Santos waiting in the wings By Richard Dy

"Kung ako lang ang magde-desisyon, gusto ko maglaro sa national team," says Arwind Santos, one of five players being eyed by coach Chot Reyes to beef up Smart Gilas Pilipinas 2.0. Jerome Ascano 

ARWIND Santos has reiterated his eagerness to join Smart Gilas-Pilipinas 2.0 in the event national coach Chot Reyes decides to retool his roster, so long as he gets the green light from Petron management.
If the decision was his alone to make, Santos said he is more than willing to reinforce the Gilas team that topped the Jones Cup last month and finished fourth in the Fiba Asia Cup in Tokyo at the weekend.
The long-limbed forward was one of five players that Reyes said he hopes to bolster the team as he builds up for next year's Fiba Asia for Men (formerly ABC championships) in Beirut.
The others on Reyes' wish list are June Mar Fajardo, Greg Slaughter, Marc Pingris, and Kelly Williams. For the full story click here.
“Basta naman papayag ang management, nandito lang kami, naghihintay, ready lang na maglaro para sa bayan,” said the former Far Eastern University King Tamaraw.
"Pero kung ako lang ang magde-desisyon, gusto ko maglaro sa national team."
Santos has had a taste of international basketball in the past, having played for Yeng Guiao's team of PBA stars during the 2009 Fiba-Asia Championship For Men in Tianjin, China.
Having followed the national team’s campaign in the Fiba Asia Cup, Santos feels the current roster has somehow forged some kind of bonding – a factor that could work well for the team in the long run.
That's the reason the core of the team should be kept intact, he added.
“Lahat sila (referring to the Gilas players), deserving maglaro sa Gilas team. Malalaki lang din talaga ang nakalaban nila sa Asia Cup, pero para sa akin, kailangan talaga eh buo pa rin sana sila,” said Santos.
“ Yung intact pa rin ang line-up, kasi siyempre, kung ikukumpara mo ang Gilas sa mga nakalaban nila, selection pa lang kasi tayo, unlike yung ibang Asian countries, mga matatagal na magkasama,” added the five-time PBA All-Star.
Only two weeks ago, San Miguel Corp. sports director Noli Eala said SMC is not closing its doors on lending some of its top players to the national team.
In fact, Eala said Santos, Lassiter, and even playmaker Alex Cabagnot could be assets to this second batch of Smart Gilas team owing to their experience and tremendous basketball skills.
But the SMC official said the ball is now in Reyes' court, adding it is up to the national coach to extend invitations to the Petron superstars to play for the national team in the future.

source: http://www.spin.ph/sports/basketball/special-reports/santos-waiting-for-gilas-call-up-and-green-light-from-smc-management

Wesley Gonzales Players Info

Wesley Gonzales

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wesley Gonzales
Position	Small Forward/Shooting Guard
Current Team	San Mig Coffee Mixers
Personal Info
Country	Philippines
Born	July 27, 1980 (age 32) Manila, Philippines
Height	6 ft. 4 in.
Weight	180 lbs.
College	Ateneo de Manila University
Career Highlights
Draft	2004, 9th overall by FedEx Express
Pro Career	2004 – present
Also played for	FedEx Express (2004–2006) San Miguel Beermen/Magnolia Beverage Masters (2006-2009) Coca-Cola Tigers (2009-2010) Burger King Whoppers/Air21 Express (2010-2011) Alaska Aces (2011-2012)

Wesley O. Gonzales (born July 27, 1980 in Manila, Philippines) is a Filipino professional basketball player. He will play for the San Mig Coffee Mixersin the Philippine Basketball Association.

Player Profile

At 6-foot-4, Gonzales played for the 2002 UAAP championship squad of the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles, and was named co-Finals MVP, along with teammate Larry Fonacier. He was drafted 9th overall in the 2004 PBA Draft by the FedEx Express. In 2006, he was traded to theSan Miguel Beermen and in late 2009 he became a player of the Coca-Cola Tigers before eventually going back to Air21. On May 16, 2011, theAlaska Aces moved to shore up a critical weakness and strengthened their guard corps by acquiring Wesley in exchange for their 2010 PBA Draft 4th pick overall, Elmer Espiritu.

San Mig Coffee Mixers Fans Day

By: Admin Redgh

The First San Mig Coffee Mixer's Fans Day was held in 1esplanade (http://www.1esplanade.com/) on September 24, 2012 2:30 PM. Ito ay dinanaluhan ng mahigit kumulang 500 Fans , SMC Employee and Press.

