Basketball activities highlight first two days of B.LEAGUE FINAL WEEK in MANILA 2026

3x3 at the Fashion Hall

Filipino ballers have spent the last couple of days balling at the special 3x3 halfcourt installed inside the SM Megamall's Mega Fashion Hall in the last couple of days for the B.LEAGUE FINAL Week.

Aside from the press conference that highlighted the opening of the activation last Thursday, the sprawling venue hosted 1-on-1 action, with Ray Parks, who had just concluded his club stint at Osaka Evessa, as a special guest, while Friday saw Francis Lopez of Nagoya Fighting Eagles check out 3x3 action, called the Yanmar Hanasaka B. Hope Asia 3x3 Challenge 2026.

Action featured eight teams that each featured male and female players, as they battled it out all afternoon and evening for some inclusive and thrilling competition.

The on-court action served as a neat appetizer for the upcoming Resona Group B.LEAGUE Championship 2025-26 final between upstart Nagasaki Velca and traditional contender Ryukyu Golden Kings, with the first two of potentially three finals matches taking place at the Yokohama Arena for the next couple of days.

Fans can still check out the action at the Mega Fashion Hall, as a live viewing party will take place for Game 1 and Game 2 at the venue, before it turns into a basketball clinic afterwards, in conjunction with B. Hope Asia.

Saturday's clinic is supported by Toyota and will feature Kiefer Ravena, while younger brother Thirdy will be present for Sunday's festivities, which is supported by Nissei.

Aside from Yanmar, Toyota and Nissei, the B.LEAGUE Final Week is also supported by Meiji, JCB, Epson, Molten, and PGA Sompo.

For more details about top-flight Japanese club basketball, one can check out the freshly revealed B.LEAGUE Philippines page on Facebook (b.leagueofficiallphilippines), Instagram and TikTok (@b.league_ph).

Manila to serve as first overseas venue for B.LEAGUE games

B.LEAGUE heads to Manila

The Philippines once again gets thrown into the limelight for continental basketball, as the B.LEAGUE revealed that it will host its first-ever overseas games at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

As it marks the near-conclusion of its historic tenth season and its reboot into B.PREMIER next season, top-flight Japanese club basketball will feature two teams with confirmed Filipino representation on its rosters as Dwight Ramos and Levanga Hokkaido will go up against AJ Edu and Gunma Crane Thunders on September 9-10, called the B.LEAGUE Manila Games 2026. 

Ramos was present for the league's announcement on Thursday to mark the historic moment, as the press conference for the upcoming games took place at the start of the B.LEAGUE Final Week activation at the Mega Fashion Hall inside SM Megamall.

Representing the B.LEAGUE for this event was Nao Okamoto, with special guests Willie Marcial of the Philippine Basketball Association and Ryan Gregorio of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas. The B.LEAGUE Manila Games 2026 will take place in cooperation with the two entities concerned, with the support of the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines.

With the slogan, Two Nations, One Beat, it also highlights the strong ties the Philippines and Japan have with each other, as it marks the 70th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Serving as official partners for this event are Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation, JCB International Co. Ltd., Nissei Co. Ltd., Yanmar Holdings Co. Ltd., and Meiji Co. Ltd., with SONAK Corporation and PGA Sompo Insurance Corporation as official suppliers.

In a message, B.LEAGUE Chairman Shinji Shimada shares, "We are truly delighted to host B.LEAGUE’s first-ever overseas games in the Philippines, a country filled with passion for basketball. The Philippines has produced more Asia Special Quota players for B.LEAGUE than any other country/region, creating a special bond between us. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone in the Philippine basketball community for their tremendous support in making this project possible, as well as to all the players who have served as bridges between our two nations."

He adds, "The games will be held at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, a very special venue that hosted the Final of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, hosted by Japan and the Philippines. It is a great honor for us to stage B.LEAGUE games at such an iconic arena. We hope many fans will come to the venue and experience the excitement and appeal of B.LEAGUE firsthand."

The league says that ticketing details for the event are likely to be revealed next month. They also revealed an official link to the event at https://www.bleague.jp/manila-games/.

Filoil Preseason begins with Final Four rematches

Games Sunday
12 p.m. - LPU vs. Mapua
2 p.m. - UST vs. UP
4 p.m. - Opening Ceremonies
4:30 p.m. - NU vs. La Salle

FAMILIAR rivals headline the opening day of the 19th Filoil Ecooil Preseason Cup presented by ABC Tile Adhesive on Sunday, rekindling Final Four flames and writing new chapters in their respective stories.

Reigning three-time preseason champion University of the Philippines begins its quest for redemption against last year's semifinal foe University of Santo Tomas at 2 p.m., to be followed with the main game featuring the UAAP Season 88 kings La Salle taking on a rebuilding National U at 4:30 p.m.

