Ateneo games in Fil-Oil Summer Cup:
1) Apr.9, 2 PM vs. San Beda;
2) Apr. 25, 1:45 PM vs. Lyceum;
3) Apr. 30, 12:30 PM vs. Uste;
4) May 7, 10:45 AM vs. Letran;
5) May 11, 5:15 PM vs. SSC-R;
6) Jun. 1, 11:15 AM vs. FEU; &
7) Jun. 4, 4 PM vs. DLRT ;-).

All games @ The Arena in San Juan.

===========

based on the pick-up games we've seen this pre-season, the following are regulars at those games and AFAIK still in the running for slots on the Hail Mary squad for this tournament:

in the backcourt:
1) kirk long
2) kiefer ravena
3) emman monfort
4) tonino gonzaga
5) bacon austria
6) oping sumalinog
7) juami tiongson
8) carlo balmaceda

in the frontline:
1) frank golla
2) poy erram
3) justin chua
4) nico salva
5) von pessumal (may be a swingman 2/3 in seniors play)
6) jeric estrada
7) arthur dela cruz

8) anthony hargrove (who will likely not be able to play in both the fil-oil and the UAAP to meet residency requirements, so it's season 75 for him at the earliest)

UAAP's season 74, OTOH, is an entirely different ballgame. we still have not heard from, much less seen, the recruits from the juniors divisions as well as those from other seniors leagues (in which case they may have to redshirt as well). mr. bigshot (who lives to take the BIG SHOT) ryan buenafe is still pretty much enjoying life as a student but per an interview with seniors team manager paolo trillo he is expected to be back in harness for the summer.

also seen at the practice games was gwynne capacio but i honestly have yet to see him in blue-and-white (even just the practice jerseys). i was told a perennial knee problem has been bothering him. hoping it is nothing serious or chronic that it will force him to sit on the sidelines for the coming season.

greg slaughter has been talked about but also has yet to suit up even for just these practice games.

all considered, we are looking at a total of 18 people who hope to make the cut. like i said hereabouts, i don't envy the coaching staff having to make this decision. from what many of us have seen, they are all showing they have what it takes to successfully defend the title.

We've never done well in the Fil Oil, as in we've never won this tournament. (My memory is a little hazy if we've won this when it was the Homegrown Cup) Over the last three years we've won the Nike and the Fr Martin, never the Fil Oil.

I'm not too sure if the rules remain the same, i.e. line up 18 as long as they are enrolled in your school.

Neither am I sure why Lyceum is here. To my recollection this is supposed to be the "premiere" pre-season tournament for UAAP and NCAA schools only, or at least this is how it was explained to me before by Dave Dualan, the man who to this day is still the real nuts and bolts of this tournament. So unless Lyceum is now an official NCAA or UAAP member, I will wonder why they are in this tournament.

I don't think we'll break our hard luck streak in this tournament this summer either; it seems to simply be bad feng shui for us, or something like it. We'll win some good games, maybe even finally beat Lasalle, but I don't see us even making the Finals here. I think the Fil Oil Title this year will be disputed by San Beda and FEU.

This is not a knock on our program, and should never be used as a gauge of how we will do in the UAAP. In each of our three title seasons of the grand slam we've never won the Fil Oil, so if that keeps up I most certainly would not mind.

Does "enrolled" mean confirmed (i.e., accepted and signed up for a course), because the freshmen won't be officially enrolled until June. Of course incoming rookies have always been able to play here, haven't they?

the summer leagues like fil-oil and -- before they took a furlough since last year that they extended to this year -- nike are a good -- but not definite -- indicator of who will suit up for your school when the season starts. IIRC, take for instance JR noble of the UE red warriors. he had moved up to the seniors along with ex-NU bullpup teammate jovet mendoza, and had donned the green-and-white of lasall for the summer leagues around 2 or 3 years ago.

so, clearly, you will never know your final line-up until the actual season starts. the pre-season is just to whet your appetite hehehe .

bon jovi's still practicing regularly and has suited up for most of the exhibition games so he should still be in the mix. another kid practicing regularly lately has been paul siarot. siarot's in incredible physical shape, as in the guy is lean and ripped. as usual, the guys in best physical shape are eman, kirk, nico, tonino and as i said siarot. these guys seem down to 4-6% body fat, in other words uaap midseason form, and uaap season's still 4 months away.

http://www.inboundpass.com/2011/03/18/coac...on-premier-cup/

Coaches Fellowship Meeting Kicks Off Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Premier Cup
by inboundpass
Friday, 18 March 2011

Before the rivalries, first comes camaraderie.

