Kieffer Alas out of Gilas boys lineup for Fiba U17 World Cup

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Gilas Pilipinas Boys’ Kieffer Alas is named in the All-Star Five at the Fiba U16 Asian Championship in Doha, Qatar.–FIBA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Gilas Pilipinas boys will compete in the 2024 Fiba Under-17 World Cup in Istanbul without its star guard Kieffer Alas.

In Fiba’s final roster released ahead of Saturday’s opening game day, Alas was not part of the lineup due to a knee injury he suffered in the Gilas boys’  last tune-up game against Canada.

“On initial examination by our team doctor, he had a functionally stable knee and the official result of his MRI determined Kieffer has a sprained ACL,” said head coach Josh Reyes. “His knee is swollen and he’ll be out for three weeks. We will be monitoring his situation closely.”

SCHEDULE: Gilas Pilipinas at Fiba U17 World Cup

Alas, a member of the UAAP Season 86 boys’ basketball Mythical Five, will sit out the competition but fellow La Salle Zobel standout Irus Chua will still add a hue of Green and White to the roster.

“It’s a tough break for us but the rest of the team is motivated to play together. We’re praying for good results on Kieffer’s MRI but we have to move forward and quickly figure out how to play without him,” Reyes said.

READ: Kieffer Alas makes Fiba Asia U16 All-Star Five

“Kieffer was doing a great job in playmaking, rebounding, and playing defense and this is his value to the squad, more than his scoring.”

Dominic Arejola took Alas’ spot for the Gilas boys, who will play Lithuania on Saturday in their first assignment in the World Cup.

University of Santo Tomas talents Joaquin Ludovice and Kurt Velasquez were also included in the lineup.

Ludovice made noise not too long ago by cracking the NBTC 24 list, an annual ladder of the best high-school players in the country. He was listed as the 20th-best high school player.

They will be joined by 5-foot-11 athletic guard Elijah Williams, Blue Eagle star Mason Amos’ younger brother CJ and lanky 6-foot-4 wing Edryn Morales.

Also joining the pack are Davao Bulldog Bonn Daja, the tallest man in the lineup at 6-foot-6 in Paul Diao, UP Integrated School Talent Jaime Gomez de Liaño and California-bred Samuel Alegre.

Rounding out the lineup is Noah Banal, who, alongside Williams, Amos, Morales, Daja, Diao, de Liaño, and Alegre finished fourth in the U16 Asian Championship.



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Gilas is grouped in Pool A with Spain, Puerto Rico and Lithuania.

Gilas Pilipinas at Fiba U17 World Cup

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Schedule, roster for Fiba Under-17 World Basketball Cup.

Gilas Pilipinas boys team begins its campaign in the 2024 Fiba Under-17 Basketball World Cup, which will run from June 29 to July 7 in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Philippines is bracketed with Lithuania, Spain and Puerto Rico in Group A.

China, USA, France, and Guinea round out Group B while Argentina, host Türkiye, New Zealand, Italy headline Group C. Egypt, Germany, Canada, Australia are slotted in Group D.

READ: Gilas boys get tough draw for 2024 Fiba U17 World Cup

The Gilas boys earned their spot in the World Cup after a semifinal stint in the Fiba U16 Asian Championship last year.

This is the Philippines’ third appearance in the U17 World Cup after Gilas’ first two campaigns in 2014 and 2018.

Gilas Pilipinas at Fiba U17 Basketball World Cup Group stage schedule

Gilas Pilipinas plays a round-robin format with teams in its group in the group phase from June 29 to July 2.

All four teams per group advance to the next round, where Groups A and B and Group C and D will face each other in a crossover format. The match-ups are based on their group phase ranking.

June 29, Saturday

  • 5:30pm – Lithuania vs Gilas Pilipinas

June 30, Sunday

  • 8:30pm – Gilas Pilipinas vs Spain

July 2, Tuesday

  • 8pm – Gilas Pilipinas vs Puerto Rico

July 3, Wednesday

July 5, Friday

July 6, Saturday

July 7, Sunday



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Philippines’ roster at Fiba U17 Basketball World Cup

  • 0 – Noah Banal
  • 1 – Joaquin Gabriel Ludovice
  • 2 – Elijah Mark Williams
  • 5 – Paul Cyron Diao
  • 6 – Irus Chua
  • 8 – Bonn Ervin Daja
  • 11 – Kurt Nathan Velasquez
  • 12 – Dominic Joaquin Arejola
  • 13 – Samuel Alegre
  • 25 – Cletz David Amos
  • 26 – Edryn Morales
  • 38 – Jaime Lorenzo Gomez de Liano

Kieffer Alas, who starred in the Gilas U16 run, was replaced due to injury.

