Let's talk balls.
From the mighty Tessa Jasmines ___ MANILA, PHILIPPINES, MAY 6, 2013 – The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Hoopla Inc. today announced that the first-ever NBA Café in Asia will be coming to Manila, Philippines, at the soon-to-open SM AURA Mall in the Bonifacio Global City. Scheduled to open in September 2013, the NBA Café will feature a unique dining and entertainment experience that captures the excitement of the league through memorabilia displays, NBA highlights and programming, an NBA retail area, and will host viewing parties and appearances by NBA talent. At the NBA Café, fans will enjoy quintessentially American bar and grill favorites and a selection of Asian-Filipino classics, giving it a local twist. It is the first sports bar and restaurant in Manila catering specifically to basketball fanatics and enthusiasts, in a nation where 40 million people play or have played the game. This is the second league-owned restaurant set to open outside the U.S.; an NBA Café also is planned for Madrid in 2013. NBA City, the league’s first themed restaurant, opened in 1999 at the Universal Studios Resort in Orlando. “Basketball fans in the country now have a place dedicated and designed specifically for them,” said Nian Rigor, Assistant Vice President, Hoopla Inc. “NBA Café will provide them a taste of the authentic NBA experience that they can share with family and friends, complete with great food, custom-made NBA Café Manila merchandise and the finest in basketball entertainment. This stays in line with our goal to bring new experiences and concepts to Filipinos.” “The NBA Café will be a unique destination that will bring NBA basketball closer to our fans in the Philippines,” said Carlo Singson, NBA Country Manager, Philippines. “Given their vast knowledge in the food and entertainment industry, Hoopla is an ideal partner to bring the NBA Café to life and to provide fans another authentic NBA experience.” NBA Legend Muggsy Bogues, who was in Manila for the finale of the four-month long Jr. NBA program, made a special stop at the site, conducting a hard hat inspection with NBA executives to monitor the progress of the NBA Café (see photo caption). “This is my first time in the Philippines and I’m overwhelmed by the passion the people have for basketball here,” said NBA Legend Muggsy Bogues, who at 5-3 is the shortest player ever to play in the NBA. “More than a restaurant, the NBA Café will be a destination where fans here can watch games in an entertaining atmosphere that captures the history and excitement of the NBA.” The NBA recently announced a comprehensive global games schedule that will include a total of eight games in six countries this October, including the first ever preseason game in the Philippines. In addition, each year the NBA conducts local events in the Philippines, including the Jr. NBA youth development program, which has reached more than 60,000 students, parents and coaches over the past five years, and NBA 3X, the league’s global basketball competition and lifestyle event which will be conducted in 14 countries outside the US this summer.
Ray Parks is a two-time most valuable player awardee in the UAAP, one MVP trophy for every year he has so far been in the league. He has also been the league's leading scorer, has served his country on the RP Youth team under Eric Altamirano and won a gold medal in the SEA Games as a member of the Smart Sinag national team. Even a dolt with a room temperature basketball IQ can immediately see that he is a a very talented, very gifted basketball player, perhaps among the best of all time in Philippine college sporting history. Even before Parks returned to the country of his birth there was already plenty of excitement about the young man whose late and much-lamented father was arguably the best import to ever play in the local pro league. Bobby Parks was a seven-time best import awardee who saw action for San Miguel Beer, Shell and a few other stints here and there in the PBA. He was so good that the league honored his passing by naming the Best Import Trophy after him. A lot of that talent obviously rubbed off on his son, Ray. I would venture to say however that Ray is not quite in the same league as his esteemed father. This comes at a time when the younger Parks seems set to call this his swan song in the collegiate ranks. There was already plenty of talk going around even before the Parks family came back to Manila that Ray would most likely stay in college for only three years, four on the outside. It was surprising enough that after the overtures of his own ninong, former Ateneo De Manila Coach Norman Black, that Ray eventually matriculated to the once-moribund National University Bulldogs. Local sports pundits and watchers were even more surprised that it seemed Ray already made up his mind from the get-go that he would not stay in college for too long, moving on to the PBA as soon as he felt ready. Three years was the period speculated upon at the time. With the passing of his father Black Saturday of this year, it seems Parks has little to no incentive left to stay beyond his third year in NU. "That (turning pro) is one option we are keeping open," he said in one interview after his father died. I would posit one incentive though: He still needs to get better. Let me repeat that: He still needs to get better. I honestly think Parks is not yet ready to join the pro ranks. Technically speaking this is his fourth year in college, his first year being split between his RP Youth commitments and getting his feet wet in the local collegiate circuit in the Fr Martin Cup. The reason he was not named the ROY-MVP in his rookie year in the UAAP