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Sunday, November 4, 2012

Player who used to take LRT, jeeps to practice has come a long way By Richard Dy



“Pumupunta kasi si Marc Pingris sa iskwelahan namin kapag offseason. Nagtuturo siya sa akin ng mga pointers. Sabi nga (ni Marc) magkita na lang daw kami sa PBA. At hayun, nagkita na nga kami,” says Vic Manuel.Jerome Ascano
WHEN Globalport played San Mig Coffee on Wednesday night, it marked the realization of a pact Mixers star Marc Pingris made with Vic Manuel years ago, back when Manuel was still struggling to learn the fine points of the game while playing for the Philippine School of Business Administration Jaguars.
“Pumupunta kasi si Marc Pingris sa iskwelahan namin kapag offseason. Nagtuturo siya sa akin ng mga pointers,” said Manuel of his fellow PSBA alumni, moments after San Mig’s 82-78 victory over the Batang Pier in the PBA Philippine Cup.
“Sabi nga (ni Marc) magkita na lang daw kami sa PBA. At hayun, nagkita na nga kami nung nagharap teams namin.”
Once in a while, the PBA draft unearths gems from among unheralded players who did not go through the normal big-school route. Manuel was that guy this season - an undersized forward who was never considered PBA material while toiling in nondescript leagues for a long time.
The jump to the professional ranks therefore marks a significant step both in the life and career of  the 6-3 forward, who, struggling financially, admits riding on jeepneys and jostling for places in crowded LRT trains while travelling to and from practice up until he reached the pros.
“Mahirap talaga nuon, nagtutulakan sa loob ng tren,” Manuel told Spin.ph. “Pero talagang kailangan lang magsikap. Mahirap din lang naman kasi kami eh.”
Manuel also admitted it took him six years to finish his college course at PSBA, only because he had to stop going to school every now and then while trying to earn extra cash barnstorming small-time leagues in the provinces.
“Wala talaga akong pera noon,” he said. “Kaya pahinto-hinto ako ng paglaro at pag-aral sa PSBA.”
The Subic-born cager credits two men for his transformation from an awkward-moving player often ridiculed during games to a first-round pick in the pro league.
One was Pingris, who was both a mentor and inspiration to Manuel. The other was cage great Philip Cezar, his coach at PSBA who Manuel said painstakingly turned him into a player good enough to play in the college leagues.
“Si coach Philip ang nagturo sa akin ng basketball. Siya ang nag-train sa akin,” he said. “Di talaga ako marunong nung dumating ako sa school. Tinatawanan nga ako nung simula kasi di ako marunong talaga nuon.
“Kaya lahat ng pinupuntahan ko na laro, nakikinig talaga ako.”
If there was one player who paid his dues to get to the top level, it should be Manuel. Through sheer hard work, a player deemed too small to play power forward and too slow to be a guard in the big leagues started getting noticed.
First came the MVP award he won in the defunct PBL while playing for the Pharex B squad under coach Aboy Castro. Then came the Jaguars’ victory over Olivarez College which ended the school’s seven-year title drought in the Universities Colleges Athletic Association (UCAA) tournament.
But Manuel’s star turn came in the PBA D-League where he won the MVP award in the Aspirants Cup after leading Cebuana Lhuillier to a semifinal finish.
This season's rookie draft saw the player realize his dream. He was picked in the first round at No. 9 overall by league newcomer Globalport and immediately signed to a contract that guarantees him more money than he has ever laid his hands on in his lifetime.
And oh, Manuel has finally been able to buy a car - a brand-new Toyota Innova.
Follow the writer on Twitter: @richava

Losing spell has chipped away at Kings' confidence, admits Helterbrand By Gerry Ramos



Mark Caguioa shows the Kings' frustration after James Yap and Co. ran away with a lopsided win. Jerome Ascano
THE confidence is obviously not there for a Barangay Ginebra squad that is currently on a funk in the PBA Philippine Cup.
Veteran guard JayJay Helterbrand admitted the Kings are not playing with swagger the way they should do, and the free fall has chipped away at the popular team's confidence as the losses pile up.
The latest loss came Sunday night when the league’s most popular ballclub fell to San Mig Coffee Mixers, 68-78, suffering their fifth straight loss in a game that should've been declared a no-contest had it been a boxing match.
“It seems to me no one has the confidence inside the floor, and it showed offensively and defensively,” said the former league MVP, the first player to emerge from the gloomy Ginebra dugout at the Big Dome after the mismatch.
“I think a lot of guys are really losing confidence, and that’s showing on the court.”
The Kings fell behind to the Mixers by as much as 22 points in a game that saw them held to just eight points in the first quarter.
In all, Ginebra shot 35 percent from the field on 29-of-81 clip.
Helterbrand, one half of the Kings' popular duo along with Mark Caguioa, was one of three players who sat out injured, aside from Kerby Raymundo (flu) and Dylan Ababou (knee).
Helterbrand is nursing a pulled hamstring and watching his team helplessly from the bench frustrates him.
“We’re playing bad, there’s no secret to that,” he admitted. “I don’t know what’s going on (or) what the problem is.”
Even a team meeting among players last week appeared to not have done the team any good judging from the way the Kings played against James Yap and the rest of the Mixers.
“Things were said, suggestions were made to make the team better. It's just that it didn’t work, I don’t know,” said the Fil-Am guard. “It’s gonna need more than just one meeting to turn the season around. Not just because we have a meeting everything will be perfect.”
For the moment, Helterbrand can only offer one thing to his beloved Ginebra squad.
“When thing is going bad, you have to stay positive. That’s all we could do right now.”
Follow the writer on Twitter: @gerardmos
Source: http://www.spin.ph/sports/basketball/news/losses-has-chipped-away-at-kings-confidence-admits-helterbrand

