Melbourne tops Manila Masters Qualifying

 

Melbourne booked its spot into the main draw of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Manila Masters, securing it with two wins in qualifying action on Saturday afternoon at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay.

The Aussie side kicked off things with a 21-16 victory over Yokohama, with Jesse Wagstaff netting seven points and Andre Steele adding six more.

Melbourne ensured smooth sailing in securing the direct spot in Pool B with a 21-10 victory over Auckland, with Steele capping the win with a deuce for his ninth point with 3:12 left. Wagstaff added five points, including the opening two points of the match, as they went ahead 7-0 and never looked back.

Greg Hire and Cooper Wilks completed the scoring with four and three markers, respectively.

Looming ahead for the quartet are 2nd-ranked Antwerp and Sansar MMC Energy.

In a matchup to determine who will not finish last amongst the fourteen teams in the field, Auckland defeats Yokohama, 21-10 with under seven minutes remaining.

Forty thousand dollars awaits the champion of the top-level event.

Qualifying for the two-point shootout also took place in between these three matches, with a three-way tie forming between Wagstaff, Tatsuhito Noro of Yokohama, and our very own Mac Tallo. All three made seven deuces.

Completing the finalists is Chris McIntosh, as the Auckland gunner beat out Strahinja Stojacic of Ub in making six two-pointers, 29.33 seconds to 30 seconds.

One of these four shooters will have a chance tomorrow to take home $500, with a $5000 incentive for any one of the four to beat the current shootout record of seventeen.

The Scores:

Qualifying Draw:

Game 1:
Melbourne 21 - Wagstaff 7, Steel 6, Hire 4, Wilks 4.
Yokohama 16 - Popovic 12, Minatoya 4, Noro 0,  Iwasa 0.
Time: Wagstaff (8:41)

Game 2:
Melbourne 21 - Steel 9, Wagstaff 5, Hire 4, Wilks 3.
Auckland 10 - McIntosh 5, Castle 2, Easthope 2, Aruwa 1.
Time: Steel 2 (6:48)

Game 3:
Auckland 21 - Easthope 8,  Castle 6, McIntosh 4, Aruwa 3.
Yokohama 10 - Popovic 6, Minatoya 4, Noro 0,  Iwasa 0.
Time: Easthope (6:52)

Jr. NBA Philippines resumes with 30-man camp

 

After a pandemic-induced sabbatical, the Jr. NBA program resumed its activities in the Philippines, with the Gatorade Hoops Center in Mandaluyong hosting thirty kids from Bacolod, Baguio, and Manila last May 7-8.

The first day of the Jr. NBA Philippines Camp saw its morning session focus on drills and techniques strengthening the participants' fundamentals. Jr. NBA Asia head coach Natália André took charge of the session alongside local Jr. NBA coaches. This was followed in the afternoon by a talk from Gatorade Sports Scientist and Coach Kale Alvarez highlighting the importance of hydration as a form of sports recovery, followed by exhibition 5-on-5 action and a shooting contest involving the boys against the girls teams.

The second day also included advanced basketball instruction that is geared towards the local coaches.

André shares, "We’re excited to get back on the court with our players and coaches as we stage the first in-person camp of Jr. NBA Philippines since 2019. Having the ability to train players directly is crucial for the development of young athletes as it allows coaches to connect and develop meaningful interactions with participants throughout the entire learning experience."

The culmination of the camp saw 13-year old Travis Pascual of Mary Immaculate Parish Special School and 14-year-old Kaisha Ezail Varona of Trinitas School of Sta. Maria, Bulacan named as the Most Valuable Players in their respective division. Both participants showed outstanding performances on the course while also embodying the core STAR values (sportsmanship, teamwork, a positive attitude, and respect).

The Jr. NBA Philippines program is supported by official partners AXA, Energen Champion, and Gatorade. For more information on the Jr. NBA Philippines program, visit www.jrnbaasia.com and follow Jr. NBA Philippines on Facebook. 

Aksyonovela TV marks return of Manila Wrestling Federation

The Philippine wrestling community is set to have its first action since the onset of the pandemic, as the Manila Wrestling Federation (MWF) will have some weekly content through Gank starting May 11.