was because he was not a "true" rookie by the UAAP definition, i.e. a player who went straight to the senior division right after high school without any interegnum. I could probably do a numerical / statistical modeling comparison to show what I mean, but that would not work, since as already mentioned the guy is a two-time MVP. He is arguably the best player in the league now. (Long-time readers, all four or five of them, already know that I have this thing about MVP awards, hence my aversion to actually referring to any player as "most valuable".)As the UAAP bases its MVP strictly on stats, obviously Parks has the best stats in the league. Therein is the first incentive: Parks has not even gotten NU into the UAAP Finals, nevermind getting the Bulldogs a title. Any stat hog can get good numbers. Parks's coach, Eric Altamirano, has in fact been criticized by some UAAP watchers for doing precisely that in the case of Parks, letting the guy play on even in clear wins or clear losses, just so his stats will remain at MVP levels. As far as I'm concerned that is Altamirano's prerogative, period. What is more telling is that in spite of his MVP trophies Parks apparently is not the NU basketball savior he was once thought to be. Reigning UAAP champion Ateneo has in fact beaten the ever-living tar out of Parks and his Bulldogs in every game they've ever played in the UAAP in the Parks era. Parks even nearly wound up with a career-low six points in one elimination game against the Blue Eagles with veteran Kirk Long all over him. He eventually got to double-digits in the garbage time of that game that the Ateneo handily won. All of the other UAAP superstars who eventually became PBA superstars all won at least one UAAP championship: Robert Jaworski, Bogs Adornado, Allan Caidic, Benjie Paras, Ronnie Magsanoc, Dennis Espino, Rey Evangelista, Johnny Abarrientos, Don Allado, Renren Ritualo, JV Casio, Enrico Villanueva, LA Tenorio, Larry Fonacier, Mac Cardona, Arwind Santos, Chris Tiu, among many others. While it is also true that a lot of PBA superstars never won a UAAP championship, James Yap comes most prominently to mind, there is just something uniquely special about a player who can win titles at both the college and pro levels. ...
From the deathless Tessa Jasmines ___ NBA coaches pick players at draft for first-ever alumni game MANILA – Basketball aficionados and enthusiasts of junior basketball, led by the National Training Camp qualifiers, will be treated to an exciting basketball match at noon of April 28 during the National Training Camp of the Jr. NBA Philippines 2013 presented by Alaska. Just before the selection and announcement of this year’s Jr. NBA All-Star team, a total of 22 Jr. NBA All Stars Alumni will show the stuff of why they were the Jr. NBA stars of their various batches in the first-ever Jr. NBA All-Star Alumni Exhibition Game at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall. Now University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) standouts in the juniors and senior leagues, theseoutstanding products of the Jr. NBA program were drafted and divided into two teams Jr. NBA coaches and NBA officials on April 13 during the Manila Regional Selection Camp held at the Aquinas Gym. The All Stars Alumni will play for Team Muggsy, which will be coached by NBA Legend and special guest of the Jr. NBA 2013, Muggsy Bogues, and Team Jolas, which will be coached by PBA Legend Jojo Lastimosa, head of the local Jr. NBA coaches. Team Muggsy which had the right for the first overall draft pick, was represented by Coach Louie Gonzalez, who picked on behalf of the NBA legend. First overall draft pick, Aljon Mariano of the UST Growling Tigers, will captain Team Muggsy. Coach Jojo Lastimosa on the other hand picked Henry Asilum, as second overall draft pick, and the UP Fighting Maroon will be the skipper of Team Jolas. Other players who were drafted by Lastimosa were Kobe Paras of La Salle Greenhills and Aljun Melecio of De La Salle Zobel. Also on Team Jolas are Tzaddy Rangel of Hope Christian School, Dawn Ochea and Rendell Senining of Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu, Jarell Lim of Xavier School, Thristan Lagman of the UST Tiger Cubs, RK Ilagan of the San Sebastian Staglets, Aldrin Fegidero of the Jose Rizal Univerrsity Light Bombers and Paul Dagunan of the UE Junior Warriors. Completing Team Muggsy’s lineup are Hubert Cani of the National University Bull Pups, Carlo Escalambre of the San Sebastian Staglets, Roald Mayor, Patrick Ramirez and Patrick Nigel Go of the UST Tiger Cubs, Arnie Padilla, Arc Araw-Araw and Miguel Competente of the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, Camillus Altamirano of the UE Jr. Warriors and Mio Puno of the Ateneo Blue Eaglets. Muggsy Bogues will arrive in Manila next week, a few days before the start of the three-day National Training Camp slated on April 26-28 at the UP Diliman Gym and at the Mall of Asia Music Hall. Presented by Alaska, the Jr. NBA Philippines will have a new All-Star lineup at the end of April 28 after the All-Star Exhibition game. Young players from all over the country will gather for three days to undergo an intensive training camp supervised by NBA Legend Muggsy Bogues and Jojo Lastimosa. In addition to Presenting Partner Alaska Powdered Milk Drink, Official Partners include the NBA’s official sports drink, Gatorade, Unilever’s flagship brands Rexona and Master and new partner, Phoneix Petroleum. Returning as Jr. NBA Supporting Partners are KFC and Spalding. Official NBA broadcasters are Basketball TV, NBA Premium TV and Studio 23. Jr. NBA is also supported by the Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines (BCAP).
