THE STANDS: An INQUIRER Sports Newsletter

 

December 6, 2024

National U wowed the crowd with their out-of-this-world routine. (UAAP MEDIA)

Hey there sports fan, How about those NU cheerdancers, huh? They became the third team to win the annual spectacle eight times, tying the record shared by University of Santo Tomas and University of the Philippines. And immediately, the team said it was gunning for more victories. The National U Pep Squad has been described as being "out of this world" several times in the past. So the team coaches decided to make that their theme, wowing the crowd with jaw-dropping stunts on the way to their latest triumph. Indeed, the spectacular performances of the eight schools were a welcome respite from the breathless basketball action that UAAP Season 87 has produced so far. And we're now in the homestretch of those tournaments. The men's and women's finals will begin and four teams are looking to be the last two squads standing. We'll keep you covered throughout that busy stretch of basketball action. And it's not any cooler on the other side of the varsity fence. Mapua started out strong in the NCAA men's basketball finals, whipping a St. Benilde squad that had been the favorites for most of this season. Don't count out the Blazers, though. They're not the type to just roll over. By the way, the women's finals in the UAAP will feature UST's Kent Pastrana, who will lead the defending champion UST Tigresses against a dominant NU Lady Bulldogs.  Do you know from what program Pastrana was recruited? Answer can be found at the end of this email.

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La Salle is more ready to face UP than it was last season. (UAAP MEDIA)

Meanwhile on Plus... La Salle came into last season's UAAP men's basketball finals against UP unprepared. They still won the crown. Will the Maroons stand a chance in the rematch, considering that the Archers swear they are much more prepared than they were last year? Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo needed just a spark of inspiration to revive her hunger for international glory. She found that spark in a grassroots tournament she is quite familiar with.  "Really, really hungry," was how Gel Cayuna described her HD Spikers teammates this conference. Cignal wants to make up for all those shortcomings and vows to go all out to win the crown this time. What we're up to next: We'll bring you stories, updates, features and highlights from the basketball finals of UAAP Season 87 and the historic NCAA Season 100. Can Mapua hang on? Will St. Benilde fight back? Keep it here. We'll also cover extensively the PBA Commissioner's Cup and the PVL All -Filipino Conference. We will bring youy some football features as well as the men's national team prepares to compete in the Asean Football Federation championship. Number of the Week: 2 Players who have made at least 3,000 triples in the NBA. James Harden breached that mark, allowing him to join Steph Curry as the only players to achieve that feat so far.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “They said from the start it’s gonna be a war going in there. We have two more games we have to lock in to.” —Quentin Millora-Brown, UP Maroons big man, on facing defending champion La Salle in the UAAP Finals.

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La Salle. That's the answer to the trivia question above. Think you can ace the rest of our weekly sports quiz? head over to our Viber community and try the test out! Buy the Inquirer at newsstands, subscribe to our digital edition, Inquirer Plus, visit our online site and follow us on socials (Twitter: @inquirersports; FB: facebook.com/inquirersports) for more stories and updates—or to send us questions or suggestions of stories you'd want to read. See you next Friday! Francis Francis T. J. Ochoa is the Sports Editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. For comments, suggestions and questions, hit him up on Twitter (@ftjochoaINQ).

The STANDS: An I NQUIRER Sports Newsletter

 

November 29, 2024

Carl Tamayo (right) and Kevin Quiambao came up huge for Gilas Pilipinas in the game against Hong Kong. (AUGUST DELA CRUZ)

Hey there sports fan, Still salivating for more Gilas Pilipinas content? We've got a few recommended reads for you. Faced against Hong Kong and with a shot at clearing a path to the main tournament of the Fiba Asia Cup next year, Gilas Pilipinas hungered for a quick lead so it could also provide court time for its young stars. Things turned out even better. Unable to peel away from a stubborn Hong Kong squad, coach Tim Cone went to his young stars anyway, and they were the ones who fueled Gilas' breakaway in the second half.  Carl Tamayo, Kevin Quiambao, Mason Amos. They all had a hand in the victory. That win over Hong Kong at Mall of Asia Arena, coupled by a win by New Zealand over Taiwan, assured the Philippines of a spot in the continental championships set in Saud Arabia next year. That left the Philippines with two no-bearing games in its schedule. But Cone will make those matches meaningful by using them to prepare Gilas Pilipinas on how to win on the road. Meanwhile, here's a freebie, easy-peasy trivia question: Of the youngsters mentioned here, which one led Gilas Pilipinas in scoring against Hong Kong?  Check your answer at the end of this email.

