By Jonas Terrado

San Miguel Beer’s June Mar Fajardo, as expected, claimed an unprecedented sixth consecutive Most Valuable Player award Sunday in the PBA Leo Awards at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Fajardo enhanced his status as one of the greatest ever after winning the coveted award with 3140 points on 1207 Statistical Points, 1290 media votes, 343 player votes and 300 votes from the PBA Commissioner’s Office.

The 6-foot-10 center received the award in style as he entered the court using a mobility scooter due to a fractured right shin suffered a month before the start of the league’s 45th season.

Teammates and peers welcomed Fajardo like it was a victory lap before receiving the plum alongside his parents Bonifacio and Marites.

The coronation also serves as a likely sendoff to a streak of MVPs only Fajardo has achieved in the 45-year history of the pro loop.

Fajardo is set to miss the whole duration of the Philippine Cup, possibly more, as he tries to get back from the devastating injury.

It was one of three trophies the gentle giant received in the ceremony that honored the top achievers of 2019.

He was also named to the Mythical First Team alongside TNT KaTropa’s Jayson Castro, NorthPort’s Christian Standhardinger and Sean Anthony and Columbian’s CJ Perez, who won Rookie of the Year honors.

Fajardo was also part of the All-Defensive Team that included teammate Chris Ross, Perez, Anthony and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s Japeth Aguilar.

Aguilar, fellow Ginebra star Stanley Pringle, TNT KaTropa’s Troy Rosario and RR Pogoy and Magnolia’s Ian Sangalang was named to the Mythical Second Team.

San Miguel Beer’s Mo Tautuaa was hailed as the Most Improved Player while Rain or Shine’s Gabe Norwood captured a third straight Sportsmanship Award.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

The Philippine Davis Cup team is treating its World Group II playoff tie loss to Greece as a blessing in disguise, vowing to strive to be better in future ties.

The Filipino Cuppers yielded to the visiting Greeks 4-1 to get relegated to the Regional Group III under the new tournament format.

Team captain Chris Cuarto said the experience is “a mix of good and bad things” as it opened doors for improvement for the Filipino players.

“I think we’re still okay. We’re not bad but still, a lot of things have to be done as well,” he said.

“It’s a good exposure [for us] especially playing against the world No. 6,” Cuarto said, referring to Greece’s main man Stefanos Tsitsipas.

“Not everyday you get to play that kind of player because it’s a totally serious match for him (Tsitsipas); not an exhibition. It was really tough facing a team with a player like him.”

The Filipinos lost all their singles matches with AJ Lim yielding to Stefanos and Jeson Patrombon losing to Petros Tsitsipas in similar 6-2, 6-1 scores; Jed Olivarez bowed to Petros 6-4, 7-5 in the dead fifth rubber

Cuarto is thankful despite the outcome, especially after seeing Francis Casey Alcantara and Ruben Gonzales’ 7-6 (5), 6-4 win over Petros and Marko Kalovelonis for the PH team’s lone win.

Even Greece’s team captain Dimitris Chatzinikolaou was impressed with Alcantara and Gonzales’ talent and chemistry.

“I think that you [the PH team] have great doubles players. When we did the first break in the first set and break in the second set, they increased their level and took the break back. I think it was better than our team,” he said.

With the experience, Cuarto hopes they’d get more exposure particularly for the singles players. But it’s going to be difficult.

“More tournaments mean more funding. It’s tough. Tennis is a difficult sport because you have to build on it. It’s not like one time, that’s it. Our (Philippine Tennis Association) president is very generous in getting sponsors for the players but one man cannot do it alone,” he said.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

The absence of June Mar Fajardo has opened the door for fellow big men to prosper even more as the PBA kicked off its 45th season Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel’s Japeth Aguilar and NorthPort’s Christian Standhardinger are being groomed to take the torch from the San Miguel Beer after being labeled preseason picks to win the coveted Most Valuable Player.

