The Stands - An Inquirer Sports Newsletter

 

March 22, 2024

The Tigresses remain on top of the UAAP standings.  (MARLO CUETO)

Hey there sports fan, University of Santo Tomas needed a tense fifth set to dispose of Ateneo and keep its record unblemished in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball tournament.  The Tigresses racked up an eighth straight win, just a few days after wrapping up its first-round schedule with a similarly challenging victory over Adamson. UST will be the first to admit that there are a lot of things that still needs polishing with their game and those tough wins against the Lady Falcons and the Blue Eagles were proof of that.  And if the Tigresses need motivation to sharpen their game, they don't need to look far: The two teams they beat in the first round, National U and La Salle, are both eager for payback.  But hey, let's talk about the Tigresses kicks too. For some time now, the team has been rocking Kobe 8s (ProTro Halo), which were customized by artist Chachi Victorino.  Photos of the custom sneakers had gone viral, with players even talking about "Mamba Mentality," the winning philosophy espoused by the late basketball great Kobe Bryant. In fact, news of Bianca Plaza's pair allegedly getting picked off by a delivery rider also made rounds on the Internet, proof that the sneakers have become quite the talk of the volleyball world. In an interview with the Inquirer, Ms. Victorino spoke about the process and challenges of customizing the Tigresses sneakers.

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Chery TIggo is all smiles after pulling off a major upset.  (PVL IMAGES)

Meanwhile... Before we talk of the upset that rocked the PVL, allow us to express our excitement over the country winning the bid to host the 2025 men's volleyball world championship.  Ateneo coach Sergio Veloso, who also handles the men's national volleyball team, is optimistic the event will do a lot of good for the sport in the country.  Anyway, unless you were living under a rock the past few days, you know that Chery Tiggo just pulled off the biggest upset in pro volleyball this year. The Crossovers dealt the Creamline Cool Smashers their first loss after 19 straight victories. For Alyssa Valdez, that upset made Creamline realize one thing: "It's really about time for us to feel [the pain of losing] again so there will be renewed energy and strength." Creamline has since bounced back from the loss, routing league newcomer Capital1.  WIll that rare loss push the Cool Smashers to even greater heights in their title defense? Let's tune in to the games and find out. Or, let us bring you the stories straight to whatever platform you are on.  What we're up to next: The PBA All-Star weekend will be held in Bacolod City and we will have two guys on the ground to bring you the highlifghts from there. We'll also dig in more on the country's hosting of the men's volleyball world championship slated next year. And we'll still keep you updated with everything going on in the UAAP and the PVL. Number of the Week: 9 Number of Olympic gold medals the US basketball team has won so far.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “[T]his is for the Philippines, the country [for which] my heart will always beat proud.” —Maxine Esteban, Filipino-Ivorian fencer, who became the first homegrown female Filipino fencer to qualify for the Olympics.

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There are two items on this newsletter that are answers to our sports trivia quiz that comes out weekly. If you think you can ace our weekly Friday sports quiz, and if you want more sports updates, join our Viber community.  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

 

March 8, 2024

Tim Cone speaks to the Inquirer Sports Staff.  (MARLO CUETO)

Hey there sports fan, Last Monday, the Inquirer Sports Staff hosted a testimonial dinner for Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone, who is also the head coach of Gilas Pilipinas. Inside the posh Casa Buenas at Resort Drive in Pasay City, Cone spent a lot of time talking about his coaching career and the childhood he had growing up here in the Philippines (the guy is a certified probinsyano, settling first in Baler). He flew here when he was eight and in one of the legs of his journey from the United States (the flight from Waikiki to Manila), the jet had to return to the airport because one of its engines caught fire. "You looked out the window and because the plane was tossing out gasoline, you could see these fireballs coming out of the engine," he recalled.  It would have been a distressing experience for anyone on that flight. But for an eight-year-old kid who got to witness an emergency landing at runway filled with screaming firetrucks, "it was quite an adventure." Cone hopped from one province to another, flying back to the States only for college. After five years in the US, he "flew back home." Home, being the Philippines, where he still lived outside Manila for a while until work brought him back to the Big City.  If you are a Filipino under the age of 50, Tim Cone has lived in the country longer than you have. The Inquirer awarded Cone with the Best Performance by a Coach trophy. The Guyito, the Inquirer Sports Awards trophy's nickname, was for his coaching stint in the Asian Games men's basketball championship last year, where the Philippines won its first gold in over six decades. Cone also received the Best Performance by a Team trophy in behalf of Gilas Pilipinas and talked about the team in depth, including its immediate future. Do you know in what country Gilas Pilipinas will play next? Clue: The country will be hosting an Olympic-qualifying tournament. The answer at the end of this email. We'll have more on the Inquirer Sports Awards and Tim Cone next week.

