UP vs NU 2010-08-07 14:00 2010-08-07 16:00 Filoil Arena
UST vs FEU 2010-08-07 16:00 2010-08-07 18:00 Filoil Arena

2nd Round- September 19 @ 1215AM and 3AM
Semifinals- September 20 @ 1230AM and 3AM3rd Place- September 21 @ 1230AM

Finals- September 21 @ 315AM

BTV

2nd Round- September 19 @ 1215AM and 3AM
Semifinals- September 20 @ 1230AM and 3AM
3rd Place- September 21 @ 1230AM
Finals- September 21 @ 315AM

BTV

2nd Round- September 19 @ 1215AM and 3AM
Semifinals- September 20 @ 1230AM and 3AM
3rd Place- September 21 @ 1230AM
Finals- September 21 @ 315AM

BTV

ESPN
Sky Cable 31
Destiny 82

There is a full-blooded Filipino point guard currently strutting his wares in the US NCAA. His name is Jeff Dosado a.k.a. “3D”. He got the nickname because of his propensity for hitting the 3 ball with deadly accuracy and for dishing dimes. He’s 5-9 165 lbs and starts for the American International College Yellow Jackets, a division II school in the US competing in the tough Northeast-10 Conference, which is the same school that produced ex-NBA player Mario Elie and University of Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun. Jeff, 25, is hoping to follow the footsteps of crack Fil-Am guards Jimmy Alapag, Jayjay Helterbrand and Mark Caguioa who have made their respective marks in the PBA. He plans to apply for the draft next year if plans don’t miscarry.
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Kobe Bryant's Sept. 5 Manila visit begins with the basketball superstar meeting kids from Eliseo Belen Charity at Nike Park, The Fort at 2 PM.

In the afternoon, Kobe will headline the Kobe Supernatural Manila Event at the Phil Sports Arena (Ultra) where he will share his training regimen with young Filipino ballers. Gates will open at 3PM.

Tickets to the Kobe Supernatural Manila Event will be distributed for one day only on September 1st 12:00PM at Nike Park, The Fort. Tickets are free of charge on a first come, first serve basis and only two tickets will be given per person.

The September 5 Manila visit is part of Kobe Bryant's Supernatural Asia Tour 2007. To be launched during the tour is the new version of Kobe II, part of the Fall 2007 basketball footwear product line. The shoes will hit the Asian markets on Sept 6.

From Manila, Kobe will visit Taipei, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. For more information on the Kobe Supernatural Asia Tour Manila stop, visit www.nike.com.ph

Finally we've got the fresh - off - the - email press release from Nike Philippines re Kobe's visit! Read about your chance to get to meet the man himself!

August 28, 2007, Manila - Kobe Bryant's Sept. 5 Manila visit begins with the basketball superstar meeting kids from Eliseo Belen Charity at Nike Park, The Fort at 2 PM. Aside from being a worldwide basketball phenomenon, Kobe Bryant is also known for his generosity in bringing smiles to kids worldwide and his one-day visit in Manila begins with Kobe spreading smiles to Filipino youth, Nike Philippines disclosed recently.

In the afternoon, Kobe will headline the Kobe Supernatural Manila Event at the Phil Sports Arena (Ultra) where he will share his training regimen with young Filipino ballers. Gates will open at 3PM.

Tickets to the Kobe Supernatural Manila Event will be distributed for one day only on September 1st 12:00PM at Nike Park, The Fort. Tickets are free of charge on a first come, first serve basis and only two tickets will be given per person.

Kobe fans can also tune in to radio stations, Magic 89.9, Wave 89.1, RX 93.1, and NU 107.5 to win tickets to see Kobe in action!

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Red Bull's Rich Alvarez will be out for the whole of the Philippine Cup after suffering an ACL injury in a team scrimmage last Wednesday. The 6'4" Alvarez is scheduled to be operated anytime this week.

“Malas talaga,” said Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao. “Marami na nga ang nawala sa amin, tapos dumagdag pa yung injury ni Rich.”

“Now, we’re the underdogs. Pero dyan naman tayo mas nasusubukan eh. Kapag underdog tayo, lalo tayong tumatapang,” he added.

The loss of Alvarez would be a big blow to the Barakos' campaign this coming conference. The team have already lost Alvarez's ex-Ateneo teammates Enrico Villanueva and Larry Fonacier to San Miguel in a trade earlier. Expected to fill the gap for Alvarez is ex-San Sebastian standout Leo Najorda and veteran Don Camaso, although a trade for a combo forward could also not be discounted.
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Our good friends at Nike Phils. have for some odd reason found it fit for my lowly self to be in the presence of The Great One.

