Philippine Basketball Association Thread

[Lebron23]

[COLOR="Blue"]Yap powers Giants past Phone Pals [/COLOR]

By June Navarro
Agence France-Presse
Last updated 09:58pm (Mla time) 09/21/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- PUREFOODS encountered rough sailing before blowing away Talk 'N Text in extra time, 111-105, Friday night to seize the solo lead in Group A of the 2007-08 PBA Preseason Tournament at the Blue Eagle Gym in Katipunan.

James Yap bailed the Giants out of trouble by tossing in seven straight points and handed a nifty feed to Jondan Salvador for the insurance basket that neutralized the onslaught of the Phone Pals in overtime.

Though the Giants notched their third win in four games, it was an ugly one considering the chances they wasted in regulation.

For a three-minute stretch in the fourth period, the Phone Pals dissolved an 80-65 Purefoods lead to a single basket following two free throws by Asi Taulava.

Yap ended the drought with a short jumper off the glass before June Peter Simon's three-point play gave the Giants a 92-85 cushion.

Jay Washington knocked in a three in another Talk 'N Text assault as the Phone Pals pulled within 92-94 with 43 ticks remaining.

Yap had the chance to seal the deal in regulation as he drove through the teeth of the Talk 'N Text defense, but Washington swatted away the 2005 MVP's floater.

Jimmy Alapag fetched a foul off a loose ball scramble and then sank two free throws to forge extra period.

The scores:

PUREFOODS 111--J.Yap 29, Simon 14, Raymundo 13, R.Yap 12, Lanete 11, Adducul 7, Pingris 6, Sanz 5, Evangelista 4, Larong 0.

TALK 'N TEXT 105--Taulava 27, Washington 22, Carey 19, Alapag 8, Billones 8, Noble 6, Belano 5, Ritualo 4, Ferreria 2, Fran 2, Cardona 2.

Quarters: 25-17, 45-44, 75-62, 111-105

[Lebron23]

[B][SIZE="5"][COLOR="blue"][b] PBL season glimmers with college stars

By Jasmine W. Payo
Inquirer
Last updated 05:35am (Mla time) 10/12/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- A league rookie takes on a veteran crew when the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) First Conference kicks off on Oct. 20 at The Arena in San Juan City.

Newcomer Pharex and San Mig Coffee (formerly San Miguel-Magnolia) will clash at 2 p.m., followed by the 4 p.m. dispute between Toyota Balintawak and Bacchus Energy Drink on the first day of the season opener.

PBL commissioner Chino Trinidad expects “a wide open race for the championship” since the league loaned several of its stars -- including back-to-back Most Valuable Player Jason Castro -- to the Harbour-RP team set to see action in the Southeast Asian Games.
But more standouts are expected to emerge from the new batch of rookies led by 6-foot-5 Fil-Am guard Gabe Norwood and San Beda College’s John Hermida of Hapee, Ateneo de Manila University center Ford Arao of San Mig Coffee, University of the East’s James Martinez of Bacchus and Jose Rizal University’s James Sena of Toyota Balintawak.

“The endearing exploits of some of the finest collegiate players are expected to spill over in the PBL considering that most of them will see action,” said Trinidad.

According to executive director Butch Maniego, the league will also hold a one-week tournament which will pit the Harbour-RP team against a foreign team and other invited squads.

Aside from missing Castro, three-time champion Harbour Centre will have to do without Beau Belga, Jonathan Fernandez and Chad Alonzo, while newcomer Lina Group of Companies also loaned a prized recruit -- UAAP MVP Jervy Cruz of the University of Santo Tomas -- to the national five.

[Lebron23]

2007 PBA Pre Draft Camp Measurememt ( with out shoes)


Joe De Vance - 6

[Lebron23]

[COLOR="red"]Beermen open PBA 33rd season versus Express [/COLOR]

By Nelson Beltran
Philippine Star
Thursday, September 27, 2007

MACAU

[Lebron23]

PBA Pre-season Final Rankings

Purefoods vs. San Miguel Beer (championship)

GROUP A

1. San Miguel Beer 4-0
2. Sta. Lucia Realty 3-1
3. Alaska Aces 2-2
4. Red Bull Barakos 1-3
5. Coca-Cola Tigers 0-4

GROUP B

1. Purefoods TJ Giants 4-0
2. Talk 'N Text Phonepals 2-2
3. Air21 Express 2-2
4. Welcoat Dragons 1-3
5. Brgy Ginebra Kings 1-3

[Lebron23]

James Yap is one of my favorite player in the PBA and at age 25 yrs.old, He is probably one of the most successful PBA Player of all time.

Just check his awards, stats and accomplishment in the the 1st 3 years of his proffessional career.

James Yap is lethal in the open court and very dangerous with his jumpshots and devil drives towards the hoop... a cross between Samboy Lim and Allan Caidic... a second MVP award for the Escalante, Negros Occidental native could be in the offing but he must practise consistency and learn to take charge for the Giants.



