Tag: young

Nambatac deal signals TNT transition to young core

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Rey Nambatac makes his debut for Blackwater Bossing in the PBA Philippine Cup.–PBA IMAGES

The recent acquisition of Rey Nambatac is seen more as a move to help TNT return to its perch as one of the PBA’s perennial contenders.

But Nambatac’s entry to the Tropang Giga camp from the Blackwater Bossing should also continue the transition to a younger core that would ease the responsibilities of those who brought the franchise to multiple championships.

“That’s the plan really,” TNT team manager Jojo Lastimosa told the Inquirer after the Nambatac deal was given a go-signal by the league last Tuesday.

Getting Nambatac meant that TNT had to give up role player Kib Montalbo, big man Jewel Ponferada and a second round pick in the PBA’s 53rd season Rookie Draft which would likely be held in 2028.

Nambatac’s lone conference with Blackwater resulted in averages of 11.1 points on 35-percent shooting with 2.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.0 steals in 11 games during the Philippine Cup, showing why he can still produce after his minutes dwindled in his first PBA team Rain or Shine.

He put up 27 in his Bossing debut last February against the Meralco Bolts, and had five games of scoring at least 10 points the rest of the way. His offense at the backcourt position could benefit the Tropang Giga.

And it could also lessen the load carried by longtime guard Jayson Castro, who averaged 12.4 points after playing all 14 games in the Philippine Cup. But TNT knows the 38-year-old Castro needs all the help he can get.

“We don’t have much time for our vets, and we need to transition into younger players,” said Lastimosa.

That transition has been somewhat felt during the recent two-conference season which saw TNT failing to reach the semifinals in both the Commissioner’s Cup and Philippine Cup.

Calvin Oftana has emerged as the Tropang Giga’s go-to-guy on offense, with RR Pogoy, who missed a portion of the Commissioner’s Cup after dealing with a heart ailment, producing numbers as well.

Kelly Williams has taken a bigger responsibility, and has been efficient despite being 42, but TNT missed serviceable frontcourt players due to injuries in Poy Erram and Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, who was traded from NLEX before the Philippine Cup started.



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Jeremy Miado braces for ‘young, hungry’ Japanese foe

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ONE Championship fighter Jeremy Miado makes his return for ONE Fight Night 23. –ONE CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTO

As he makes his ONE Championship return, Jeremy Miado knows the enormity of the task ahead against No. 4 ranked strawweight contender Hiroba Minowa.

Miado takes on Minowa on Saturday in ONE Fight Night 23  at Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand with the goal of staying among the division’s top fighters.

“From what I’ve seen from Minowa, he’s someone who doesn’t give up. He really has that fighter’s heart. He’s young and hungry,” Miado said of his Japanese foe.

READ: ONE: Jeremy Miado aims to climb strawweight ladder

“We’re both coming off bad streaks, and we both know that this is our way back to relevancy. I expect him to come out ready. It’s all about formulating the proper game plan.”

Planning is crucial for Miado’s game plan against Minowa, especially since he is once again facing a wrestler–a source of weakness as seen in his last few fights.

“His strengths will be his wrestling, that’s a given. I expect him to time my strikes and switch for a takedown,” Miado said.

READ: Jeremy Miado gets TKO win as Lito Adiwang injures knee

“On my end, my advantage would be my footwork. I plan to make things difficult for him when he’s shooting and use my length to maximize my advantage on the range.”

Miado is also banking on the motivation that this upcoming fight could catapult his career.

“We’re talking about my career here,” he said. “That’s what this fight means for me. I’m gonna give it my all, you’re gonna see it all. I’m not going to lose here.”



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Bucks banking on long-term potential of young NBA draft picks

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Milwaukee Bucks 2024 draft picks AJ Johnson and Tyler Smith pose for a picture with head coach Doc Rivers and general manager Jon Horst at a news conference Tuesday, July 2, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

MILWAUKEE — If it wasn’t obvious enough already, the youth of the Milwaukee Bucks’ two NBA draft choices became apparent when second-round pick Tyler Smith discussed the origins of his love for bowling.

“I was in Vegas this year (and) there was really, like, nothing to do out there,” Smith said Tuesday during an introductory press conference for himself and first-round pick A.J. Johnson.

Bucks coach Doc Rivers’ stunned reply: “In Vegas?”

Smith explained that his status as a teenager didn’t give him much of an opportunity to sample the Las Vegas nightlife, so he and his friends often would spend their spare time at a bowling alley.

“Keep that mentality,” general manager Jon Horst responded.

READ: NBA: Bucks’ Patrick Beverley suspended four games without pay

The Bucks are banking on the likelihood that Johnson and Smith will have developed into key NBA performers by the time the two 19-year-olds have grown up.

