Dela Rosa spearheads Gilas Women at WPBA 3x3

Kacey dela Rosa

Gilas Women will have two teams at the upcoming Invitational WPBA 3x3, which kicks off on Monday.

About their participation in this competition, Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas program director for 3x3 Eric Altamirano shares, "We’re grateful for the PBA for giving us this chance to evaluate our talent pool as we plot a new start for the 3x3 program in the country."

Leading the cast in Gilas A is Kacey dela Rosa, recently named as the UAAP Most Valuable Player this past season in 5x5, and is perceived as potentially a foundational piece for the national team in both disciplines.

Joining her there are fellow Ateneans Trina Guytingco and Hazelle Yam, with National University standouts Mikka Cacho and Kristine Cayabyab completing the squad.

Jhazmin Joson, Kacey's teammate in both Ateneo and Gilas Women, leads Gilas B, which is comprised of Monique del Carmen, Snow Penaranda, Luisa San Juan, and April Tano.

Serving as opposition in this six-team field are Uratex Dream, Philippine Air Force, Philippine Navy, and Angelis Resort in this six-team field.

The tournament begins on Jan. 22-23 at Ayala Malls Circuit Makati, on Jan. 29-30 at Ayala Malls Market! Market!, and on Feb. 5-6 at Ayala Malls Manila Bay.

The top four teams from the three legs will advance to the knockout playoffs, set to take place on Feb. 19 at Ayala Malls Glorietta.

Uratex ready for WPBA 3x3

Uratex Dream

With the PBA reviving its women's program through the Invitational WPBA 3x3, it marks a new field to conquer for Uratex.

The firm is fielding one of its teams for the upcoming competition, which is comprised of three legs integrated into the league's ongoing 3x3 campaign.

Team owner Peachy Medina shares, "It’s a longtime coming and we’re happy to be part of the rise of women’s 3x3 basketball on the local front. We’re just happy to compete and we’ll make sure to give it our all in the WPBA 3x3."

Uratex Dream is led by Kaye Pingol, who is the fifth-ranked Filipina 3x3 player in the country, complemented by Sam Harada, Eunique Chan, Shanda Anies, Cecilia Junsay, and April Siat.

Serving as the main foil for the Dream are the Gilas Women, which will field a couple of teams. Completing the field are Angelis Resort, the Philippine Air Force, and the Philippine Navy.

The first leg of the Invitational WPBA 3x3 will take place on January 22-23 at the Ayala Malls Circuit Makati, followed by the second leg on January 29-30 at Ayala Malls Market! Market!. The final leg is scheduled on February 5-6 at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay.

The top four teams will advance to the knockout playoffs scheduled on February 19 at Ayala Malls Glorietta.

Manila Hustle set for second season

Back for a second try

Manila Hustle is back for a second season, as the purely women's 3x3 competition is set to take place next month.

Teams from all over the Asia-Pacific region are set to flock over to the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall this coming February 3-4, with $3,000 cash prize awaiting the champion of this invitational presented by Uratex and SMART.

Uratex once again will field two teams (Dream and Tibay) in the competition, while Gilas Pilipinas Women highlights the local field. The team helmed by Patrick Aquino is expected to have the core of inaugural champions Macbeth on its call.

The Lady Riots defeated Army Altama in the final, 21-11, behind the efforts of eventual Most Valuable Player Kacey dela Rosa.

Aside from these four teams, comprising the local contingent are Titans, Discovery Perlas, and Bluefire LPG.

Providing some international flavor are returnees Dinoman Hansol of Korea, Owls.EXE and Zoos Tokyo of Japan, Shoot It Dragons of Thailand, and Jumpshot of Singapore.

Completing the sixteen-team field are Tokyo Dime of Japan, Unicle of Korea, Royals Basketball of Australia, and Shiv Nadar School of India.