Naging maayos at matiwasay ang proseso at pag asikaso sa mga Fans na dumalo.

Ang mga sumusunod ay mga Activities bago ang Official Program:

1. Registration 
2. Photobooth : Instant Upload sa FAcebook ng Fans photo na may SMCM Background and Autolike sa Offical Fan Page ng San Mig Coffee Mixers( http://www.facebook.com/sanmigcoffeemixersph)
3. Shot That Ball 
4. Free Taste on SMC Products

Nagsimula ng Programa sa Pagsasayaw ng mga Mixers Cheering Squad.

At isa-isang Ipinakilala ang Official na Line-Up ng SMCM para AFC Cup ng AKTV Host na SI Benjie Santiago.

The following are San Mig Coffee Mixers Official Line-Up:

1. James Yap 
2. Pj Simon
3. Marc Pingris
4. Jonas Villaunueva
5. Yancy De Ocampo
6. Mark Barroca
7. Rafi Reavis
8. JC Intal
9. Joe Devance
10. Chris Pacana
11. Jerwin Gaco
12. Aldrech Ramos
13. Gian Chiu
14. Jewel Ponferrada
15. Wesley Gonzales

Matapos ang Pagpapakilala sa mga Players ay ipinakilala rin ang Coaching Staff at Management.

The Following are the Coaching Staff and Management of SMCM:

1. Tim Cone - Head Coach
2. Jeffrey Cariaso - Asst Coach
3. Coy Banal - Asst Coach
4. Jhonny Abarrientos - Asst Coach
5. Richard Del Rosario -Asst Coach
6. Alvin Patrimonio - Team Manager
7. Gov. Pardo 
8. atbp

Matapos ang pagpapakilala ay ang pagsayaw ng mga Players ng Gangnam Style at pagkanta ng Call Me Maybe.

Ipinakita din ang Official ng Logo ng SMCM Planet.

Matapos ay ipinaalam din ang bagong huddle shout out at ito ay "1,2,3, San Mig Cofee Mixers Still Together". 

Ang sumunod na naganap ay ang pinakaaabangan ng lahat ng mga Fans. Bumuo ng 15 ng Group and Each Group ay may 15 members. 15 members will form a circle. Sa bawat Cirle lahat ng SMCM Players ay pupunta sa designated Group Number sa loob ng dalawang minuto. Sa loob ng dalawang minuto ay lahat ng 15 member ng Group ay may makausap ang bawat Players, makapagpapicture, makausap at magpa-authograph. Saya diba?

At hindi apa dyan natatapos. Lahat ng Players at Fans ay nanumpa sa Pamumuno ng Bagong Team Captain sa Jonas Villanueva.

Matapos nito ay ang Photo-shot ng bawat Groups ayon sa pagkakasunod sa lahat ng Players, Coaches, Staff at Management sa Ibabaw ng Stage at lahat ng Fans ay makakatangap ng Give Aways at Snack.

At Hanggang dyan lng po ang aking nasaksihan sa  First San Mig Coffee Mixer's Fans Day.

Cone doesn't see himself, or anyone, surpassing Dalupan's great achievement

September 25, 2012

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  0 TIM Cone may be on course to catching - if not surpassing - Baby Dalupan for the most titles in PBA history, but as far as he's concerned there's one thing he and anyone else can't take away from 'The Maestro.'
The tag of greatest coach of all time.
“We (B-Meg) were one win away from tying coach Baby Dalupan’s 15 titles. But throughout history, Baby Dalupan is our greatest coach,” Cone said during Monday night’s press launch of the former B-Meg Derby Ace team's renaming to San Mig Coffee at  the 1Esplanade in Pasay City.
"Winning 15 titles in maybe a span of about 15 or 16 years makes him the greatest coach of all time. But it took me about 24 years to win those 14 championships," Cone added.
Cone’s first 13 PBA championships all came with Alaska, his only team from 1989 till his departure last year. These included the pro league’s third grand slam, a feat also achieved by the legendary Crispa squad under Dalupan and by San Miguel Beer in 1989 under Norman Black.
With an intact lineup that reached two Finals and won one championship in the Commissioner’s Cup last season as well as key additions like rookie Aldreche Ramos, Jewel Ponferada and the 6’8” Gian Chiu, Cone has high hopes the Mixers will be right in the championship mix again when the PBA unveils its 38th season this Sunday.
Still, Cone said they are not even thinking of winning a grand slam at this point even though he has more talent this coming season compared to last year.
But one thing he has set his sights on is an All-Filipino title.
“I don’t think winning the grand slam is something we’re thinking about right now. But we’re  really looking at winning the All-Filipino because is truly, truly, truly the crown jewel. It’s the conference where you don’t have imports to rely on, but you play with your local players. And when you win the All-Filipino, you’re consideredthe best team in the country,” said Cone.
The San Mig Coffee franchise has won a total of five All-Filipino (or Philippine Cup) championships since the team joined the league in 1988.