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Jordan Heading opened his PBA career by helping Converge craft a victory over the team that drafted him. (PBA IMAGES)

Meanwhile on Plus... Big imports. A celebrated swap between Terrafirma and San Miguel Beer. There were so many new things to look forward to at the start of the PBA Commissioner's Cup. Throw in Jordan Heading's debut as well.  Out of the frying pan and into the fire? Adamson cooked University of the East during their knockout game for a Final Four spot. The prize for the Falcons? An extended stint that many believe could last just one game. For coach Nash Racela, it doesn't matter. Speaking of Gilas Pilipinas, the team has been on a run of success recently, yes? A win over Latvia. Another upset over New Zealand. Ask Tim Cone, however, and he'll tell you: You ain't seen nothing yet. What we're up to next: It's the PBA Commissioner's Cup and we've got you covered with our steady stream of stories, updates and features. We'll also highlight college basketball as the NCAA heads to its championship round while the UAAP begins Final Four week. And then there's UAAP women's basketball, too! Plus, we've got you covered when it comes to all the great stories in the PVL All-Filipino Conference. Number of the Week: 4 Formula 1 drivers' championshiops already won by Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who clinched this season's crown after finishing fifth in the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “Since there is no superstar in this team, we are going to be a super team.” —Cess Robles, Chery Tiggo spiker, on the Crossovers losing key players before the PVL All-Filipino CUp started.

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Carl Tamayo. That's the answer to the trivia question above. Think you can ace the rest of our weekly sports quiz? head over to our Viber community and try the test out! Buy the Inquirer at newsstands, subscribe to our digital edition, Inquirer Plus, visit our online site and follow us on socials (Twitter: @inquirersports; FB: facebook.com/inquirersports) for more stories and updates—or to send us questions or suggestions of stories you'd want to read. See you next Friday! Francis Francis T. J. Ochoa is the Sports Editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. For comments, suggestions and questions, hit him up on Twitter (@ftjochoaINQ).

The STANDS: An INQUIRER Sports Newsletter

 

November 22, 2024

Chris Newsome knocked down the dagger trey that iced Gilas Pilipinas' upset of New Zealand. (AUGUST DELA CRUZ)

Hey there sports fan, It was one of those "Where were you when..." moments in sports. The Philippines, long suffering from a string of defeats to Asia-Oceania powerhouse New Zealand, finally broke through in front of 16,666 screaming fans at Mall of Asia Arena late Thursday evening. The Filipinos stunned the Kiwis, 93-89, behind a strong third quarter, a steely fourth quarter and one big triple from Chris Newsome. Newsome's triple preserved huge performances from his teammates, notably Justin Brownlee, who had a game-high 26 points, and Kai Sotto, who punched in an all-around performance of 19 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks. It was certainly a night to remember for basketball-loving Filipinos, and the win gives Gilas Pilipinas all the momentum it needs for Sunday's showdown against Fiba Asia lightweight Hong Kong. Fans were able to tune in to the match on TV and on livestream, what with the UAAP going on a break to free up everyone's basketball calendar. The last time we saw the UAAP, La Salle was safely tucked at the No. 1 spot while University of the Philippines locked up the No. 2 position. Both teams will have twice-to-beat protection heading into the Final Four. UP will face the University of Santo Tomas Tigers, while La Salle's opponent is still unknown. University of the East is precariously standing at the fourth spot, but Adamson can force a playoff for the last semifinal berth with a win over Ateneo on Wednesday. Seriously, where were you when Gilas Pilipinas finally beat the Tall Blacks? Speaking of Gilas, who was named coach of the national youth basketball program recently? The answer to this trivia question can be found at the end of this email.

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Iris Tolenada has been a guiding light for her team—and for young volleyball players.  (PVL IMAGES)

Meanwhile on Plus... We don't talk a lot about Iris Tolenada when we have conversations about volleyball superstars. We should. The University of the Philippines didn't run out of motivation when it faced University of the East in a game that had absolutely no bearing for the Fighting Maroons. No surprise there. In Greek mythology, Thea (sometimes spelled Theia), is the goddess of light, sight and vision. ZUS Coffee, in the PVL, settled for the mortal version. The UST Tigers are not reaching back for inspiration as they face a long Final Four climb. The Tigers are writing their own story. What we're up to next: We'll be reporting more on Gilas Pilipinas' victory over New Zealand as we look forward to the next Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers game against Hong Kong. When that's done, we will return to regular programming starting with the Adamson-Ateneo match on Wednesday, which University of the East will keenly observe. Of course, we'll have more volleyball features, so keep it here. Number of the Week: 5 Number of games it took before the Philippines finally beat New Zealand in an official Fiba game.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “We haven't seen our best team yet and we've been able to beat No. 6 and No. 22.” —Tim Cone, national team coach, on Gilas Pilipinas' victory over world No. 6 Latvia and world No. 22 New Zealand.

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LA Tenorio. That's the answer to the trivia question above. Think you can ace the rest of our weekly sports quiz? head over to our Viber community and try the test out! Buy the Inquirer at newsstands, subscribe to our digital edition, Inquirer Plus, visit our online site and follow us on socials (Twitter: @inquirersports; FB: facebook.com/inquirersports) for more stories and updates—or to send us questions or suggestions of stories you'd want to read. See you next Friday! Francis Francis T. J. Ochoa is the Sports Editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. For comments, suggestions and questions, hit him up on Twitter (@ftjochoaINQ).