Hawks send AJ Griffin to Rockets for 2nd round pick

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FILE– AJ Griffin #14 of the Atlanta Hawks poses for portraits during media day at PC&E Atlanta on October 02, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images/AFP 

ATLANTA — The Atlanta Hawks moved back into the NBA draft on Thursday by trading forward AJ Griffin to the Houston Rockets for the No. 44 pick before trading that pick to Miami to obtain rights to guard/forward Nikola Djurisic of Serbia.

Miami acquired the draft rights to Pelle Larsson, the No. 44 pick, from Houston and obtained cash considerations from Atlanta, the Hawks announced Thursday night.

The 6-foot-7 Djurisic averaged 15.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 30 games with Mega (Serbia).

READ: Zaccharie Risacher chosen by Hawks with top pick in NBA Draft

The Hawks made French teen Zaccharie Risacher the No. 1 overall pick in the draft Wednesday night. It was Atlanta’s only pick in the draft before Thursday’s trade.

The trade of Griffin, a 2022 first-round pick, helps to clear playing time for Risacher, a wing.

Griffin was limited by injuries, including an ankle sprain, to 20 games this season. He averaged 8.9 points and 2.2 rebounds while playing in 72 games, including 12 starts, as a rookie in the 2022-23 season.



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Steph Curry, LeBron ‘excited’ to join forces for Paris Olympics

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FILE–LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers and Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors headline Team USA’s Paris Olympics team. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP 

NBA superstars LeBron James and Stephen Curry are “excited” by the prospect of joining forces as the United States chases a fifth straight gold medal at next month’s Olympics, USA coach Steve Kerr said Thursday.

Los Angeles Lakers superstar James and Golden State Warriors ace Curry will finally line up in Team USA for the first time in Paris after facing off against each other in 52 games during a 15-year rivalry in the NBA.

USA and Golden State coach Kerr said Thursday the two basketball icons were relishing the prospect of teaming up.

READ: LeBron, Durant, Steph Curry lead Team USA for Paris Olympics

“LeBron and Steph are really excited to play together,” Kerr said. “I’ve talked to both of them about this idea of being together after going against one another with such high stakes over the years.

“They obviously fit really well together. I think the idea of Steph playing off the ball and LeBron pushing it in transition, that’s pretty intriguing.”

Curry has a 29-23 winning record against LeBron in the NBA, with a 17-11 record in playoff meetings.

Last season, the duo featured in one of the games of the year, combining for 82 points in a double-overtime thriller which saw the Lakers narrowly defeat Golden State 145-144.

READ: Team USA has to ‘come to play’ in Paris Olympics, says Carmelo

“It’s something I’ll be able to talk about with my grandkids, about being able to compete with one of the greatest players to ever play the game,” LeBron said of Curry after that instant classic.

Kerr said Curry and Lebron will aim to gel over the course of a training camp which begins in Las Vegas next week before a warm-up game against Canada on July 10.

The USA squad also has pre-Olympic games in Abu Dhabi and London before their opening group game of the Olympics against Serbia on July 28 in Lille.

“They’re really excited to compete together for the first time and to find over the course of the practices and the friendlies some of the nuances that they can really exploit and explore, to just to see where they can have an impact for each other,” Kerr said.

James and Curry are part of one of the most powerful USA teams ever to take part in the Olympics, with a roster that also includes the likes of Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum and Joel Embiid.

“Our roster is obviously laden with stars and players who have accomplished so much,” Kerr said. “And what I love about these guys is they want to accomplish more.



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“They want to win an Olympic gold medal, and that’s why they all signed up for this.”

Go For Gold Criterium Race Series 2 fires off in Cebu

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Caption: After the success of the Go For Gold Criterium Race Series 1 up North, more homegrown talents are expected to emerge in the Queen City of the South.

