Philippines kicks off AFC Women's U16 with win

The Philippines opened its campaign on a positive note at the AFC Women's U16 Qualifying tournament, defeating India, 2-0 at the Luneng Football School in Weifang, China.

Tejanee Isulat got things going for the ladies with the opening goal in the 6th minute, while Andrea Tiongson contributed the insurance goal in the 75th minute to clinch the three points for the Pinays.

Coach Let Dimzon highlighted the team's aggressive game plan attack, noting that they gave their South Asian opposition fits in the attacking third. She added that they had a number of good attempts, but they also missed lots of good chances to add to that tally. Dimzon also noted that India had their own set of scoring chances, but they were unable to break through in this one.

The Philippines is expected to continue with their game plan later this afternoon, as they face the Northern Mariana Islands at 4pm. Dimzon shared that their upcoming opponents, who lost to Malaysia in the other Group B match, 2-1, are younger and less experienced that the Pinays.

Korea Republic, which had a bye on Saturday, will kick off their AFC campaign against Malaysia at 11am.

2016 edition of NBA 3X Philippines crowns champions

NBA 3X Philippines

Three-on-three basketball gained public consciousness once again with the successful staging of the 2016 edition of NBA 3X Philippines presented by Panasonic at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall, as well as the PICC during this past weekend.

The competition was highlighted by the successful title defense of EGS Elite in the Men's Open division. Led by former collegiate standouts Rocky Acidre and Ian Garrido, the now four-time champions defeated Ako Two Team, 13-8 in the final. Earlier in the afternoon, they handily dispatched Sto. Nino Wildcats, 21-8.

According to Garrido, “We have been looking forward to this tournament all year and have kept ourselves active ever since to play well on this stage. NBA 3X has inspired us to work harder on improving our skills and chemistry for future competitions.”

Completing the quartet is Rocky's brother Rutger and Mark Anthony Dolimon.

A couple of stalwarts in the women's national team basketball setup claimed championships in their respective divisions.

NU-A, composed of UAAP MVP Afril Bernardino, Jack Aminam, Gemma Miranda, and Ria Nabalan, secured the Women's Open title with a 10-5 win over Admirals.

Kristine Cayabyab, the Nike Rise PH alumna and part of the team that represented the Philippines in the FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championships, led Balon Dagupan-A to the Women's U16 title with a walkover win over Team Caloocan.

BRODIAC, which includes second-generation basketball star Kenjie Duremdes and youth standout Rhayyan Amsali, claimed the Boys U18 division with a 9-6 win over Ink for Less.

Claiming the titles in the other divisions are Keanzel Trading for the Boys U13 (6-4 win over Team Caloocan) and Jacob Liit for the Boys U16 (14-8 win over HIMC5).

As for the Celebrity Division, Team Pokemen, behind Bobby Yan, Kaya FC's Aly Borromeo, Jun Macasaet and 3X Slam Dunk champion David Carlos ended the reign of Team Alcaraz in the division. They beat Team Cloudfone, composed of Jinno Rufino, Vince Hizon, Dominic Uy, and Fabio Ide, in the final in OT, 14-12. Carlos, who forced the extra session with a split at the charity stripe at the buzzer, ended the game with an and-1 and made the bonus free throw for the title.

Other notable particpants in the Celebrity Division include Alvin Patrimonio, Christian Luanzon, and Derrick Hubalde, Marco Benitez, TJ Manotoc, Mark Zambrano, Nikko Ramos, and Rio dela Cruz.

In the other events, Zamboanga's Jerome Hamac won the Panasonic Three-Point Shootout, Bulacan's Gabriel Aveno won the Sprite Diskarte Like A King Challenge, and Caloocan's Axl Tolentino claimed the Panasonic Shooting Stars title.

Gracing this year's edition of NBA 3X Philippines are Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams, as well as Wolves Dancers and LA Clippers mascot Chuck the Condor. Michael helped teach the sport to the young athletes from the Special Olympics in a basketball clinic as part of NBA Cares, while the Wolves Dancers and Chuck entertained the crowd with their dance numbers and signature moves.