Newly-hired shot-callers Chito Victolero and Jamike Jarin, meanwhile, return to the collegiate scene as Mapua and Lyceum of the Philippines U raise the curtains at 12 p.m. at Playtime Filoil Centre in San Juan.

Everyone's eyes will be on the Fighting Maroons, now armed with Veejay Pre, James Payosing, and Rainer Maga, as the Diliman crew try to upend the Growling Tigers, which will still parade Collins Akowe, Gelo Crisostomo, and Amiel Acido.

On the other hand, Mason Amos and Jacob Cortez are pressured to keep the Green Archers at the top as they brace for the challenge of the PJ Palacielo-led Bulldogs in this tilt which has Hanes, Buffalo's Wings N Things, Wallem, BDO, Akari, Smart, Molten, Reyes Barbecue, Nature's Spring, Tela.com Athletics, Brothers Burger, and Don Benito's as sponsors.

Meanwhile, Victolero is trotting out an essentially new Cardinals crew with rookie Froilan Reyes joining holdovers Ivan Lazarte and Yam Concepcion.

But awaiting them are the Jarin's Pirates which are welcoming back court general Mac Guadana in its fray.

The 19th Filoil Ecooil Preseason Cup presented by ABC Tile Adhesive will be broadcasted live and free on PusoP.com.

Three newcomers build optimism heading into Filoil Preseason

NEW beginnings start at the Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup.

And it's much the truth for three of collegiate basketball's newest shot-callers as they kickstart their preparations for their mother leagues in the 19th staging of the famed preseason league.

Chito Victolero, Jamike Jarin, and Tony Tan are all seeking to get their programs off and running as they get a first hand look at the competition they're about to brace for.

Victolero is actually returning to his alma mater Mapua after previously calling the shots from 2009 to 2012.

Times, though have changed, from Victolero's resume now adding a PBA champion coach to his name when he steered Magnolia to the Governors' Cup crown back in 2018, to the Cardinals reeling from a season where they got dethroned.

Without main man Clint Escamis, Mapua will now rely on holdovers MC Cuenco, Cyrus Nitura, Ivan Lazarte, and Yam Concepcion.

Jarin, on the other hand, is also making a comeback to the collegiate scene with Lyceum of the Philippines U.

His task, however, is shaping up to be an enormous one as the Pirates hope to rekindle the level of success he's had in the past, most notably when he led San Beda to the NCAA title in 2016.

And LPU means business in achieving that, with Mclaude Guadana returning to the team as he joins homegrown guards Matt Rubico and Greg Cunanan in this year's campaign.

Tony Tan, meanwhile, will be San Sebastian's fourth coach in as many years, with the once proud program hoping that this finally will be the right reboot for the team.

The Fil-Canadian coach is coming in with a lot of promise, one that is badly needed by the Golden Stags which have been in the league's cellar for the past three years.

San Sebastian is banking on new blood led by rookie Carlo Ynot and holdovers Polo Gabat and Christian Ricio for this rebuild as it hopes to erase the bitter memories of last year's winless run in the preseason.

B.League postseason slate and statistical awardees finalized

Considered as one of the top leagues in Asia, the B,LEAGUE is officially set to commence its postseason on Thursday, with the eight teams advancing into the quarterfinals of the Resona Group B.LEAGUE Championship 2025-26.

The top two teams of each conference advance, securing homecourt advantage as incentive. Meanwhile, the four teams with the next best regular record earned the remaining four berths as wildcards.

Matches are set to take place between May 7-11.

In just their fifth year in existence, Nagasaki Velca secured the top seed with a 47-13 record, thanks to their aggressive, fast-paced style of play. They will face off against Alvark Tokyo, the Emperor's Cup champions who dealt with injuries all throughout the campaign.

Serving as the second seeds are the defending champions Utsunomiya Brex, slated to face a Nagoya Diamond Dolphins side that struggled at the conclusion of the regular season.

Earning the third seed are Seahorses Mikawa, who nipped Ryukyu Golden Kings by a single game to earn homecourt advantage.

Capping the quartet of matchups is Chiba Jets and Gunma Crane Thunders. Both teams finished with 42-18 records, but the latter lost its two regular season meetings, thus seeding the fourth seed and homecourt advantage. This matchup also features the only two Filipinos to make it into the postseason in Quentin Milora-Brown for Chiba and AJ Edu for Gunma.

The winners of the quarterfinal series will advance into the best-of-three semifinals, which will take place on May 15-19, with the two finalists heading to Yokohama for the best-of-three finals the week afterwards.

