This will be a very straightforward post that aims to answer some questions regarding the Eagles so let's just get it started. 1. This team seems more capable of going all the way compared to last year's team. I'll be very frank. Last year's team had no business being the #1 seed. The talent that the team had last year was nothing compared to the depth that NU, La Salle, FEU, UE and hell even UST had. That's not to say that Newsome and Elorde sucked. I'm just saying that last year's team isn't as deep as others. This year, that isn't the case. Quite literally, anyone from the team can be an immediate contributor. Need threes? Get Arvin or Von. Need someone to set hard picks and points in the paint? You have Apacible, Ikeh and Gotladera. Need clutch? Kiefer. And many more. 2. Ball movement was a thing of beauty. Lots of Ateneo fans complained that the only play Ateneo had last year was "GIVE THE BALL TO KIEFER AND GTFO". Well, that wasn...

Disclaimer: I don't specialize in Boxing, so, if my analysis is bad, I apologize. Just trying this out. I waited for this fight ever since I was a 12 year old kid who had hopes of watching The People's Champion Manny Pacquiao go face to face against Floyd "Money" Mayweather.  Finally, after so long, the match happened. Am I happy with the result? Of course not. I wanted Manny to win. Was I satisfied with the match? As a fan who wants a boxing match with hellacious pace, no. But as a fan who knows that boxing is so much more than just attacking, I'm pretty okay with it. Do I have lots of stuff to say about the fight? HELL YES.

4 long years. It’s been 4 long years ever since the Ateneo Blue Eaglets brought the Juniors Basketball Championship to Katipunan. It’s been 4 long years ever since the Blue Eaglets experienced glory in the UAAP. It’s been 4 long years of waiting. 4 long years of losing. 4 long years of trying to hold in the tears every time the Blue Eaglets would be eliminated from contention for the championship. 4 long years of keeping confident that somehow, this drought will come to an end eventually. It did come to an end, and oh boy, the story that unfolded before our very eyes as that drought ended was simply amazing. An Offseason of Change The Eaglets were determined to bring the title back to Katipunan. (Photo Credit: Philip Sison)  After losing a heartbreaker of a Finals series against the Hubert Cani led NU Bullpups, for sure, something had to change. Some people were starting to have doubts with the coaching acumen of Joe Silva when it came to these...

The unstoppable force meets the immovable object once again. Mike Nieto vs. Mark Dyke, ladies and gentlemen. (Photo Credit: Mon Rubio, UAAP) Season 76. Last year, the Finals of the UAAP Juniors Basketball season also had Ateneo and NU as its main protagonists. Ateneo had standouts Thirdy Ravena, Jme Escaler and Aaron Black to lead the Katipunan based High School, while NU had (ironically) current Atenean Hubert Cani and JP Cauilan to lead the charge of the Bullpups. For that Finals series, NU possessed a thrice to beat advantage after sweeping the competition, while Ateneo had to go through the rigorous step ladder format in order to reach the Finals. To cut it short, Ateneo fell short in the end for both games. and ultimately. NU became champions.  Shift to Season 77. This year, the Finals of the UAAP Juniors Basketball season has Ateneo and NU as its main protagonists. Ateneo has standouts Mike Nieto, Matt Nieto and Jolo Mendoza to lead the Katipunan based High...

Dear SBP, Before anything else, let me introduce myself. I am a Senior High School student from the Ateneo, and at the same time, I am an avid supporter of Gilas Pilipinas. I only started to religiously follow the Philippine National Team during the 2011 FIBA Asia stint of Smart Gilas in China. Based on how I saw the team, they weren't exactly expected to succeed during that tourney. After all, the Philippine National Basketball Team had been experiencing some sort of slump during that time. Despite the circumstances of having a team with primarily Collegiate Basketball players (That team was led by Chris Tiu, take note), they still reached 4th place. After that stint, I've been following them religiously ever since. In the 3 years I have followed them, it's pretty evident what their battle cry is. LABAN PILIPINAS, PUSO. It's become the battle cry of Filipinos out there. One time during an outreach program that our school has, I happened to wear a Kiefer R...

Never have I felt more betrayed. In my 17 years as a basketball fan, never have I felt more betrayed by the game that we, the Filipinos, love so dearly. We play the game in the streets, wearing our flip flops, risking our lives all for the game that we love. Buwis Buhay Basketball. Air Tsinelas. That is Philippine Basketball. The love the Filipinos have for basketball goes beyond the basketball court. You see it anywhere. It's in books, jeepneys, advertisements and many more. Filipinos love, and breathe Basketball. Filipinos apply so much damn effort to show that they truly love this game. Sa totoo lang, parang di nga effort eh. Parang effortless nga yung mga ginagawa ng mga Pinoy eh. Ganyan kamahal ng mga Pilipino ang basketball. Despite all the effort that we Filipinos have shown, here we are. Heartbroken. Betrayed. Seemingly left alone, with nothing else to hope for. Once again, Gilas walks out of the court, heartbroken. (Photo Credit: InterAKTV) The ...

NOTE: This article isn't exactly in a form of a letter. The look of frustration beckons. (credits to Interaksyon.com)             To be honest, I have never been a die hard San Miguel Beermen fan until the season of their Governors’ Cup championship against the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters. Sure, they were my very first favorite PBA team, but the only reason for that was because Olsen Racela’s son was a friend and a batch mate. Despite that though, SMB has been my top favorite team. I may root for Alaska, RoS and at times Air 21, but the San Miguel Beermen will always be my top team.             The very first time that the Beermen broke my heart was when they lost an epic 7 game series against the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters in the 2012 Philippine Cup, back when they were still called the Petron Blaze Boosters. Despite that, I still continued to root for the team....