I've waited for approx 2 weeks to finally make this announcement, preferring to remain on the safe side by making sure first. However a few days ago I received notice that I should 'spread the word' (and even then I demurred), but I think it's sure now, so here's the lowdown. Kobe Bryant, no. 24 guard for the Los Angeles Lakers and probably the U.S. Basketball Team (they'd be nuts to cut him), and the current most famous basketball player in the world and consequently, the 'face of the NBA' is coming to Manila on September 5 to hold a few clinics and of course, promote his new Fall 2007 Kobe II shoes. If I might add, in recent years, I've come to regard him as the best basketball player in the NBA as well, and it's pretty hard to discount that.

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Check it out below:

Joe Devance 6-7 Forward San Miguel Beer (#1 pick)
Applied for the draft last year but was spurned by the league after failing to submit several draft requirements. This year, it looked like he wouldn’t be able to make it anew but miraculously managed to make it in time for the draft… impressed a lot of coaches in attendance during the rookie camp with his inside-outside game… so impressed was the coaching staff of Welcoat that they made him the draft’s first overall pick and the second in a row, a Fil-am was drafted first overall (last year was Kelly Williams)… the knock on him is that he doesn’t always take the ball strong to the hole and often times, falls in love with his jumper… led Toyota Otis to a runner-up finish two years ago… played varsity ball for the University of Texas at El Paso.
Will: be a franchise player
Can’t: take it strong
Expect: all-around play
Don't Expect: questions about his citizenship
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How did I do? Well, I got 4 out of the 10 picks in the first round correct! (However, I got nothing in the second round). The first deviation of the draft was when San Miguel elected to go with the 6-8 Samigue Eman instead of the exciting Fil-am guard Ryan Reyes at number 2. The Beermen needed size in the middle since center Dorian Pena wouldn't be able to see action in 6 months and they may have felt that Eman was the best available frontliner after Devance. Is Eman ready to play significant minutes for the Beermen? Well, he better be.
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Final Mock Draft:

This will be my final mock draft before the formal draft activity commences this afternoon at the Market Market in Taguig.

FIRST ROUND

1) Welcoat - Joe Devance. The Dragons appear to be keen on winning now instead of waiting for the future. Devance is a versatile talent who can make help the team right away. Eman is a great talent but he also has many questions surrounding him. Welcoat is listening to offers from other teams for marquee big men in exchange for their pick next year, a clear indication that they intend to make a big splash this season.

2) San Miguel - Ryan Reyes. Reyes has received interests from almost all the teams in the PBA. If Devance is gone at this slot, expect San Miguel to grab the highly-touted Reyes instead of drafting a project like Eman. Reyes is a future star in the league.
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Mock Draft version 3.00
What's the latest? Well, we've been hearing that there's still no consensus number one pick in tomorrow's draft, although Joe Devance, Ryan Reyes and JR Quiñahan may have pushed themselves in the upper tier of the draft with their consistent plays during the draft camp. The Dragons first round pick next year (could be Gabe Norwood) is reportedly up for grabs if teams offer a legit big man in return (and rumor has it that at least three teams are willing to offer their marquee big men for Welcoat's pick). JC Intal could drop down to as low as 8th as teams exercise their need for bigs and a playmaker (only one name: Ryan Reyes). Brgy Ginebra is reportedly mulling towards acquiring a first round pick for tomorrow's draft in the wake of reports that Rudy Hatfield, Mark Macapagal and Rafi Reavis may no longer join the team this season. Barring any trades, Purefoods and Ginebra are the only teams without any draft picks this year.

My previous mock drafts are here:

Mock Draft version 1.00
Mock Draft version 2.00

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Former UE Warrior RJ Masbang stole the show from projected first round pick JR Quiñahan to lead the White team to a 57-55 win over the tough Red team to complete a 3-game sweep of the PBA Rookie Camp games at the Ateneo Blue Eagles’ Gym.

Masbang topscored for the White team with 11 points while Quiñahan had a solid all-around game with 8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks in 25 minutes of action. Quiñahan's play for the past 2 days has cemented his place among the top 3 in Sunday's draft. The Sta. Lucia Realtors, who holds the number 3 selection in the draft, are said to be very interested with the 6-6 JR Quiñahan. The 6-3 Masbang, though isn't sure to be drafted but he sure opened a lot of eyes with his last ditch effort to prove scouts that he can play.

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