Fr. Jett Villarin's Memo

The drama is now over, (I think). 

Over the past few days, Mr Manuel V Pangilinan (MVP) and I have been meeting in an effort to move forward and create a more open and constructive partnership. Our dialogue touched upon various matters (both immediate and long-term) that involve the Ateneo de Manila.

On the specific issue of the Head Coach of our Men’s Varsity Basketball Team, MVP offered to arrange for me to meet with Coach Bo Perasol, so that we could reconsider our mutual termination of an earlier agreement. In view of this development, I reconvened the Search Committee, which had earlier recommended Coach Bo as their candidate for the said post. The Committee met last Friday, 24 November, and confirmed their recommendation in respect of Coach Bo. With the affirmation and support of the Search Committee, I am pleased to announce that Coach Bo shall be the Head Coach of the Ateneo Blue Eagles beginning 1 December 2012. We are grateful to MVP for his gesture of goodwill.

At the same time, I would like to encourage the Ateneo community to continue supporting what will now be a Sports Endowment Fund (SEF). I have decided to expand the scope and mission of this Fund to include all athletic programs beyond basketball, as we believe in the wisdom of the SEF being the umbrella capital fund which will sustain our athletes and sports programs for the long term. Thus, contributions to basketball and all other athletic programs shall henceforth be channeled through the SEF. The Ateneo de Manila will supervise this Fund with the appropriate governance and management systems to ensure the smooth running of all our athletic programs. Under Fr Nemesio Que SJ, the team tasked with oversight of the SEF has begun their work.

I am hopeful that everyone in the Ateneo community will give their wholehearted support to this enlarged SEF. In fact, I am heartened by the response we have received thus far in the form of pledges and donations, and I know I can count on all of you to remain committed to building this Fund, and supporting our beloved alma mater. MVP and the MVP Sports Foundation have agreed to infuse this Fund with a significant donation.

We undertake all these efforts to strengthen the formative and Ignatian values that are drawn from our engagement in athletics in the Ateneo family. In this and in many other endeavors, we are also given a glimpse of our mission and identity.

Mens sana in corpore sano.

Jose Ramon T Villarin SJ
President

And with that, the quest from ANIMo Ateneo is now in full swing.

The Secret to a Guy Scoring 138 points

By now, we have heard of a guy who scored 138 points in a collegiate game. Jack Taylor, a 5'10" sophomore transfer from Wisconsin-La Crosse, did it in 36 minutes for D-III school Grinnell College, attempting 108 shots in that span, making 52 of them.

71 out of the 108 attempts were from beyond the three-point arc, making 27 of them.


It needs to be said that college basketball is only 40 minutes long, so one might wonder on how they did it.

Blog Outsourcing - October 22, 2012 edition

Morning to all.

Nothing is safe. Not even the sanctity of a "state-of-the-art" facility, as a break-in of a locker room took place while the team was playing on the court. What was worse was that the coaching staff not only lost belongings, but also the game.

The venue and its management has had a rough week, not only having to deal with that, but also with this move by Sting.

Meanwhile, you'll never ever see Transformers the same again after watching this clip.



Here forth are the links after the jump. 

The Cinquel: Or How the "Drive for Five" was completed

This piece serves as my initial post for Hoo.Ph. (The actual post can be seen here).

History has been made, as the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles proceeded to do what was perceived to be the unthinkable. By sweeping the postseason, they became the first team to win five straight UAAP Men's Basketball championships. (Before you raise a howl, yes, the University of the East won seven straight from 1965-71, but in 1967, they shared a championship with the University of Santo Tomas, mainly because both teams' coaches decided to not reveal their 2nd half starting fives to the officials).

How did Ateneo assert themselves in the Finals? How did they secure the championship in sweeping UST?

Before the Finals, I wrote my thoughts on my own sports blog my own snippets of how the Finals would turn out. It would be a good idea to revisit these and see how things went based from that prism.