Fajardo is expected to take an unprecedented sixth MVP plum in the Leo Awards but a fractured right shin sustained last month will cut short the streak as he misses the duration of the Philippine Cup.

With that, Aguilar and Standhardinger could see themselves putting up an MVP season, especially after coming off a strong showing in the PBA Governors’ Cup.

Aguilar was Finals MVP when Ginebra beat Meralco for the title while Standhardinger became Best Player of the Conference after steering NorthPort to the semifinals following his arrival from San Miguel.

And then there’s Poy Erram, who could be the missing piece in TNT KaTropa’s bid to finally end SMB’s reign in the season’s most important tournament.

A lot was done in order for TNT to finally secure the services of Erram, whose presence in the middle should give the KaTropa enough reason to feel confident of their chances.

Erram joins a talented side led by Jayson Castro, Roger Pogoy, Troy Rosario and Ray Parks Jr. and will have more things to learn from active consultant Mark Dickel, who coached the former NLEX big man during the recent FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers match against Indonesia.

Raymond Almazan’s absence and the departure of Erram leave Meralco and NLEX in a quandary as to how it compete minus a quality frontline asset.

There’s also Phoenix Super LPG (formerly-Phoenix Pulse) being without Dave Marcelo and Jake Pascual and Blackwater looking for way for 35-year-old rookie Maurice Shaw to be that needed inside presence.

Being under the radar could be beneficial for Magnolia, which still the talented Ian Sangalang, even as Alaska could see a productive campaign from Vic Manuel.

Despite the lack of height, Rain or Shine has shown its capability to compete against bigger teams while several hard-nosed players could be key in Columbian’s quest for a playoff spot.

But all remain focused on SMB, which remains an interesting team with Fajardo out and talented players capable of maintaining their winning ways.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Waylon Galvez

With the latest development on the infectious novel coronavirus or COVID-19, the NCAA Management Committee, led by chairman Peter Cayco of Arellano U, has set an ‘emergency’ meeting Monday to discuss the possibility of calling off the games again after the warning by health officials of local transmission by the virus.

Last week, the league’s Policy Board unanimously approved the Mancom proposition to resume the games in the remaining sports of the NCAA Season 95 on March 16.

The games scheduled to return are high school girls’, women’s and men’s volleyball, football, lawn tennis and soft tennis March 16, track and field on March 16 to 21, the 15-under basketball on April 25 and beach volleyball on April 29.

The league’s Cheer Leading Competition will be held as scheduled on March 30.

However, the latest announcement of the Department of Health on local transmission of the deadly disease could put on hold the games again since one of the patients came from San Juan City where volleyball games are being held at The Arena.

Last February 13, the NCAA decided to postpone all events in the senior’s division after the Commission of Higher Education or CHED issued a directive to “avoid attending, participating in, and organizing events that draw a huge number of attendees.”

A week before that, the league has also called off games February 6 in the junior’s division following a similar order from the Department of Education.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Field Level Media-Reuters

Kevin Love scored 27 points, Collin Sexton had 25 and the host Cleveland Cavaliers stunned the Denver Nuggets 104-102 on Saturday night.

Cedi Osman added 20 points, Tristan Thompson had nine points and 13 rebounds, and Matthew Dellavedova had seven points and 14 assists for Cleveland, which swept the season series against the Nuggets and ended a four-game skid.

Will Barton scored 22 points, Gary Harris had 18 and Jamal Murray added 17 for Denver. Nikola Jokic had just eight points but added eight rebounds and eight assists.

The Cavaliers led by five early in the fourth but went cold for nearly five minutes, allowing Denver to go up 93-90. Sexton ended the drought with a pair of free throws with 5:50 left, and that started a 10-0 run that put Cleveland ahead for good.

Charlotte Hornets 108 – Houston Rockets 99

The Hornets scored the game’s first 20 points, Terry Rozier scored all 24 of his points in the first three quarters, and Charlotte topped host Houston.

