Collegiate Basketball Awards set tonight

The best and the brightest of this past collegiate season for both the UAAP and NCAA will be recognized by the collegiate sports media tonight, with the Collegiate Basketball Awards set to place at the Montgomery Place Social Hall in E. Rodriguez Ave., Quezon City.

Backed by SMART, Accel, Mighty Sports, MJM Productions, and Chooks-to-Go, the Collegiate Basketball Awards will be highlighted by the presentation of the SMART Player of Year to one of either Ben Mbala and Jeron Teng of La Salle, Jio Jalalon of Arellano, Javee Mocon of San Beda, and Allwell Oraeme of Mapua. These five players comprise the Mighty Sports Mythical Five.

Other players to be feted in this event include Kib Montalbo of La Salle and Davon Potts of San Beda as Pivotal Players for their contributions with respect to their team's postseasons, Jett Manuel of UP and Raymar Jose of FEU as Super Seniors for their contributions in their respective final collegiate seasons, Papi Sarr of Adamson as Mr. Efficiency, and Paul Desiderio of UP as the Chooks-to-Go Breakout Player.

The night will also recognize Aldin Ayo and Jamike Jarin, who are to be named as the Coach of the Year for leading their respective schools to the championship.

Ayo, Jarin, named as co-Coach of the Year

The UAAP-NCAA Press Corps revealed its first batch of awardees for the Collegiate Basketball Awards.

The Press Corps is rewarding both Aldin Ayo and Jamike Jarin as the Coach of the Year for this past season, as both guided their respective teams to championships.

Ayo continued his tradition of winning tournaments in his first year of charge. One season after taking his alma mater Letran back to the NCAA championship, he then leads La Salle back to the UAAP championship, doing so against archrivals Ateneo. In the process, he became the first coach to win the award for both leagues.

Jarin bounced back from falling short last year for San Beda by reclaiming the championship over Arellano in the NCAA. It would be his last title with the Red Lions, as he has since taken the helm of National University for the upcoming UAAP season.

Notable winners for annual award include Norman Black, Frankie Lim, Eric Altamirano, Boyet Fernandez, Louie Alas, Nash Racela, Ato Agustin, and Juno Sauler.

Also set to be handed out by the Press Corps are the SMART Player of the Year and the Collegiate Mythical Five presented by Mighty Sports. Other notable awards to be given out include Pivotal Player, Impact Player, Super Senior and Mr. Efficiency

The Collegiate Basketball Awards will take place on January 26, with the event being backed by SMART, Accel, Mighty Sports, and MJM Productions.

Kaya FC rebrands, picks home stadium

In its transition towards participation in the upcoming Philippines Football League (PFL), Kaya Futbol Club has rebranded itself into Kaya FC-Makati, adopting the location that will be hosting the team in the league.

With the Philippine Football Federation-backed national league set to make its debut in March this year, Kaya FC-Makati is adopting the University of Makati Stadium (UMak) as its home stadium for the home-and-away format the PFL is set to introduce.

UMak holds special significance for football fans as it was considered as the de facto stadium for United Football League matches. In addition, it has hosted other football events like the CLEAR Dream Match, the Binay Cup, as well as activities involving the national team for both men and women. The facility that runs alongside the J.P. Rizal Extension and the Pasig River, will be one of the venues for the country's first national football league competition.

Kaya FC-Makati joins the likes of Ceres-Negros, Global Queen City FC, and Loyola-Taguig as participants in the PFL.

​​ Vincent Latoel lauds Filipino fighters, but eyes big win over Vaughn Donayre

Vincent "The Magnivincent" Latoel

Dutch-Indonesian kickboxing stalwart Vincent Latoel has high praises for Pinoy fighters, as he prepares to face one in the upcoming ONE Championship in Indonesia in just over a week.

The "Magnivincent" Latoel is slated to face Vaughn "The Spawn" Donayre for three rounds during the ONE: Quest for Power that is slated to take place in Jakarta on January 14.

Latoel appreciates the fighting spirit of the Filipinos, calling them "true warriors." Having faced Eduard Folayang in December 2013, he described the current Lightweight World Champion as a "tough and a gallant competitor." It is the same description he gave to Edward Kelly, whom he faced this past August, adding that "he has a big heart." Both matches would end up in Pinoy victories.

Latoel shares, "Filipinos fight with their pride and heart. I like these kinds of fighters because I have the same mentality."

With the new year, Vincent is looking to claim this as a chance to be able to return to his winning ways, having lost back-to-back in the past year. He notes, "Winning and losing are part of the sport. A true winner is someone who does not give and learns from his losses. I have learned from my 2016 fights. I am back, more focused and much stronger."

As for his upcoming matchup against Donayre, Latoel expects it to be "energetic and hard." He adds, "It will have a lot of action, and I promise everyone that you will see a different Vincent Latoel. I can fight at a high pace for this bout. I know that Donayre is a veteran with a dream. I will prepare for everything."

Latoel believes that he has the experience advantage against Donayre, sharing that he has fought over thirty times in his career. "This is nothing personal, but I am determined to win. I'm fighting a brave Filipino fighter again. I have a lot of respect for Vaughn Donayre, but it is my time to shine."

Join in the fun on the Color Manila Run

Color Manila Run. Year 5.

Registration for the Color Manila Run Year 5 is still ongoing.

Organized by the country's most aggressive "concept fun-run" organizers, the Color Manila Run is set to take place on January 8, 2017 at the Running Grounds of the SM Mall of Asia.

Color Manila, led by the duo of Jay Em as President and Justine Cordero as VP, expects around 12,000 runners to participate in this highly anticipated event.

Jay believes that, "The annual COLOR MANILA RUN has always been designed to help the participants jump start their fitness goals for the year.  We are lucky enough to have had participants who have been with us, and have supported us from the inception.  Now on our 5th year, we intend to encourage more runners and non-runners alike, to join our various events held in different cities."

Justine adds, “Since this is our 5th year, we have made COLOR MANILA RUN YEAR 5 very special by coming up with exciting race kits that our loyal participants and new registrants would love. Our Deluxe kit includes a dry fit shirt, sunglasses, race bib, finisher’s medal and a color packet. Then for the Rockstar package, there’s an additional headwear and drawstring bag. And of course, for the 21K runners, their race kit includes - singlet, sunglasses, drawstring bag, pillow, race bib, timing chip, the finisher's medal, finisher's shirt, GU Energy Gel and the color packet. Most of our participants have also enjoyed collecting our merchandise.”

Numerous celebrities have also taken part in this unique event, with the likes of Karylle, Yassi Pressman, Maxene Magalona, and Sam YG joining in the festivities. Also, athletes like JC Intal, the Younghusband brothers and Chris Everingham have also participated.

Interested runners can choose from between 3K, 5K, 10K, and 21K, can register at www.colormanilarun.com. Full details can also be seen from the site.