1. Baseline action. Look for Pido to do some PnRs with some baseline plays akin to what Gee did with Yutien Andrada on Greg Slaughter during the Final Four, taking advantage of the slow-footed behemoth.

I thought Ateneo did enough defensively to make the necessary adjustments on the baseline. How do I know? Well, I don't remember really how UST took advantage of it.

2. Juami Tiongson / Nico Elorde on Jeric Fortuna. There is a huge drop on playmaking productivity from Jeric (5.5 assts in 33.8 minutes) to his deputy, streak-shooting Clark Bautista (1.9 assts in 24.2 minutes). It's up to the point guard tandem to put pressure on him, maybe even force him into foul trouble.

This was very apparent in Game 1, as the Blue Eagle Point Guard Corps shut him down. Jeric shot 1/11 from the field, producing just four points and two assists in a whopping 38 minutes of action. Game 2 was a different story altogether, as he poured in twenty points in what turned out to be his final game as a Growling Tiger. You can probably say he went down fighting, that he went out in a blaze of glory with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists (and zero turnovers) in 35 minutes.

3. 2006 = 2012?. In 2006, Pido had a group of versatile forwards supporting Jervy Cruz. From Allan Evangelista to Dylan Ababou to Mark Canlas to Francis Allera. Can Aljon Mariano, Melo Afuang and Kevin Ferrer be able to live up to being the versatile forwards supporting Karim Abdul?

Melo Afuang was sorely missed in Game 1, as he missed the game due to dengue. He was able to return in time for Game 2, but it was clear he was not at optimum playing capacity. He played 11 minutes in what turned out to be his final game as a Growling Tiger, with three rebounds (all on the offensive end) and an assist and missing his only attempt from the field. Aljon Mariano was crucial in Game 1, trying to match Nico Salva, point-for-point, finishing with 22. But he was effectively shut down in Game 2, shooting 2/10 for just four points. Kevin Ferrer had his hands full trying to be Kiefer Ravena's main defender, with the Phenom limited to 13 points in Game 1, but he took over in Game 2 with a game-high 22 points. Kevin did manage to get himself to score 13 in Game 1 and 7 in Game 2.

4. Rebounding. Even with Slaughter around, Ateneo has not really shown itself as a team that would dominate the boards (last in offensive boards, partly due to being the best shooting team in the UAAP). With Abdul around and his capability for 20-20 nights visible for the first time since Jervy, being able to keep him in check would be a plus. In addition, UST is the best when it comes to offensive rebounding. Need to box out.

Ateneo overwhelmed UST in Game 1, a +10 edge in rebounds (+4 in offensive end), while in Game 2, they virtually even (47-46), although the Growling Tigers owned the offensive boards, doubling the Blue Eagles 20-10.

5. Poise. Pido prides on his 3 P's. But does he and the Growling Tigers have the necessary gumption when the situation calls for it? We have seen time and again how the Blue Eagles during this string of success when the chips are down. They have prided on their clutch-ness this season.

Need a basket? Someone from Ateneo will get it for you, whether from Kiefer Ravena slashing through the lane, or a medium-range jumper from Nico Salva, or huge shotgun-cocking three from Juami Tiongson. Need a key rebound, Ryan Buenafe gets the key tip. Or Greg Slaughter using his size to get the ball first. You'd see Ryan Buenafe issue a nifty assist or a issue the pass that eventually becomes a key bucket. That's how years of championship experience get you ready for these situations, not to mention the collective high basketball IQs of the team, led by Coach Norman Black. This is true, especially on the defensive end. The Growling Tigers committed eleven turnovers, but two were especially costly, a 5-second inbounds violation that doubly hurt because it came off a timeout, and the final play of the game with Tiongson intercepting the Clark Bautista pass to Jeric Fortuna, effectively handing the championship over.

Blog Outsourcing - October 15, 2012 edition

Hello.