Devonte’ Graham added 23 points, PJ Washington contributed 22 points, Cody Zeller had 13 points and Miles Bridges was good for 10 points for Charlotte, which closed a four-game homestand with its only victory during that stretch.

James Harden scored 30 points for the Rockets, but he was charged with 10 of the team’s 20 turnovers. Harden also had 10 rebounds and 14 assists. Houston played without guard Russell Westbrook (rest).

Sacramento Kings 123 – Portland Trail Blazers 111

Bogdan Bogdanovic matched his career high of seven 3-pointers and recorded 27 points and eight assists, as Sacramento halted a 12-game losing streak in Portland with a dominant victory.

Buddy Hield scored 22 points, and Harrison Barnes added 20 as the Kings won in Portland for the first time since Dec. 8, 2012. They also equaled the franchise record of 21 3-pointers (in 39 attempts), with Hield knocking down six and Barnes making five.

De’Aaron Fox recorded 14 points and 11 assists for the Kings, who have won seven of their last nine games. Sacramento stands 3 1/2 games behind the eighth-place Memphis Grizzlies for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Utah Jazz 111 – Detroit Pistons 105

Bojan Bogdanovic scored 32 points and Utah stretched its winning streak to five games with a win in Detroit.

The Jazz, who were closing out a four-game road trip, have won the last eight meetings between the clubs. They were playing the second end of a back-to-back after winning in Boston on Friday.

Donovan Mitchell supplied 25 points, Jordan Clarkson contributed 14 points off the bench, and Mike Conley added 12. Christian Wood led the Pistons with a career-high 30 points and 11 rebounds. Langston Galloway and Jordan McRae had 14 points apiece off the bench.

Memphis Grizzlies 118 – Atlanta Hawks 101

Jonas Valanciunas scored 12 of his 27 points in the first quarter to help Memphis get off to a quick start and allow them to cruise past the visiting Atlanta Hawks.

Valanciunas had 17 rebounds for his 32nd double-double of the season. It was the second time in a week that the Grizzlies have thumped the Hawks. Memphis won 127-88 in Atlanta on Monday.

Atlanta got leading scorer Trae Young back in the lineup after he missed Friday’s game with flu-like symptoms. Young, however, wasn’t at full strength, played only 29 minutes, and was limited to 16 points — 13 fewer than his season average — and four assists.

Golden State Warriors 118 – Philadelphia Warriors 114

Villanova product Eric Paschall capped a 23-point performance with a pair of go-ahead free throws with 51.7 seconds remaining as Golden State edged Philadelphia in San Francisco, in a nationally televised game that featured more star power on the sidelines than on the court.

The Warriors learned during the day that Stephen Curry would be joining fellow former All-Star teammates Klay Thompson and Draymond Green out of action because of an illness. Curry had returned from a 58-game absence because of a broken left hand on Thursday.

Tobias Harris scored a team-high 24 points for the 76ers, who likewise were without three injured starters — Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Josh Richardson.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Waylon Galvez

The situation concerning the spread of the coronavirus or COVID-19 forced the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) to reset indefinitely next month’s Asian Championship – an event that serves as qualifying tournament for the Tokyo Olympics.

In its website, the IWF announced the postponement, which Uzbekistan was supposed to stage on April 16 to 25. PH team coach Toni Agustin said he also learned the Uzbekistan government declined to host due to the health scare.

Kazakhstan was the original venue for the OQT, but due to the same health risk, organizers begged off.

“Sinabihan kami na dahil nga daw sa COVID-19,” said Agustin Sunday. “Nakapagtanong na kami noon pang isang lingo, pero yun na nga nakita namin sa IWF website na postpone ang event.”

Agustin said they would continue to communicate with the international federation as to where and when the event will be held.

“Sa tingin naman namin pinag-aaralan ng IWF ang mga pwedeng gawin para matuloy ang tournament,” he said.