Source: http://www.spin.ph/sports/basketball/news/cone-doesnt-see-himself-or-anyone-surpassing-dalupans-great-achievement

Alaska almost perfect in buildup for new season

September 24, 2012

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CEBU CITY - Alaska capped a successful sojourn to the South with a 76-65 win over M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Ninos, 76-65, on Sunday at the Cebu Coliseum.

The win gave the Aces a perfect 3-0 win-loss record to rule the four-team Mayor Mike Rama Cup and head to the 2012 PBA Philippine Cup on a high. The Aces defeated San Mig Coffee, 84-77, late Saturday night with JV Casio scoring 18 points.

The Aces, coming off one of their worst seasons in franchise history, are now 6-1 in the preseason.

Tony Dela Cruz led the way for Alaska with 13 points while Cyrus Baguio, who played his high school ball at Southwestern University, added 10.

M. Lhuillier got 12 points each from Mark Magsumbol and Abby Santos.

The match was controlled by Alaska from the second period and although the Niños launched several rallies, the Aces managed to hold them off.

The Aces led by as many as 15 points but the Niños sliced it to just four, 58-62, after a three-point bomb by Stephen Padilla.

Alaska then increased the advantage with a 10-1 run, with Nic Belasco hitting an undergoal stab and Baguio slicing down the lane for a spectacular lay-in.

Local hero Dondon Hontiveros finished things with a lay-up off a nice cut along the baseline for a 72-59 lead, two minutes left in the game.

Alaska blew the game wide open in the second quarter with a sizzling 20-2 run that gave them a 37-25 lead at halftime after trailing 17-23.

Source: http://www.spin.ph/sports/basketball/news/aces-top-four-team-meet-in-cebu

Reyes eyes Fajardo, Slaughter, Santos, Pingris and Williams to fill holes in Gilas lineup By the staff

Gilas coach Chot Reyes says players like June Mar Fajardo, Greg Slaughter, Arwind Santos, Kelly Williams and Marc Pingris are needed to address weaknesses in the national lineup. Jerome Ascano

JUNE Mar Fajardo, Greg Slaughter, Arwind Santos, Kelly Williams, and Marc Pingris are on Chot Reyes’ wish list as the Smart Gilas Pilipinas 2.0 coach looks to close gaps in his lineup in the wake of a fourth-place finish in the Fiba Asia Cup in Tokyo.
Arriving from Japan on Sunday afternoon, Reyes said a Tokyo campaign which Gilas ended with lopsided losses to Iran and Qatar exposed two glaring holes in his lineup – the need for a backup for Ranidel de Ocampo at power forward and a couple of big men that could keep the Nationals respectable in the middle when naturalized player Marcus Douthit takes a breather.
Reyes also said he is keen to test how Talk ‘N Text guard Jason Castro will fare under the Gilas setup, the same way he gave Sol Mercado a chance to show his wares during the title run in the Jones Cup and Jarred Dillinger during the Tokyo campaign.
“Glaring [na butas talaga] ang backup to Marcus and backup to Ranidel. Hopefully we can get a Slaughter or a Fajardo and then Kelly, Arwind and Ping (Pingris). ‘Yun naman talaga ang nasa pool eh,” Reyes said.
“And we need to see Jason (Castro) playing. Kailangan i-test. Na test na natin Jarred, mukhang kaya. Kailangan si Jason naman [ang bigyan ng opportunity].”
At the same time, Reyes said Garvo Lanete, Matt Rosser, Ian Sangalang, Ronald Pascual and Slaughter will be invited to be part of Sinag Pilipinas, the national team’s ‘B’ pool which he also hopes to bolster by holding tryouts for Fil-American prospects in the United States.
Reyes said an evaluation will be made on the team in the next few weeks, with an eye on the Fiba Asia for Men (formerly the ABC) tournament next year in Lebanon, where the top three finishers earn berths to the following year’s world basketball championships.
All members of the Jones Cup and Tokyo teams deserve to remain in the pool, Reyes said, but he added that no one at this point is guaranteed a spot in his 12-man lineup.
“What I can definitely say is this is an evaluation. Hindi maiiwasan yon. There’s gonna be an evaluation and whatever changes that need to be made will be made,” Reyes said. “But right now too it’s early to tell kung sino ang masasama.
“I think the players that went to Taipei and Japan, they all deserve to be in the pool. Now if they’re going to make the final twelve di pa natin alam.”