We all know about Felix Baumgartner. We saw what he did. It surely was crazy. It was unprecedented. It takes balls to do that. It also means that nothing is impossible, to borrow a tagline from another brand. It means that the human spirit remains indomitable. May it inspire us the way previously unheard of achievements inspired the previous generations.



Here forth are the brief links after the jump.

Retrospective: The Ateneo - La Salle Final Four

Sometimes, statistics tell the story and interpret it the way you want it to be. See if you can discern this game.

UAAP Finals - The Preview

Here are some small snippets on what I'd expect in the Finals.

1. Baseline action. Look for Pido to do some PnRs with some baseline plays akin to what Gee did with Yutien Andrada on Greg Slaughter during the Final Four, taking advantage of the slow-footed behemoth.

2. Juami Tiongson / Nico Elorde on Jeric Fortuna. There is a huge drop on playmaking productivity from Jeric (5.5 assts in 33.8 minutes) to his deputy, streak-shooting Clark Bautista (1.9 assts in 24.2 minutes). It's up to the point guard tandem to put pressure on him, maybe even force him into foul trouble.

3. 2006 = 2012?. In 2006, Pido had a group of versatile forwards supporting Jervy Cruz. From Allan Evangelista to Dylan Ababou to Mark Canlas to Francis Allera. Can Aljon Mariano, Melo Afuang and Kevin Ferrer be able to live up to being the versatile forwards supporting Karim Abdul?

4. Rebounding. Even with Slaughter around, Ateneo has not really shown itself as a team that would dominate the boards (last in offensive boards, partly due to being the best shooting team in the UAAP). With Abdul around and his capability for 20-20 nights visible for the first time since Jervy, being able to keep him in check would be a plus. In addition, UST is the best when it comes to offensive rebounding. Need to box out.

5. Poise. Pido prides on his 3 P's. But does he and the Growling Tigers have the necessary gumption when the situation calls for it? We have seen time and again how the Blue Eagles during this string of success when the chips are down. They have prided on their clutch-ness this season.

Final Four Preview Snippets

On UST - NU (UST with twice-to-beat edge)

1. Karim Abdul vs Emmanuel John Mbe. Great Gatorade duel in the making. Both players invaluable for their offensive output in the low post.

2. Kevin Ferrer's defense on Rayray Parks. The UAAP MVP will be a handful, and the former Tiger Cub will be UST's first option to try to stop him from stuffing the stat sheet.

3. NU PG play. Endgame execution is key, and that means both Alolino and Rono need to keep things steady.

On Ateneo-La Salle (Ateneo with twice-to-beat edge)

1. Archer big consistency. Norbert Torres and Arnold Van Opstal were huge in the fourth quarter in the playoff game against the Bringas brothers, Escoto and Hargrove. They'll need to be at par with that against Ateneo, if not, then Yutien Andrada, Papot Paredes and Jovet Mendoza need to step up.

2. Perimeter shooting. La Salle won't be shooting that bad again from there, right? Vosotros, Revilla and Teng can't be atrocious for two straight game. Ateneo is not known to shoot well from distance as well.

3. Ryan Buenafe. He lives for these kind of moments. Against La Salle, in the postseason, when the chips are down..

Encapsulating the UAAP - Week 11

Rankings after the week's games:

Ateneo - Nothing to worry about (yet), the drama is off the court and Coach Norman Black made sure of it.

UST - Thanking the Bulldogs for getting them the twice-to-beat. Repayment will be ushering them out the door.

NU - Last 8 points of NU had the MVP's imprints on it.

La Salle - Are these Archers ready to step up when the chips are on the line?

FEU - Bert coaching for his job now?
Adamson - *slow claps* for Eric Camson, who should deserve all-UAAP nods.
UE - Imagine Boyzie with an offseason with this ragtag bunch, and add the hidden stash.
UP - Will Manny Dandan earn the chance to rebuild the Maroons while they determine if the Prodigal Son will be there next year.

