SBP doesn't foresee any eligibility problem for Gilas new boys Slaughter, Lassiter in Olympic qualifier

THE Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) has allayed concerns about the eligibility of Fil-foreign players Marcio Lassiter and Greg Slaughter ahead of Gilas Pilipinas' stint in next year’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

According to SBP executive director Sonny Barrios, Lassiter’s eligibility was already in order as early as four years ago when he was given the go-signal to play for Smart Gilas during the Fiba Asia Championship in Wuhan, China.

As for Slaughter, Barrios said world governing body for basketball Fiba only needs additional requirements which the SBP believes it can easily complete to make the Ginebra slotman eligible to play for Gilas.

“Fiba is still asking for some supporting documents (on Greg) and we’re in the process of preparing them,” said Barrios, pointing out that the processing of Slaughter's papers was stopped after he was excluded from the initial pool drawn up by national coach Tab Baldwin for the 2014 Fiba Asia Championship.

“For a while hindi na namin muna inasikaso kasi he was not included by coach Tab (Baldwin) on his initial list with Gilas. We attended to other pertinent matters muna," Barrios added.

“As for (Marcio), Lassiter can play.”

The two were among the 17 players requested by the SBP and released by the PBA board for inclusion in the Gilas national pool, from where the final 12-man roster will be culled for the July wildcard qualifier to the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics.

Barrios recalled Lassiter and another Fil-Am in Chris Lutz, weren’t allowed to play for Smart Gilas in the entire first round of the 2011 Fiba Asia after the two failed to submit documents proving they became Filipino passport holders before reaching the age of 16.

But Lassiter and Lutz eventually made it to the team after getting clearance to play from the Fiba head office in Geneva.

“Yung Fiba Asia actually ang nag-raise ng eligibility (issue) nila, but later relented to let them play when we got clearance from the Fiba head office,” said Barrios, who was then in his first year as executive director of SBP.

“And the fact na pinalaro na siya (Lassiter) before means na wala ng problema sa papers niya.”

Barrios also doesn’t see any hindrance in completing Slaughter’s papers.

“Si Greg naglaro pa yan ng college dito (in Cebu), and later with Ateneo, so wala akong nakikita na problema dyan,” said the former PBA commissioner.

Like Lassiter, Slaughter previously suited up for Smart Gilas during the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, making his case almost moot and academic.

“Naka-file na sa (SBP) office ‘yung papers ni Greg. So bubunutin lang namin 'yun and then idadagdag ‘yung kaunting documents na hinihingi ng Fiba, and I guess hindi na magiging problema ‘yun,” he said.

Although there’s no guarantee Lassiter and Slaughter will make the final 12-man of Gilas,  Barrios said it’s still imperative for the SBP to take care of their eligibility papers this early.

Source: Gerry Ramos of Spin.ph

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CDM Gerardo Rosario eyes landmark target for Philippines

Philippines’ chef de mission for the 8th ASEAN Para Games, Gerardo Rosario, is keen for his athletes to prove their merit this December.

A contingent of approximately 65 athletes are expected to make their way to Singapore during the first week of December to represent Philippines in the 8th ASEAN Para Games.

The number is a far cry from the 466-strong group the nation sent in for the recently concluded 28th SEA Games. However, Gerardo Rosario, Philippines’ chef de mission (CDM) for the upcoming Para Games, is quietly confident his athletes will be able to match the gold medal haul his compatriots achieved during the SEA Games.

“Internally, we’ve always wanted to out-do what the able-bodied has achieved in the Philippines. I think the able-bodied athletes got 29 gold medals at the last SEA Games, and we want to go higher than 29,” Rosario, who was also CDM at the 7th ASEAN Para Games where Philippines secured 20 gold medals, shared.

“We can do very well in swimming and table tennis. We’ll definitely get some in athletics. We would like to have our basketball team go up in standing. In Myanmar [2014], we were third, and we would like to go up to second.”

Having worked with the Philippines Sports Association for the Differently Abled for more than six years, Rosario has been at the forefront of a growing para sports scene. While he acknowledged that further financial support would certainly be welcome, the Filipino CDM shared that the government had already begun taking steps in the right direction.

