Altas survive loss of star Vidal to stay in Final Four hunt By Mei-Lin Lozada

Altas star Jett Vidal left the game in the second quarter after a hard collision with Lyceum's John Azores.

UNIVERSITY of Perpetual Help kept its Final Four hopes alive after holding off Lyceum, 64-53, in the second game of an out-of-town sortie of the NCAA men's basketball at the Subic Bay Freeport Gym Tuesday night.
Harold Arboleda, Earl Thompson and George Allen provided the needed intensity for the Altas after top gunner Jett Vidal left the game for good at the 3:39 mark of the second quarter after a hard collision with John Azores.
Vidal was immediately rushed to the nearest hospital and will have another checkup at the Perpetual Help Hospital tomorrow. The team said he suffered a chipped tooth.
"Parang nawalan kami ng 15 points," said Perpetual Help coach Aric del Rosario of losing his top shooter.
Perpetual Help, now holding a 10-6 (win-loss) card, tries to lock up a place in the semifinals when it faces No. 1 seed San Beda and second seed San Sebastian in its final two games.
Arboleda, Thompson and Allen made eight, seven and six points, respectively, in the third to help the Altas open a seven-point advantage, 45-52.
"Sinubukan ko sina Arboleda at Allen buti pumutok. Sabi ko nga, kung ano ang materyales mo, yun ang gamitin mo," said del Rosario.
Allen came through with 15 points and 14 rebounds, while Thompson and Justine Alano finished with a combined 29 markers.
Shane Ko and Dexter Zamora made 19 and 10 points, respectively, for Lyceum (3-13).
The scores:
Perpetual Help (64) - Allen 15, Thompson 15, Alano 14, Arboleda 9, Vidal 7, Omorogbe 2, Paulino 2, Elopre 0, Jolangcob 0, Asuncion 0
Lyceum (53) - Ko 19, Zamora 10, Mallari 8, Edding 7, Martinez 5, Pascual 0, Garcia 0, Ambohot 0, Azores 0, Alanes 0
Quarterscores: 12-20, 28-25, 53-45, 64-53

source:http://www.spin.ph/sports/basketball/news/altas-survive-loss-of-star-vidal-to-stay-in-final-four-hunt

SMART-Gilas to be feted on PBA opening

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Basketball Association will pay tribute to Smart Gilas Pilipinas during the opening ceremonies of its 38th season on Sunday, saluting coach Chot Reyes, his staff and the Nationals for their Jones Cup victory and semifinal finish in the FIBA Asia Cup.

Coming with the citation is commissioner Chito Salud’s promise of the league’s continuous support, hoping the national team to be in best shape possible in time for the world qualifier next year.

Seeing up close in the fourth FIBA Asia Cup how tough the regional competition is, Salud vowed to do what he can to help make the national team be more competitive, including personally talking to the players coach Chot Reyes wants to add to his roster.

Salud stressed the teams are committed to make their players available for the national team.

“I’ll talk to coach Chot Reyes and ask him the players he wants added to the pool. I will help talk to the players,” said Salud.

Reyes has mentioned several times the names of Marc Pingris and Arwind Santos, players who can shore up the team’s forward spots.

Pingris and Santos along with James Yap and Alex Cabagnot had been named in the original pool, but these players didn’t sign a commitment letter to be part of it.

After the FIBA Asia Cup, Reyes added in his wish list young behemoths Greg Slaughter and Junmar Fajardo.

Reyes will have no problem on Slaughter who has committed to join the Gilas cadet pool.

On Fajardo, a SMC official said the PBA top draftee can be made available to Gilas so long as requests are sent to SMC management.

At the FIBA Asia Cup where Gilas settled for third runner-up honors, glaring was the absence of an able backup to Marcus Douthit.

The Nationals return to their mother ball clubs as the PBA reopens shot Sunday.

Relieved of his duty at Talk n Text, the national coach undergoes coaching clinic in the US then starts training the cadet pool at the end of the collegiate season.

Among those eyed for the cadet pool are Slaughter, Nico Salva and Kiefer Ravena of Ateneo, Ian Sangalang and Ronald Pascual of San Sebastian, Kevin Alas of Letran and RR Garcia of FEU.

Reyes also plans on pitching a Fil-Am tryout camp in the US in search of Fil-Ams who are good and eligible to be part of the Gilas program.

One requirement in line with the FIBA rule is that the player has acquired a Philippine passport before turning 16.

Source: Nelson Beltran, The Philippine Star

Urbiztondo stays positive By Richard Dy

Newly acquired Josh Urbiztondo is taking a positive attitude to minnow Barako Bull. Jerome Ascano

JOSH Urbiztondo is taking his move from a multi-titled team like San Mig Coffee to minnow Barako Bull as positively as he can.
Although the Energy Cola are considered underdogs going into the 38^th season of the PBA starting this Sunday, the newly-acquired point guard is convinced the team is capable of springing surprises beginning with the Philippine Cup which kicks off on Sunday.
The 6-foot-1 Urbiztondo, shipped by the Mixers to the Energy Cola in exchange for the team’s first-round pick next year, accepts trades are but a part of the life of any professional player. He has now taken his winning attitude to Barako Bull as he vowed to help turn the team into a serious title contender.
“I really think we have a strong lineup this season,” said Urbiztondo after joining his first practice with Barako Bull. “We’ve got a big man in Enrico (Villanueva) who could help Doug Kramer inside. Then we still have Danny Seigle, who may be in his mid-30s, but can still score for the team.
“We even have workhorses like (Ronald) Tubid, Sean Anthony, and Roger Yap. These guys have championship experience.”
The entry of Urbiztondo is expected to fill the leadership vacuum left by two-time MVP Willie Miller, the 35-year-old veteran who was traded to newcomer Global Port in a multi-team deal, and Wynne Arboleda who has been moved to Air21.
As a starting point guard for San Mig Coffee (formerly B-Meg) last season, Urbiztondo blossomed into a capable leader, averaging 6.9 points per game (fifth in the team), 3.3 rebounds, and a team-best 2.9 assists. The numbers and his gung-ho style of play helped the team win the championship in the mid-season Commissioner’s Cup.
Urbiztondo’s hustle and no-fear approach to the game now make him a perfect fit for the system of coach Junel Baculi, who hopes the team’s much-improved roster will help it turn things around this season.

source: http://www.spin.ph/sports/basketball/special-reports/urbiztondo-stays-positive

VIDEO | Ginebra rookie Chris Ellis posterizes Air 21′s Noy Baclao in tuneup

AKTV/Paul Mata

YouTube user IamJenniya attended the practice game between Ginebra and Air 21 this weekend, and was treated to this facial by Ginebra rookie Chris Ellis on newly-acquired Air 21 forward Noy Baclao. Nasty!

Source: http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv/video-ginebra-rookie-chris-ellis-posterizes-air-21s-noy-baclao-in-tuneup