What lies ahead:

Seniors

Wednesday @ Mall of Asia Arena: 4 P.M. De La Salle University vs Far Eastern University
Saturday @ SMART-Araneta Coliseum: 12 P.M. University of Santo Tomas vs National University / 4 P.M. Ateneo de Manila University vs De La Salle-Far Eastern University playoff winner.

Women

 Wednesday @ Mall of Asia Arena: 12 NN. Ateneo de Manila University vs National University

Juniors

TBD

Blog Outsourcing - September 17, 2012 edition

The alma mater just finished its regular season with a win and a 12-2 record, sealing the 1st spot after 14 games.

It was a solid one, too.

 

Now we wait for our Final Four opponent.

Here forth is the Storify after the jump.

Encapsulating the UAAP - Week 10

Credit to the owner of the photo.

Rankings after the week's games:

Ateneo - Finishes the regular season on the roost.

La Salle - All they need is to win, and they'll be in.
UST -Obviously, those who want to push for UST clearly need to reread FIBA rules. Still, it was a damn close game.

FEU - They get Mike Tolomia back, but is Arvie Bringas done?
NU - Needs to prove that the board room result was not in vain.
Adamson - Shooting the lights out, now they look to shoot for a spoiler role.
UE - Will Boyzie fulfill the destiny of creating mayhem? They have the toughest part, needing to beat UST.
UP - For a team with 8 graduating players, snagging one win is a really really disappointing thing.

What lies ahead:

Seniors

Thursday @ Mall of Asia Arena: 2 P.M. University of Santo Tomas vs University of the East / 4 P.M. Adamson vs De La Salle University
Sunday @ SMART-Araneta Coliseum: 4 P.M. Far Eastern University vs National University

Women

Sunday @ SMART-Araneta Coliseum: 9:30 A.M. Far Eastern University vs National University

Juniors

Wednesday @ Fil-Oil Flying V Arena: 10:15 A.M. Adamson University vs Ateneo de Manila / 12 NN National University vs University of the East / 1:45 P.M. University of the Philippines Integrated School vs University of Santo Tomas / 3:30 P.M. De La Salle - Zobel vs Far Eastern University
Sunday @ Fil-Oil Flying V Arena: 10:15 A.M. University of the East vs Adamson University / 12 NN National University vs Far Eastern University / 1:45 P.M. Ateneo de Manila vs University of Santo Tomas / 3:30 P.M. De La Salle - Zobel vs University of the Philippines Intergrated School

Boyzie and UE

It's amazing how a change of coaching sparks something out of nothing.



With a season virtually lost, the university had their coach "kicked upstairs" so to speak. They then turn to someone named "Alamat" (or Legend) to see if they can turn things around. He's done that in the past, in fact. And he has seen how things have gone since his regime (his son was on the team the past few years).

If you notice on the clip, too, it's amazing how the players recognize the moment and decided to seize it.

They earned that win, if only for that segment. That speaks of one's heart and will to succeed.

Encapsulating the UAAP - Week 9

Credit to owner of photo

Rankings after the week's games:

Ateneo - Get well soon, JP Erram. See you next season on the court.
FEU - Shook off the boardroom drama by downing a Warrior. 
UST - A chance at finishing on top is in sight, with the Ateneo devoid a big as the Cardiac Cats' biggest test left.
NU - They got their wish off the court. They'll have to, however, do their thing on the court.
La Salle - Chew on Almond and feed the Bear. That might be the recipe to tame a Tamaraw. 
UE - Imagine if Boyzie Zamar was coaching this team since the start of the season. 
Adamson - It's not Eric Camson's fault. That's what JP Erram said. He torched the champs for 26. 
UP - Consolation for the Maroons? 9/22 is only a couple of weeks away. 

