Having inspired many to pursue their hoop dreams, six PBA legends continue to do the same even after retirement.
But this time, Alvin Patrimonio, Benjie Paras, Jojo Lastimosa, Ronnie Magsanoc, Jerrry Codiñera and Johnny Abarrientos turn inspiration into something more tangible.
Tapped by Alaxan FR to spearhead “The Galing Mo” campaign, these former pro greats came together to support community-led construction of basketball courts in chosen barangays around the country.
“There’s a social value into it,” said Magsanoc. “It’s just a basketball court for some, but it has a long-term effect on the communities we visited.”
With volunteer residents also pitching in, the program had already built five concrete basketball courts in Iloilo, Bacolod, Dumaguete, Butuan and Sarangani. Projects are also lined up in Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Davao, Tacloban and Zamboanga.
“It’s a chance for the legends to bless the chosen community,” Patrimonio, a four-time PBA MVP, said in a press conference Tuesday.
“It’s one way of giving back to the basketball community,” added Codiñera.
In their community visits, the six stars said the reception had been overwhelming.
“Most of the places we’ve been to haven’t been reached by PBA out-of-town games,” said Abarrientos. “So we really had a warm welcome.”
Lastimosa said what makes the project even more special was the fact that their own hoop dreams also began in the barangay courts.
“We all had humble beginnings,” said Lastimosa.
“We really hope we can inspire more players and communities,” said Paras.
Showing posts with label PBA finals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PBA finals. Show all posts
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Only Mercado to miss Fiba Asia Cup
WAS PRESIDENT Aquino serious when he threatened to write a letter to PBA ballclubs to make their players available for the national team?
If he was, then a number of clubs should expect communication coming from the Office of the President soon.
About half of the teams in the league had earlier failed to notify the PBA office of their intent to lend their players to Smart Gilas.
* * *
To be honest, as of this writing, I’m still not clear on the process that was supposed to be followed, if there was one, in the formation of Smart Gilas.
Was Smart Gilas head coach Chot Reyes supposed to request the PBA Commissioner’s office for the players he wanted for the forthcoming Fiba Asia Cup in Japan, with PBA Commissioner Chito Salud in turn writing each team for the players requested?
The way a senior colleague explained it to me, the clubs were expected to submit a sort of conforme letter to the PBA office, since “the teams must be aware of the players Chot wants,” he said.
“The names are always in the papers.”
* * *
Yesterday afternoon I touched base with commissioner Salud for some enlightenment. Did Chot ask for specific players? Was there a process?
The commissioner’s reply: “Yes, Chot did have a list of 16 at first. Then the board said he could have a pool of 20. Then they (Chot and company) went around asking the players to sign a commitment letter.”
I stopped to mull what the commissioner said, trying to read between the lines. Perhaps there was no need to have a letter of commitment signed; perhaps the transactions should have been coursed through the PBA Commissioner’s office, ensuring a hundred percent cooperation from all teams.
Minutes after my talk with Salud, I got a call from PBA media bureau head Willie Marcial who assured me that all the players who participated in the Jones Cup, except for Sol Mercado, will be able to play in the Fiba Asia Cup this September in Japan.
“Sol was disqualified because of a technicality,” he said.
Willie also explained that Chot needed a formal commitment from the players, before proceeding to the next step, which is to secure the approval of the team.
“Chot wants to make sure the national players are willing to undergo the demands of training for two teams. During the training period for the national team, they may not even have time for their families,” he said.
* * *
Not everybody in the PBA contingent heard the President’s offer to write “unpatriotic” teams a letter.
According to a member of the group, one of the officials was asked by the President if he could do anything to help the national team. The official told him that one of their biggest problems was that some of the PBA ballclubs would not allow their players to render service to flag and country.
“I will write them a letter. Sasabihin ko sa kanila, boss, thank you for being (less) nationalistic,” the President was quoted as saying. I don’t know if those were his exact words. He could have been just joking. The President, I mean.
* * *
“The move by the NCAA to transfer network is already seeing positive results,” reports Paul Mata of AKTV.
