for Teknika.

More on this story here.

Kobe Bryant Scores A Goal!

An own goal that is.

Bryant participated in Mia Hamm's Celebrity Soccer Challenge together with Team USA's Alex Morgan. He may have slotted in an own goal but his defensive skills were spot on, as he stuck out a foot to break up a forward pass to a streaking striker.

Watch the goal here.

More on the story here.

Champions Pinoy Rowers To Defend Crown!

Finally, the Dragon Warriors are off to defend their crown!

Despite financial problems and budget constraints, the Philippine Dragon Boat Team are confident of their chances as the aim for an unheard of three-peat in the 200meter event of the International Dragon Boat Federation World Championships.

the championships will be held in Tampa Bay, Florida and the rowers will arive there just in time for their event. They will be tired, jetlagged and cramped but there will be no time for them to recover.

Our prayers and salutations go to our valiant rowers! Mabuhay kayo!

More on this story here.

Grand Slamming Talk N Text?

Could the Tropang Texters be on their way to the history books?

Jimmy Alapag, Jason Castro and Kelly Williams could well be on the way to making Talk N Text just the fourth team in PBA history to win a Grand Slam as they led the Tropang Texters to a finals berth in the year ending PBA Governors' Cup.

The Tropang Texters won over Baranggay Ginebra 102-90 to clinch a finals berth and now await a worthy opponent amongst Ginabre, Alaska, Rain Or Shine and Petron.

Crispa, San Miguel and Alaska are the only other PBA teams to have won a Grand Slam before.


More on this story here.

Azkals Search For More Fil-Foreigners!

The hunt for world class football talent continues...in Europe.

Azkals manager Dan Palami will spend at least two weeks in Europe, scouting for new football talent to further strengthen the Azkals.

Included in Palami's sights is a pureblooded Filipino goalkeeper playing in the French league, who could be a viable back up to Neil Etheridge.

Rob Gier, the Azkals' English defensive back, was designated as the Azkals' Europe scout and is currently also searching for new talent.

More on this story here.

Hamed Haddadi Joins Iranian Team For Jones Cup!

He's 7'2" and plays for the Memphis Grizzlies. Of course, he's no Kobe Bryant. He's not even JaVale McGee.

But Hamed Haddadi still has the potential to cause trouble for Gilas as the Iranian has gained valuable experience playing with Grizz big men Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph.

Marcus Douthit, Japeth Aguilar and Asi Taulava will have their hands full guarding Haddadi, who has developed a short fallaway jumper but both Douthit and Aguilar are quicker than Haddadi and that just might turn the tide against Iran.

Gilas faces Iran on August 14, the last day of the Jones Cup.

More on this story here.

Bazooka Blows Away Windy Cave!

He promised to blow away the Bazooka...but ended up blowing hot air.

AJ "Bazooka" Banal was leading on all scorecards when ring doctor Jose Unabia stopped the fight in the eighth round, giving the Filipino a TKO win over Canadian Tyson Cave.

Banal suffered a cut over his right eyebrow from an accidental clashing of foreheads as Cave tried every dirty trick in the book to throw the Filipino off balance.

Afterwards, the Canadian expressed both dismay and disgust with the judges' scores, saying he was the clear winner.

More on this story here.

Fil-Foreign Azkals Are Proudly Pinoy!

Here's an excellent article by Bill Velasco.

Some highlights follow:

When I found out about the Philippine national team, I sent them an e-mail, with my resume, if you will,” says 30-year old fullback Rob Gier, who was already an experienced pro in his early 20s. “Not to brag or anything, but I was playing at a good level in England, and would they be interested in having me? I actually wish I had found out when I was a spring chicken.”

“I didn’t even know the Philippines had a national team, to be honest,” admits United Football League All-Star Nate Burkey, who is now based in the Philippines and headed in the lone goal against Sri Lanka. “But when I heard about it, I wanted to play, no question. It was a good chance to follow my roots.” 

“I don’t understand when people ask us how ‘Filipino’ we feel,” explains Gier, who is expecting his first child in five weeks. “The blood that runs through us runs through our “homegrown” teammates. Just because we were born in another place or grew up in a different country doesn’t make us less Filipino. We feel Filipino every second of our lives.” 

Cotto Wants Revenge!

First, against Antonio Margarito. Next on the list is Manny Pacquiao.

Cotto tries to erase the only two blemishes on his record by going after the two fighters who put an "L" on his forehead.

On December 3, he gets a chance against Antonio Margarito, he of the loaded hand wraps. If Cotto knocks out Margarito, it would pave the way for a rematch with the Pacman.


More on this story here.

Ateneo Stomps On UP!

A UP-Ateneo game has not been competitive in the last decade. This one was no different.

The Blue Eagles crushed the Maroons 77-57. with their pair of rookie sensations leading the way.

Kiefer Ravena scored 15 points and had 4 steals while Greg Slaughter had 14 points and 13 rebounds. The rest of the Ateneo starters also scored in double figures, with Kirk Long tallying 14 points, Emman Monfort with 13 and Nico Salva with 10.

The Maroons failed to have even one player score in double digits.

More on this story here.  

Marcial Makes Philippine Boxing History!

A hardy lad from Zamboanga has done what no other Filipino teen has done: Won a gold medal in the AIBA Junior World Championships.

Fifteen year old Eumir Felix Marcial defeated Cengiz Onta of Turkey 9-7 to book a place in Philippine boxing history.

More on this story here.