San Mig can't put a foot wrong in extending misery of sorry Ginebra By Richard Dy



San Mig Coffee's PJ Simon scampers for the loose ball against two Ginebra players. Jerome Ascano
PLAYING with more urgency, San Mig Coffee turned its huge advantage in size and depth into a sound 78-68 beating of a disoriented Barangay Ginebra San Miguel squad on Sunday night in the main game of a PBA Philippine Cup triple bill at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Joe Devance presided over the Mixers’ easy win over the Gin Kings, banging in four triples en route to an 18-point, five-rebound output to help extend San Mig Coffee’s winning streak to three while extending the losing spell of the league's most popular club to five games.
The Mixers also turned up their defense a notch as they improved to 5-2 overall, forcing a three-way logjam for second place with idle Alaska and Rain or Shine, which earlier drubbed Meralco, 106-81.
“We played a great defensive game tonight. I think they (Gin Kings) shot themselves in the foot a few times when they missed some layups,” said San Mig Coffee head coach Tim Cone.
Compounding the Gin Kings’ woes was the injury of guard Dylan Ababou, who felt something pop on his right knee late in the first quarter. He was expected to be brought to St. Luke’s Medical Center to have his knee checked for a possible torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament).
Ababou, the former University of Santo Tomas star, joined Kerby Raymundo (flu) on the Kings' growing injured list. Allein Maliksi was also reported to be nursing an injured ankle, though he suited up in the game.
The Mixers’ defense threw the Gin Kings out of their supposed running game. The crowd favorite had a total of 23 turnovers, with key players Mark Caguioa, LA Tenorio and Chris Ellis, contributing four turnovers each.
Overall the Gin Kings shot just 35.8 percent (29-of-81) as the Mixers were all over them from start to finish.
Ginebra fans from the sellout crowd numbering 19,781 that came to witness the first confrontation between San Mig Coffee and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel this season started heading for the exits with still a couple of minutes left in the non-contest.
“I felt that we’ve been trying to win the game with our offense and with our talent. Now, we’re putting emphasis on defense. That’s what we try to instill in everybody, and take pride in being a defensive team first,” added Cone.
The Gin Kings fell to 2-5, in the company of Air21, just one rung above cellar-dweller Globalport (1-7). The fifth loss in a row was the team's longest losing streak since it lost the same number of matches during the 2009 Fiesta Conference.
San Mig Coffee had three other players scoring in double-figures. James Yap finished with 14, PJ Simon 13 and Marc Pingris 11, along with nine rebounds.
Mark Caguioa led Barangay Ginebra with 16 points while Tenorio added 12.
The scores:
San Mig Coffee 78 - Devance 18, Yap 14, Simon 13, Pingris 11, De Ocampo 7, Barroca 6, Reavis 4, Villanueva 3, Intal 2, Gonzales 0
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel 68 - Caguioa 16, Tenorio 12, Ellis 11, Jensen 8, Mamaril 7, Maierhofer 6, Cortez 6, Ababou 2, Espiritu 0, Wilson 0, Hatfield 0
Quarterscores: 15-8, 41-29, 61-45, 78-68
Follow the writer on Twitter: @richava

Classic beatdown: San Mig Coffee grounds Ginebra, deals Gin Kings fifth straight defeat