Coaches, assistants, and other team officials from the 17 participating collegiate teams gathered together at the FilOil Flying V branch at Shaw to discuss matters pertaining to the league, as well as to enjoy each others’ company.

The gathering served as the kick-off for preseason hoops. The voice of the UAAP, NCAA and the FilOil Flying V Pre-Season Premier Cup, Rolly Manlapaz, was on hand to acknowledge guests, with almost every team represented.

The tournament, now in its fifth year, will begin April 9 and end on June 12, with games every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, as well as two select Monday playdates, with the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan serving as the venue for all the skirmishes.

Games for the juniors will be played in the morning, while seniors games will be held in the afternoon.

The 17 collegiate squads were divided into two groups, with each team playing everyone in their respective group once. In Group A are Arellano University, Ateneo De Manila University, De La Salle University, National University, San Beda College, San Sebastian College, guest team Lyceum of the Philippines and, after a long absence, the University of Santo Tomas. Comprising Group B on the other hand, are Adamson University, College of Saint Benilde, Letran, Emilio Aguinaldo College, Jose Rizal University, Mapua, University of the East, Far Eastern University and University of the Philippines.

Playoffs will feature the crossover format, with the top seeds of each group facing off against the fourth seed of their opposites, with the 2 seeds slugging it out with the opposite side’s 3 seeds.

Cash prizes will be given out to the top 3 teams, as well as to the MVP, Mythical 5 members, and Defensive Player of the Tournament.

Select games will be featured on Studio 23, such as the tournament’s opening salvo, featuring a San Beda-Ateneo match-up on the undercard, followed by the main event of DLSU-UST.

The network will also air a second play date, and then the semifinals, final four, battle for third, and the championship game.

League chairman Joey Guillermo also introduced a few changes to the tournament, based on suggestions by the coaches. First and foremost, each team will submit 20-man rosters as early as next week.

Of that 20, teams must designate 16 players that will be eligible to play on a given game date. Teams can draw from currently enrolled students and incoming freshmen who have committed to their school.

They can also tap students still serving residency, such as transferees or foreigners. However, unlike last season, each team may only have a single foreign player on the court at any given time, though they may choose to make eligible as many foreigners as they want.

Also tackled in the meeting was the group’s plans to make the tournament “better than last year.” They promised better promotion for the games, including commercials that will run in SM Cinemas.

The league also tapped the services of Mr. Merit Concepcion, PBA statistician, to compile statistics during games, with the hopes of releasing box scores and other important numbers immediately after games, not just to coaches, but to the fans on their Facebook page, “Filoil Flying V Sports.”

With the league marking the first appearances of such rookies like Kiefer Ravena, Baser Amer, Bobby Ray Parks, and Kevin Ferrer, the Filoil Flying V Premier Cup will undoubtedly live up to its tagline, “Where it all begins.”

Jeep, John Noble of UE was a Letran Squire in high school, kakampi niya ang Alas brothers nuon. Hindi siya galing NU gaya ni Jovet Mendoza. But yes, he did indeed wear the green and white of Lasalle in the summer fo 2008 then eventually found his way into the red and white of UE in the regular season. That proved to be a good move since he's at least been to the UAAP Finals (2009, which we won).

As for the summer tournaments, I believe we will be joing the Fil Oil and the Fr Martin. We are regining champions in the Fr Martin, when we beat Mapua last summer in a heated contest kung saan akala ko makikipagsuntukan ang tatay ni Nico Salva sa tatay naman nung Andretti Stevens. Mapua no longer has Erwin Cornejo and TG Guillermo, but they added 6'7" Fil-Jordan center Joseph Taha, a guy who I think is actually a better all-round player than say San Beda's Sudan Daniel or JRU's Etame Joe.

In the Fil Oil I am excited to see Sudan against our front line as well. Hopefully Smart Gilas commitments will not get in the way of Greg Slaughter, para makita naman natin sa totoong laro na naka-Ateneo uniform na si Greg. Kiefer versus Baser should be another marquee match here.

Loko din nitong Fil Oil, mukhang tinambak sa atin lahat ng malalakas, at mga palakas na, like San Beda, Baste and NU. This will make it tougher to get out of our own group. I'd love to see Rey Parks against Kirk Long though, and also Calvin Abueva against Ryan Buenafe, tancha ko lang may masu-suspend sa tournament na ito...

6'7" Karim Abdul of UST, a tall, athletic and lanky fellow, should also make for interesting competition. I think he'll easily kick the crud out of Emmanuel Mbe of NU.

Three thoughts:
1. UST finally getting an import seems out-of-character for them. Even during recruitment, they rarely make a splash. Even with Jeric Teng, they waited for the guy to come to them (as far as I know).