From the immortal Tessa Jasmines ___ MANILA – Nineteen young players -- 16 from Metro Manila, 1 from Bulacan, 1 from Rizal and 1 from Laguna -- emerged as the best of the Manila Regional Selection Camp of the Jr. NBA Philippines 2013 presented by Alaska held at the Aquinas Gym in San Juan on April 14. The Manila Regional Selection Camp is the last tryout for this year’s Jr. NBA Program and immediately precedes the high point of the Jr. NBA – the National Training Camp – which will be participated in by 50 players who are the top picks from the regional selection camps in the various regions and the Alaska Power Camp. Kids 10-14 years old from Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan, Pampanga, Bacolod, Iligan and Palawan joined the Manila tryouts. The Top 40 players with the best scores on the vitals tests, skills stations and fitness challenges were asked to return on Day 2. The Top 19 from the pool of 40 will move on to the National Training Camp. The 19 kids are : Rodney Manuel and Nikolai Azurin from San Juan, Tyler Tio and Gian Mamuyac from Mandaluyong, Miguel Fortuna and Derrick Caalaman from Parañaque, Vince Ferrer, Marco Sario, Luigi Velasco and Kenneth Maneze from Makati, Bryeo Bunyi and Benedict Cruz from Manila, Paolo Rivero from Pasig, Christian Anterola from Las Piñas, Kyle Ong from Quezon City, Juan Paolo Garcia from Valenzuela, Bryan Lina from Antipolo, Maverick Barles from Bulacan and Samuel Abuhijleh from Laguna. Manila has 19 finalists because only 6 players were chosen from Dagupan and 5 from Lucena City, while Davao yielded 10 players and the Alaska Power Camp another ten. The Manila finalists were chosen by the Jr. NBA evaluation committee headed by Jr. NBA head coach Sefu Bernard, Senior Director of Basketball Operations of NBA Asia and PBA Legend Jojo Lastimosa of the Alaska Power Camp. Their all-around basketball skills and how they exhibited the Jr. NBA’s core S.T.A.R. values of Sportsmanship, Teamwork, (a positive) Attitude and Respect. “I had heard so much about the quality and calibre of player in Manila, that it was great to experience it in person after some competitive selection camps in Dagupan, Davao and Lucena. This is bound to be one of the toughest selections that our committee will have to make in the history of the Jr. NBA program in the Philippines, said Coach Sefu Bernard. The National Training Camp will be held at the UP Dilimn Gym on April 26 and 27 and at the SM Mall of Asia on April 28. All the best players from each region will pit skills and the ways in which they express the STAR values during the three-day boot camp that will prepare them to be exceptional athletes and total persons on and off the court. The 10 best performers selected in the National Training Camp will be this year’s Jr. NBA Philippines All Star Team who will be rewarded with a trip abroad for an authentic NBA experience and the chance to play with a counterpart youth team abroad. NBA Legend Muggsy Bogues will arrive in Manila for the National Training Camp and join the coaching staff of the Jr. NBA. In addition to Presenting Partner Alaska Powdered Milk Drink, Official Partners include the NBA’s official sports drink, Gatorade, Unilever’s flagship brands Rexona and Master and new partner, Phoneix Petroleum. Returning as Jr. NBA Supporting Partners are KFC and Spalding. Official NBA broadcasters are Basketball TV, NBA Premium TV and Studio 23. Jr. NBA is also supported by the Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines (BCAP).