What lies ahead:

Seniors

Thursday @ PSC-PhilSports Arena: 2 P.M. University of the Philippines vs Far Eastern University / 4 P.M. National University vs Ateneo de Manila
Saturday @ Mall of Asia Arena: 2 P.M. University of the East vs Adamson / 4 P.M. University of Santo Tomas vs Ateneo de Manila
Sunday @ Mall of Asia Arena: 2 P.M. National University vs University of the Philippines / 4 P.M. De La Salle University vs Far Eastern University
Next Thursday @ Mall of Asia Arena: 2 P.M. University of Santo Tomas vs University of the East / 4 P.M. Adamson vs De La Salle University
Next Sunday @ SMART-Araneta Coliseum: 4 P.M. Far Eastern University vs National University

Women

Wednesday @ Fil-Oil Flying V Arena: 12 NN Far Eastern University vs University of the East / 1:45 P.M. University of Santo Tomas vs De La Salle University / 3:30 P.M. University of the Philippines vs National University / 5:15 P.M. Ateneo de Manila vs Adamson University
Sunday @ Mall of Asia Arena: 8:30 AM University of the East vs University of the Philippines / 10:15 A.M. National University vs De La Salle University / @ FIl-Oil Flying V Arena: 3:30 P.M. Ateneo de Manila vs University of Santo Tomas / 5:15 P.M. Far Eastern University vs Adamson University

Juniors

Wednesday @ Fil-Oil Flying V Arena: 8:30 A.M. Far Eastern University vs University of the Philippines Integrated School / 10:15 AM University of the East vs Ateneo de Manila
Thursday @ PSC-PhilSports Arena: 8:30 A.M. Adamson University vs University of Santo Tomas / 10:15 A.M. National University vs De La Salle - Zobel
Sunday @ FIl-Oil Flying V Arena: 8:30 A.M. University of the East vs University of Santo Tomas / 10:15 A.M. Far Eastern University vs Adamson University / 3:30 P.M. Ateneo de Manila vs De La Salle - Zobel / 5:15 P.M. University of the Philippines Integrated School vs National University
Next Wednesday @ Fil-Oil Flying V Arena: 10:15 A.M. Adamson University vs Ateneo de Manila / 12 NN National University vs University of the East / 1:45 P.M. University of the Philippines Integrated School vs University of Santo Tomas / 3:30 P.M. De La Salle - Zobel vs Far Eastern University
Next Sunday @ Fil-Oil Flying V Arena: 10:15 A.M. University of the East vs Adamson University / 12 NN National University vs Far Eastern University / 1:45 P.M. Ateneo de Manila vs University of Santo Tomas / 3:30 P.M. De La Salle - Zobel vs University of Santo Tomas

Blog Outsourcing - September 10, 2012 edition

Welcome to the latest edition of The Morning After.

I am sure you had your fill of football. You missed it like heck. You love it like your significant other. May this be the beginning of something great.

Here forth is the Storify I did for this week after the jump.

On the FEU-NU ending and its aftermath

Credit to whoever took this photo.

There is more drama in the UAAP, thanks to this sequence.



The ruling on the field is that the shot counted. A few days later...

“Because of the pieces of evidences/statements/video used in the deliberation were inconclusive and unclear and most of the points brought up showed that time had expired before the ball was fully released, the UAAP Board unanimously upheld the appeal of NU for a replay of the game that is scheduled on Sept. 23, 2012” - Henry Atayde (DLSU), Member of the UAAP Technical Committee

NU’s Junel Baculi, a member of the technical committee, inhibited himself from the meeting, for obvious reasons.

Here is the video again, to refresh yourself.



To put things in perspective: Nothing has changed. NU still has the tougher close-out schedule. They still have La Salle and Ateneo on tap (on consecutive playdates to boot), with a UP team that wants to give its 8 graduating players a winning send-off. Now tack on that FEU game. From the looks of things, a 9-5 record might be the win-loss standing being toted by the 4th place team, whoever that will be.

I said that the NU appeal has merit, but I have questions with regards to the decision on replaying the whole game. Ideally, they should have both teams play the OT on either of the two playdates that have both teams on it: September 13 or 16.