In addition, the league officially revealed its first set of awardees, which are based from the statistics at the conclusion of the regular season.

Former NBA lottery selection Jarrett Culver of Sendai is the Resona Group B.LEAGUE 2025-26 scoring leader with his 26.5 ppg for the 89ers.

DJ Newbill of Utsunomiya is the assist king with 6.4 assists for the Brex, while Nagoya's Sean O'Mara is the rebounding leader with 10.4 for the Fighting Eagles.

Retaining the steals crown is Aaron Henry for the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins with 1.9 swipes, while David Nwaba is your swat king with 1.3 blocks.

The two awards rewarding marksmanship belong to Hyunjung Lee of Nagasaki Velca with his 47.9% shooting from beyond the arc, and Nathan Boothe and his 94.3% from the charity stripe for the 89ers.

As for the remainder of the awardees, they will be officially named on the B.LEAGUE AWARD SHOW 2025–26 slated to take place on May 29th and will be broadcast on the league's official YouTube page.

UP brings Filipino comics to life in successful streetdance title defense

c/o UAAP

University of the Philippines wove a pulse-pounding, comics-inspired epic on the UAAP streetdance floor, mesmerizing the eight-team field with a vivid, hero-laden showcase that celebrated the true spirit of Filipino pop culture.

The UP Streetdance Club kept the throne firmly in Diliman, clinching its second consecutive championship in the UAAP Season 88 Streetdance Competition in front of 4,515 roaring fans inside the Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.

Under the guidance of head coach Ariel Alba once again, the Fighting Maroons unleashed a heroic spectacle to remain atop the UAAP collegiate streetdance summit, tallying 93.33 points built on 46.90 in artistry and 46.70 in execution.

“Well, actually, mahirap talaga mag-defend sa UAAP. I think ito ‘ata yung pinakamahirap na competition ngayon. Sobrang tight ng mga teams tapos parang last year, full props kami, tapos nagulat kami ngayon na full production na rin ang lahat,” Alba said.

“Props to this year na event kasi na-feel namin na nabibigyan yung value ng streetdance. Like other athletes, we train every day, we train so hard for this… Ngayon na merong sariling venue yung street dance, nakakatuwa. May value na kami doon sa UAAP na circle,” he added, as the Season 88 Streetdance Competition was held as a dedicated event for the first time in league history.

From classic Filipino OPM hits by Parokya ni Edgar to the original soundtracks of *Darna* and *Captain Barbel*, the UP Streetdance Club’s routine stood out—culminating in a finale where Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah, Captain Barbell, Darna, Gagambino, and Lastikman joined forces to battle henchmen clad in Venom-inspired outfits.

The victory marked UP’s fifth overall streetdance title, allowing them to surpass the De La Salle University Dance Company as the winningest dance crew in UAAP streetdance history.

For their commanding performance, the Diliman-based squad also received the MWell Power Move Award, bringing home a total of P50,000 in prizes along with MWell vouchers.

“For us, marami kaming natutunan from our seniors and mga alumni ng UP Streetdance Club. Over the years, nagbabago-bago yung method, pero naga-adapt kami over time. Yung strategy namin going into this year’s competition, na-adapt namin to the fullest,” team captain Angelo Bocobo said.

UST Prime, meanwhile, secured another runner-up finish with a traditional Chinese-inspired routine that earned 92.17 points and P30,000—46.30 in artistry and 46.70 in execution.

The DLSU Dance Company, showcasing a love-themed performance set to Ben&Ben’s hit song “Araw-Araw,” placed third and took home P20,000 after scoring 90.33 points, built on 45.50 in artistry and 45.40 in execution.

Just missing the podium were the Company of Ateneo Dancers and Adamson University Dance Company-Street, which ended tied for fourth place with identical scores of 89.83.

Completing the eight-team collegiate field were the National University Dance Company (89.00), the Far Eastern University Street Alliance (87.83), and the University of the East’s East Force Dance Company (79.67).

FEU, however, did not go home empty-handed, earning the Sunsilk Silky Sway Award along with P30,000.

Meanwhile, Adamson University Dance Company-Street refused to be denied in the high school division, clinching its first-ever UAAP streetdance crown with a Mexican-inspired performance that scored 88.17 points (44.70 in artistry and 44.00 in execution) and earned P50,000.

After settling for two consecutive runner-up finishes in Seasons 85 and 86 and a third-place finish in Season 87, Adamson finally broke through with an electric routine inspired by Disney’s *Coco*, along with songs from Bruno Mars and hip-hop group Migos.

The triumph added another feather to Adamson’s cap after its second-place finish in the Season 88 Cheerdance Competition last December.