However, Reyes said he hopes the PBA will address a “gray area” in the memorandum of agreement on the lending of players to the national team so he can have a better idea on who will be available for him in the buildup for the Asian championships.

“Again that’s always a gray area. Hopefully we can get a more definite commitment in that regard,” Reyes said.

Curiously, Reyes was silent on a possible reshuffle of his armada of shooters, even though shooting had been Gilas’ Achilles heel in Tokyo. The team went a combined 24-of-113 from three-point range in the games that mattered in the Asia Cup, with no one among Jeff Chan, Gary David, Larry Fonacier, LA Tenorio , Gabe Norwood and Dillinger getting into any rhythm in Tokyo.

Reyes, however, said he hopes the PBA will adopt Fiba rules on traveling violations and start using the same rims that are used in Fiba-sanctioned tournaments, which players swore are firmer and as a result cause bigger bounces than the ones used in local leagues.

“If I can ask the PBA board and my fellow coaches if they’re willing to adopt the Fiba rules on traveling in the PBA. Number two, kung pwede palitan ang rim – rim lang ‘di ang board that fits Fiba’s. Malaking bagay 'din yon. If we don’t make outside shots against the big teams, we’ll have a hard time winning,” Reyes said.

“We have to get used to that kind of rim and to shooting against much bigger opponents and it will only come by continuously playing against much bigger teams.”

Looking back, Reyes said the Jones Cup and Tokyo tournaments have shown how good Gilas has become after just two overseas stints – and how much better it can be.

“Before this whole thing started, if someone said we’ll have one first [place] and one fourth, we’ll be happy. Kaya lang ngayon malungkot tayo, we all know we could have done better in Japan,” the Gilas coach said.

“But then again, we have to remember it’s just second tournament of the team, marami pang igagaling itong team na ito. Even after Taipei, we didn’t have any illusion sa tournament sa Japan and ang ganda nyan, more than anything else, we know how much more we have to go, how much longer we have to go if we’re to contend [sa Asian championships] next year.”

source: http://www.spin.ph/sports/basketball/news/reyes-eyes-fajardo-slaughter-santos-pingris-and-williams-to-fill-holes-in-gilas-lineup

Fiba Asia Cup: Philippines settles for fourth after defeat to Qatar

September 22, 2012 2:48pm

The Philippines was forced to settle for fourth place in the Fiba Asia Cup after falling 79-63 to Qatar, Saturday in Tokyo, Japan.

Trailing by nine at the break, Gilas got within three, 41-38, on a two-pointer by Gary David off his own miss, a little over four minutes into the third. However, the Philippines went silent in the final two minutes of the period as Qatar built their lead back to seven, 55-48.

Two charities by Omer Salem made it an 11-point affair, 59-48, with 8:19 left in the game, and though charities by David off a technical foul called on the Qatar coach had it down to seven anew, four straight triples by Qatar burnt the Philippines. That put the Gilas quintet in an insurmountable hole, 73-56 with three minutes left.

Marcus Douthit shook off an ankle sprain in the second period to lead the Filipinos with 17 points and nine rebounds in 36 minutes of play. Gary David added 15 on 5-of-13 shooting, while Jared Dillinger chimed in 12 markers.

Jones Cup MVP LA Tenorio played just six minutes, and chipped in two points, an assist and a steal off the bench.

Qatar hit just one more field goal than the Philippines, 26-5, but they were 9-of-27 from downtown, compared to a measly 2-of-18. The Smart Gilas five were also out-rebounded 47-31, but they at least controlled their turnovers, committing only 11. - AMD, GMA News

SOURCE GMANETWORK.COM