Macky Escalona, the starting pointguard on the 2006 Ateneo team that went to the Finals against UST once told me a story a couple years back when his UAAP career was done. He pointed out another guard playing on a rival UAAP team of that era. "Sir, I don't know what it is with that school. I played against that guy in high school. I know for a fact he went to college before I did. Now I'm all done with college and he's still playing for that school, and I stayed five full years in the Ateneo." He shook his head. I simply smiled. He must have thought this was all new to me. Generally speaking high school tournaments, whether big ones like the UAAP and NCAA junior competitions, or even smaller city leagues and even some junior tournaments overseas, all have an age cap, i.e. a maximum age that once attained disqualifies a kid from participating in a given tournament. That's understandable. After all, a junior tournament is by definition supposed to be limited to kids of a certain age. Normally in junior competitions the cutoff is 19 years of age, meaning if a player turns 19, or is turning 19, during a pending tournament, he is either declared ineligible right from the get-go, or he loses eligibility the exact moment he turns 19 within that tournament. "Iba pa din ang may-edad lalo sa juniors," explained multi-titled former Ateneo High School Coach Jamike Jarin in one interview. "Imagine, a 15-year old versus a 14-year old, or a 15-year old versus a 16-year old, at this level, that is more or less fair. But if it is an 18-year old versus a 15- or even 16-year old, ibang usapan na 'yan. Iba na katawan ng disi-otso or disi-nuebe compared sa kinse or disi-sais. Physically pa lang grabe na lamang ng mas matandang player, kaya nga may term tayo na na-mama," he went on to expound. "It is very rare that a 15-year old can compete against an 18-year old, iba na nga katawan iba pa gulang sa laro," he added. Even at the college level, in the senior division, a legit 17- or 18-year old freshman, no matter how gifted he may be, will have a dickens of a time trying to match up against a 22- , 23-year old player, much less a player right at the age limit for college competition, 24 or 25 years of age. Lebron James was 18 going on 19 when he entered the NBA as the top pcik of the 2003 draft, and while he showed every night why he deserved to be picked that high, he certainly was far from the dominating megastar he is today, going up against 28- to 32-year old stars in the primes of their careers. Michael Jordan was 28 when he won his first NBA title after a seven-year struggle. James was already 26 when he won his first NBA title last year. Some high school teams recognized this early on and decided to let their players repeat year lvels in high school to maximize their playing years. A typical high school education should be over in four years. But UAAP and NCAA rules allow a player to play five full years. So some unscrupulous coaches recruit a 15-year old kid who is already in his third year in high school and ask him to repeat from second year, so that they can get at least three playing years out of him. By the time that recruit is in his fourth year in his new school he would already be 18 and very mature for high school competition. There have even been cases where high school superstars have yet to finish high school but are already ineligible for their high school mother tournaments due to being over the maximum age. Keith Agovida of Jose Rizal and Clint Dolinguez of Hope Christian come easily to mind in this respect. Pari Llagas, the tough guy University of the East forward, was reportedly 20 years old by the time he finished high school, giving him an immense edge in terms of game experience and physical and mental maturity against the legitimate freshmen and sophomores he went up against in his rookie year in 2006. Rabeh Al-Hussaini, who was a 16- going on 17-year old freshman in 2005, needed all of four years to become a superstar after a so-so high school career at Philippine Christian. In 2008 he won his first UAAP title with the Ateneo and was declared MVP. Ray Parks was 18 years old in his rookie year in 2011 when he won his first of back-to-back MVP awards. But when Ateneo's Kirk Long, then a fifth-year veteran, guarded him in their second-round encounter he almost failed to score in double digits for the first time in his Philippine career. That is why I get automatically leery when I see a well-built player at the junior level doing well. Of course he'd doing well, I'd automatically think, he's probably at least two years older than the competition. It shows not just in sinewy limbs, broad shoulders or meaty arms and legs. It shows in the way the older player moves, more sure, snappier, knowing how and when to fake, to jab step, to step into a defender, to pull back on a hesitation ...
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