MANILA, Philippines–Cyclists from Visayas have a chance to showcase their strength at the Go For Gold Criterium Race Series 2, which is set to flag off Sunday at City Di Mare in Cebu City.

Months after the Series 1 race in Clark, Pampanga, promising cyclists from the Visayas take their turn in this maximum acceleration, one-day speed contest at Cebu’s newest criterium hub.

One of the goals of the Criterium Race Series, which is expected to draw 500 cyclists from different categories including the men’s and women’s elite and under-23 races, is to pave the way for discovery of more homegrown heroes in cycling.

READ: Hora rules Go For Gold Criterium Race Series 1 in Clark

“With Cebu being a hotbed of cycling and cycling talent, we expect that there will be a lot of spectators who will tune in to our event, ’’ said Go For Gold founder Jeremy Go.

“Aside from organizing safe and well-run races in order to elevate the sport of cycling in the Philippines, these races serve as talent identification.”

Marvin Mandac, a 17-year-old from Batangas, caught the eye of the Go For Gold Cycling Team during the Criterium Race Series 1 last Match after winning the juniors category.

Marco Lumanog from Pangasinan likewise attracted attention after figuring prominently in the men’s elite class.

READ: Go For Gold pulls off historic win in national cycling championships

“Not all cyclists will be given the opportunity, but this is one way to discover those talents. The best way to find them is to set up top-quality races where cyclists from far-flung areas can access and show off their skills,’’ said Go For Gold project director Ednalyn Hualda.

Entries from the junior (17-18 years old) and youth (15-16 years old) categories, the men’s 30-39 and 40-up divisions, as well as in the manager’s category will race in the out-and-back course at City Di Mare.

The men’s elite will race for 25 laps on the flat 1.1km course while the women’s elite is bound to complete 20 laps. The under-23 category should ride for 30 laps, the youth and junior divisions plus the men’s 30-39 and 40 up will race for 20 laps and the manager’s group will pedal for 15 laps.

Over P200,000 prize money is at stake, with the champion in both the premier men’s and women’s elite categories receiving P20,000 each.



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The final leg of this year’s criterium series is being penciled for either September or October in Mindanao.

Alex Eala misses out on Wimbledon main draw

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FILE–Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala fails to advance to the Wimbledon main draw. –VENETO OPEN via ALEX EALA FACEBOOK

MANILA, Philippines—Alex Eala missed out on the chance to advance to the Wimbledon main draw after falling to New Zealand’s Lulu Sun, 7-6(3), 7-5, in the last round of the qualifiers late Thursday.

The Filipino tennis ace just needed one win to get to the main draw, which would’ve made her the first Filipino to make a pro Grand Slam appearance.

Eala outlasted higher-ranked Tamara Zidansek of Slovenia and French bet Jessika Ponchet to advance to against Sun.

READ: Alex Eala closes in on Wimbledon main draw after big win

Sun, the world’s no. 123, proved to be too much for the 19-year-old Eala and it showed late in the first set.

Eala, an Asian Games bronze medalist, took an early commanding 5-2 lead over Sun to move just one win away from winning the opening set.

However, Sun came storming back and took a 6-5 lead en route to the first set win.

READ: Alex Eala eyes another fruitful year starting with Australian Open

The same story happened in the following set, with Eala winning two straight games to open the second before Sun retalited to keep the Filipino bet at bay.

It was not the first time that Eala fell short in the last round of the Grand Slam qualifiers and failed to make it to the main tournament.

Eala also fell short of making it to the French Open main draw last month after losing in the final round.



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Gilas Pilipinas loses to Turkey in tune-up ahead of Fiba OQT

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Gilas Pilipinas’ June Mar Fajardo and Justin Brownlee flank as Turkey player during a tune-up game in Istanbul ahead of the Fiba OQT. –TURKEY BASKETBALL FEDERATION

Gilas Pilipinas sputtered when it mattered most on Friday, bowing to Turkey, 84-73, in the second tune-up game geared towards the Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (OTQ).

The Nationals, led by Justin Brownlee valiantly fought for most of the contest at Besiktas Akatlar Culture and Sports Complex in Istanbul but had to settle with the loss with young cornerstone Kai Sotto saddled with fouls and shooting abandoning Gilas just as it was trying to mount a comeback.

Brownlee, Gilas’ naturalized ace, delivered 21 points and five rebounds while June Mar Fajardo added 17 and 11 for the Tim Cone-mentored squad priming for the OQT in Riga, Latvia next week.