Milwaukee appears to be in the latter stages of a championship window and can’t spend much in free agency due to salary-cap concerns. But rather than drafting players who spent a few years in college and could help right away, the Bucks took a chance on the long-term upside of Johnson and Smith.

“One of the things we liked about both of them is their work ethic and their drive,” Rivers said. “You can see, these two guys want to be great. They don’t want to just come in here and be potential players. They want to be players. Again, we just can’t wait to get to work.”

Johnson is a 6-foot-6 guard who initially committed to Texas in high school before bypassing college basketball and spending the last year in Australia’s National Basketball League, where he played just 7.7 minutes per game while competing with other pros.

Smith, a 6-11 forward, also went directly to the pros rather than playing in college and averaged 13.4 points for the NBA G League Ignite.

READ: NBA: Pacers oust Bucks for first playoff series victory in a decade

Whether either player will contribute much as a rookie remains uncertain.

“The main focus is really just working to a point where the coaches want to play us, like we can actually help the team win,” said Johnson, the 23rd overall pick in the draft. “So I guess we’re just trying to get to that as fast as possible, learn and get as good as we can possibly get, so we can get on the court as fast as possible and help the team win games.”

They’ll get the opportunity to work on a veteran-laden team with an experienced staff. Rivers’ core of assistants will include a couple of former head coaches in Darvin Ham (Los Angeles Lakers) and Dave Joerger (Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings).

Rivers said Johnson and Smith both possess a combination of skill and athleticism that should help them thrive.

“Now it’s our job to try to teach them the game, get them stronger, get them ready,” Rivers said. “But we have a head start. Both of them are excellent shooters. They just have skill to their game, and that’s what drew me to them.”

The Bucks need these picks to work out because they don’t have much draft capital in future seasons.

They currently don’t have any draft picks in 2025. They also traded their 2027 and 2029 first-round selections. Other teams have the right to swap first-round picks with them in 2026, 2028 and 2030.

That limits Milwaukee’s opportunities to boost its roster as the Bucks try to regroup after two straight first-round playoff exits.

The Bucks have surrounded 29-year-old, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo with plenty of older players: Damian Lillard (33), Khris Middleton (32), Brook Lopez (36), Bobby Portis (29) and Pat Connaughton (31). The back half of the roster is full of players who are 24 or younger.

“We’ve got six returning core guys that we know are ready now to compete at a high level and take us to where we want to go,” Horst said. “We’ve got three returning young vets that contributed last year and should take another jump this year in MarJon (Beauchamp), AJ (Green) and Andre (Jackson Jr.). Chris Livingston had a great first year with us. He’s working his (tail) off and he’s going to be ready to contribute also.



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“And now we’ve got Tyler and AJ pushing them. And we’ve got three spots on our roster right now in free agency that we’re going to go and figure out the best balance in how they fit the rest of that group.”

Set on Gagate at No. 1, Zus eyes other young talents

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Thea Gagate at the PVL Rookie Draft combine.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Jerry Yee is now looking at his first pick in the second round of the PVL Draft next month in order to perk up Zus Coffee’s chances the best way he can when the Thunderbelles campaign in the import-laced Reinforced Conference next month.

With Yee making up his mind in selecting the towering Thea Gagate first overall, he and the rest of coaching staff are now looking at the rest of the 46-strong pool and are praying that none of the other teams picking second to 12th overall grabs the young talents available.

“It’s a consensus on who No. 1 is—you need her height and mobility,” Yee said in a mix of Filipino when asked on who Zus will make as the historic first overall choice in the first-ever Draft proceedings. “Management still has to approve (selection of Gagate), but we already agreed on the name we want.”

Barring any hiccups, Gagate will be joining the core of NCAA champion College of St. Benilde like MVP and setter Cloanne Mondonedo, Gayle Pascual, Jade Gentapa and Michelle Gamit.

“So I am here now to look at the 13th pick,” said Yee, who watched the Draft Combine in Mandaluyong

The 6-foot-2 Gagate concluded a productive UAAP career at La Salle, where she won one title, and was one of the stars for Alas Pilipinas when it bagged a historic bronze medal in the Asian Volleyball Confederation Challenge Cup last month.

She still is part of the Alas pool, which could have her miss some games in the Reinforced with the national team to play in a couple of tournaments while the PVL is ongoing.

“I am very honored that I am their first choice and I am grateful for it, so I just hope that I will get there soon,” said Gagate, a three-time first Best Middle Blocker in the UAAP.

“For my part, I’ll just do my best to help the team rise through the rankings in the PVL,” she added.

Yee said that he still has a lot of spots to fill up and is hoping against hope that the other teams would grab the seasoned players in the pool on July 8. INQ



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