The last time out, Sta. Lucia Realty got into trouble for failing to hold on to a big lead. In its next outing, it showed it could dish out a dose of its own medicine.

The Realtors beat Alaska 100-90 in a game where both teams had highs and lows Sunday to get back on the winning track in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.

Just four days after blowing a 19-point lead and losing a 92-98 decision to San Miguel Beer, the Realtors displayed their own defensive tenacity by holding the Aces scoreless in the last 3:24 of the game.

Offense was taken cared of by Anthony Johnson, Marlou Aquino, Kelly Williams and Dennis Miranda, who mainly conspired in a balanced assault that propelled Sta. Lucia to its fourth win in six games, tying it with idle Burger King at third spot in the standings.

For winning head coach Boyet Fernandez, it was his charges’ keeping their defensive focus after falling behind by 72-82 early in the fourth quarter that spelled the biggest difference in the game marking the teams’ first meeting since Alaska beat them in six games in the Philippine Cup semifinals.

“This is a defensive struggle,” said Fernandez. “We’re both 1-2 in defense in the tournament right now and as I’ve said before, those who make stops will win in the end. Defense really played a factor in this game.”

So listless did Alaska wind the game up that although it managed to score on four triples it only had four points from everywhere else in the fourth quarter, going 0-of-7 from inside the arc and committing five turnovers in the stretch.

Seemingly out of frustration, Tim Cone was ejected for two straight technical fouls and assistant Jojo Lastimosa also drew a ‘T’ with the Aces just 30.6 seconds from officially having their win-streak cut short at two and absorbing their second loss in six games.

Johnson turned all those technicals into free throws that made it a 97-90 game before Miranda pegged the final count with a deep three at the buzzer.

After being held to only 19 points by SMB, Johnson wound up with 40 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and two shotblocks. Aquino had his best scoring game of the season with 18 points, spiking it up with four rebounds, as many assists and three shotblocks.

Miranda added 16 points while anchoring the defrense on Willie Miller while Williams wound up with 12 points and seven boards.

Despite being limited to just four points in the fourth period, Miller still wound up with 20 points to lead Alaska, which also drew 16 points and a game-high 14 rebounds from Rosell Ellis and at least 13 points from Joe Devance and Sonny Thoss.

The windup was a complete reversal of what transpired in the third period of the game that had a total of 14 lead changes and 13 deadlocks.

Aquino’s baseline jumper and Johnson’s trey put Sta. Lucia ahead at 69-64 before Alaska went on an 11-1 tear that gave it a 74-70 lead going into the payoff quarter.

Johnson’s followup dunk opened up the final period, but the Aces remained hot with Devance hitting back-to-back treys and Ellis canning two charities for the game’s biggest difference, still 10:11 to go.

Then Miranda scored on a drive and issued back-to-back assists to Johnson and Ryan Reyes, resulting in a triple and a short stab that completely got the Realtors well on their way to their biggest comeback yet in the tournament.(jack18jack)

In the biggest come-from-behind win in the season, Barako Bull came charging back from a 24-point deficit in the last eight minutes to stun Talk n Text, 135-133, in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum Sunday night.

Scooter McFadgon scored 16 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter, fueling the Barako Bull uprising capped by two free throws by Jojo Duncil in the last 5.5 seconds for the final count.

The Energy Boosters improved their record to 2-4 while dealing the Tropang Texters their third loss against two wins.

“Hindi masamang tsumamba. Eh, binibigay sa amin, eh di kunin,” said Barako Bull coach Leo Isaac.

The Texters had looked on their way to a third straight win, enjoying a 12-point lead at 132-120 before running into a maze of errors and misses in the last two minutes of play.

Their misery started with Jimmy Alapag committing a passing error in a three-against-one fastbreak play.

McFadgon parlayed that Alapag booboo into a three-pointer, igniting a 13-0 run that pushed Barako Bull ahead at 133-132 with 36.9 seconds left.

Harvey Carey tied the count at 133-all on a split charities off Larry Rodriguez’s sixth and final count 13 seconds later.

Then came Duncil winning it for the Energy Boosters as the former UST stalwart, drawing a foul from Macmac Cardona on a drive with 5.5 ticks left, coolly sank the deciding free throws.

