Tag: repeat

Burgos fancied to repeat in 5150 Bohol

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Erika Nicole Burgos at the Sun Life 5150 Triathlon in Bohol.

Erika Burgos returns to the site of one of her greatest victories next Sunday, looking to repeat as the Sun Life 5150 Bohol triathlon champion as she battles a crack women’s field littered with international bets at Bellevue Resort on Panglao Island.

After winning a memorable duel with Leyann Ramo last year and clocking two hours, 24:28 for the 1.5-kilometer swim, 40-km bike and 10-km run event, Burgos is listed as the solid favorite to win again because of her great finishing kick, which she used to great effect in winning the run stage by almost seven minutes.

John Chicano, the multi-gold medalist in the Southeast Asian Games, is the defending men’s champion. He clocked 2:00:04 in beating Satar Salem.

Registration for the event is still ongoing, with details available at Ironman 5150 Bohol. Fans can also follow the event on social media platforms under Sun Life 5150 Bohol on Facebook and 5150bohol on Instagram.

The race has already attracted a diverse group of international participants, including 10 from South Korea, eight from the US and six from Great Britain.



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Celtics’ Brad Stevens expects only roster tweaks in repeat bid

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Confetti falls from the sky after Boston Celtics 106-88 win against the Dallas Mavericks in Game Five of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden on June 17, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. Adam Glanzman/Getty Images/AFP

BOSTON — The past week has been a whirlwind for Brad Stevens since the Celtics reached the goal he’s been chasing since he arrived in Boston in 2013.

He’s gone from coach to president of basketball operations during that time, experiencing all the failures and near misses it took to finally earn the franchise’s 18th championship.

It’s also why he’s not allowing himself to get caught up in the expectations that already hover around the Celtics to do it again next season.

“The adulation doesn’t mean much in all sincerity. And the scrutiny doesn’t mean much either,” Stevens said Tuesday. “If you hang a banner everybody is going to talk about how great you are. And if you don’t, they’re going to talk about how much you stink. … If you tie your approach to that, then you’re just going to ride a roller coaster that’s not worth the journey. So, I think the most important thing is you appreciate the people you’re with, you try your best to have the best season you can. And you just keep going.”

READ: Celtics look to become first repeat NBA champion since 2018

The good news for Stevens is that the Celtics are positioned well to be very much in the mix to defend their title next season. Their top six players — Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford — are under contract for next season.

After having secured long-term extensions with Brown, Holiday and Porzingis, the Celtics are expected to do the same with Tatum and White this summer.

It’s why Stevens isn’t anticipating any major changes this offseason.

The Celtics hold the 30th and 54th overall picks in this week’s draft, but he said any player they select will be with an eye toward the future, not the present.

READ: NBA: Brown, Tatum answer critics while leading Celtics to title

“I think there’s a lot of moving parts to keeping this roster sustainable beyond this year. But specifically to this year, we’ve got a lot of guys back,” Stevens said. “It will be hard for any draft pick to crack our rotation when healthy. So we’ll think about how we can continue to invest in young players and their development and growth, with the reality that if we’re able to continue to move forward with this group — these guys are going to be on the court.”

Keeping the current core of this group intact will put the Celtics into the second apron of the luxury tax for a second straight year, but the biggest ramifications of that won’t need to be addressed until after next season.

While Stevens expects winning the title to put a target squarely on their backs next season, he bristles at the notion that the Celtics will be clear-cut favorites.

“I don’t know what the league’s going to look like in three weeks, so who knows?” Stevens said. “But I know this. Human nature is going to be another huge opponent. All of our opponents — when you win — the other 29 teams target you. It’s a different thing to come back from to then be great again.”

What this group has earned though, he said, is the opportunity to come back together to take on that challenge.

“We’ll always evaluate how to make our team better,” Stevens said. “But I think we would be crazy not to say that character and the foundation of this team is right. And let’s see if we can be as consistent as we can. Grow. Develop. Get better. Improve. … I’m not anticipating major changes, at least early on. Because I think this team deserves that.”

PORZINGIS UPDATE

Stevens said Porzingis is still being evaluated for the next steps on how to proceed to repair the dislocated tendon in his left ankle that he injured in the NBA Finals.



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“Kristaps is still in the middle of consulting with some different doctors and specialists. We anticipate surgery will be soon. We’ll have more of a timeline and recovery after the surgery,” Stevens said.

Bella Belen back for UAAP title repeat bid with NU Lady Bulldogs

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Bella Belen is returning for her fourth year with National University in the UAAP.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Bella Belen has made her fourth year of eligibility for National University official as she expressed her intention to win a third UAAP championship next year in the Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament.

Belen, who politely declined to comment about skipping the PVL Rookie Draft, finally broke her silence on Tuesday just hours after the first day of the PVL Combine with a short but meaningful message to the NU community.