The oldest collegiate league in the country signed a deal with TV5 to air the games on AKTV on IBC starting this school year.
“Based on the ratings released by Nielsen, NCAA has a big margin of viewers watching its basketball games compared to the UAAP in Mega Manila. The average number of viewers reached 120,000 viewers against the 70,000 average of the UAAP on Studio 23,” he said.
“Two games registered high numbers as well in the National Urban Television Audience Measurement. The tightly fought match between San Beda and Perpetual registered the highest number of viewers with 374,296. The opening-day game between Letran and San Sebastian placed second with 297,460 watching Kevin Alas score 31 points to lead the Knights.”
Read more PBA finals news here.
If he was, then a number of clubs should expect communication coming from the Office of the President soon.
About half of the teams in the league had earlier failed to notify the PBA office of their intent to lend their players to Smart Gilas.
* * *
To be honest, as of this writing, I’m still not clear on the process that was supposed to be followed, if there was one, in the formation of Smart Gilas.
Was Smart Gilas head coach Chot Reyes supposed to request the PBA Commissioner’s office for the players he wanted for the forthcoming Fiba Asia Cup in Japan, with PBA Commissioner Chito Salud in turn writing each team for the players requested?
The way a senior colleague explained it to me, the clubs were expected to submit a sort of conforme letter to the PBA office, since “the teams must be aware of the players Chot wants,” he said.
“The names are always in the papers.”
* * *
Yesterday afternoon I touched base with commissioner Salud for some enlightenment. Did Chot ask for specific players? Was there a process?
The commissioner’s reply: “Yes, Chot did have a list of 16 at first. Then the board said he could have a pool of 20. Then they (Chot and company) went around asking the players to sign a commitment letter.”
I stopped to mull what the commissioner said, trying to read between the lines. Perhaps there was no need to have a letter of commitment signed; perhaps the transactions should have been coursed through the PBA Commissioner’s office, ensuring a hundred percent cooperation from all teams.
Minutes after my talk with Salud, I got a call from PBA media bureau head Willie Marcial who assured me that all the players who participated in the Jones Cup, except for Sol Mercado, will be able to play in the Fiba Asia Cup this September in Japan.
“Sol was disqualified because of a technicality,” he said.
Willie also explained that Chot needed a formal commitment from the players, before proceeding to the next step, which is to secure the approval of the team.
“Chot wants to make sure the national players are willing to undergo the demands of training for two teams. During the training period for the national team, they may not even have time for their families,” he said.
* * *
Not everybody in the PBA contingent heard the President’s offer to write “unpatriotic” teams a letter.
According to a member of the group, one of the officials was asked by the President if he could do anything to help the national team. The official told him that one of their biggest problems was that some of the PBA ballclubs would not allow their players to render service to flag and country.
“I will write them a letter. Sasabihin ko sa kanila, boss, thank you for being (less) nationalistic,” the President was quoted as saying. I don’t know if those were his exact words. He could have been just joking. The President, I mean.
* * *
“The move by the NCAA to transfer network is already seeing positive results,” reports Paul Mata of AKTV.
The oldest collegiate league in the country signed a deal with TV5 to air the games on AKTV on IBC starting this school year.
“Based on the ratings released by Nielsen, NCAA has a big margin of viewers watching its basketball games compared to the UAAP in Mega Manila. The average number of viewers reached 120,000 viewers against the 70,000 average of the UAAP on Studio 23,” he said.
“Two games registered high numbers as well in the National Urban Television Audience Measurement. The tightly fought match between San Beda and Perpetual registered the highest number of viewers with 374,296. The opening-day game between Letran and San Sebastian placed second with 297,460 watching Kevin Alas score 31 points to lead the Knights.”
Read more PBA finals news here.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Sultan 900 decision up Friday
MACAU—With the devastating monsoon rains in Manila delaying even the arrival of important documents in the sale of Coca-Cola’s PBA franchise to Sultan 900 Capital, Inc., the board will decide on the fate of the league’s newest member by Friday at the earliest.