“In the next few months, our law for sports incentives is going to change, which will include Paralympic athletes. At one point, Paralympic athletes were excluded from the national incentive act. It has already passed the lower house, so that is a very good indication of where para sport will be in the next few years,” he stated.

With one eye on the 2016 Paralympic Games, Rosario also spoke frankly about the obstacles standing in the way of Southeast Asian para-athletes hoping to qualify for a berth in Rio de Janeiro.

“For example, [ASEAN Para Games] swimming, which is an IPC (International Paralympic Committee)-accredited meet, is very important to us because the cost of going to Europe or the United States is very high. We were hoping there would be more IPC- accredited sports, but I know the costs sometimes prohibits that,” he related.

“We need more pathway meets in Asia or Southeast Asia. Most of the pathway meets are in Europe or the United States, and that takes a big chunk of our budget. “

As it stands, there is much at stake for the Filipino contingent contesting the impending Para Games. Nevertheless, Rosario is looking forward to what he believes will be a landmark regional meet.

“I think every time Singapore runs it, it’s very close to international standards. That’s important because it does ensure that there’s fairness in the officiating and in the infrastructure. You get something that is as close to the Olympic Games as possible,” he surmised.

Source: Alison Chin for SAPGOC

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Novi Sad Al Wahda retains Fiba 3x3 crown as Manila North places sixth in 12-team world final

NOVI Sad Al Wahda of UAE successfully defended its Fiba 3x3 World Tour title after defeating Kranj of Slovejia, 17-14, on Friday in Abu Dhabi.

The champions swept their five game in the tournament at the Corniche, a high-traffic leisure area on the shores of the Arab Gulf.

Novi Sad Al Wahda bagged US$30,000, while Kranj won US$20,000.

Third-place NY Harlem earned $16,000, Trbovlje got $12,000 after finishing fourth and Ljubljana of Slovenia got $10,000 for fifth place.

The Calvin Abueva-led Manila North were the sixth in the 12 team tournament and got the last money place, bagging $8,000.

No. 1 3x3 player Dusan Domovic Bulut led all scorers with 42 points in the tournament and a game-high eight in the final, winning MVP honors.

It was the third straight year that Novi Sad Al Wahda beat Kranj at some stage of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Final. The sharpshooting Dejan Majstorovic contributed six points.

Speedy playmaker Boris Jersin netted 7 points and the all-around Mensud Julevic added 5 in a losing effort.

Kranj qualified for the FIBA 3x3 World Tour Final by winning the Prague Masters while Novi Sad Al Wahda had won two Masters in the same year in Manila and Rio de Janeiro.

The fourth edition of the FIBA 3x3 World Tour featured six Masters, starting with the Manila leg in August with stops in Prague, Beijing, Lausanne, Mexico DF and Rio de Janeiro.

The Final saw the top two teams of all six Masters.

While Novi Sad Al Wahda went undefeated in Abu Dhabi, the team had to defeat the city’s entire Filipino community which came to support Manila North and their star player Calvin ‘The Beast’ Abueva in the quarterfinals.

In possibly even more dramatic circumstances, Bulut’s men stunned Trbovlje of Slovenia in the semifinals in overtime after being down by two in the closing seconds of regulation.

Source: Spin.ph

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Calvin Abueva, Manila North kiss title bid goodbye after going down against Novi Sad in Fiba 3x3

MANILA North’s fling with glory in the Fiba 3x3 World Tour in Abu Dhabi proved to be short-lived.

Calvin Abueva and Co. ran smack into a wall in defending champion Novi Sad Al Wahda, 21-13, early Saturday to bow out of title contention in the two-day meet.

The quarterfinal loss came less than 24 hours after the Filipinos pulled off a stunning 16-14 win over fancied Doha of Qatar to advance in the knockout stage of the tournament

The win by Novi Sad, bannered by Domovic Bulut, over Manila North was the second in the last two months against the same team which it also defeated, 21-14, during the finals of the meet’s Manila leg held in August.