Then again, this would have been avoided had RR passed it quickly to a wide-open Anthony Hargrove on that helter-skelter sequence.

NCAA Collegiate Basketball action on AkTV Gaining Viewership momentum

I find it interesting how AkTV is handling the NCAA this season vis-a-vis with the UAAP. Now we have a set of data available to the public, thanks to Sports 5.

According to their press release, which bases it from Nielsen TV Audience Measurement,the NCAA has garnered a 13% lead over the UAAP with regards to absolute numbers of viewers in the overall national urban scale.

The June 23 to August 18 data illustrate that on their 4 PM to 8 PM time slot, the NCAA averages almost 200,000 viewers. Data also illustrates that in Mega Manila, the NCAA averages 120,000 viewers compared to the UAAP's 77,000 viewers, a 56% lead.

Based on Nielsen TV Audience Measurement, the 88th season of the oldest collegiate league in the country has garnered a 13% lead over UAAP in terms of absolute numbers of viewers in the overall national urban scale. According to data gathered from June 23 to August 18, NCAA was generating an average viewership of close to 200,000 in its primetime slot of 4pm to 8pm. In Mega Manila alone, the NCAA managed to obtain a 56% lead generating an average of 120,000 viewers against the 77,000 average viewers over the other collegiate league.

For specific games, the 1st round meeting between San Beda against Perpetual Help Dalta System was the NCAA's highest viewed game, with 374,296 NUTAM. You probably remember that game because of this.



In comparison, the NCAA's Opening Day game between Letran and San Sebastian registered 297,460 NUTAM.

Sports5's sports manager Vitto Lazatin is happy with the early fruits of the NCAA-AkTV partnership, noting that "The outstanding ratings for this year’s NCAA college basketball tournament prove that more and more sports fans are getting involved in the exciting league action. We only treat this happy development as a challenge to keep delivering the best in college sports through our partnership with the NCAA."

It is important to note that if you checked out PhilStar's Joey Villar's timeline when he received this info, he was fielding tweets from his followers. One of them noted that how come it is mostly the UAAP that is trending on social media.

Encapsulating the UAAP - Week 8

Thanks, Fabilioh.com

Rankings after the week's games:

Ateneo - Stamping its class. Clearly getting ready to prime themselves for the stretch run. Starting Ryan was masterstroke.
FEU - Really embarrassing performance by the Tamaraws against the champions.
UST - The schedule lightens up now. Time to take advantage.
La Salle - Joshua Webb only has one win in twelve Ateneo-La Salle meetings in the UAAP. 
NU - Virtual knock-out game beckons against La Salle.
Adamson - Jericho Cruz is sensational. Watch out next year.
UE - Sumang-to-Javier drive and dish. Run to perfection. Boyzie Zamar has some tools to work with. 
UP - That was truly an agonizing loss. The community is starving for a victory. The fight continues.

What lies ahead:

Thursday @ Mall of Asia Arena - 2 P.M. Ateneo de Manila vs University of the East / 4 P.M. De La Salle University vs University of the Philippines

Saturday @ Mall of Asia Arena - 2 P.M. University of the Philippines vs University of Santo Tomas / 4 P.M. University of the East vs Far Eastern University

Sunday @ Mall of Asia Arena - 2 P.M. Ateneo de Manila vs Adamson / 4 P.M. De La Salle University vs National University

Other basketball games scheduled:

Women's

Sunday @ Fil-Oil Flying V Arena - 12 NN University of the East vs De La Salle University / 1:45 P.M. University of Santo Tomas vs Far Eastern University / 3:30 P.M. National University vs Ateneo de Manila / 5:15 P.M. Adamson vs University of the Philippines

Juniors'

Thursday @ Mall of Asia Arena - 8:30 A.M. University of Santo Tomas vs National University / 10:15 A.M. Ateneo de Manila vs Far Eastern University