2004-2005 Rookie Season Averages: (63 games) 27.0 mpg, 12.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.5 spg, 0.3 bpg, 2.3 fpg

2005-2006 Sophomore season: (57 games) 36.4 mpg, 17.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.4 bpg, 2.1 TOpg, 2.7 fpg

Purefoods TJ Giants 2006-07 Fiesta Cup Stats

James Yap (18 Games) 24.06 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.2 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 39.6 MPG

Purefoods TJ Giants 2006-07 Philippine Cup Stats

James Yap (22 Games) 16.77 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 36.7 MPG


Individual Achievements

2003 UAAP Most Valuable Player (MVP)
2003 UAAP First Five Mythical Team member
2003 Philippine Sportswriters Association/PSA major awardee (amateur basketball ranks)
2003-2004 PBL Mythical First Team member
2005-2006 PBA Most Valuable Player (MVP)
2005-2006 PBA Mythical First Team member
2006 PSA major awardee (professional basketball ranks)
4-time PBA All-star starter (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 -- South Team)

Team Achievements

2002-2003 Collegiate Champions League champions
2003 Southeast Asian Games Gold Medalists
2004 Philippine Basketball League (PBL), first-runners up
2005-2006 PBA Fiesta Conference, first-runners up
2005-2006 PBA Philippine Cup champions

[Lebron23]

[COLOR="Green"] Seigle, Mamaril trade blows in tune-up game[/COLOR]




By Nelson Beltran
Philippine Star
Friday, October 5, 2007

Magnolia

[Lebron23]

[COLOR="red"]Cablay goes to Purefoods [/COLOR]


By: Rey Joble
People's Journal
October 9, 2007




Versatile guard Brandon Cablay, the small man with a big package, is the newest Giant in Purefoods.

Cablay’s transfer was formalized yesterday after months of speculations.

The 5-11, Fil-Am guard will fill in the void left by Noy Castillo, who injured his toe during the pre-season.

“He was introduced to the team kanina and I think he will play a valuable role for us,” Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio told People’s Tonight. “He’s a versatile player and I think he can help us on both guard spots.”

Cablay was taken in by Purefoods from Red Bull. He was traded to the Bulls in the off season as part of the package in the Larry Fonacier trade.

But with the Bulls already loaded with guards – Cyrus Baguio, Jojo Duncil, Celino Cruz, Topex Robinson and Junthy Valenzuela, Cablay may not shine as a player with a lot of potential.

With Purefoods, Cablay provides the kind of player Gregorio wants to have on his team – flexible, athletic and capable of playing solid on both ends of the court.

Meanwhile, teams in the coming PBA season were presented yesterday at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza.

Alaska, the Fiesta Cup titlist, parades an intact line-up and a beefier frontline.

San Miguel, already an explosive squad, has added more firepower while sister team Ginebra is expected to become the fastest gun in the tournament with the addition of two spitfires.

But the team out to make a strong, wide signal covering the entire season is Talk N Text.

“They have a deep bench and they have three starters returning in their fold,” Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao said, referring to the three national team members making their comeback this season.

“They managed to enter the championship round last conference even without these three players and now, they have no reason not to be up there.”

The three players Guiao was referring were Asi Taulava, Ren-Ren Ritualo and Jimmy Alapag, who are returning to help the Phone Pals nail the big one.

For Gregorio, the Phone Pals are indeed one of the two super powers aside from San Miguel.

“Definitely, they’re the top two teams in terms of manpower,” said Gregorio, whose team is out to reclaim the Philippine Cup crown. “They are capable of fielding in a strong five even those coming off the bench. But still, it’s not about who comes up with the best five, but which best five fits better.”

Fonacier’s entry coupled by the acquisition of Samigue Eman and Jonas Villanueva from the draft certainly made the Beermen the odds-on pick this season.

Of course, the Gin Kings, with the Fast and the Furious all set to make the season ablaze with their fiery brand of play and the inclusion of Kid Lightning Paul Artadi, will be more fun to watch this season.

The Aces have become bigger and better. Ken Bono and JR Qui

[Lebron23]

[COLOR="Blue"] Air21 to Jaworski: Coaching job is yours for the taking [/COLOR]



by Noli Cortez
Malaya
October 11, 2007

The job is his for the taking

[Lebron23]

The PBA Opening Ceremony would start at 4:00 pm while the actual game will begin at 6:30 pm.







Magnolia Beverage Master 2007-08 Roster

# Player POS Hgt Wgt College

27 Willie Wilson F 6'2" 215 De La Salle University
30 Lordy Tugade F 6'3" 185 National University
88 Chris Calaguio G 6'1" 185 Letran College
42 Danny Seigle G-F 6'5" 205 Wagner
10 Danny Ildefonso C-F 6'6" 210 National University
7 Dondon Hontiveros G 6'1" 175 University of Cebu
4 Dorian Pe

[Lebron23]

Air21 Express 2007-08 Roster

# Player POS Hgt Wgt College

19 Wynne Arboleda G 5'9" 180 Manuel L. Quezon
26 Ryan Bernardo C-F 6'4" 230 University of Sto. Tomas
9 Ni

[Lebron23]

Congratulations to the Magnolia Beverages as they defeat the Air 21 Express 121-112.