2. UST joining the summer leagues after not doing so in the Pido Jarencio regime is a new one. Maybe they've realized how they were unprepared coming into Season 73 last year, and how NU and AdU leapfrogged them.

3. IMHO, I still think Pido Jarencio should be canned. He caught lightning in a bottle in Season 66, and he really doesn't have a playbook or a system to speak of. He's coaching by feel a la Jawo, but then again, he's not a living legend.

thanks for the clarification on noble's origins, joe. kala ko talaga nabitbit siya ni jovet mendoza sa DLRT hehehe. ha'mo nang naisama tayo sa mga "malalakas." best to get beat or eke out ugly wins during the pre-season. ibang usapan na yan kapag regular season na hahaha! at baka may magsabi na naman na bine-baby daw tayo ng mga organizers gaya nung nangyari daw sa nakaraang dalawang PCCL.

bluekaiser, it's only expected that pido will use the jawo method of feeling . he is, after all, a jaworski protege. whatever success he had in the PBA he owes to the living legend (even the dirty tricks, i guess? ). between him and willie generalao in the backcourt wars of those days, they both had spunk and determination, but i thought the latter had it in more copious amounts.

Karim Abdul is going to help UST as far as rebounding and intimidation inside. I don't think he'll be a dominant Sam Ekwe-type import though. I'd love to see him match up versus Greg or even Poy Erram.

As for Pido Jarencio's coaching chops, all I can say is the man beat us fair and square in the UAAP Finals, and he finally had the good enough sense to line up Jervy Cruz. Another UST coaching genius, Nel Parado, actually had the gumption to tell me one time that if he had remianed for the 2006 season he would still not have lined up Cruz, whatever Nel.

UST should at the very least prove to be an interesting opponent in the summer tournaments. Coach Pido has had them playing in the tough MBT hosted by Lyceum the last couple of summers. As tough as they might have gotten in this hardcore tournament, I'd have to agree with Kaiser that it seems they have not been adequately prepared in other important game aspects, thus their poor showings in the UAAP since beating us for the 2006 Title. Madali't sabi, bagama't lutong-luto na ang kanilang balut, medyo sablay pa din ang mas malawak nilang diskarte.

One thing about opponents like UST, they are unpredictable, something confirmed by our own coaches. Dahil nga walang diskarte, wala din masasabing mga tendency, ano pa nga naman masa-scout mo kung wala naman palang tendecy. So a systems team like us has a dickens of a time matching up against these Tigers, wala nga kasing diskarte kaya mahirap kontrahin. (NB: running weakside screens and pick-rolls to death is not a system)

I also look forward to beating the ever-living tar out of Lyceum. If they somehow beat us it will simply mean we let them beat us. This is one team, just like Perpetual, that has no business competing in any tournament with TV coverage.

The line-up for ADMU and SSC was posted by Chris Soler in Inboundpass. The ADMU roster has 19 names with the lone opening reserved for Ryan Buenafe pending his final grade for this semester. No surprises as the names of the announced new comers are all on the list: Slaughter, Ravena, Tallo and Pessumal. Conspicuously absent was the name of Ael Banal. Has he finally decided to play for UP or join his brother and play for Mapua? The UAAP roster will probably be the team that trains in Vegas. Final cuts may be Estrada, de Chavez, Gonzaga and Pessumal if Capacio's knees hold up.

The Baste roster is full of surprises. The so-called Pinatubo twins are staying put. Ditto for Abueva. Prodigal son Gino Jumao-as is back with San Sebastian. He must have found the backcourt of FEU to limiting with the returning guard core group in tack plus Chris Tolomia a call up from team B.

Greenarrows of AP.com listed 22 players on their roster. Not included are their Fil-Am/Canadian recruits who are for future delivery. The Greenarchers will have a very tall team with the addition of Vigil, AVO and Torres. Their final roster for the UAAP will mean the exit of their home grown players from Zobel and LSGH to make way for the new players.

Will the opening game of the tournament, SBC against ADMU, a harbinger of the finals at the end of summer?

A few years back, there were other players who played for one school during the pre-season summer league only to transfer to another school before the NCAA/UAAP started their new season. Noble has already been mentioned. Another DLSU recruit was Sorela before he ended up with SBC. Tata Bautista was on the ADMU roster together with the likes of Chua, Salva, Buenafe, Gonzaga and the big boy from Faith Academy. Bautista bolted for UST for the guaranteed roster spot on varsity and the accompanying playing time.

^ Horse, I seem to recall the team already included Ryan in the roster submitted to Fil Oil, and we always field Ryan in the summer to try and get him back in game shape in time for the season.