“Hindi naman kasi pwedeng sabihin na totally cancelled na ang event kasi may mga umaasa pa na makapasok sa Tokyo Olympics – wala din naman din kasing sinasabi na wala ng Olympics.”

Four local weightlifters are vying for an Olympic berth.

Rio Olympics silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz is one of them and she is currently No. 5 in the 55kg women’s category in world ranking with 3,717.0982 points behind Chinese weightlifters in Jiang Huihua (4,667.8878), Liao Qiuyun (4,288.9622), Zhang Wangqiong (4,212.6639) and Li Yajun (4,099.0223).

The other three are lifters are Nestor Colonia in the67kg men’s, Elreen Ann Ando and Kristel Macrohon in the women’s 64kg and 71kg, respectively.

Diaz is currently in Malaysia for a two-month training camp, while Colonia, Macrohon and Ando are training at the weightlifting facility of the Philippine Sports Commission in Manila.

“Basta ang mga athletes tuloy lang ang ensayo, ang preparasyon para sa qualifier. Kasi ready dapat sila, pag sinabing etong buwan at kung san ang event, handa sila sa laban,” said Agustin.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Jonas Terrado

Two more games of San Miguel Alab Pilipinas were among those postponed by the ASEAN Basketball League on Sunday due to precautionary measures against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Alab was supposed to play a road game Sunday afternoon against the Singapore Slingers and host the Kuala Lumpur Dragons on Tuesday in Sta. Rosa, Laguna when league officials decided to call off both matches.

The ABL acknowledged that it was forced to call off the two games and the Slingers’ matches against the Macau Black Bears on March 15 and Thailand’s Mono Vampire on March 18 after their new import Jameel McKay was forced to be placed under quarantine.

McKay, who once played as an PBA import for Phoenix, was quarantined after it was learned that he was part of the same flight where a French national tested positive for COVID-19.

He, however, not shown any symptoms of the illness for the past six days.

“McKay is currently being quarantined and is under observation. He does not have any symptoms and does not feel ill,” the league said in a statement. “According to the Ministry of Health in Singapore, he will be quarantined until March 17th, which is 14 days from when he landed in Singapore (March 3rd).”

McKay suited up last Friday when the Slingers fell 70-67 to the Dragons in Kuala Lumpur, finishing with 10 points and eight rebounds before fouling out.

“The rest of the Singapore Slingers players, staff, and personnel, as well as that of the Kuala Lumpur Dragons, and league personnel who may have had contact with McKay, are now being monitored for the next 48 hours for any signs of illness.

“This process and precautionary measure has been advised and endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United States Center for Disease Control (US-CDC), and Singapore Ministry of Health, for persons who have been in contact with a person on the ‘contact list’ who does not present any symptoms of any illness,” the league added.

Eight Alab games have been postponed since last month as part of the measures against the spread of the COVID-19.
Alab, which was already in the Lion City before the league made the announcement, was supposed to parade new imports Justin Brownlee and John Fields against the Slingers at the OCBC Arena.

Coach Jimmy Alapag’s team has not played since defeating the Saigon Heat 99-79 at home last Feb. 23 in Sta. Rosa.

Source: Manila Bulletin

AMMAN, Jordan – The Philippine boxing team went two of three on the final day of preliminaries in the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualification Tournament Saturday at the Prince Hamzeh Hall in this ancient capital city.

Carlo Paalam and Irish Magno hurdled their assignments to join early quarterfinalists featherweight Nesthy Petecio, middleweight Eumir Marcial and lightweight Riza Pasuit.

The quarters will be held Sunday and Monday.

The soft-spoken Paalam, 21, dazzled against Afghanistan’s Ramish Rahmani to get the nod of all five judges for a unanimous decision 5-0.

The 27-year old Magno had an even more stellar performance as she easily disposed of Winnie Au of Hongkong in an abbreviated RSC2 (Referee Stopped Contest, 2nd round).

