Rockets star in Manila in July for NBA 3-on-3 challenge

HOUSTON Rockets stalwart James Harden will make his first of two trips to the Philippines this year in late July to help handle the 3-on-3 tournament of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Harden will be joined by 2009 All-Rookie Second Team selection Eric Gordon of the New Orleans Pelicans in running the clinic and interacting with fans of the event slated July 26 to 28 at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall in Pasay City.

Philippines files racism complaint vs Hong Kong fans

MANILA — The Philippine Football Federation has asked FIFA to investigate allegations that Filipino supporters and players were subject to racist abuse during last week's friendly in Hong Kong, officials said Thursday.

SWU an ‘improved’ stock after Filoil eliminations

CEBU collegiate basketball champion Southwestern University (SWU) still has something to thank for despite yielding five of its eight elimination games in the Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup.

“It will help us a lot in our Cesafi campaign because we have tremendous improvement in defense and communication,” said Mike Reyes, who called the shots for the Cobras in the meantime after the unexpected resignation of two-year mentor Raul Alcoseba.

NBA legend tells young cagers to live the dream

LACK of ceiling should not be a deterrent to one’s dream of making it big in basketball someday, as it all boils down to proper discipline and positive outlook, a visiting retired player of the National Basketball Association (NBA) said over the weekend.

One FC announces final 2 main card bouts for 'Rise to Power'

ONE Fighting Championship™ (ONE FC), presented by Casino Filipino and in association with Universal Reality Combat Championship (URCC), announced Friday the final two main card bouts for One FC: Rise to Power.

Rey Docyogen will battle Yasuhiro Urushitani and Geje Eustaquio will take on Andrew Leone. All the action takes place live on May 31 from the 20,000-seat MOA Arena in Manila, Philippines.

Cebuano cager can’t play yet for Ateneo as UAAP upholds residency rule

CEBUANO player Jerie Pingoy will be 20 years old in his debut game in the men’s basketball tournament of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) in 2015.

Shunning calls from the public to reconsider, the UAAP Board on Tuesday maintained that high school players from UAAP member-schools like Pingoy cannot play for another UAAP school in college for two years.

Late spurt fails to lift Cobras over Eagles

TRAILING by as many as 16 points, Southwestern University (SWU) recovered late in the contest but still bowed to fancied Ateneo de Manila on Saturday night, 77-72, in its debut game in the Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup at The Arena in San Juan City.

But assistant coach Mike Reyes didn’t mind the result, saying his Cobras were able to give the Blue Eagles a good fight.

Bacolod cager ready for UAAP

PRIZED La Salle recruit Kirell Brandon “Kib” Montalbo expressed readiness to help the school snatch the coveted UAAP men’s basketball trophy from archrival Ateneo de Manila, which ruled the competition in the last five years.

Speaking to reporters, Montalbo said on Saturday he is adjusting well to the system of coach Gee Abanilla and has since bonded with teammates after arriving in Manila early this month.

Donaire weighs 121.6 lbs; Rigondeaux 121.5 lbs

MANILA – Boxers Nonito Donaire Jr. and Guillermo Rigondeaux passed their weigh in on Friday, April 12, 2013, (Saturday, Manila time) for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and World Boxing Association (WBA) super bantamweight unification bout on Sunday.

Jr. NBA goes to Davao City

TEN young dribblers from Southern Mindanao will be chosen to participate in the National Training Camp of the Jr. NBA Philippines 2013 this April.

The selection phase returns to Davao City after a record-breaking attendance of 1013 participants in school clinics held in January last year, when boys aged 10 to 14 were given different drills to sharpen their hoop skills.

Philippines, Brazil sign pact on sports cooperation

THE Philippines and Brazil have inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will improve sports cooperation between the two countries.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said that Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Ricardo Garcia and the National Secretary of Brazil's Ministry of Sports, Toninho Nascimento, signed a MOU on Sports Cooperation at the Ministry of Sport in Brasilia, Brazil on March 22.

‘Teamwork’ brings Azkals to second AFC appearance

MANILA (Updated) -- More than the athleticism and skills shown by the Philippine men’s football team in the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers, Azkals captain Rob Gier said it was teamwork that helped them reach the main stage of the tournament set in Maldives.

“I keep saying every time people say to me what's special about this team, it is team spirit. In a nutshell, you can see when you really have to run the extra half yard and you really have to tackle and you really have to clear the ball or put your body on the line. And if you're not friends, you don't do it but we done it today (Tuesday),” he said.

Azkals book slot in Challenge Cup main tourney

MANILA -- Prolific striker Phil Younghusband slotted home in the latter part of the contest against Turkmenistan at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium on Tuesday night to formalize the Philippines’ entry to the AFC Challenge Cup main tournament for the second straight time.

Younghusband, who racked up five goals in the three-nation qualifiers, scored the game’s lone goal in the 67th minute, following a scrimmage inside the box with Dennis Cagara and Javier Patiño.

UAAP: La Salle thanks UST for ‘pushing’ schools to the limit

DE LA Salle University only has kind words for the University of Santo Tomas (UST), the perennial winner in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) that was unseated by the Archers after a 14-season hold of the general championship trophy.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday night, La Salle vice chancellor for Lasallian Mission and Alumni Relations Bro. Bernie Oca said UST “pushed us to where we are now.”