READ: Gilas Pilipinas flies to Turkiye hoping to show readiness for OQT

“It was a tough loss against Turkey. We had our first taste of the type of opposition we will be facing in the OQT,” Gilas assistant coach and team manager Richard del Rosario said in a bulletin posted by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas a few hours after the contest held early morning in Manila.

The Philippines pulled within two, 42-40, heading into the intermission. Gilas again trimmed the Turkish lead to five, 78-73, on a Brownlee slam with 1:44 remaining, just before Gilas’ offense conked out.

The Filipinos hit only five threes as the Turks converted 14 of their 41 attempts from downtown.

Sotto had seven points before fouling out with 2:35 left in the clash that had Gilas going 1-1 in its preparations for the Riga meet. Cone and his charges defeated the Taiwan Mustangs at PhilSports Arena last Sunday.

READ: Gilas Pilipinas beats Taiwan Mustangs in tune-up before OQT

Host Latvia, Gilas’ first assignment in OQT, crushed Egypt, 84-63, in a friendly late Thursday. Georgia, another Group A opponent, stumbled against Cameroon, 67-66.

Multi-time local league champion Tarik Biberovic led the way for Turkey with 23 points built on a 5-for-9 shooting from deep. Can Kormaz chipped in 12 more for the Turks who are also in their own buildup.

The Dev Adam, who are ranked 24th in the global leaderboard, are preparing for the EuroLeague and are playing a series of friendlies which includes Olympics host France.

Gilas will be wrapping up its buildup against the World No. 15 Poland on Saturday (early Sunday morning in Manila) before plunging into one of the four OQTs, which will complete the Summer Olympic Games field.

Gilas Pilipinas scores:

Turkey (84) — Biberovic 23, Korkmaz 12, Sanli 9, Sipahi 9, Osmani 8, Ozdemiroglu 7, Haltali 6, Kabaca 3, Yilmaz 3, Bas 2, Yasar 2, Ilyasoglu 0.

Philippines (73) — Brownlee 21, Fajardo 17, Sotto 7, Tamayo 7, Newsome 5, Ramos 4, Aguilar 4, Perez 3, Oftana 3, Quiambao 2, Amos 0.



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Quarterscores: 24-21; 42-40; 64-56; 84-73.

Creamline’s Jema Galanza likely out of Reinforced tilt

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Creamline’s Jema Galanza is set to play for Alas Pilipinas and will likely miss the PVL Reinforced Conference.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines —Creamline is preparing for the possibility that its go-to-scorer Jema Galanza won’t be joining the Cool Smashers in the upcoming 2024 2024 PVL Reinforced Conference.

Galanza is one of the PVL players who are likely to miss the midseason conference due to their commitment to Alas Pilipinas, which will compete in the FIVB Challenger Cup next week against Vietnam and in the SEA V.League in August.

READ: Returning Jema Galanza ready for challenge with Alas Pilipinas

Although the PVL has aligned its calendar to the national team period to lend players to the Philippine National Volleyball Federation, most of the club teams are still hoping to have their players even late in the conference. 

“We don’t have the final decision yet, but based on what we know, she won’t be able to play with us. However, it’s not final yet so we are also waiting for the decision,” said Meneses on Wednesday in the PVL Rookie Draft Combine at GameVille Ball Park in Mandaluyong.

Tots Carlos was part of the training pool but Alas coach Jorge Souza De Brito has already ruled out the star opposite spiker at least for the Challenger Cup.

READ: Tots Carlos out for Alas Pilipinas, says coach Jorge de Brito

Meneses will be banking on American outside spiker Erica Staunton and their mainstays Alyssa Valdez and Bernadeth Pons in case they miss the reigning All-Filipino Finals MVP Galanza.

Draft strategy

Creamline Coach Sherwin Meneses during the PVL Draft Combine.

Creamline Coach Sherwin Meneses during the PVL Draft Combine. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

“As of now, it’s okay because only time will tell. Our import is very young so they can easily adapt to the system,” said the Creamline coach.

Aside from their import, Meneses has a chance to add more players as they hold the 12th pick in the first-ever Rookie Draft on July 8. 

He has specific targets but it will depend on the picks of the first 11 teams.