As for Baste, I guess that only means it really is silly to listen to the rumor mill, which once claimed Ian Sangalang was headed for NU, or was it San Beda...? Anyway, he's still a Golden Stag. Pamboy Raymundo and Gilbert Bulawan are the two players of note not on their Fil Oil roster, as is that Rey-whatsisname who used to be with Adamson.

Ael Banal has been a no-show once again at practices, and considering he is an ACET passer I will blame only his father if he does not eventually matriculate to Ateneo, whether or not he plays UAAP basketball.

joe, ibalato mo na sa aming mga half-breed na magkahalong-kulay na maroon at bughaw ang mga katulad ni ael. if he thinks he can clinch varsity on the northern end of katipunan, i'll be glad to oblige him. i'm sure he'll crack the line-up there. and i certainly hope he makes it there for as long as he's decided to matriculate to diliman.

i share your sentiments, though, about this very bright boy who hurdled the ACET and landed in a very good course, only to spend an academic year goodness-knows-where doing goodness-knows-what (a basketball academy does not cut for academics). he could've landed a Hail Mary slot even last year had he kept his head in the game, as it were.

blue horse, i remember chris tolomia from the juniors wars of 3 years ago, leading up to the season 71 finals, the start of the HS eaglets' present grand-slam run. i didn't notice him subsequently, but i figured he was still in with the baby tams, along with russell escoto. that those 2 did not see action with the seniors last year is something that bothers me, considering their talent. i think russell did some national-team duty, but i never saw that as a reason to suit up for the school when he was called to do so. the lasallites, OTOH, are really beefing up their frontline, as you surmised. you may be correct that their backcourt from zoobel and greenhills, though homegrown, will have to give way to the trees from outside. they have learned the hard way that they cannot continue relying on ferdinand to defend, much less become an offensive option in the post. their other bigs like paredes were eaten alive by other lesser talents that didn't even have his national-team experience. thus, it remains to be seen how well their big-man training will hold up against the rest of the competition, especially that coming from katipunan.

oh, BTW, ryan is in the line-up, i heard. bring out your videocams to capture the start of the ryan-kiefer tandem .

Baka umaasa ka sa wala. Mukhang ibang klase magpasya si Joel B. Hindi UP kundi si Dandan ang nakikita niya sa Diliman; hindi NU kundi si Altamirano (at si Henry Sy) ang nakikita niya sa Sampaloc.

Can you imagine Ael in a Bulldog uniform this season?

Going back to the summer tournaments, I think we should include the Fr Martin in this discussion, since to me that is the more important summer tournament as we are the reigning champions there. The KL Dragons of the ABL will see action in the Fr Martin as a guest team, and our last word was that they could compete for the championship like Gilas now in the PBA.

Only the Pinoy imports and Malaysian nationals are competing, no other imports. Since Rudy Linganay is in the PBA D League that probably means we'll see Patrick Cabahug and Angelus Raymundo in action here.

As to the competition, again I do not think we should set too high a bar for our guys in the summer since we never play our full game in the summer. Leave it to Coach Black to to always hold his cards close to his chest in the preseason. We basically run the 4-side and set up our three-quarters court press come hell or high water in the summer, which makes for many blown defensive assignments like guys leaking out that are not covered, expiring shot clocks and other things that hardly if ever happen in the regular UAAP wars.

To those who think every game this summer should be a matter of life and death, I suggest we all just meet for beers after the games. I'll let you all vent as much as you want, wouldn't want you missing the UAAP due to hypertension or other maladies just because you didn't get to vent in the preseason...

don't expect the blue eagles to perform well in this and other pre-season tourneys like the fr. martin summer cup. it takes a while for them to get their legs back into shape and they more often than not use the summer leagues to do so and get the stagnant oil back up from the oil pan, as it were. parang diesel hehehe.

but then, since we are the defending champs in the FMC summer, i think they'll do what needs to be one to secure the W. mahirap nang mapahiya dyan. and if Coach Norman and co.'s past performances are any indicator, they have yielded a crown that they've held only once -- and got it back the following year.

I beg to disagree with my friends Jeep and Joe. ADMU did well last year. Their games were front loaded before their annual trip to Sin City or LA for training. They failed to win the Fil-Oil cup when Adamson tripped them in either the quarters or semifinals upon their return to Manila. ADMU got their revenge a week later when they beat the say Adamson squad on their way to the FMC championship.

My concern is if the team will play as a whole unit during the summer league. Will Slaughter dress for the game against SBC and will he accompany the team to Vegas for training? Right now, he is more focused on playing for Gilas.