Cebu's SWU Cobras join Filoil tourney

METRO Manila schools will now be joined by a guest team from Cebu in the seventh staging of the Filoil Flying V Premier Cup starting April 13 at The Arena in San Juan City.

Squaring off with basketball teams from the UAAP and NCAA is Southwestern University, the reigning champion of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi).

Azkals line-up for AFC Cup qualifiers released

TWENTY-three players have been called up by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) on Monday to compose the men’s national team Azkals in the upcoming 2014 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup qualifiers at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.

1,000 cyclists ride for freedom

AROUND 1,000 cyclists participated in the Freedom Ride for a Human Trafficking Free Philippines last Saturday, March 9.

National University captures first UAAP men’s volleyball crown

SPIKERS from the National University made history for the school on Saturday, capturing their first-ever UAAP men’s volleyball crown at the expense of last year’s champions Far Eastern University (FEU).

NU clinched the victory, 26-24, 25-22, 23-25, 25-19, in Game 3 after failing to finish the series last March 6 at the packed Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Manila braces for NBA

MANILA -- American basketball sensation Jeremy Lin is coming to Manila this October.

Cebu's Sacred Heart fails to defend Seaoil crown

A THIRD consecutive title proved to be elusive for Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, dropping its semifinal match Sunday against eventual runner-up Hope Christian High School, 73-66, in the 2013 Seaoil National Basketball Training Center championship at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

UAAP volleyball: La Salle beats upset-conscious Ateneo in Game 1

LADY spikers from De La Salle University showed resilience in over two hours, hacking out a five-set victory against Ateneo de Manila in Game 1 of the 75th UAAP women's volleyball finals on Saturday night.

After dropping the first two sets (20-25, 17-25) the Archers took the next three (25-22, 25-22, 15-6) despite having 48 errors as opposed to the Lady Eagles' 25.

UAAP: La Salle snatches women’s tennis title from UST

LA SALLE completed a two-game sweep of the best-of-three women’s tennis championship, 3-2, to dethrone University of Santo Tomas in the 75th UAAP season on Thursday.

Playing her final season for the Lady Archers, Martina Guba bucked a 4-5 deficit in the opening set to defeat Tigresses freshman Lenelyn Milo, 7-5, 6-0.

Chieffy Caligdong holds Globe ‘Football Para Sa Bayan’

WITH the desire to train potential football players and raise funds to build new classrooms, Globe Telecom through its sports ambassador Emelio “Chieffy” Caligdong held a football festival in Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo last February 22 to 24, 2013.

Cebu’s Sacred Heart to defend NBTC crown

SIXTEEN teams including two-time defending champion Sacred Heart-Ateneo de Cebu will compete for the right to be called the best high school squad in the country this year.

Schools such as St. Albert D' Great School (Dagupan City), Sacred Heart of Jesus Montessori School (Cagayan de Oro City), San Beda College (Manila), National University (Manila), and Holy Child College of Davao will be joining the Magis Eagles in the Seaoil National Basketball Training Center Elite League National High School Championships.

La Salle, Ateneo clashes anew for UAAP women’s volleyball finals

DE LA SALLE University and Ateneo de Manila University needed only over an hour on Saturday to dispose their respective Final Four opponents in the 75th UAAP women’s volleyball tournament and arrange a championship rematch.

Before a packed Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, the Lady Archers lorded over first-time semifinalist National University, 25-18, 25-23, 25-18 while the Lady Eagles outlasted Adamson University, 25-23, 25-23, 26-24.

Adamson ladies still unbeaten in UAAP softball

ADAMSON University firmed up its bid of clinching the outright championship berth with an accompanying twice-to-beat advantage in the 75th UAAP softball tournament after subduing National University on Saturday.

The Lady Falcons now needed only two wins to make it again the finals as the girls upped their record to 10-0 after the match held at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium in Manila.

UE rules UAAP fencing

IT'S another day in the office for the University of the East after taking home the juniors, men’s and women’s crowns at the end of the 75th UAAP fencing tournament last Friday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

The Lady Warriors bagged their sixth consecutive crown while their male counterparts finally ended a three-year title drought.

Philippines still in 6th place in Asean University Games

WITH only four days before the 16th Asean University Games comes to a close in Vientiane, Laos, student-athletes from the Philippines are still short of surpassing the country’s fifth-place finish two years ago.

As of Sunday, the country is in sixth place with two gold medals, three silver, and three bronze. In 2010, the Philippines had five-gold, four-silver and 24-bronze medal output in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Black misses UAAP as Ateneo ponders 6-peat

RECOUNTING his good, old moments in the UAAP, outgoing Ateneo head coach Norman Black said the passion that college basketball fans put into the game was beyond comparison.

Black didn’t have the opportunity to relax a bit following the Blue Eagles’ mastery over the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers in Game 2 of the UAAP finals as he immediately buckled down to work as the new bench tactician of Talk ‘N Text in the PBA.

UAAP: High five for Ateneo?

THE Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles will be the second team to win five straight titles in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament, that is, if they overcome this season’s comeback kids University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers in Game 2 of the best-of-three finals Thursday.

University of the East accomplished the feat in 1969 but the Red Warriors won two more titles after that, making them the only squad to hold the longest reign in the country’s premier collegiate league.