Bleacher Talk

Bleacher Talk BEST and FunDamentals Every summer for the past eleven years, we have had the opportunity to organize the Milo Summer Sports Clinic’s BEST Center basketball clinic backed by Milo. Pardon the obvious bias for now, but it’s a bias for the kind of clinics that are needed by the basketball segment if we really want to produce good, sound, technical players. It’s all about the basics. When people ask me about basketball camps for their children, the impression that I always get is that they want their children to be game-ready to play for a team in a tournament setting. They want that fast-track approach to player development. Is this wrong? Not at all. But is there a better way to do it? A big Yes. Let’s face it. Only a few talented players can easily make it to the competitive level based on pure talent that’s naturally gifted to them. The problem is that not all players are like them. There will only be one Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant or Lebron James....

Another Palaro, another… Every time we talk about the Palarong Pambansa, we’re not too sure about what we learn as it has always been the same year in and year out. Not much seems to have changed for the better, with a few exceptions. The annual sports spectacle brought together the top Under 18 (born 2001) and Under 13 (born 2006) student-athletes from across the country and competed in an Olympic-styled games that had Davao spreading its welcome arms and hosting events from downtown Davao all the way to the University of the Philippines Mindanao campus where a brand new sports complex was built (albeit not yet completely finished). An elaborate opening ceremony was held last Sunday with no less than Davaoeño President Rodrigo Duterte delivering a special message for all. Games were played throughout the week with some starting even before Sunday’s formal opening ceremony. Allow me to share some thoughts on the Palaro, based on what we observed and heard from Palaro partici...

--> Bleacher Talk April 7, 2019 What’s up Cebu Boxing? Or should our question be: What’s happening to Cebu Boxing? I hate to say this but 2019 isn’t looking like an active year for Cebu Boxing. So far, only two boxing events were held, and these were of the small kind. Don’t get me wrong. We’re grateful to big Yellow and Omega Pro Sports International/Omega Boxing for staging these, but is this all that Cebu can produce? The questions being asked these days among boxing fans are about when Donnie Nietes will fight for a world championship. When will Jhack Tepora fight again and redeem himself for that unfortunate “overweight” incident in what was supposed to be his debut in the U.S.? And what about Cebu’s world contenders? Albert Pagara, Christian Araneta, Jeo Santisima, KJ Cataraja, Milan Melindo and others? These are the expected questions since they’re Cebu’s biggest hopes for a world title, but I’d like to add one more important question. Where are all t...

Bleacher Talk March 31, 2019 Basketball in the Fifth Summer is officially on us and one of the sports events that we look forward to are the grassroots tournaments that take place in the probinsya. On our side of Cebu is the ongoing 9 th  edition of the Cong. Red Durano Cup, a basketball tournament featuring players 18 years old and younger from the tem municipalities and lone city of the fifth district. These are Danao (defending champion), San Francisco (2018 runner-up), Liloan, Compostela, Carmen, Catmon, Sogod, Borbon, Pilar, Poro and Tudela. I had heard of the Durano Cup (also called the Congressional Cup) before, more because of the rise of ex-PBA player Eliud Poligrates of Poro who once played for the Southwestern University Cobras in the CESAFI. Poligrates was a highlight type of a player (point guard) who liked to wow the crowd with his fancy moves and ball-handling skills. While this wasn’t exactly pleasing to the eyes of his coache...