The Office of the Commissioner has yet to receive the deed of assignment of the sale of the Coca-Cola franchise, leaving the league no choice but to defer voting on the application of Sultan 900 as the newest member.
“That’s the most important document of all,” said commissioner Chito Salud, who met the press together with newly elected chair Robert Non of Barangay Ginebra and vice chair Mon Segismundo of Meralco.
Mikee Romero, the basketball-enamored sportsman who bought the Coca-Cola franchise, had told Salud in an overseas call that the DOA will be handed over to the league’s offices by Wednesday at the latest.
Romero would need at least seven votes to be able to participate in the league starting with the Philippine Cup on Sept. 30.
Salud said he had to go over the papers of Sultan 900 before making his recommendation to the board, though Non said during the same briefing that they “think that Sultan 900 has the capacity to run a PBA team.”
If accepted, the board has to rule on some concessions Romero has requested, including getting the first overall choice in the rookie draft scheduled Sunday.
“Powerade has a solid lineup and they can be competitive,” Salud said.
If Romero doesn’t get the needed seven votes on Friday, Salud said that Powerade would then have to apply for a leave of absence. “But after the season that passed, we won’t agree to play with just nine teams.”
The Office of the Commissioner has yet to receive the deed of assignment of the sale of the Coca-Cola franchise, leaving the league no choice but to defer voting on the application of Sultan 900 as the newest member.
“That’s the most important document of all,” said commissioner Chito Salud, who met the press together with newly elected chair Robert Non of Barangay Ginebra and vice chair Mon Segismundo of Meralco.
Mikee Romero, the basketball-enamored sportsman who bought the Coca-Cola franchise, had told Salud in an overseas call that the DOA will be handed over to the league’s offices by Wednesday at the latest.
Romero would need at least seven votes to be able to participate in the league starting with the Philippine Cup on Sept. 30.
Salud said he had to go over the papers of Sultan 900 before making his recommendation to the board, though Non said during the same briefing that they “think that Sultan 900 has the capacity to run a PBA team.”
If accepted, the board has to rule on some concessions Romero has requested, including getting the first overall choice in the rookie draft scheduled Sunday.
“Powerade has a solid lineup and they can be competitive,” Salud said.
If Romero doesn’t get the needed seven votes on Friday, Salud said that Powerade would then have to apply for a leave of absence. “But after the season that passed, we won’t agree to play with just nine teams.”
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
B-Meg ties PBA Finals; Paul Lee reinjures shoulder
MANILA, Philippines—James Yap came through in the clutch to lift B-Meg over Rain or Shine, 85-80, and tie the two teams’ PBA Governors Cup best-of-seven Finals series at 1-1 Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.Yap finished with 24 points including a tough left corner turnaround jumper that gave the Llamados an 82-78 cushion with 15.6 seconds left.
“This was a crucial game for us. We had to, at some point, convince ourselves that we could beat this team. We haven’t changed that yet but this one win can help us turn that around,” said B-Meg head coach Tim Cone.
“‘Big Game’ James turned to ‘Big Shot’ James,” Cone said of Yap. “The defense was so shattered that he was able to get a good look and knock it down.”
B-Meg built an 11-point lead twice in the third quarter before ROS was able to tie the game at 74, with 5:25 left.
Jamelly Cornley, the conference’s best import, sank two free throws that pulled the Elasto Painters to within two, 78-80, before Yap’s clutch shot.
Marcus Blakely bounced back from his poor Game 1 outing with game highs of 26 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks to offset his seven errors.
Game 3 is set on Friday with both teams looking for a pivotal 2-1 series lead.
For Rain or Shine, though, the squad may have to make do sans its best player Paul Lee.
Lee, who came in second to Mark Caguioa as the conference’s Best Player, reinjured his left shoulder after swiping at the ball at the 2:22 mark of the fourth quarter.
The former University of the East star immediately went down on the floor in tremendous pain while grabbing his shoulder. He was then carried out of the court on a stretcher in the waning seconds of the game.
Concerned but unfazed, ROS head coach Yeng Guiao even made a bold statement: “We will win this series with or without Paul Lee.