Serving as Manila Hustle 3x3 sponsors are Titan, Wilson, Green Cross, Secret Fresh, Aquaflask, Laurin CocoMCT, Peloton Workforce, Senka, Pinesbel Manufacturing, Tsubaki, IFern, Evercool Radiator, Home Suite Furniture, and Quality Corrugated Box Manufacturing. The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas acts as its official technical partner, with Seiko as the official timekeeper and B'lue as the official hydration partner.

NBTC Coaches Convention set for return

coming back

With things stabilizing post-pandemic, the National Basketball Training Center is set to revive its Coaching Convention later this year.

Established in 2011, Filipino tacticians worldwide will be headed to both the SM Mall of Asia Arena and the CCF Center on March 21-23, coinciding with the SMART-NBTC National Finals. They will have the chance to pick the brains and build networks of their peers and fellow instructors.

For this upcoming iteration of one of the NBTC's foremost projects, it is in collaboration with Coaches Academy of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, which under the mentorship of Jong Uichico. Having the organization enables the convention to secure a wider reach, extending towards the provinces and getting those mentors equipped with the tools necessary to develop the next generation of Filipinos everywhere.

In revealing this partnership, NBTC program director Eric Altamirano shares, "It’s an honor for the NBTC to partner with the SBP Coaches Academy in this noble endeavor. We’re happy for the return of the NBTC Coaches Convention since the pandemic happened and it’s part of our vision to not only focus on the youth, but also the coaches who are their stewards as we hope to mold future leaders through the sport of basketball."

Last held in 2019, over a thousand coaches were involved, with former NBA player Metta World Peace, as well as top-caliber coaches Tab Baldwin and Rob Beveridge sharing their insights.

Erika Dy named as SBP Executive Director

From L-R: Vice President Ricky Vargas, Executive Director Erika Dy, President Al Panlilio (c/o SBP)

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas on Monday officially appointed Erika Dy as its Executive Director by holding a ceremonial signing alongside President Al Panlilio and Vice President Ricky Vargas.

Fresh from her Deputy Director responsibilities at the FIBA World Cup, Dy will now serve as lead implementor of the SBP's programs and oversee its strategic planning, all of which will be in line with FIBA's continued push to grow the sport.

This is in conjunction with her recently-appointed role in FIBA as its chair of the Legal Commission.

Panlilio says about Dy, "We’re very excited to work with Erika as she brings new energy into the federation. We worked closely with her during the FIBA Basketball World Cup and saw up close what she brought to the table. With her experience as a basketball player, a coach, a sports advocate, and one of the primary implementers of the World Cup, we know she is capable of broadening the imprint of the SBP."

On her part, Erika says, "It’s an honor to be entrusted by the SBP with this role. Basketball has been a huge part of my life and I’m thankful to be given the opportunity to give back to the sport and the basketball community. The SBP has done so much since its founding led by Chairman Emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan and it is exciting to join the federation at such a pivotal time."

Prior to her FIBA World Cup commitments, Dy represented Ateneo in the UAAP as a member of the Board of Managing Directors, which included her role as chair of the league's Licensing Committee. She was a former player and head coach for the Blue Eagles in women's basketball and served the school in an administrative capacity as its Assistant Athletic Director.

In addition, she also has a Master's Degree in Sports Management from Columbia University and is a California-licensed attorney.

Dy has already hit the ground running with her new responsibilities, being present at the recent turnover ceremony for one of the FIBA World Cup courts to the Philippine Sports Commission, as well as collaborating with key basketball officials under its umbrella, including Jong Uichico (Coaches Academy), Norman Black (Grassroots), Eric Altamirano (3x3), and Anton Gonzales (Institutional Support).

Akowe leads HS Boys MVP race

c/o UAAP

Standings W L

Adamson 7 0

NUNS 5 2

UST 4 3

FEU-D 4 3

UE 3 4

Ateneo 3 4

DLS-Z 2 5

UPIS 0 7

Games Sunday at the Filoil Ecooil Centre

9 a.m. - DLSZ vs UE

11 a.m. - UPIS vs Ateneo

1 p.m. - NUNS vs FEU-D

3 p.m. - Adamson vs UST

After one round of the UAAP Season 86 High School Boys Basketball Tournament, foreign student-athlete Collins Akowe has been far and away the most outstanding one of the bunch.