Best Player of the Game:

Danny Seigle 28 points, 7 rebounds, 10/16 FG

KG Canaleta lead the Air 21 Express after scoring a career high 32 points. The Magnolia Beverages just dominated the 2nd half as their 3 wingmen lead by Tugade, Fonacier and Seigle are just too much for the Express to handle.

Enrico Villanueva is just a monster of the board and he literally destroyed the 6'5" Ervin Sotto with his 1 on 1 power moves.

Samigue Eman have a very memorable PBA Debut after scoring 5 points and blocking the shot of Arwind Santos in the 2nd quarter, which is one of the highlight of the match up after Santos block him in the early part of the game.

Overall the Magnolia Beverages are one of the best team this conference and they are a much deeper team compare to last years All Filipino Cup.

Arwind Santos also have a very great game i think he score more than 20 points with his outside shoots and some hang time moves like that put back dunk he did in the later part of the game. I still think that the Air 21 Express needs to adjust in the upcoming games because their team chemistry is not yet intact. I predict that once this team jell expect them to make it in the semi finals round of the ALL FILIPINO CUP.

JC Intal, Marvin Cruz and Douglas Kramer contribute in their 1st game but they need to remain consistent the whole time and Cruz needs to stop forcing some stupid shoots, when he can just pass the ball to his open teammates.

[Lebron23]

[COLOR="blue"] SEIGLE, HONTIVEROS SHINE AS MAGNOLIA TAKES OPENER [/COLOR]


Faster-paced ballgame leads to highest-scoring season curtainraiser since ‘92

Sunday, 14 October 2007

Dondon Hontiveros picked up his offensive rhythm in the third quarter and the Magnolia Beverage Masters took the cue to mount a second half charge that keyed a 121-112 victory over the Air21 Express Sunday night in the opener of the 2007-08 Smart PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

Hontiveros, cold as ice in the first half with only two points, drove the Express crazy in the third that saw him scattering 12 points on 4-for-4 shooting from the perimeter and 4-of-5 from the stripe.

His explosion practically changed the complication of the game and put an end to the Beverage Masters' three-game losing spell at the hands of the Express last conference.

Hontiveros, who missed the entire 2007 Fiesta Conference along with Danny Seigle to serve the RP Team, finished with 15 points. He tied the game at 67 midway in the third with two free throws, then completed a three-point play 13 seconds later as Magnolia took the lead for good at 70-69.

"The basics are all there but when the going gets tough we can always count on Danny Ildefonso, Danny Seigle and Dondon Hontiveros,” said Magnolia coach Siot Tanquingcen of their second half surge.

"We had to deal with it. We have to play the way the refs call it. Everybody's playing with the same set of rules anyway," offered Tanquingcen when asked to comment on the new rules implemented by the league this season.

The implementation of the new rules quickened the flow of the game, and the big opening day crowd lapped up every moment of the action-packed encounter.

It also opened a lot of offensive opportunities for both teams and the result was a high-scoring curtainraiser that featured a combined 17 triples and 30 fast break attempts and nearly 50 percent shooting from both teams.

The league's highest scoring opener was established in 1992 when Presto defeated Swift, 120-118.

Seigle scored 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting and Enrico Villanueva had 21 points for Magnolia, which had six players scoring in double digits.

Larry Fonacier, Lordy Tugade and Ildefonso each had 11 points for the Beverage Masters who shot 48 percent from the field.

Ervin Sotto pulled the Express within 89-93 early in the fourth quarter but Magnolia quickly countered with a 10-0 run to ripped the game apart.

Air21 actually dictated the tempo in the first half due largely to the 3-point shooting of Nino Canaleta and Aris Dimaunahan, who both went 3-for-4 from the trifecta zone.

Their tireless effort to run the court also paid handsomely for the Express, who enjoyed a 56-52 lead at halftime.

But things turned sour for Air21 in the third quarter as the Express began missing from the field and eventually drowned in a series of turnovers.

Canaleta led all scorers with 32 points and Arwind Santos added 21 points for the Express, who committed 20 turnovers. (DBC)

The scores:

Magnolia 121 - Seigle 28, Villanueva, R. 20, Hontiveros 15, Fonacier 11, Tugade 11, Ildefonso 11, Tenorio 9, Racela 8, Eman 5, Gonzales 3, Wilson 0.

Air21 112 - Canaleta 32, Santos 21, Arboleda 15, Dimaunahan 9, Se 8, Cruz 7, Sotto 6, Intal 5, de Ocampo 4, Kramer 3, Baluyot 2, Chia 0.

Quarters: 25-32, 52-56, 86-81, 121-112.

http://www.pba.ph/content/view/1811/59/

[Durant35]

[Durant35]

[COLOR="blue"]
Like father, like son [/COLOR]



By: Gerry Ramos
People's Journal
October 17, 2007

IGEE KING. Both the given name and surname are familiar.

The 15-year-old boy standing at 6-foot-1 happens to be the son of former cage great Abe King, whom he named after his former team manager at Great Taste and Presto, Ignacio