Joe, will ADMU field a team B for the FMC? In the past, they did. It will give the fans an idea who are the players on reserve in team B. I think ADMU no longer have an over supply of players in team B who are guaranteed spots in varsity though Hargrove, Adornado, Siarot, Cipriano and the Fil-Am from New Mexico should form for a formidable starting unit.

No need to use your imagination about Ael. Per Chris Soler of Inboundpass, Ael Banal is listed in the NU roster. A definite comedown for Joel Banal that both DLSU and ADMU decided on other players over his own boys. Both boys would have been a fit at UP for both academics and basketball.

Joel Banal, what are you thinking? Hindi naman hirap ang pamilya!

If this is true, it is disappointing news. I feel bad, not so much for Ateneo fans (much though we would have preferred to see this Eaglet hero stay blue), as for Ael himself. When I read in other forums that he seemed to be headed for UP, though I wouldn't have been happy to have him playing against Ateneo, I felt glad for his educational future, after his limbo status the past year. At the risk of intellectual snobbery, I cannot fathom how any family can pass up both Ateneo and UP for their son for whatever basketball logic.

The saddest thing about it is that, from all I've heard, Ael should have been a shoo-in for the Blue eagles last year had they just adopted a less stiff-necked attitude toward the demands of the recruitment process. I guess the competition for spots this year was just too prohibitive.

I just hope it all works out for the best for the boy.

There's a thing called GREED!. Solb na si Joel Banal sa "we've got it all for you." Oh well, more SM Advantage for them. Ael and Parks can rule their own Toy Kingdom.

I think what Joel Banal is after is playing time for his son, more than anything. He's probably learned the hard way with what Gab has experienced in DLSU. Ael would have to contend with Ravena, Pessumal, Gonzaga, Austria, Sumalinog and Long to get some playing time with the Blue Eagles.

Granted, Ael would have gotten more playing time if he just went to UP. But maybe Joel Banal was concerned that the UP program was going nowhere, especially after one of its primary boosters (I forgot his name) unexpectedly died recently.

In a nutshell...

ADMU - lineup was too deep.
UP - basketball program was going nowhere.
DLSU - been there, done that.
NU - familiarity with Eric Altamirano, playing time, and the kaching$$$.

UST isn't that attractive of a place because they're stuck on neutral since 2006 under Pido (really, axe the guy). Adamson would have been a better choice, but the kaching$$$ factor might not be there. UE and FEU could have been considered but again, kaching$$$.

I think it's safe to assume that we're all disappointed in how Joel Banal has handled his son's future. But as a father who probably has basketball at the forefront of his mind (really, the Banals are everywhere - NCAA, UAAP, PBA - you name it), he did what he thinks is the best for his son to have a successful career as a cager.

That being said, I can respect his decision, but I wouldn't say it was the right one to make (we're all about education in the Blue-and-White, after all).

^ Ael Banal will have to fight Rey Parks, Dennis Villamor, Mon Celiz, Ajit Singh and Boy Ignacio for minutes at the 2/1 and the 3/2 spots. There is no way in hell he is taking minutes away at the 4/3 spots from Glen Khobuntin and Kyle Neypes, or the 1/2 spots from Joseph Terson and Cedric Labingisa. Former Tiger Cubs Labingisa and Neypes have even grumbled that they are regretting their decision to take NU's offer because of the tricky system of Eric Altamirano and the difficulty of getting good playing time.

Kung ako kay Ael Banal kunchabahin na niya ermat niya at mag-aral na lang siyang mabuti sa Ateneo tutal ACET passer naman siya. Kesehodang mag-UAAP o hindi. You get an Ateneo college diploma papano ka naman nalugi nun? Si JR Elmido nga milyon na kinikita sa banking industry, e di para na din siyang PBA star sa kita, pinakinabangan pa niya pinag-aralan niya.

Horse, we will be fielding Glory B for Fr Martin this summer, although I believe with some UAAP reinforcements like Arthur Dela Cruz and Juami Tiongson. I am excited to see if Jomar Adornado has added any new wrinkles to his game as well.

Oh, I forgot about Neypes and Labing-Isa.

Mag-UP na lang siya kung ganun. Or play in Glory B.

Somehow, I feel like Joel Banal is the one calling the shots here, and no feedback from Ael. I've yet to hear what the boy has to say.

The UAAP, not only the Ateneo, is all about education.

"My last game was in the 1990 3rd Conference for San Miguel. I played only 1 game and underwent an emergency hernia surgery. This was ‘the last straw’ for me physically, following intensive rehab for most of 1989 following a life threatening heart condition that caused me to spend 19 days in Makati Medical Center right before Christmas in 1988."

This quote is from Ricky Brown. Injury stopped short his pro career. He's now principal of a middle school in the States.

