MVP. Diliman bound.  Basic Information Name: Juan Gomez de Liano Age: 17 School/Team: UPIS JuniorMaroons Years of eligibility left: 0 (Graduating) Committed to: UP Fighting Maroons Height: 6'3" Position: Combo Guard Projected Position: Combo Guard Quick Hits Strengths: - Polished offensive game - Capable of playing multiple positions - Great passing ability - Great size for a point guard - Great physical tools Weaknesses: - Hasn't shown ability to defend - Isn't used to playing with players with same talent - Leadership is unproven The UP Fighting Maroons have long been aching to go back to the Final Four. It's been losing season after losing seasons for the Maroons. It's even reached a point that a Twitter named "Did UP win today?" became a hit with fans. Instead of being recognized as the top university in the country, University of the Philippines turned into a running joke for other schools. Mention the name UP, and pro...

Photo Credit: Joji Lapuz, Fabilioh  Dragon Ball Z was my favorite anime/cartoon during my childhood. How Goku could muster that much energy to save the world was awe-inspiring. But the moment in the anime which I could say is my favorite was during the Cell Saga, where Gohan made himself known.  As a kid, that moment truly resonated with me. I wanted to make myself known already, but elders would stop me because I was too young. But I knew I had the potential to do great things. For the case of Gohan, with no one else among the Saiyans giving much a fight against Cell (and well, Cell killing Android 16), he decided to unleash the beast within. Kai Sotto was more gentle giant than beast when he entered the UAAP. He was relegated as a benchwarmer, only coming in during spurts to grab a couple of rebounds and to block a shot or two. It was only during the second round where Kai was used consistently, mostly as a rebounder and as a shot blocker. Against the FEU ...

Photo Credit: Richard Esguerra, ABS-CBN Sports Season 79 of the UAAP Juniors Division has been more controversial than fun. That wasn't usually the case. More often than not, scouts and analysts would be found talking about who would be the future stars come college in this batch of High School players. Instead, talk regarding the UAAP Juniors Division has been centered around the eligibility case of Adamson's Encho Serrano. Almost immediately, fears regarding the credibility of High School basketball started to circulate around basketball circles. Just how credible are the ages of these players in the Juniors Division? Heck, is the Juniors Division still a Division for well.. Juniors? Is the age group which was previously loved because of how "pure" it was now sprinkled with the dirt which College and Pro Basketball has? There aren't any answers for these questions just yet. But Ateneo and FEU's Final Four classic reminded us what High School Baske...

Kai Sotto has been mighty impressive as of late. But is he for real? (Photo Credit: Spin.ph) Basic Information Name: Kai Sotto Age: 14 School/Team: Ateneo Blue Eaglets Years of eligibility left: 4 Height: 6'11" Position: Center Projected Position: Power Forward/Center Quick Hits Strengths: - Has arguably the highest ceiling of anyone in Philippine basketball - Great touch around the rim - Has a great stroke from mid-range - Is an elite shot blocker, uses his size and length to his advantage - Very high Basketball IQ Weaknesses: - Needs to bulk up - Footwork needs improvement to dominate offensively - Athleticism isn't there yet which limits him, understandable given his age 6'11". 14 years old. Those are the two statistics which are often most talked about when talking about Kai Sotto. There's arguments whether he's really 6'11" (6'9" is the height which has been used for the longest time), but the point is,...