“Redemption complete. We’re not done yet. Time to make it two in a row! See you next season,” wrote Belen in her Instagram post including the pictures of their triumph in the UAAP Season 86.

READ: Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon skip PVL Draft, stay with NU Lady Bulldogs

Belen led NU’s redemption after emerging as a two-time UAAP MVP and sweeping the University of Santo Tomas in the UAAP Finals.

Determined to run it back and complete a golden repeat next year, she is staying with Finals MVP Alyssa Solomon and her batchmates Sheena Toring, Erin Pangilinan, and Lams Lamina to keep a formidable Lady Bulldogs’ roster with Vange Alinsug, Chams Maaya, and Arah Panique.

Despite the high interest, Belen and Solomon skipped the draft and opted to stay with NU with La Salle stars Thea Gagate, Julia Coronel, and Leila Cruz, Ateneo’s Roma Mae Doromal, Adamson’s Lucille Almonte, and UP’s Steph Bustrillo headlining the 47 rookie aspirants.

READ: Bella Belen, NU get perfect ending after rough start

Belen and the Lady Bulldogs lost the championship to the Angel Canino-led La Salle last year before completing a successful title-redemption tour this year also winning her second 1st Best Outside Hitter award.

The do-it-all outside spiker became the first-ever women’s volleyball Rookie MVP in 2022, leading NU to a perfect 16-0 title run for its first championship in 65 years.

Belen and Solomon, who missed the chance to play for Alas Pilipinas’ bronze medal finish in the AVC Challenge Cup, are part of the team’s training pool for the FIVB Challenger Cup, facing Vietnam in a knockout game on July 5 at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.



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Celtics look to become first repeat NBA champion since 2018

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Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, center, holds the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy as he celebrates with center Kristaps Porzingis, left, and guard Jaylen Brown, right, after the Celtics won the NBA championship with a Game 5 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday, June 17, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

BOSTON — It took more than a decade, savvy front office and draft moves, and some free agency luck for the Celtics to ultimately build the roster that brought an end to their 16-year NBA championship drought.

But with NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown already locked up long-term and fellow All-Star Jayson Tatum set to join him in the $300 million club this summer, Boston doesn’t have nearly as much work to do this offseason to keep together a core that is set up to become the first team since the 2018 Golden State Warriors to repeat as champions.

In the euphoria of locking up the franchise’s record-breaking 18th championship, Celtics majority owner Wyc Grousbeck gave president of basketball operations Brad Stevens a shoutout for finishing a process that began when Stevens was originally hired as Boston’s coach in 2013.

“We all watched the team the last few years. Great teams, but not quite there,” Grousbeck said. “And Brad was brilliant. We knew we needed to make changes … and he got it done.”

Moving away from longtime executive Danny Ainge — the architect of Boston’s 2008 championship Big 3 of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen — in favor of the 44-year-old Stevens was bold. Now, just three years after being pulled off the sideline, Stevens has made good on the belief that ownership had in him.

READ: NBA: Brown, Tatum answer critics while leading Celtics to title

He did it by taking the war chest of draft picks Ainge left him and borrowing from the aggressiveness his predecessor was known for to immediately go to work.

It started coyly with a February 2022 trade deadline acquisition of Derrick White, a young defensive-minded reserve with San Antonio.

Then, following the loss to the Warriors in the Finals, he steered the team through the suspension and ultimate departure of coach Ime Udoka for having an inappropriate relationship with a woman in the organization.

Facing a franchise-altering moment, Stevens leaned on his gut, elevating back bench assistant Joe Mazzulla to the top job.

Then, after a conference finals loss to Miami last season, he did what was originally unthinkable by trading veteran leader Marcus Smart and reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon in separate deals that brought in 7-footer Kristaps Porzingis and defensive stalwart Jrue Holiday.

The pair turned out to be the missing links for a team that, including the playoffs, finished 80-21 this season, placing it second in team history behind only the Celtics’ 1985-86 championship team that finished 82-18.

READ: NBA: Jayson Tatum says past pain inspired Boston Celtics

It also marks the first time in seven seasons the team with the best record during the regular season went on to win the title.

Most importantly, Boston is set up to keep the current core intact for the foreseeable future.

Brown is already locked up through 2029. Tatum is eligible to sign a five-year supermax extension this summer that will be worth a record $315 million and run through 2031. White, who is set to be a free agent in 2025, can ink a four-year deal worth about $125 million this offseason.

The remaining returning starters, Holiday and Porzingis, have already been extended through 2028 and 2026, respectively.

While some tough, luxury tax decisions could be looming in a few seasons, it’s a team constructed to win now.

Brown said it’s left everyone poised to defend their title next season and beyond.



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“I think we have an opportunity. I think we definitely have a window,” he said. “We take it one day at a time. We definitely have to make sure we stay healthy. But, we’ll enjoy the summer, enjoy the moment, and then we get right back to it next year.”