Sunday @ Mall of Asia Arena - 8:30 AM Ateneo de Manila vs University of the Philippines Integrated School / 10:15 A.M. Adamson vs National University / @ FIl-Oil Flying V Arena - 8:30 A.M. Far Eastern University vs University of the East / 10:15 A.M. University of Santo Tomas vs De La Salle - Zobel

Blog Outsourcing - September 3, 2012 edition

Encapsulating the UAAP - Week 7

c/o Pinoy Exchange

Rankings after the week's games:

FEU - Realized on their offensive potential first, then relied on sheer talent and veteran guile to dispatch the Falcons. Will need a combination of that to go over the Ateneo mental block.
Ateneo - From Coach Norman Black: “But honestly, I’m definitely not satisfied with the way we played. We did not play very intelligently as a team. And we also did not play as a team. With FEU and La Salle coming up, we definitely have to play a lot better if we want to win.”
UST - Jeric Fortuna is LA Tenorio-clutch. Aljon Mariano is money on iso. But they better make sure to avoid offensive droughts, like that Antarctic game against FEU.
La Salle - Kudos for the homage to the late Sec. Robredo. This definitely ain't the old Archers of the previous decade.
NU - Troy Rosario and Henry Betayene have emerged. Life after Mbe will be alright.
Adamson -  Just as I was praising Brondial, he then gets caught punching a guy, gets himself ejected, then suspended.  To Coach Leo Austria's credit, they scared their opposition, but other teams had better talent in the end.

UP - How long does it take to fix Chris Ball's paperwork? Look at how Alinko Mbah fared against Greg.
UE - New coach, same result for the Recto-based crew.

What lies ahead:

Wednesday @ Mall of Asia Arena - 12 NN (televised at 2 P.M.) University of Santo Tomas vs De La Salle University / 4 P.M. - Far Eastern University vs Ateneo de Manila

Thursday @ Mall of Asia Arena - 2 P.M. University of the East vs National University / 4 P.M. Adamson vs University of the Philippines

Saturday @ SMART-Araneta Coliseum - 12 NN (televised at 2 P.M.) Adamson vs University of Santo Tomas / 4 P.M. Ateneo de Manila vs De La Salle University

Sunday @ Mall of Asia Arena - 2 P.M. University of the Philippines vs University of the East / 4 P.M. Far Eastern University vs National University

Other basketball games scheduled:

Women's

Friday @ Fil-Oil Flying V Arena: 1015 A.M. Adamson vs University of the East / 12 NN University of the Philippines vs Far Eastern University / 1:45 P.M. De La Salle University vs Ateneo de Manila / 3:30 P.M. National University vs University of Santo Tomas

Sunday @ Mall of Asia Arena: 8:30 A.M. University of the Philippines vs University of Santo Tomas / 10:15 A.M. University of the East vs Ateneo de Manila / @ FIl-Oil Flying V Arena: 3:30 P.M. Far Eastern University vs National University / 5:15 P.M. De La Salle University vs Adamson

Juniors'

Thursday @ Mall of Asia Arena: 8:30 A.M. University of the Philippines Integrated School vs University of the East / 10:15 A.M. De La Salle-Zobel vs Adamson

Sunday @ FIl-Oil Flying V Arena: 8:30 A.M. University of Santo Tomas vs Far Eastern University / 10:15 A.M. National University vs Ateneo de Manila / 12 NN University of the East vs De La Salle-Zobel / 1:45 P.M. Adamson vs University of the Philippines Integrated School

Blog Outsourcing - August 27, 2012 edition

Greetings!

Hello and I wish you all a Happy National Heroes Day in the Motherland.

In a sport that is regarded highly by its citizens, any achievement by someone or by a team garner attention in these parts. Sure, the opponent is currently composed of imports plying their trade in the continent, but we Filipinos take pride in beating the Americans in the process of winning a tournament, something we have not accomplished in 14 years. Look at the curated reaction from the Motherland.

It was a satisfying victory for a nation starving for success in a sport it dearly loves. And as such, they come home on a holiday that honors heroism, something they have in spades.