NBA 3X Philippines presented by Panasonic was made possible with the help of official partners CloudFone, Globe Telecom, Touch Mobile, and Sprite, with supporting partners SM Mall of Asia and Spalding. ABS-CBN Sports and Action, Basketball TV, and NBA Premium TV served as official NBA broadcasters.

Wolves Dancers and Chuck The Condor join Carter-Williams in #NBA3XPH 2016

Wolves Dancers

The 2016 edition of NBA 3X Philippines will have a couple more guests to grace the festivities.

Joining Michael Carter-Williams as the guests of honor this weekend are six members of the Wolves Dancers of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Ariel, Ashley, Courtney, Demi, Dua, and McKenna will bring their high energy and fierce routines at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall in this 3x3 competition presented by Panasonic.

Chuck the Condor

Also coming over for the weekend is the latest member of the NBA mascot fraternity in Chuck the Condor of the Los Angeles Clippers, toting his dance skills, dunking and enthusiasm all around.

Chuck and the Wolves Dancers will provide basketball fans with an authentic NBA experience to complement the tournament, which brings together two hundred teams all across the country, with divisions open for boys (U-13, U-16, U-18, and Open) and girls (U-16 and Open).

Team Alcaraz is expected to return an attempt to defend their Celebrity Division title, which bring together well-known personalities to get them to show their on-court game.

Among the things fans can at least expect at the NBA 3X Philippines are shooting and passing stations and the NBA 3X Halftime. Visitors at the SM Mall of Asia can also watch DJ performances and see familiar faces, as well as join in on the different activities at the partner booths.

Serving as NBA 3X Philippines official partners include CloudFone, Globe Telecom, Touch Mobile, and Sprite. SM Mall of Asia and Spalding serve as Supporting Partners, with ABS-CBN Sports and Action, Basketball TV, and NBA Premium TV are the official broadcasters.

More details on NBA 3X Philippines can be seen here, with updates also available online on the other social media accounts.

Gatorade and NBA promote proper athlete training at NBA FIT Week 2016

From L-R: Pepsico Marketing Manager for Hydration Tony Atayde, Von Pessumal, Mike Tolomia, Brandon Knight, Kevin Ferrer, and Chris Javier.

Gatorade, the world's number one sports league, and the NBA, the world's premier basketball league, have once again forged an alliance to set up the Gatorade NBA Training Center for the third straight year.

The Center is a platform that provides elite Filipino athletes and coaches advanced basketball instructions, as well as best practices with regards to fitness and nutrition.

Held at the Gatorade Hoops Center in Mandaluyong, this year's edition had Phoenix Suns guard Brandon Knight and LA Clippers pro personnel scout Dee Brown to conduct the one-day training session.

Araneta Coliseum hosts successful WSOF-GC event

World Series of Fighting – Global Championship (WSOF-GC) brought the world to Philippines and the fans were thrilled with two highlight-reel knockouts and three superb submissions last Saturday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Serving as the main highlight of the WSOF-GC event is the successful title defense of Heavyweight Champion Evgeny Erokhin. The Russian sent his challenger, Richard Odoms of the United States, to the canvas with a thunderous knockout just 71 seconds into the first round.

The Russian secured his tenth straight KO win in the process and raises his record to 15-4. The American falls to 11-3 with the defeat.

The co-main event saw Keremuaili Maimaitituoheti derail Pinoy hopeful Mario Sismundo with a second round rear-naked choke. The Chinese takes his sixth win in nine matches, while Sismundo drops to 3-2.

The main card also features the semifinals of the WSOF-GC Flyweight Tournament, which saw Lawrence DiGiulio and Yusaku Nakamura dispatch their respective opponents to set up their rematch slated later this year, with that winner claiming the inaugural Flyweight Championship.

