Isports ATBP.

University of Santo Tomas Head Coach Pido Jarencio likes the Growling Tigers' chances in their knockout match against top seed National University Bulldogs on Saturday. "Nothing to lose ang mentality namin. Ang pressure ay nasa kanila (NU) at wala sa amin. Ang importante lang, ready kami," said Jarencio. "Parang 2006 ang situation namin ngayon, Parang halos ganito scenario." The Growling Tigers sent their semis series against the Bulldogs into a knock-out encounter after a 71-62 win last Sunday. UST placed third in 2006 where they overhauled 2No. 2 University of the East's twice-to-beat edge to barge into the best-of-three finals against Ateneo. The Growling Tigers defeated the Blue Eagles in three games, 2-1, to rule Season 69. Jarencio said prolific guard Jeric Teng's return in the second round helped UST's campaign. "Timing nung bumalik si Jeric at paangat din ang team." Eric Altamirano, Jarencio's opponent on the other

Far Eastern University (FEU) barging into the Final Four this season is already an achievement after the Tamaraws were not among the favorites to make it past the elimination round in the 76th University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament. "We were overlooked at the start of the season. Though we’re not proving anybody wrong we took it as a challenge. This year we represented the school better compared to 2012,” said FEU Head Coach Nash Racela. The Tamaraws, who placed fifth last year with a 9-5 record, made it to the semifinals this season where they finished tied with the National University Bulldogs and De La Salle University Green Archers with 10-4 slates. The Bulldogs bagged the top ranking based on a higher quotient leaving the Tams and the Green Archers to dispute the number two spot that enjoys the twice-to-beat edge. La Salle defeated FEU, 74-69, to nail the semis bonus and booked a return trip to the finals after a 71-68 wi

University of Santo Tomas Head Coach Pido Jarencio believes his Growling Tigers just played the usual Filipino brand of basketball despite his wards being accused of getting too physical during their Final Four game against the National University Bulldogs on Sunday. The Growling Tigers downed the top-seeded Bulldogs, 71-62, to force a rubber match for a finals berth in the 76th University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament. NU guard Bobby Ray Parks Jr., son of the late seven-time Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Best Import awardee Bobby Sr., complained that the Tigers’ physical play was too much as he and Emmanuel Mbe were at the receiving end of several dirty tactics. Jarencio, however, did not answer Parks’ accusations directly and instead said that the young cager from NU should know how the Filipinos play since his father had a long stint in the PBA. "Dapat alam mo kung paano ang laro dito sa pinas. Sa simpleng softdri

San Sebastian College posted a 3.5-05 demolition of the University of Perpetual Help for its final round assignment to complete its back-to-back title bid in the seniors' division in the 89th NCAA chess tournament. World Chess Federation (Fide) Master Mari Joseph Turqueza, Adrian Perez, and Alexis Emil Montalbo each scored the wins over Remzxor de Guzman, Joannes Paula Arreglo, and Pauline Barba from boards one to three while Arvie Jongko settled for a draw with Aristotle Monera to give the Golden Stags their 12th overall title. San Sebastian finished with 58 points while season host College of Saint Benilde placed second (50) and Emilio Aguinaldo College came in third (43.5) Turqueza was named MVP and also took the top board gold medal behind 13 wins, one draw, and one loss. Perez and Maribao took the boards two and three gold. Letran matched San Sebastian's feat in the juniors' division as the Squires also completed their bid of winning a second straight title a