PBA Finals
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Gwen spotted in PBA finals
Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia watched Sunday’s Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup title match next to businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan on Sunday night.
Her presence at the basketball game spurred speculations about whether the tycoon would support Garcia’s senatorial bid.
“Actually, I had a previous meeting with Manny Pangilinan and since he’s the owner of the Smart Araneta Colliseum and then there was a finals game between Talk N’ Text and B-Meg he asked if I would wish to watch the game so I said, yes why not,” she said.
Garcia said she went to the game with some Capitol staff.
She said Pangilinan, who leads the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), Smart Communications, looks up to Cebu province’s firm leadership.
‘Let’s just leave it at that. There’s really strong interest to invest in Cebu from Mr. MVP himself and that should be very, very good for Cebu.” she said.
“Maynilad has been part of the proposal of the Manila Water Consortium and he saw, his people saw, how we conducted the bidding process in the most fair and transparent manner. According to him, they really saw this brand of firm leadership and political will thatr we exhibited in the entire process because it was a difficult process. It was the first of its kind.”
“We are very elated with MVP’s proposal and this development for Cebu.
Garcia’s presence in game seven of the Finals series was acknowledged on air by PBA commentators. Correspondent Peter L. Romanillos.
PBA finals | B-MEG vs TNT
Her presence at the basketball game spurred speculations about whether the tycoon would support Garcia’s senatorial bid.
“Actually, I had a previous meeting with Manny Pangilinan and since he’s the owner of the Smart Araneta Colliseum and then there was a finals game between Talk N’ Text and B-Meg he asked if I would wish to watch the game so I said, yes why not,” she said.
Garcia said she went to the game with some Capitol staff.
She said Pangilinan, who leads the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), Smart Communications, looks up to Cebu province’s firm leadership.
‘Let’s just leave it at that. There’s really strong interest to invest in Cebu from Mr. MVP himself and that should be very, very good for Cebu.” she said.
“Maynilad has been part of the proposal of the Manila Water Consortium and he saw, his people saw, how we conducted the bidding process in the most fair and transparent manner. According to him, they really saw this brand of firm leadership and political will thatr we exhibited in the entire process because it was a difficult process. It was the first of its kind.”
“We are very elated with MVP’s proposal and this development for Cebu.
Garcia’s presence in game seven of the Finals series was acknowledged on air by PBA commentators. Correspondent Peter L. Romanillos.
PBA finals | B-MEG vs TNT
Monday, May 7, 2012
Goin’ gaga
(PBA finals)Everyone’s going gaga over the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals. The Smart Araneta Coliseum was packed with more than 18,000 fans watching Game 4 between the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters against the BMEG Llmados.
Danica Sotto-Pingris is one of the celebrities always present, cheering for her husband Marc of BMEG.
She observed that things were more exciting now: “Even the younger generation, nagka-interest sa games.
Maganda yung ginawa ng AKTV, TV5’s sports channel, giving the series a title. It’s also a lot better now, kasi may Twitter and Facebook at interactive na. Parang nabalik yung dati. Nabuhay ulit yung mga taong nanonood ng PBA.”
Also spotted at The Big Dome enjoying the games were Baby James cheering for his Daddy James Yap, BB Gandanghari, Ruffa Mae Quinto, Anna Capri and LJ Moreno cheering for her hubby Jimmy Alapag of Talk and Text. Go and have a ball yourself!
Danica Sotto-Pingris is one of the celebrities always present, cheering for her husband Marc of BMEG.
She observed that things were more exciting now: “Even the younger generation, nagka-interest sa games.
Maganda yung ginawa ng AKTV, TV5’s sports channel, giving the series a title. It’s also a lot better now, kasi may Twitter and Facebook at interactive na. Parang nabalik yung dati. Nabuhay ulit yung mga taong nanonood ng PBA.”