The Banals are GAMBLING he'll have a pro career. Bahala na ang education. Bahala na the rest of his life. They're gambling with the boy's future ..... and as every one knows, no player wins in the casino.

Going back to the summer tournaments, it should be interesting to see if Lasalle's vaunted forest of bigs is as good as advertised. Former RP Youth teammates Norbert Torres (6'6") and Papot Paredes (6'5") will be joined by rookies Arnold Van Opstal (6'7") Ponso Gotladera (6'5") and of course the venerable Jovet Mendoza (6'4", if he recovers from his ACL injury in time) Maui Villanueva (6'4") and Yutien "Cute 'Yan" Andrada (6'5").

That is a very tall and talented front line and should be quite a match for Frank (6'5") Justin (6'5") Poy (6'7") and Greg (6'11").

Beginning of summer means the end of the school year .... graduation. P-Noy gave a baccalaureate speech. Jesuits just love presidents, specially if they're blue. Gleaned from the commencement program (unless I missed some names) -

Siverino Abaring Baclao, Jr. - Interdisciplinary Studies
Emmanuel Nicolau Monfort - Interdisciplinary Studies
Christopher Lou Dacua Sumalinog - Interdisciplinary Studies
Carlo Christopher de Santos Balmaceda - Management Economics

There are players who have not received their diplomas ......

Sino big man coach ng DLSU? Yturri? LOL! Case closed.

Rabeh?
Eric?
How about Ryan? I heard he's joining the next PRO DRAFT... How true is this?

^ Ryan was not allowed to join the D League, and the PBA has "sort of" made it "official policy" to have players play in the D League before they are allowed to enter the PBA, either through the draft or as free agents. Since Ryan is not seeing action for any D League team, I believe it is safe to assume he isn't applying for the next pro draft.

Yes, Eric and Rabeh were not included in the list of the last graduating class. It seems they are still lacking some units, what those are I have no clue, and I cannot speak on their behalf as to when they might complete those credits. Eric I believe still enrolled for the second semester, and is planning to enrol again for the summer term. Rabeh's plans I'm not aware of.

Ateneo will be fielding in both Team A and Team B for the Fr Martin Cup summer tournament. The Blue Eaglets will also be competing in the Junior Division.

Ateneo A and the Blue Eaglets are reigning champions in this Fr Martin conference.

All three Ateneo teams will see action on April 7, Thursday, at the historic San Andres Gym in midtown Manila. The Blue Eaglets will open the day at 9:00 AM.

Next game day is on Sunday, April 10 at San Beda Gym in Manila. Ateneo A plays at 10:30 AM, Ateneo B plays at 1:30 PM.

Other game details are available at Gameface.

I'm scouring the lists .... hoping against hope. Wala na ba talaga si ...... Ferdinand? Sigh .... next season will be a little less enjoyable ....

This is what we will face in the Fil Oil from Lasalle:

1. REVILLA, LA
2. ELORDE, Nico
3. DELA PAZ, Luigi
4. ATKINS, Simon
5. SARA, Roldan
6. VOSOTROS, Almond
7. TAMPUS, Jarelan
8. MARATA, Joseph
9. VIGIL, Louie
10. WEBB, Joshua
11. PATE, Michael
12. MENDOZA, Jovet
13. VILLANUEVA, Maui
14. GOTLADERA, Ponso
15. ANDRADA, Yutien
16. VAN OPSTAL, Arnold
17. TORRES, Norbert
18. HERRERA, Aiki
19. REYES, Martin

I'm missing one more name. Could it indeed be... Ferdinand...?

Since these are the boys who have been practicing lately with Glory B, I will assume this is still our B roster for this summer:

1. Bon Jovi Cipriano
2. Enzo Katipunan
3. Jomar Adornado
4. Paul Siarot
5. Vince Fran
6. Christian Panganiban
7. Tim Capacio
8. Nap Rama
9. Alec Rivera
10. Nico De Chavez

I expect they will soon be joined by the 6'5" American, Anthony Hargrove (who will serve a one-year residency as a college transfer), and two other expats in the 6'3" to 6'4" range including a Chicano with Pinoy blood whose name I do not yet know.

Jeric Estrada and Chris De Chavez might be joining this roster sooner rather than later.

Former Blue Eaglet Jay Sacluti has also been practicing with Glory B, so he may see some action as well.

Unfortunately, the 20th player is Papot Paredes.

paredes, you say?

bring 'em on! ganun na lang muna hehehe! with respect to their frontline, jovet mendoza on offense and yutien andrada on D have my utmost respect. dunno exactly how their newfound acquisition ponso gotladera will do at the seniors level, but he certainly didn't impress me much in the PCCL juniors exhibition (UAAP vs. NCAA champs) last december -- juniors yun.

ano pa kaya sa seniors? but if ponso learns fast, he can use the pre-season summer games and the regular season to learn the ropes, as it were. ready na siya niyan by season 75.