Manila North’s finish also equaled the same feat achieved by Terrence Romeo and the Manila West during last year’s finals of the World Tour staged in Sendai, Japan.

Novi Sad will now meet Trbovlje of Slovenia in the semifinals. Trbovlje advanced after a 22-10 win over Denver, USA in the Final Eight.

The other semifinals pairing will pit New York Harlem, USA against Kranj also of Slovenia.

NY Harlem USA eked out a thrilling 22-21 win over Ljubljana of Slovenia, while Kranj dispatched Rio of Brazil, 19-16.

Source: Spin.ph

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Azkals have mountain to climb

The away loss to Bahrain on Tuesday night at Bahrain National Stadium in Riffa has left the Philippine Azkals with a mountain to climb in Group H of Asian Zone World Cup qualifying.

But skipper Phil Younghusband remains optimistic that the Azkals, who are third with seven points from five games, can still finish second in the group and contend for a spot in the next round of qualifying.

North Korea is on top with 13 points followed by Uzbekistan with nine from four matches. The top team advances to the third round along with four best second placers.

“It will be difficult to get the No. 2 spot. I think realistically we can look at the No. 3 and the next qualifying round of the Asian Cup,” Younghusband said. “But we will never know. If we win the rest of our games, we will have a chance. I think it’s possible.”

Younghusband endured a frustrating outing in the Azkals’ 0-2 loss to the Bahrainis, missing a couple of good chances before getting booked for the second straight game late in the match, which meant missing the game against Yemen on Nov. 12 due to suspension.

The Azkals will still play Uzbekistan on March 24 in Tashkent before facing North Korea at home five days later.

Source: Cedelf Tupas of Inquirer.net

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Manila North upsets Doha, advances to FIBA 3X3 World Tour quarters

MANILA, Philippines – Team Manila North is on their way to the quarterfinals of the 2015 FIBA 3X3 World Tour after disposing of 4th-ranked Doha (Qatar), 16-14, in a physical and closely-fought closer to day one of the tournament in Abu Dhabi on Friday, October 16.

Leaning on the 7 points of 27-year-old Calvin Abueva, who also scored 9 in his team’s loss to Kranj (Slovenia) earlier on Friday , Manila North established a lead early and managed to hold on to it for the victory.

Vic Manuel (world rank 156 in FIBA 3X3) pitched in 5 points while incoming PBA rookie Troy Rosario (121) registered 3. Karl Dehesa (167) scored a single point.

The win gave Manila North a 1-1 record to end the pool section of the tournament. The victory also put the Philippine team in a 3-way tie with Doha and Kranj.

Since only two could advance to the quarterfinals, the team that scored the least combined points in the pool section was the one eliminated. Kranj, who lost to Doha 16-13 but beat Manila North 21-17, topped Pool D with 34 points while Manila North had 33.

Doha, the eliminated team, had 30 points.

Manila North raced off to a quick 5-1 start against Doha before their opponents went on a 12-5 run.

After a big basket by Abueva that riled up the pro-Philippine crowd, a shot from deep by Sammy Monroe cut Manila North’s lead to two, 14-12.

Abueva then hit another clutch shot before Dominic James and Tanguy Ngombo took turns putting points on the scoreboard, 15-14.

Both teams then missed shots until Rosario gave his squad a two-point cushion following a layup. Manila North went scoreless the rest of the way, but so did Doha, leading to their elimination.

In the quarters, the 12th-ranked Manila North will face top overall seed, NoviSad AlWahda of UAE on late Friday evening. If they win, they will face the victor of 3rd-ranked Trbovije (Slovenia) vs. 10th-ranked Denver (USA).

In the two other quarters matches, second-ranked Ljubljana (Slovenia) will face 11th-ranked NY Harlem (USA), followed by 5th ranked Kranj against 8th-ranked Rio (Brazil).

The dunk contest and shootout finals are also both expected to take place during day two of the tournament.

The winning team of the FIBA 3X3 World Tour finals will take home $30,000, while the runner-ups get $20,000. – Rappler.com

Source: Naveen Ganglani

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