DiGiulio defeated Marcel Adur via a split decision, while Nakamura defeated Moore via a unanimous decision.

The main card also saw Jujeath Nagaowa claim her third straight victory, as the Pinay defeated her Japanese opponent, Yuko Kiryu, through unanimous decision.

WSOF-GC's affiliate Underground Battle MMA (UGB-MMA) also managed to get a fight on the main card, with their featherweight champion Ahmed Mujtaba forcing Neil Larano to submit 68 seconds into the first round. The Wolverine now toting a 7-0 record with the triangle choke victory.

The undercard saw Kelvin Ong of Malaysia and Katherine Roy make debut victories, while Uloomi Karim dealt Yadwinder Singh his first defeat. The swing bout saw Nayara Hemily defeat Jenelyn Olsim through a rear-naked choke in the second round.

Official Results:

Evgeny Erokhin (15-4) defeats Richard Odoms (11-3) via KO R1 1:11 - Referee Jetro Chungalayo

Keremuaili Maimaitituoheti (6-3) defeats Mario Sismundo (3-2) via rear-naked choke R2 2:57 - Referee Noriel Akeysho

Yusaka Nakamura (13-4-1) defeats Tim Moore (10-6) via UD 30-27/30-27/30-27 - Referee Chungalayo

Jujeath Nagaowa (3-0) defeats Yuko Kiryu (2-3) via UD 30-27/30-27/30-27 - Referee Nicolas Bassig

Lawrence DiGiulio (18-8-1) defeatus Marcel Adur (11-5) via SD 29-28/28-29/30-27 - Referee Akeysho

Ahmed Mujtaba (7-0) defeats Neil Larano (2-1) via triangle choke R1 1:08 - Referee Akeysho
Nayara Hemily (4-3) defeats Jenelyn Olsim (2-1) via rear-naked choke R2 3:50 - Referee Bassig
Kelvin Ong (1-0) defeats Jessdan Dela Pena (0-2) via TKO R2 0:24 – Referee Chungalayo
Uloomi Karim (6-3) defeats Yadwinder Singh (5-1) via UD 30-27/30-27/29-28 – Referee Bassig
Katherine Roy (1-0) defeats May Ooi (2-2) via UD 30-27/30-27/30-27 – Referee Noriel Acquisio

Michael Carter-Williams to grace NBA 3X Philippines 2016 presented by Panasonic

The highly anticipated annual NBA 3X Philippines will make its return, with a former Rookie of the Year being its guest.

Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Carter-Williams will be coming to the country for the 3-day event, which takes place at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall on August 19-21 and has a new presenting partner in Panasonic.

“I’m excited to visit the Philippines and experience Filipino fans’ passion for basketball during the NBA 3X,” said Carter-Williams.  “Being a part of this event is a great opportunity to see the growth of the game internationally, and I look forward to working with these talented athletes.”

“We are proud to stage the sixth edition of NBA 3X in the Philippines, which continues to provide fans with a platform to interact with some of the league’s marquee talents,” said NBA Philippines Managing Director Carlo Singson.  “In collaboration with our new presenting partner Panasonic, NBA 3X will once again bring out the players’ competitive spirit and showcase the NBA experience to thousands of Filipino fans through a weekend of fun and entertainment.”

This is the sixth straight year that NBA Philippines has staged this 3-on-3 tournament, which features 200 men's and women's teams all over the country, battling in six different divisions. Registration is already ongoing until all slots are filled.

There are four boys' divisions available for entry, Under-13, Under-16, Under-18, and Open. For the girls, they can join in either the Under-16 and the Open divisions. Fees to join are PhP 1000 for the age group divisions and PhP 1600 for the Open divisions.

There will also be a by-invite-only Celebrity Division where fans can see their favorite local personalities strut their stuff on the 3x3 courts.

Aside from the basketball competition, there will also be performances from local artists and DJs, with authentic NBA entertainment and activities that fans can experience for free throughout the weekend.

For more details, check out the official NBA 3X Philippines website.