Capital1 celebrates its breakthrough victory.  (AUGUST DELA CRUZ)

Meanwhile... Volleyball continues to dominate the sporting conversation nowadays, what with the PVL All-Filipino Conference and the UAAP volleyball tournaments in full swing.  Here are a few stories we feel you should read: You get a sense that La Salle isn't going to be contented until it gets a chance to get back at UST. The Lady Spikers have been using that defeat to the Tigresses to fuel their current run. National U continues to look for its identity in the UAAP. Another name comes out of UST's bench mob.  And Capital1 finally barges into the win column, but coach Roger Gorayeb says for now, winning isn't the only goal.  What we're up to next: We will announce the winners of the Inquirer Sports Awards soon, along with features on Tim Cone. More volleyball coverage, too, as the PVL All-FIlipino and the UAAP tournaments chug along. Blackwater is currently on a hot start in the PBA Philippine Cup and we will be on ground to see how long that run lasts.  Number of the Week: 34 Number of years Tim Cone has been coaching in the PBA.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “[W]e need to be one-point warriors so we fought for every point.” —Xyza Gula, on UST's philosophy that has allowed the team to fight back from deep deficits..

The answer to our trivia question? Latvia. If you think you can ace our weekly Friday sports quiz, and if you want more sports updates, join our Viber community.  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

 

March 1, 2024

Heart is the biggest size of all for the UST Tigresses.  (UAAP MEDIA)

Hey there sports fan, There's so much content to devour when it comes to UAAP Season 86's volleyball tournament. But for lean-back stories that capture the essence of sports, the best read around is the stories on University of Santo Tomas' upset  of defending champion La Salle. That win meant the Tigresses have now beaten the last two champions of the tournament and the two teams that battled it out for the trophy last year. UST opened the season with a stunning victory over National U.  There's so much to  unpack with that shock start of the Tigresses. First, they are doing all that after losing a powerful chunk of their first six from last season: Eya Laure, Imee Hernadez and Milena Alessandrini. They're also winning despite being one of the smallest teams in the league. And they're the only unbeaten team in the tournament. The Tigresses are getting the job done with almost everybody contributing. Leadership is not a problem, either, what with a fiesty standout serving as team captain. (Trivia question: Do you know who the Tigresses skipper is? Answer at the end of this email). Everybody thought La Salle and NU would cruise straight to another title showdown. Nobody ever thought to stop counting UST out. There are other good reads if you want, including the playfully headlined Ateneo victory over UP and former coach Oliver Almadro. Also, have you heard about this rising star named Casiey Dongallo? Still looking for her first victory.

Justin Brownlee is soaring high for the PH.  (CONTRIBUTED)

Meanwhile... The other team that did good the past week was Gilas Pilipinas. After rapping Hong Kong and demolishing Chinese Taipei, Gilas Pilipinas can now focus on other stuff as it plans for its next phase of competition. You, on the other hand, can focus on some of the best stories that came out of the qualifying windows. Simply follow the instructions below to read about: June Mar Fajardo's "jealousy," CJ Perez's ups and downs, Jamie Malonzo's newfound level,  or even Scottie Thompson's family life. And there's also Justin Brownlee, who talks about growing old. Even our OFWs make a cameo. Subscribe now!     What we're up to next: We will release the nominees for the Inquirer Sports Awards over the weekend! Then on Monday, we will host a testimonial dinner for one of our awardees. Keep tabs on that. We will also continue our in-depth volleyball coverages in the UAAP and the Premier Volleyball League. The PBA Philippine Cup has already started so we're on the ground for that, too. Number of the Week: 3-0 UST's current record in the UAAP, where it is a surprise leader.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “We really want to prove this season that it's not all about height to win volleyall games.” —Bernadett Pepito, on UST finding ways to win despite its size handicap.

The answer to our trivia question? Bernadett Pepito. If you think you can ace our weekly Friday sports quiz, and if you want more sports updates, join our Viber community.  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).