.... my heart skipped a beat .... Fer-di-nand! But alas, reading further, I have now accepted the reality that my idol will be absent in season 74. But then again, stranger things have happened. This is VL Salle we're talking about .... the place where they send Webb to the States in the middle of the school year to learn how to go to the left and not right all the time. Did he learn anything?

I was not at the graduation but a friend was. Over two ice-cold beers, he related that during the commencement exercises, the graduates were called to the stage to receive their diplomas (or a facsimile of a diploma) .... their ten seconds of recognition. The emcee read the names .... full formal names, given name, middle name, surname .... and the graduate would take a bow. Well, in the case of my real idol, it went: Siverino Abaring "Nonoy" Baclao, Jr. Siya lang yata ang may moniker.

As for Rabeh, I heard that he was seen in the campus for the first semester, catching up on units, but has disappeared for the second semester. Looks like he's given up on the diploma. Better that he doesn't get it rather than the standards for the diploma erode.

Not every player is meant to study. The stars in the NBA .... many jumped straight to being pros. Now, there is the D-league where one can strut his stuff to be noticed by the teams. No need to go thru the charade of being a pseudo-student. I just find it unfair to pit students against people who do nothing but play basketball all day (and night.) With the Ateneo hosting this year .... and under new management, will there be initiatives to at least audit eligibilities?

Joe,

Where did Nap Rama come from? Are there other former blue eaglets on the team other than Katipunan, Capacio and Rivera?

The big question, is Sandy A. no longer coaching Team Glory Be? Parang kahapon lang when this "guy" was orchestrating the offense and trying to break the dreaded press of other teams. Heh heh heh. Ayan, I did not pre-empt team management. Let the guessing game begin. Bwahahahah.

in addition to blue horse's query, are there any other blue eaglets -- aside from kiefer ravena, von pessumal, paolo romero, and jay saclutti -- who are graduating,who have made it into the college, and are likely to vie for a glory B slot? since i have not heard others aside from kiefer and von who are varsity candidates, i'm assuming other graduating eaglets, if any, would be interested in playing for glory B.

Parekoy, Chuck Dumrique will be joining the entire family in Canada where he will go to college.

Horse, Nap Rama is nearly 6'4", thin but not scrawny, loves to practice and to play. I cannot for the life of me figure out however where he got it into his head that he is made to play varsity basketball. He's consistently had his arse handed to him by the tough guys they've had to play in the Fr Martin, and he isn't a particular favorite of the coaches because he isn't especially gifted as an athlete. He can catch, can shoot a little, has a bit of a pivot and counter, but that's about it. Even his freethrow looks a little funky, too high an arc, not enough spin. Rama is a walk-on from the US, California I think, not sure which part.

Speaking of coaches, Yuri Escueta is now the head coach for Glory B.

..... hungry for news about Ateneo basketball, I clip the attached article from the Philippine Star which contains two factual errors; one is glaring (to eagle eyes) while the other is trivia

http://www.philstar.com/SportsArticle.aspx?articleId=673525&publicationSubCategoryId=69

Filoil pays tribute to UST, La Salle
(The Philippine Star) Updated April 06, 2011 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - De La Salle University and University of Santo Tomas celebrate milestones in their school history, and to highlight their season, the Green Archers and the Growling Tigers will headline the opening of the 2011 Filoil Flying V Hanes Pre-Season Premier Cup on Saturday at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

The Archers, who are celebrating their school’s 100th year, and the Tigers, representing the country’s oldest educational institution at 400 years, clash in the main offering at 4 p.m. in an explosive opening salvo.

Filoil Flying V Sports chairman Joey Guillermo said the opening game serve as a tribute to both schools.

“This is Filoil and Flying V’s tribute to De La Salle and UST for having these significant milestones in their history,” said Guillermo, who also noted that this is the first time that the Tigers will be joining the Filoil Flying V tournament, which is now on its fifth year.

The La Salle-UST clash will be preceded by another blockbuster of a match between two-time UAAP champion Ateneo and two-time NCAA titlist San Beda College at 2 p.m., right after an hour-long opening ceremony.

The Blue Eagles and the Red Lions play for bragging rights for their respective leagues even as they gear up for the coming regular season.

Yet another game to watch is a game between archrivals Ateneo Eaglets and De La Salle-Zobel in the lone junior match at 6 p.m. to cap the opening day for the tournament title-sponsored by Hanes and presented by Pioneer Mighty Bond Xtreme and Elastoseal with major sponsors Filoil, Flying V, Total Phils., TMS Ship Agencies and Molten, the official ball.