Wednesday nights will be all about the MWF Aksyonovela TV, which you can watch on www.ganknow.com/manilawrestlingfed. Tapings for the first four episodes have already been conducted, leading up to the first live event on June 5 at the Doreen Fernandez Black Box inside the Arete building of Ateneo de Manila University, called MWF Republika.

Among MWF's roster of wrestlers are Crystal, and Robin Sane, both of which have wrestled internationally. The two will face off on the main event of the inaugural episode of Aksyonovela TV.

Other notable figures in the roster are Fabio Makisig, Pinoy strong-style athlete "Danger" Rex Lawin, charismatic cult leader Bro. Jomar Liwanag, and Nigel "Suplex" San Jose.

From its humble beginnings as an online forum by wrestling fans nine years ago, it is now acts as a vibrant and vital part of this particular entertainment subculture in the country.

NBA Store Philippines set for return

The NBA Store is set to once again make its physical return to the Philippines on May 6, as it will once again roost at the Mega Fashion Hall inside SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City. 

Much like its previous iterations, the NBA Store will once again provide fans the opportunity to snap up official league merchandise from all thirty teams within its 250 sq. meter space, which includes jerseys, shirts, footwear, headwear, accessories, equipment, memorabilia, and collectibles. Brands like Nike, Jordan, Mitchell & Ness, Funko, New Era, Panini, and Wilson, among others. Locally-designed shirts will also be available.

Serving as the caretaker of the third version of the NBA Store is a familiar face in Titanomachy International, Inc. (Titan), who has been handling store sales locally.

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NBA Asia head of Global Merchandising Lesley Rulloda shares, "We’re excited to welcome our passionate fans to the new NBA Store in Metro Manila and position the Philippines as a premier shopping destination for NBA fans across Southeast Asia. Through our partnership with Titan, we look forward to delivering Filipinos an authentic retail experience that supplements our e-commerce destination as we celebrate their fandom with the widest range of NBA products in the country."

Titan Managing Director Mike Ignacio adds, "Filipinos are among the most dedicated NBA fans in the world and have played an integral part in the growth of our e-commerce business. Opening the NBA Store in one of the largest malls in the country is the next logical step in providing Filipinos a seamless physical and online shopping experience that offers unprecedented access to exclusive NBA merchandise."

In addition, the store also features a photo wall that includes a NBA-themed podium, which is ideal for those post-game press conference looks in place with the ongoing NBA playoffs. There are also measure-ups and footprints of notable NBA players and legends. A digital panel will feature live NBA games, scores, and highlights, as well as a virtual photo booth where fans can pose for a photo with a certain NBA player.

To mark the opening, the NBA Store will offer a 20% discount on its hyperlocal apparel from May 6-8.

Operating hours starting May 7 will be 10am to 10pm daily.

iWantTFC secures international broadcast rights to UAAP

After much consternation, UAAP fans overseas have a reason to celebrate, as they finally will have the chance to watch and cheer their favorite student-athletes.

On Sunday, Cignal TV, alongside with Pilipinas Global Network Limited announced that they have entered into a partnership with ABS-CBN Global for the international coverage of the league's this season.

Effective May 4, which is the start of the men's basketball Final Four, the UAAP Varsity Channel, which is Cignal's 24/7 sports channel tailored for the league, will be streamed through the iWantTFC platform.

Per ABS-CBN, the global streaming will begin fifteen minutes after the live TV broadcast starts locally, starting with Ateneo's matchup against FEU.

Make sure to take note of the times in their respective time zones:

US PST / Canada: 3am/6am

London / Rome: 11am/12nn

Saudi Arabia / Dubai: 1pm/2pm

Hong Kong / Japan: 6pm/7pm

Sydney / New Zealand: 8pm/10pm

The same thing holds true for the women's indoor volleyball tournament, which starts the next day, May 5.

US PST / Canada: 8pm/10pm (May 4)

London / Rome: 3am/4am

Saudi Arabia / Dubai: 5am/6am

Hong Kong / Japan: 10am /11am

Sydney / New Zealand: 12nn/2pm

iWantTFC is available through its website (iwanttfc.com), as well as through its app, which can be accessed through the various online platforms / devices: iOS, Android, VEWD, Roku, Amazon Fire, and even via smart TVs.