PBA/Nuki Sabio
San Mig Coffee pulled off a masterful 78-68 win against undermanned Barangay Ginbera San Miguel to share the second spot with two other teams in the finale of a rare triple-header in the 2013 PBA Philippine Cup Sunday at the jampacked SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
The Coffee Mixers found the right mix early in the game, while the Gin Kings never found its rhythm to absorb their fifth straight defeat after starting the tournament with back-to-back wins.
The win shoved San Mig Coffee into a triple tie for the No. 2 position in the standings with Rain or Shine and the streaking Alaska with identical 5-2 win-loss records.
Joe Devance fired a game-high 18 points, including back-to-back three-pointers that helped the Mixers pull away. They erected their biggest lead at 73-51 with 7:30 remaining in the game.
Ginebra never had a serious run since.
James Yap added 14 points while Peter June Simon and Marc Pingris contributed 13 and 11, respectively, for San Mig Coffee.
“We played a great defensive game plan. There were times that Ginebra could shoot us on the foot but they missed lay-ups. Their layups won’t fall and it happens when you lose some games,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone.
“We did play good defensively, although [we got] a little sloppy in the fourth. But we’re sharp defensively.”
Already without Kerby Raymudo (flu), Ginebra lost another player in Dylan Ababou in the first half due to a suspected torn ACL. Gin Kings coach Siot Tanquingcen did not utilize Jayjay Helterbrand (hamstring) and Allein Maliksi (ankle injury) who were also nursing injuries in the game.
It is Ginebra’s longest losing streak since dropping five straight in the elimination round of the 2009 Fiesta Conference.
Mark Caguioa led the Gin Kings with 16 points while LA Tenorio and Chris Ellis added 12 and 11, respectively.
The scores:
SA NMIG COFFEE 78 – Devance 18, Yap 14, Simon 13, Pingris 11, De Ocampo 7, Barroca 6, Reavis 4, Villanueva 3, Intal 2, Gonzales 0.
GINEBRA 68 – Caguioa 16, Tenorio 12, Ellis 11, Jensen 8, Mamaril 7, Maierhofer 6, Cortez 6, Ababou 2, Espiritu 0, Wilson 0, Hatfield 0.
Quarters: 15-8, 41-29, 61-45, 78-68

SOURCE: http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv/classic-beatdown-san-mig-coffee-grounds-ginebra-deal-gin-kings-fifth-straight-defeat

PBA: San Mig Coffee Mixers vs Brgy Ginebra San Miguel - November 4, 2012 Replay



PBA: San Mig Coffee Mixers vs Brgy Ginebra San Miguel - November 4, 2012 Replay
PBA: San Mig Coffee Mixers vs Brgy Ginebra San Miguel - November 4, 2012 Replay here on Pinoy Channel. The actual 2012–13 PBA time of year may be the thirty eighth time of year from the Filipino Golf ball Organization. The growing season officially opened up upon Sept thirty, this, as well as likely to complete about Aug 2013. The growing season carried on to make use of the actual three-conference file format, beginning with the actual Filipino Mug, as well as conventional All-Filipino Meeting. The actual middle of the time of year Commissioner's Mug will certainly still function limitless elevation restrict with regard to imports. The final meeting from the time of year, the actual Governors Mug may have imports having a 6'5" elevation restrict.
    

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Read more: http://www.pinoyechannel.com/2012/11/pba-san-mig-coffee-mixers-vs-brgy.html#ixzz2BIs7SS7B

San Mig outclasses listless Ginebra five By Musong R. Castillo



PJ SImon vs Mark Caguioa. PBA IMAGES by Nuki Sabio
Before the season’s biggest crowd, San Mig Coffee tore Barangay Ginebra San Miguel to shreds, 78-68, last night in what was supposed to be the thrilling finale to a rare tripleheader.
The Mixers rebounded from a pathetic start and held the Gin Kings to just eight points in the first quarter to post leads of as many as 22 points before coasting to their third straight win and a share of second place in the PBA Philippine Cup.
Joe Devance hit two triples in a torrid fourth-quarter stretch as the Mixers broke the game wide open and prompted many of the close to 20,000 Smart Araneta Coliseum fans to form bee lines to the exits.
San Mig won its previous two games despite not being in its best form, but its fifth win in seven outings was so clinical that Ginebra looked like it didn’t belong in the same class as the Mixers.
“We played a great defensive game tonight and there were times that Ginebra shot themselves in the foot with missed layups and such,” San Mig’s Tim Cone said later. “That happens in the midst of a downtime, when you lose some games.”
This latest loss was not just “some” for the Kings, who took a fifth straight defeat flush on the chin, their 2-5 card now good for an eighth-place tie with idle Air21.
Devance finished with 18 points and was named Best Player of the Game even as James Yap, Peter June Simon and Marc Pingris all finished in twin digits.
Ginebra came into the game with three veterans on the injured list, and the Kings also lost Dylan Ababou early to a suspected ACL injury.
The Kings actually started with an 8-1 lead, but the first quarter ended with Ginebra trailing, 8-15, after going scoreless for most of the last six minutes of the quarter.
Mark Caguioa led the Kings with 16 points, all scored in the final three periods.
The scores:
Third Game
SANMIG COFFEE 78—Devance 18, Yap 14, Simon 13, Pingris 11, De Ocampo 7, Barroca 6, Reavis 4, Villanueva 3, Intal 2, Gonzales 0.
GINEBRA 68—Caguioa 16, Tenorio 12, Ellis 11, Jensen 8, Mamaril 7, Maierhofer 6, Cortez 6, Ababou 2, Espiritu 0, Wilson 0, Hatfield 0.
Quarters: 15-8, 41-29, 61-45, 78-68