The eighteen-year-old Grade 11 big man of NU-Nazareth School has averaged 17.71 points, 21.86 rebounds, 1.86 assists, and three blocks so far this season, yielding a league-leading 101.0 statistical points.

His efforts has helped the Bullpups to solo second with a 5-2 record, a couple of games behind undefeated Adamson.

Gilas Youth call-up Kieffer Alas is a far second behind the Nigerian with his 91.0 SPs.

The Grade 10 standout from La Salle-Zobel is following up his mythical team nod from the FIBA Under-16 Asian Championships with a sterling 21.43 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.86 assists, and 1.29 steals after one round.

In third place is Kristian Porter of Ateneo with 89.857, just nipping Daryl Valdeavilla of UPIS and his 89.714. The Blue Eaglet is netting a double-double with 17.71 points and 16.14 rebounds, while also adding 1.57 assists and 2.57 steals, while the Junior Maroon has been stacking up 26.14 points, 5.71 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 3.0 steals. The two will be facing off to help kick off the second round on Sunday morning at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.

Completing the top five is Andrei Dungo of the University of Santo Tomas with 70.571 SPs. The transfer from San Beda is anchoring the Tiger Cubs' offense with 11.14 points, 8.29 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.14 steals.

The highlight of the Sunday slate sees the Bullpups face off against the defending champions FEU-Diliman at 1pm. At 4-3, the Baby Tamaraws are hoping to pull themselves in level terms with a victory.

Also notable is the final match scheduled at 3pm, with the undefeated Baby Falcons going up against UST, with the latter also seeking to be in contention for the twice-to-beat advantage.

Kicking off the quadruple-header is La Salle-Zobel against UE at 9am, with all four matches set to be broadcast via Pilipinas Live.

Second round HS volleyball action set to kick off 2024 for the UAAP

c/o UAAP

Standings

Boys

UE 7 0

NUNS 6 1

FEU-D 5 2

Adamson 4 3

UST 3 4

DLS-Z 2 5

UPIS 1 6

Ateneo 0 7

Girls

Adamson 6 0

FEU-D 5 1

UST 4 2

NUNS 3 3

DLS-Z 2 4

Ateneo 1 5

UPIS 0 6

Games Saturday at the Adamson Gym

10 a.m. – UPIS vs DLS-Z (Girls)

12 noon – UPIS vs UST (Boys)

2 p.m. – UE vs FEU-D (Boys)

4 p.m. – Adamson vs UST (Girls)

Undefeated teams UE and Adamson seek to extend their winning runs on Saturday, with the start of the second round of UAAP Season 86 High School Volleyball tournament at the Adamson Gym.

The Baby Falcons caps off the scheduled quadruple header against the University of Santo Tomas at 4pm, hoping that their form extends into the new year after a three-week holiday break.

The Junior Tigresses are hoping to move up in the girls' standings, with their 4-2 record in third place.

As for the other girls' matchup, La Salle-Zobel hopes to get themselves into the postseason chase against UPIS at 10am, kickstarting the year off for the league.

With the Junior Warriors, they hope to put some distance against the rest of the field as they go up against defending champions FEU-Diliman at 2pm. 

Completing the Saturday slate is UST against UPIS at noon, with the Junior Tiger Spikers also seeking to improve their postseason positioning at the expense of the Junior Maroons.

Meanwhile, a tripleheader comprises the Sunday slate at the same venue, highlighted by defending champions NU-Nazareth going up against FEU-Diliman in the lone girls matchup at noon.

As for the boys, kicking off the action is La Salle-Zobel against winless Ateneo at 10am, with NUNS capping off the day against hosts Adamson at 2pm.

Matches are expected to be shown on Pilipinas Live for both days.