Chot to draw up new 20-man pool ahead of shot at Asian title By Richard Dy

Commissioner Chito Salud says the 20-man pool is not cast in stone, with the lineup to be changed or replenished as the need arises until the Fiba-Asia men's in Beirut in September. Jerome Ascano

SMART Gilas coach Chot Reyes is set to draw up a new 20-player pool for the approval of the PBA board as the national team begins its buildup for a busy 2013 campaign to be capped by a stint in the Asian championships.
PBA commissioner Chito Salud said members of the Gilas team that won the Jones Cup and placed fourth in the Fiba Asia Cup in Tokyo are not guaranteed spots in the revised team, which will begin 2013 with stints in the Dubai International Invitational and the King's Cup in Hong Kong.
“We agreed that they will submit a revised 20-man pool to be submitted to the office of the commissioner as soon as they finalize it (20-man lineup). And we will announce it as soon as it is submitted to us,” Salud said during Wednesday afternoon’s press conference at the MOA Arena.
The Dubai Invitational is scheduled on January 10-22, while the King Cup in Hong Kong is from January 22-27.
The original Smart Gilas squad led by then collegiate standouts JVee Casio, Chris Tiu, Mark Barroca and Mac Baracael placed third in the 2010 Dubai Invitational finishing runner-up the following year, bowing to Egypt in the finals.
Salud added that Reyes has proposed to hold the team’s practice every Monday from 8-10 p.m. at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City, with more practices added to the schedule as the Dubai and Hong Kong tournaments draw closer.
The PBA commissioner added that selected players from the revised 20-man pool may only join the team practice as their schedule permits and as long as they don’t miss the games of their respective PBA mother clubs.
By the time the Dubai Invitation begins, the PBA’s Philippine Cup will be playing its championship series, thus the national squad have little adjustment to make as far as scheduling is concerned.
However, Salud reiterated that players chosen to be part of the pool won’t have a permanent position in the roster.
“The lineup can be changed or replenished as the need arises until we reach the 2013 Fiba qualifying tournament. So right after the two tournaments, magre-review si Chot, then he will submit another 20-man pool, if ever,” he added.
Aside from members of the Jones Cup-winning team, others on Reyes' wish list are Marc Pingris of San Mig Coffee, Petron’s Arwind Santos and rookie 6-10 center June Mar Fajardo, Talk ‘n Text swingman Kelly Williams as well as 6-11 Greg Slaughter of the five-time UAAP champions Ateneo Blue Eagles.

Follow the writer on Twitter: @richava source: http://www.spin.ph/sports/basketball/news/chot-to-draw-up-new-20-man-pool-ahead-of-shot-at-asian-title

PBA Results, Standings: October 17, 2012

InterAKTV · Wednesday, October 17, 2012 · 10:20 pm

PBA/Nuki Sabio

In Wednesday’s doubleheader, the GlobalPort Batang Pier defeated the Meralco Bolts, 105-104, in the first game. The Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters beat the Air 21 Express, 96-89, in the second game.

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	STREAK
Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters	3	0	1.000	-	W3
San Mig Coffee Mixers	2	0	1.000	0.5	W2
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel	2	1	0.667	1	L1
Rain or Shine Elasto Painters	2	1	0.667	1	W1
Meralco Bolts	2	2	0.500	1.5	L1
Alaska Aces	1	2	0.333	2	W1
Petron Blaze Boosters	1	2	0.333	2	L1
Barako Bull Energy	1	2	0.333	2	L2
GlobalPort Batang Pier	1	3	0.250	2.5	W1
Air 21 Express	1	3	0.250	2.5	L2

source: http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv/pba-results-standings-october-17-2012

MOA Arena exec ‘shocked’ by theft at Meralco locker room, promises investigation

Rey Joble, InterAKTV · Wednesday, October 17, 2012 · 10:35 pm

Meralco locker room. PBA/Nuki Sabio

As the clock struck 10 p.m. Wednesday, an investigation team headed by SM Mall of Asia Arena general manager Arnel Gonzales started the review of the CCTV to identify the perpetrators of a theft that took place inside the locker room of the Meralco Bolts in the first half of their encounter against the GlobalPort Batang Pier.
“We’re shocked. We were holding major events here and in the first five months that we’re operating this is the first time it happened,” Gonzales said during a short press conference.
“This is only the second time the PBA is holding scheduled games here and everybody’s still adjusting to our process. But we are doing everything to identify the perpetrators.”
PBA commissioner Chito Salud earlier said he wants MOA Arena to rectify its shortcomings by implementing tighter security measures for the safety of teams and their fans.
He also wanted the MOA Arena to indemnify in full the victims of the theft and robbery.
A PBA official, who requested anonymity, saw flaws in the MOA Arena security situation.
“Security plan flawed if there’s one. Locker room has a backdoor with a Mickey Mouse lock. We opened the door with the utmost of ease,” said the official.
“Alleyway opens up to this backdoor with no security personnel. CCTV tapes that could not be reviewed in house. Almost three hours passed and review has no outcome. I was told it will be provided to an outsourced agency. Apology provided by the staff, but not the general manager, who kept on defending.
Gonzales promised to get to the bottom of things.
“Meralco is our partner and as a matter of fact, they have their corporate box here. We will sort out everything that needs to be sorted out,” he said.
“As for the security, everything is in check. We received feedback coming from organizers and even the media that our security implements tight measures. That’s because we want to ensure the safety of everyone. It’s just unfortunate such thing happened at the back of our house.”
Gonzales said that despite the unfortunate incident, PBA games scheduled at MOA Arena will still push through.
“We honor our booking and I don’t think this incident will have any effect on the bookings of the PBA games here,” he said.

source: http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv/moa-arena-exec-shocked-by-robbery-at-meralco-locker-room-promises-investigation

Big blow for Boosters as Fajardo goes under knife By: Richard Dy

Petron rookie June Mar Fajardo will undergo surgery on Thursday at the Cardinal Santos hospital. Jerome Ascano

PETRON rookie June Mar Fajardo is set to go under the knife on Thursday to ease the swelling and stop the bleeding on his scrotum which was accidentally hit during the Boosters' game against San Mig Coffee on Sunday night.
The 6-10 slotman is set to undergo the procedure at the Cardinal Santos hospital, where he has been confined since Monday after scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in the Boosters' 84-90 loss to the Mixers.
According to Petron coach Olsen Racela, urologists attending to Fajardo said the swelling on the big man's scrotum has gone down since Monday but not significantly enough to avoid surgery.
"Malungkot ang team, pero ganyan talaga. Injuries are part of a player's life," Racela told Spin.ph.
The Cebuano rising star is set to be out of action for as much as four weeks. He can only resume regular physical activity after that long rest, Racel said.

Follow the writer on Twitter: @richava

source: http://www.spin.ph/sports/basketball/news/big-blow-for-boosters-as-fajardo-goes-under-knife#.UH5ZU_3MDgI.twitter