“In every position, we have a strategy, but it depends on who the top 11 players are because we’re number 12. It’s very difficult to specify just one position,” he said.

“The Draft Combine is a big help because everyone has a chance to showcase their skills, even those who aren’t well-known have opportunities.”



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Creamline is hoping to end a six-year title drought in the Reinforced Conference as it settled for bronze in the import-laden tournament two years ago.

Tambalque guts out a 70 to win by six strokes in Bacolod

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Patrick Tambalque carved out a level-par 70 on Thursday to post a six-shot win over Simon Wahing in the centerpiece boys’ 16-18 division of the ICTSI Junior Philippine Golf Tour (PGT) Visayas Series even as Dominique Gotiong fought off fourth round fatigue to prevail in the girls’ side at Bacolod Golf Club in Murcia town.

Tambalque credited his patient approach over the tree-lined layout in fending off Wahing, as he tallied a 72-hole 287 to earn valuable points for the national finals, a match play event, set in October at The Country Club in Laguna.

“It’s a good learning experience. I learned how to be patient—even if I made a mistake, there is still a chance to recover,” the 16-year-old Tambalque said.

Tambalque was locked in a heated race with Wahing and twin brothers Paul and Rey Oro in the first two rounds, only to find separation from the trio on Wednesday after shooting the tournament’s only sub-par score, a 69.

Wahing’s challenge ended with a triple bogey 8 on No. 15.

Meanwhile, Gotiong struggled to close out with an 86, but still prevailed by a whopping 18 shots over Iloilo leg winner Rhiena Sinfuego, who shot at 87.

“I played really bad because I was tired,” she admitted, her voice tinged with fatigue. “But I’m proud of what I did because I tried my best even though I wasn’t feeling well.”



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Team owners’ reluctance to salary limits puzzles PVL chief

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Packed crowds for both the PVL and UAAP volleyball games has PNVF saying that volleyball is now the Philippines’ top sport.

Enforcing the first-ever Rookie Draft in the PVL should get off without a hitch, based on the success of the recent two-day Combine.

And that will be the first of two critical activities the league sees necessary to ensure parity among its teams, with titles contested on as level a playing field as possible.

But the second item in the league’s fairness agenda—the salary cap—has run into some stiff opposition with the team owners themselves, something which befuddles the PVL leadership since it is the welfare of each and every franchise that it is looking out for.

League president Ricky Palou talked at length to the Inquirer about this on Thursday, confused in a sense after some items in the PVL’s proposal for individual salary caps were rejected, particularly the maximum pay.Wanton recruitment and spending have characterized the past off-seasons of the highly successful PVL, and Palou, after seeing firsthand what this could do to the league—having served as an executive of the Philippine Basketball Association for several years—wants to address them.

“Some of them (team owners) don’t like the P250,000 a month maximum pay,” Palou said over the phone, referring to the league proposal. “They think it’s too low and that a lot of their players are receiving more than that now.”

The team owners also rejected Palou’s counter that live contracts stay, but after that, every player in the league should be governed by the individual limit.

However, the league didn’t encounter resistance as far as the minimum pay is concerned when it pitched for P50,000 a month, which Palou wants to happen after he had “heard of some teams paying some players just P30,000 (a month).”

Astronomical amounts

Unconfirmed reports have placed astronomical amounts as reasons behind some of the country’s brightest collegiate stars skipping their years of playing eligibility to turn pro, especially in the last two years when the league’s popularity reached unbelievable proportions.Some of those reports claim to even have signing bonuses, cars and jobs for family members as perks just for players to sign up.The Draft will be held July 8 with La Salle’s Thea Gagate to be picked first by Zus Coffee, and 46 other players awaiting as 12 teams set out to decide their fate.

As agreed upon with team owners, Gagate and the next four picks in the proceedings will be entitled to a maximum of P150,000 a month for the first year, with that figure gradually dwindling down for the lower selections.

Palou and the entire PVL leadership will again meet with the team owners to iron out these kinks. That meeting will take place the day after the Draft, and Palou will also propose a P50 million a year team cap.“We haven’t talked about that yet, they have yet to hear my proposal of P50 million a year,” Palou continued. “It’s easy to think that some of the teams are spending more than that now. But we have to be careful so that things don’t blow out of proportion.” INQ

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#Byline2



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