ASEAN Basketball League welcomes Racal Motors

In the past couple of days, the ASEAN Basketball League announced the return of the Philippines into its fold.

After the revelation of the PACMAN-Mindanao Aguilas as the first Pinoy squad in the regional league, the Racal Group of Companies announced on Wednesday that they will be the second Filipino team that will take part in the 8-team ABL.

The conglomerate has been one of the most active participants in local basketball scene, with teams in the PBA D-League (Keramix Mixers) and the FilSports Basketball Association (Racal Motors). They also made some headlines by recently reaffirming their intention to join the PBA as an expansion franchise. For the ABL, the team will take the name Racal Motors Alibaba.com.

According to its chairman, Jonito C. Racal, participating in the ASEAN Basketball League is an "avenue to further enhance and broaden their market reach in the region."

PACMAN Mindanao Aguilas now part of ASEAN Basketball League

Manny Pacquiao and the PACMAN Mindanao Aguilas staff.

Manny Pacquiao gets to wear another hat.

The Sarangani representative has been named as a supporter for one of the newest teams in the upcoming season of the ASEAN Basketball League, the PACMAN Mindanao Aguilas.

A couple of Zamboanga-based businessmen in Mark Chiong and Rolando Navarro, Jr. are backing the formation of the squad, with the blessings of Lantaka Hotel GM Monsi dela Cruz, and various Mindanao-based government officials aside from Pacquiao.

Aguilas General Manager Sergei Bien Orillo says that the team wants to showcase the region and its best basketball talents from Mindanao, while at the same be able to compete in leagues like the ABL. He adds that the Aguilas' participation is a reflection of the region's unity and peace involving those of the Christian and Islamic faith.

According to head coach Nino Rejhi Natividad, Pacquiao gave the team a simple mandate: to field the best team possible while at the same time develop the sport further in Mindanao. He adds that Manny wants the Aguilas "not only just participate, but also excel, compete against the best that the region has to offer, and contend for the championship.

The ABL is set to kick off in October 2015 with eight teams from six countries on board. More details for the upcoming season to follow in the coming weeks.

Paul George to inaugurate the House of Rise

Indiana Pacers sensation Paul George will be in Manila on Monday to serve as a guest coach for the Rise documentary.

The House of Rise is set to be inaugurated on that day, with George serving as the guest of honor. He is currently in China for Nike-related matters, but he is expected to share his personal Rise moments, as well as encouraging young players to rise about life’s challenges to realize their true basketball potential.

Rise is a documentary by Nike Philippines seeking the best street ballers from across the country. It will be shown on TV5 starting August 2, with Chot Reyes and Jimmy Alapag serving as coach to better harness their skills / talents.

Philippines vs Uzbekistan World Cup Qualifier announcement

Next WCQ/ACQ match

The Philippine Football Federation has released details on the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qualifier / AFC Asian Cup Qualifier match involving the Philippines and Uzbekistan.

The Philippine Sports Stadium in Bocaue, Bulacan will host the dual qualifier on September 8, with kickoff slated at 8pm.

Football enthusiasts will be able to purchase tickets to this match via Ticketworld, with prices ranging from PhP 125.40 to PhP 331.40 and PhP 531.80. Use the guide below for seating.

PSS seating plan

Said announcement did not say if there will be available shuttle services like what was conducted during the qualifier against Bahrain.

Filipinos excel in the "Olympics of Cheerleading"

The NU Pep Squad snagging bronze at the ICU Cheerleading World Championships

After making a splash in the local cheerdance scene by snagging the last two UAAP CDC titles, the National University Pep Squad impressed at the International Cheer Union (ICU) World Cheerleading Championships, held last April 23-24 at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Considered as the premier cheerleading competition in the world, 70 countries, including the Philippines, sent delegates to participate in eight different divisions. Gabriel Bajacan (NU Pep coach), in fact, believes that the ICU WCC is "its version of the Olympics for cheerleading".