Also spotted at The Big Dome enjoying the games were Baby James cheering for his Daddy James Yap, BB Gandanghari, Ruffa Mae Quinto, Anna Capri and LJ Moreno cheering for her hubby Jimmy Alapag of Talk and Text. Go and have a ball yourself!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Simon could be deciding factor in B-Meg-Talk ‘N Text championship series
MANILA, Philippines—From the depths of anonymity in the 2001 PBA draft, Peter June Simon has taken a long but steady route to superstardom.
“It’s really been a blessing,” said Simon, who was drafted in the fifth round (43rd overall), of his career thus far. “Merong time na halos two years din ako nasa bench [There was a time when I spent almost two years on the bench].”
But the former University of Mindanao hotshot continued working on his game until he cracked the rotation with Purefoods/B-Meg. He’s played a key role for the squad since then, winning an All-Star MVP trophy and a Mr. Quality Minutes award along the way, as well as establishing himself as one of the best players off the bench.
And in the ongoing Commissioner’s Cup championship series between his B-Meg Llamados and the powerhouse defending champions Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters, the 6-foot-1 shooting guard is fast shaping up to be a deciding figure in the series.
Simon finished with 18 points in B-Meg’s 88-82 victory over Talk ‘N Text in Game 1 of the best-of-seven affair Monday night, knocking in the crucial baskets at the start of the fourth quarter to augment a superb Llamados defense and give his squad control of the ballgame.
“We basically rode PJ in that stretch,” said B-Meg coach Tim Cone after the game.
“Ine-embrace ko lang ang opportunity na binigay sa akin ni Lord [I’m just embracing the opportunity the Lord gave me],” he added.
His ability to play off the ball has allowed him to thrive in the system Cone introduced to the Llamados after taking over as their head coach at the start of the season.
“Ang Triangle Offense kasi, equal-opportunity offense [The Triangle Offense is an equal-opportunity offense]. Hindi nagtatagal ang bola sa isang tao [The ball doesn’t stay with one person for too long],” he explained. “Nagkataon maganda ang shooting ko [It just so happened that my shooting was great].”
But it was more than just chance that allowed Simon to torture the Texters in front of 13,000 fans at the Araneta Coliseum. He picked his shots throughout the match, conscious of his attempt count all night.
“I think I took 10 or less shots,” he said.
Eleven, actually. And he made nine of them, each one more crucial than the other.
“PJ got going and there were times when we tried to put him at the post,” said Cone. But it wasn’t his ability to make shots over the smaller TNT guards that made the difference. It was his ability to make shots, period.
Lost in the din of the Game 1 victory was how that 9-of-11 was closer to the norm than it was to the exception. This season, Simon is hitting at an average clip of 51.4 percent from the field. Given a few random parameters by PBA stat chief Fidel Mangonon III, Simon ranks fifth among players who have suited up in at least 10 games and made at least 50 field goals.
Even more amazing? He is the only guard in that top five, meaning he is the only one who takes perimeter shots consistently and whose clip has to take a hit from a 30.2-percent rate from beyond the arc.
In fact, using the same parameters, Simon is the only guard shooting above 50 percent from the field. And it is that effectiveness that tripped the Talk ‘N Text defense all night. It wasn’t just the mismatch. In fact, one of the two shots Simon missed was when he took Jimmy Alapag down low at the post.
“What can I say? PJ is PJ. He’s a hell of a player,” said Texters coach Chot Reyes.
And he will continue to be one for B-Meg. He isn’t worried even if TNT decides to point its defensive game plan at him.
“Mag wo-work lang ako sa Triangle [I’ll continue to work within the Triangle],” he said. “Sa sistema na yun, lahat may pagkakataon mag step-up [With that system, everybody has the chance to step up].”
And if he is bumped off the flow of Cone’s intricate offense?
“Sabi ni coach, kapag may breakdown, puwede kami lumabas sa Triangle [coach told us that if there’s a breakdown in offense, we can step out of the Triangle],” said the 31-year-old Simon. “Minsan kasi, may situation na kailangan mag on-the-fly kapag may breakdown [There are situations when we’ll have to go on-the-fly when there’s a breakdown].”