“Sobrang hindi kami makapaniwala. Parang kami nananaginip kasi sobrang lino-long namin yung title na ito. Pero finally, nabigay na. I hope na sana nakita ng mga tao na deserve talaga namin yung title ngayon kasi pinaghirapan namin ito,” said Adamson head coach Michael Agas.

UST Galvanize, which missed the podium last year after winning the first four UAAP high school streetdance championships, returned to form with a runner-up finish, earning 86.83 points and P30,000 through a performance dedicated to the hits of Michael Jackson.

FEU-Diliman T.A.M. Streetz rounded out the podium with 85.50 points—narrowly edging NUDC-Nazalian Street’s 85.17—through a routine set to Ebe Dancel’s “Burnout.”

Rounding out the seven-team high school field were Ateneo, represented by Indayog ng Atenistang Kabataan (84.83), East Force Varsity (76.67), and the De La Salle Zobel Dance Crew (76.50).

Adding flair to the spectacle were intermission performances from the Legit Status Dance Crew—founded by Season 88 Streetdance Commissioner Vimi Rivera—and world-renowned Filipino dance group UPeepz.

NU secures return trip to Finals, ends UST's run

c/o UAAP

Games on Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena
12 p.m.  – FEU vs NU (Men's Finals)
5 p.m. – DLSU vs NU (Women's Finals)

Second-ranked National University showed championship composure, unleashing an 11-3 finishing run to halt fourth seed University of Santo Tomas’ climb in the stepladder and secure a 20-25, 26-24, 26-24, 25-21 victory, booking its place in the UAAP Season 88 Collegiate Women’s Volleyball Finals on Saturday.

Arah Panique and Vange Alinsug delivered the heavy blows in crunch time of the three sets NU won—all of them comeback wins—before a crowd of 14,334 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The back-to-back champions Lady Bulldogs will now gun for a third straight title against the De La Salle Lady Spikers, who swept the 14-game elimination round. NU, however, swept La Salle in last year’s Finals.

It will be the fourth Finals meeting between NU and La Salle in the last five seasons. Game 1 is set at 5 p.m. on Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

The Lady Bulldogs reached the championship round despite a challenging elimination campaign in the post-Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon era.

“We are just happy that we’re here, we did our best for today’s game, and we’re just going to prepare for the next one. It’s still the same for everyone. We prepare, we do our best, and hopefully we get the championship,” said NU head coach Regine Diego, who will face her former mentor Ramil de Jesus for the first time.

De Jesus has guided the Lady Spikers to 12 championships and will be making his 22nd Finals appearance for the Taft-based squad.

UST looked poised to extend the match to a fifth set after building an 18-14 lead in the fourth frame behind the efforts of Xyza Gula, Regina Jurado, and Jonna Perdido. However, NU refused to be denied, closing the door with a decisive surge.

Alinsug spearheaded the rally, scoring six points in NU’s 11-3 finishing run, with support from Chams Maaya, Camilla Lamina, and Alexa Mata. The Lady Bulldogs wrapped up the win in two hours and 25 minutes, securing their fifth straight Finals appearance.

Presumptive Rookie of the Year Sam Cantada, who tweaked her left ankle midway through the second set, returned in the fourth and provided steady service during NU’s late push.

“Very happy kasi lahat kami pinagtrabahuhan talaga itong game na ito. Very crucial do-or-die game, very happy ako sa performance ng team at sana tuloy-tuloy siya hanggang championship,” said Lamina, who orchestrated the offense with 34 excellent sets, while adding three points and six digs.

Panique, who anchored NU’s comebacks from 20-17 deficits in both the second and third sets, led all scorers with 23 points on 21 attacks and two blocks.

Last season’s co-Finals MVP Alinsug finished with 18 points, 10 of which came in the final set, alongside 16 receptions and seven digs.

Middle blockers Maaya and Mata also stepped up with 14 and 10 points, respectively, combining for nine of NU’s 12 blocks.

Shaira Jardio, co-Finals MVP last season, delivered 25-of-30 excellent receptions and 24-of-46 excellent digs in the victory.

On the other side, the Golden Tigresses, who survived two do-or-die matches to reach the stepladder finale, settled for third place for the second straight season.

It also marked the end of Detdet Pepito’s 11-year UAAP career with UST, capping a decorated run that includes six Best Libero awards (four in high school, two in college).

In her final UAAP match, Pepito tallied 23-of-47 excellent digs and 8-of-11 excellent receptions.

Jurado led UST with 19 points, including two blocks, along with 12 digs, while Poyos added 16 points, 13 receptions, and 10 digs despite limited action in the fourth set.

Perdido contributed 15 points, 21 receptions, and nine digs, while Cassie Carballo dished out 35 excellent sets to go with five points and eight digs.