Armed with just over two months of preparation, NU Pep managed to finish in third place at the Coed Elite Division, with their "bone-bending gymnastics" and a routine laced with a high degree of difficulty, that impressed their peers, including US coach Joe Jackson (best known as the stunt choreographer for "Bring It On").

Only Mexico and Chile had a better performance than the Pinoys, something that NCC National Director and Philippine Cheerleading Association Vice President Paula Nunag views as a victory for Asia. She adds that participating in the ICU CWC is "the dream of every single Filipino cheerleader."

NU Pep Team Manager Jun Gaw is thankful for the experience, knowing that they "gave it their all and did their best." He adds...

They showed that the Philippines is a competitor to keep an eye on in the world of cheerleading. They were against powerhouse teams some of whom were veteran world champions. These teams were composed of handpicked cheerleaders selected to represent their respective national all-star teams. On the other hand, the Team Pilipinas National University Pep Squad, a university-based team, consists of athletes who are newcomers to the sport and who have had to build their skills from scratch. They are the underdogs here, and have taken the cheerleading world by surprise.

NU academic coordinator for athletes, Ms. Clara Manzano-Lacson, also expressed her pride with the squad...

"It is our aim in NU to balance the academic and athletic talents and skills of our students, and the NU Pep Squad has always been good at doing this. They manage their schooling and practices well. The NU cheerleaders are world champion medalists and we could not be more proud of them. We know that through our customized program, which looks out for the welfare of our athletes, NU’s Teams will continue to succeed both locally and abroad."

The efforts of the NU Pep Squad at ICU CWC is the latest success story of the SM Group's academic-athletics program in national and international competitions. Concurrent NU Chairman and SM Prime Holdings, Inc. President Hans Sy has personally provided words of encouragement towards the student-athletes, as well as the coaches and managers, in ensuring an environment that can hone their skills, talents, and capacities.


Also snagging awards in the ICU CWC are Miriam High School's Team Sayawatha with their bronze  in the Team Cheer Hip Hop Division, while an all-star group of Pinay cheerleaders joined forces in the All-Girl Elite Division to finish second to New Zealand.

Jimmy Alapag statement on Ivan Johnson

On Monday night, recently-retired point guard and newly-minted Talk N' Text manager Jimmy Alapag decided to release a statement regarding their import, Ivan Johnson. Sports Desk's Cesca Litton posted the statement (broken into two parts) on her Instagram account. We have decided to copy that and place it within one post.

There is no room in the game of basketball for making degrading, or racial comments towards any player / coach. It's not good for the game, and more importantly our youth who watch and support the PBA and dream one day to be a part of it. Physicality and emotion is part of the game, especially in a finals series, but the contact and remarks, specifically aimed at Ivan Johnson, have been uncalled for. He's been a consummate pro as a member of the Talk N' Text team from Day 1, despite many who continually try to bring up his past.

He's a good husband, a loving father to his boys, and a hardworking teammate who stands up for his brothers. He's kept his temper in check, despite being provoked at every opportunity during games. As professionals, there is always a fine line between competitiveness and sportsmanship, but those lines have been crossed in this series. We have a responsibility as professionals to do our best to uplift the game. When we do otherwise the essence of this game suffers. We owe it to the true fans to showcase our skills and talent, nothing more.

Here are the two IG posts from Cesca that contained the statement:

Official statement of Talk n' Text team manager, Jimmy Alapag. Part 1.

A photo posted by Cesca Litton (@checklit) on Apr 27, 2015 at 8:04am PDT

Official statement of Talk n' Text team manager, Jimmy Alapag. Part 2.

A photo posted by Cesca Litton (@checklit) on Apr 27, 2015 at 8:04am PDT

AFC Cup pre-match Press Conference: Global FC vs Yadanarbon FC

Global FC vs Yadanarbon FC. 8pm at the Philippine Stadium in Bocaue. Tickets are still available at the gate.