Yes, PJ Simon, like his more illustrious teammate James Yap, has the license to freestyle. And to think this was the same player who, over a decade ago, teams passed up on—not just once.
Read more on PBA finals and B-MEG vs TNT.
“It’s really been a blessing,” said Simon, who was drafted in the fifth round (43rd overall), of his career thus far. “Merong time na halos two years din ako nasa bench [There was a time when I spent almost two years on the bench].”
But the former University of Mindanao hotshot continued working on his game until he cracked the rotation with Purefoods/B-Meg. He’s played a key role for the squad since then, winning an All-Star MVP trophy and a Mr. Quality Minutes award along the way, as well as establishing himself as one of the best players off the bench.
And in the ongoing Commissioner’s Cup championship series between his B-Meg Llamados and the powerhouse defending champions Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters, the 6-foot-1 shooting guard is fast shaping up to be a deciding figure in the series.
Simon finished with 18 points in B-Meg’s 88-82 victory over Talk ‘N Text in Game 1 of the best-of-seven affair Monday night, knocking in the crucial baskets at the start of the fourth quarter to augment a superb Llamados defense and give his squad control of the ballgame.
“We basically rode PJ in that stretch,” said B-Meg coach Tim Cone after the game.
“Ine-embrace ko lang ang opportunity na binigay sa akin ni Lord [I’m just embracing the opportunity the Lord gave me],” he added.
His ability to play off the ball has allowed him to thrive in the system Cone introduced to the Llamados after taking over as their head coach at the start of the season.
“Ang Triangle Offense kasi, equal-opportunity offense [The Triangle Offense is an equal-opportunity offense]. Hindi nagtatagal ang bola sa isang tao [The ball doesn’t stay with one person for too long],” he explained. “Nagkataon maganda ang shooting ko [It just so happened that my shooting was great].”
But it was more than just chance that allowed Simon to torture the Texters in front of 13,000 fans at the Araneta Coliseum. He picked his shots throughout the match, conscious of his attempt count all night.
“I think I took 10 or less shots,” he said.
Eleven, actually. And he made nine of them, each one more crucial than the other.
“PJ got going and there were times when we tried to put him at the post,” said Cone. But it wasn’t his ability to make shots over the smaller TNT guards that made the difference. It was his ability to make shots, period.
Lost in the din of the Game 1 victory was how that 9-of-11 was closer to the norm than it was to the exception. This season, Simon is hitting at an average clip of 51.4 percent from the field. Given a few random parameters by PBA stat chief Fidel Mangonon III, Simon ranks fifth among players who have suited up in at least 10 games and made at least 50 field goals.
Even more amazing? He is the only guard in that top five, meaning he is the only one who takes perimeter shots consistently and whose clip has to take a hit from a 30.2-percent rate from beyond the arc.
In fact, using the same parameters, Simon is the only guard shooting above 50 percent from the field. And it is that effectiveness that tripped the Talk ‘N Text defense all night. It wasn’t just the mismatch. In fact, one of the two shots Simon missed was when he took Jimmy Alapag down low at the post.
“What can I say? PJ is PJ. He’s a hell of a player,” said Texters coach Chot Reyes.
And he will continue to be one for B-Meg. He isn’t worried even if TNT decides to point its defensive game plan at him.
“Mag wo-work lang ako sa Triangle [I’ll continue to work within the Triangle],” he said. “Sa sistema na yun, lahat may pagkakataon mag step-up [With that system, everybody has the chance to step up].”
And if he is bumped off the flow of Cone’s intricate offense?
“Sabi ni coach, kapag may breakdown, puwede kami lumabas sa Triangle [coach told us that if there’s a breakdown in offense, we can step out of the Triangle],” said the 31-year-old Simon. “Minsan kasi, may situation na kailangan mag on-the-fly kapag may breakdown [There are situations when we’ll have to go on-the-fly when there’s a breakdown].”
Yes, PJ Simon, like his more illustrious teammate James Yap, has the license to freestyle. And to think this was the same player who, over a decade ago, teams passed up on—not just once.
Read more on PBA finals and B-MEG vs TNT.
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