The seniors doubleheader on Saturday also showcases the much-awaited clash of this year’s celebrated rookies.

Tickets for the games are now available at SM at 470-2222 or at the Arena gate.

I have a friend who graduated from San Beda Grade School, then transferred to the Ateneo for high school and college. He maintains good contacts from both schools. (I kid him that he followed the footsteps of MVP.) He calls me up this morning, says that his San Beda group is very enthused about the game this afternoon. It looks like the aborted "champions match-up" between reigning NCAA-UAAP trophy-holders will finally materialize.

Of course, you and I and my pet fish know that this game will be about experimentation and flexing muscles long dormant by classes and that in the real scheme of things, the game is not that important .... but there is always an element of pride when champion teams meet. So there is anticipation and a little excitement .... I hope tickets will be readily available ..... and I told my friend that I will be at the Arena. I will try to sit beside MVP ..... watching for which team he roots for. The game will be televised but nothing beats the real thing.

Haven't yelled this in a while .... but one big fight!

Has there even been a rookie to win the MVP?

Based on the game today, Keifer is a legitimate candidate for MVP.

We sat on the San Beda side of the Arena. It was very interesting to hear all the comments. Noong una, angas pa sila. But at the end of the game, everyone was overwhelmed with admiration for how Keifer played today. "Buti na lang UAAP siya naglalaro" captured the sentiment of the Red and While crowd.

Until the last minute, I was sure Kirk's inbound assist to Nico was the play of the game. But Keifer's assist alley oop to Slaughter when it counted was the play of the game.

Watching UST and La Salle live for the first few minutes and the second quarter on TV, it is like they are playing in a different league.

Ang sarap maging Atenista.

Good start for the Blue Eagles winning over the Red Lions 90-87. It was delightful watching a Kiefer and Greg show. Emman didn't score but did a good job distributing and protecting the ball. Zags made a bundle of points and was hustling all over. Nico was a toughie and he's got some new moves. Poy, Justin, Kirk and Bacon did very well in defense. I was waiting for Juami and Oping to be called in but Norman has other plans. Good opening game!

Can the Eagles spoil me with alley-oop plays? I loved that Ravena-Slaughter connection! As the tournament goes along, I would also like to see Capacio, Pessumal and Tallo play as well.

WOW. I already shouted too many adjectives & adverbs today while watching at the Arena. We all know he is the Phenom but to do what he did in his 1st game in the UAAP srs. is still unbelievable. The only other rookie that I was thoroughly impressed with in his 1st game was LA Tenorio & Kiefer just did something head & shoulders above that. Player of the game, 25pts., 4assts, 3rebs, 2 steals & unlimited clutch shots & plays when it mattered most.

Greg had 26pts & a disappointing 2rebs but he was basically unstoppable inside & that was against the 2 imports of San Beda. He also displayed a good free throw shooting hand.

Anyone who says that both teams did not take this game too seriously is kidding himself because both teams were giving maximum effort & played their best players. Our defense was superb as always.

But the buzz all belonged to the Phenom as he had everyone head shaking, high-fiving, standing & screaming. It is heaven to imagine 5 years of this....

Saw the game on TV, and I think Greg has too much of Brook Lopez to my liking. Heck, he even looked liked Brook Lopez with his awkward post moves. And there was that one sequence in the final minutes where he failed to close on Garvo Lanete when he nailed a three that cut the lead to three, 74-71.

Seriously, two rebounds? And I was bothered Adeogun ran circles around him.

Coach Norman has his work cut out for him with Greg. Either he accepts Greg's defensive deficiencies and puts Erram alongside as the defensive stopper, or he trains the kid to use his size, not just his presence to alter shots.

In other news, the Phenom is for real. He smoked anyone who was put in front of him, even when he was guarded by bigger guys.

DLSU next Sunday. They just lost to a UST team that was missing Teng and Camus. I can't wait to see Webb getting smoked by Ravena.

One Big Fight!

DLSU on Sunday? Do you know what time? I can't believe they won't televise that game.

sorry to douse water on your already-heating-up appetites for a game vs. DLRT in the pre-season, but the fil-oil game against them won't happen until 04 june, saturday, at 4 PM.

you might be referring to a game in dubai, which i was told is being sponsored by the filipino community there that is hankering for this so-called premier varsity rivalry. i'm not sure exactly when that will be, but unless you happen to be there when this game happens, you guys will have to wait til june. balita ko coach norman has agreed to have kiefer and greg's left hands tied behind their backs to give the opposition a bit of a fighting chance hehehe. joke!