Veteran campaigner Ian Clark Bautista however, succumbed to his tormentor twice before Chatchai Decha Butdee of Thailand 0-5.

ABAP secretary-general Ed Picson, who heads the delegation, said having five of seven boxers in the quarterfinals is more than satisfactory.

“We didn’t get the draw we were hoping for. Ian faced Butdee early and James Palicte had the 2017 Asian champion Uzbek Abduraimov in his first fight, but that’s the way it is. Now we have five, so we will aim for 5 qualifiers for Tokyo. But none of the five fights will be easy”.

Petecio has Japanese Sena Irie, with whom she’s 1-1 head to head, Magno faces 5-time world champion Meri Kom of India, Pasuit fights No. 3 seed Wu Yi Shih, Paalam is up against No. 1 seed Amit of India and Marcial faces Mongolia’s Byamba Erdene-Otgonbaatar, who turned professional last year (professional boxers are now allowed in the Olympics).

The Filipino boxers only need to win their respective quarterfinal matches to be assured of a berth in the Tokyo Olympics.

The team coaches are Ronald Chavez and Elmer Pamisa for the men, Reynaldo Galido and Roel Velasco for the women and Donald Abnett, foreign consultant.

Sports psychologist Marcus Manalo and PSC masseur Herbert Manlangit are also part of the team.

The tournament ends Wednesday.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Kristel Satumbaga

Games Tuesday

(Mall of Asia Arena)

2 p.m. – UP vs La Salle (men’s)
4 p.m. – UP vs La Salle (women’s)

National University scored a twin kill in UAAP Season 82 volleyball Sunday with victories in the men’s and women’s divisions against Adamson at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The defending champion Bulldogs swept the Falcons 25-21, 25-17, 25-23 before the Lady Bulldogs edged the Lady Falcons 26-24, 25-14, 25-21.

Angelo Almendras and James Natividad delivered 16 and 12 points as the Bulldogs dominated the Falcons on all fronts.

The Bulldogs overpowered the Falcons in attacks 41-35 and blocks 12-5.

Bulldogs coach Dante Alinsunurin, however, said there’s still room for improvement for his team.

“Yung mga unforced errors namin, sa susunod sana ma-collect namin. Importante lang talaga may focus sa ginagawa,” he said.

The Lady Bulldogs, meanwhile, banked on Audrey Paran and Margot Mutshima, who posted 15 and 13 points, including a combined 17 spikes and six aces.

Skipper Risa Sato chipped in eight points, including four blocks.

Both the Falcons and the Lady Falcons dropped opening matches.

Source: Manila Bulletin

By Field Level-Media

Despite guiding the Brooklyn Nets back to the playoffs last season after a three-season absence, Kenny Atkinson is out as the team’s coach.

The Nets announced Saturday that the team and coach mutually agreed to part ways, with assistant coach Jacque Vaughn tabbed to finish out the season.

“After discussions with Kenny about the progress of the season, we mutually agreed that a coaching change would be in the best interest of the team,” said general manager Sean Marks, who hired Atkinson in 2016.

On Saturday morning, the Nets were 28-34 and in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, 9.5 games behind the Philadelphia 76ers for the sixth spot and 24.5 games out of first.

The Nets host the Chicago Bulls on Sunday afternoon.

Atkinson won 20 games in his first season with the team and 28 in his second, before a stunning 42-40 finish in 2018-19 landed the Nets in the playoffs for the first time since 2015. They were eliminated in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers.

Expectations were higher coming into this season with the addition of All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving, but he was limited to 20 games before having season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder.

The team also added former league Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant in a sign-and-trade with Golden State, though the 10-time All-Star was a non-factor as he continues to recover from an Achilles tendon injury he suffered with the Warriors.

Atkinson, 52, had been a career assistant coach with the Knicks and Hawks before landing his post with the Nets. He leaves the Nets with a 118-190 record across four seasons.

Source: Manila Bulletin