Global  Football Club Head Coach Brian Reid believes they will be ready  to compete in two tournaments, local and overseas, despite having  problems with consistency. “We’re ready but [there are] few problems at the moment that we need  to address, we got one more week. We need to get organized with our  schedule and get ready,” said Reid, who will guide 2010 United  Football League (UFL) champions Global to the 2013 Singapore Cup semifinal  round from October 1 to 4 at the Jalan Besar Stadium. Global FC is one of two Philippine clubs invited to compete the other  being the Loyola Meralco Sparks. Cambodia’s Boeung Ket Rubber Field,  Lao Police Club of Laos, Malaysia’s Harimau Muda B, Brunei's Duli  Pengiran Muda Mahkota (DPMM) FC of Brunei, and Japan’s Albirex Niigata  were the other foreign teams that competed against nine other  Singapore-based clubs. Global advanced into the semifinal round after a 5-4 aggregate win over  Brunei’s DPMM side. They will meet 1998 Singapore

(This one is long overdue, but better late than never) More than a month ago, on August 12, NBA superstar Kobe Bryant braved Labuyo's onslaught and arrived, again, in Manila to be with his passionate Filipino fans. "The passion in the game of basketball is the thing that drives me the most to come back here [in Manila]," said the five-time NBA champion Bryant during his one-day stop in the Philippines. "I want to be remembered as a person  who maximizes his potential and is always hungry for excellence. I have the  curiosity about how to improve and get better in the game of basketball Bryant, a frequent Manila visitor, has vowed to come back stronger from his injury as he chases a sixth NBA title, which is his top priority rather than breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's scoring record. The two-time NBA Finals MVP said experiencing setbacks made him stronger. "If you continue to have setbacks, you must continue to try to figure out how to get t

Photo courtesy of KC Cruz San Sebastian rookie Jaymar Perez is one reason for the Golden Stags' sudden rise from the lower half of the standings to number four in the 89th National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) seniors’ basketball tournament. Perez's masterful performance in San Sebastian's fourth straight win, a 58-53 decision over Lyceum of the Philippines University, made him the top choice for the ACCEL/3XVI NCAA Press Corps Player of the Week supported by Gatorade. The 19-year-old exploded for 28 points, 11 rebounds, and had three steals for the undermanned Stags after John Ortouste sat out because of flu, Bradwyn Guinto was still recovering from typhoid fever, and Leo de Vera serving a one-game suspension. San Sebastian's win improved its record to 8-5 for a two-game lead over a surprising Emilio Aguinaldo College (6-7) side. Perez, actually, struggled midway in the season and was not at his usual self in the Stags' three-game sli

San Sebastian College  held  Emilio Aguinaldo College  to a single field goal for five minutes on their way to a 90-69 win in the 89th NCAA seniors' basketball tournament on Thursday at The Arena in San Juan City. The Golden Stags dropped a 14-4 bomb to pull away that turned a tight 62-58 contest into a rout. "We're never considered a threat this season. My players just responded and gave us the win," said Stags Head Coach Topex Robinson. The win snapped the Recto-based dribblers' three-game slide to tie idle Jose Rizal University at fourth to fifth spots with similar 5-5 cards. "We just re-evaluated our ourselves. We did not worry about the other teams. What works for us is playing not just on offense but also on defense," added Robinson. Guards Jovit Dela Cruz and Jamil Ortuouse, who spent most of his playing years in the Stags' Team B, led that scoring onslaught combining for 11 of San Sebastian's 14 points. Ortuouste and Dela Cruz finished wi

Emilio Aguinaldo College Head Coach Gerry Esplana is grinning from ear to ear as his Generals finished strong after the first round of hostilities in the 89th National Collegiate Athletic Association seniors' basketball tournament. The Generals are on a three-game roll and closed out their first-round campaign with an 89-80 win over the cellar-dwelling Mapua Cardinals. "Obviously we ended the first round on a good note. Hopefully, we could carry this momentum in the second round. Third straight win, so magandang motivation ito para sa mga players ko," said Esplana, now on his third year as the top General. EAC is currently tied with the San Sebastian Golden Stags, the Generals' first opponent in the second round on Thursday, at fifth to sixth spots with similar 4-5 cards and both teams are just one game behind No. 4 Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers. "I like our position right now, malaking motivation talaga sa amin ito. Three straight wins papa