Ranidel de Ocampo had a chance to salvage the game for Talk n Text but the 6-foot-4 forward missed a make-or-break drive at the buzzer.

“Down by 24, we just told ourselves not to give up, and we just kept on pushing and pushing,” said Isaac.

“Mga reserves na ang naglaro sa amin — Mike Hrabak, Warren Ybanez and Larry Rodriguez — noong huli. Ang bilin namin lagi sa kanila magpakita, pag nabigyan ng pagkakataon. Yon ang ginawa nila,” said Isaac.

Hrabak, Ybanez and Rodriguez had their significant contribution in the amazing win — the biggest come-from-behind victory since Magnolia overcame a 25-point deficit in a 96-93 decision over Talk n Text during the 2007-08 Fiesta Conference.

The Texters and the Energy Boosters engaged in a torrid offensive battle in the first half with each team shooting above 55 percent.

Tiras Wade had had near double-double numbers right in the first two quarters, scattering 17 points and grabbing eight rebounds as the Texters took the half at 76-64.

Wade, Alapag and Jason Castro got TnT to a strong start and Mark Cardona sustained the pace coming off the bench as the Texters erected a huge margin right in the first quarter at 47-30.

The Texters ripped the game apart in the opening period while shooting 76 percent as against the Energy Boosters’ 45.8-percent clip.

The Energy Boosters, however, patiently worked their way, reducing the deficit to single digit in the third quarter.(jack18jack)

Gary David scored 26 points, Arwind Santos added 24 and the Burger King Whoppers had a practically easy time against the Coca-Cola Tigers in a 127-109 victory Friday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

What appeared to be close match after the opening half turned into a blowout game in the third quarter where the Whoppers outscored the Tigers, 41-28.

David and Santos accounted for 21 points during that killer attack as Burger King extended a nine-point halftime lead to 102-80 at the end of the third period.

“We just rode on the momentum from our last game,” said Burger King coach Yeng Guiao, referring to their 123-110 rout over Barako Bull last Wednesday.

Burger King won its second straight and fourth overall in six games to stay close behind solo leader San Miguel Beer, unbeaten in five games in the 2009 Motolite-PBA Fiesta Conference.

The lopsidedness of the match prompted Guiao to compare their performance from Wednesday’s game against Barako Bull.

“Everybody’s in the groove and in excellent rhythm. Just like the way we did last Wednesday. But that’s exactly the way we want to play the game, in torrid pace with lots of action,” said Guiao, who finally won against Coca-Cola coach Kenneth Duremdes in three games.

He added: “We’re trying to get the best record we can before the Holy Week break.”

During the post-game interview, the Burger King coach was asked to comment on Santos’ consistent performance and Guiao replied by saying: “ I don’t want speak too early and don’t want to put pressure on him. But the way I look at it he’s shaping up to be an MVP candidate.”

Coke’s third straight loss and fourth in five games underscored the urgency for the team to replace import J.J. Sullinger sooner than later.

Standing a little over six-foot-five, Sullinger is the second shortest import in the conference. And although he averages 25 points a game, he could hardly provide an impact for the team that aims to do better this conference after a disappointing campaign in the Philippine Cup.

Duremdes maintained that Sullinger is just on a temporary employment and will be replaced as soon as their original choice, James Penny, arrives. Penny is still playing in Mexico.

The Tigers managed to provide a challenge only in the first half that saw the two teams battle through eight deadlocks and eight lead changes.

Baskets by Asi Taulava (27 points, 12 rebounds) and Sullinger (32 points, 16 rebounds) tied the count for the last time at 46-46 before Beau Belga, J.R. Quinahan and Santos strung up six straight points as Burger King closed out the second quarter with a 14-8 run to take the lead for good.(jack18jack)

Purefoods Tender Juicy, determined to make a good showing in the 2009 Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference, has recruited a new import in Jahmar Thorpe, replacing Brian Hamilton whose game took a nosedive after a remarkable debut in the league.The Giants settled with Thorpe, a product of University of Houston, with Marquin Chandler still unavailable, yet to finish his engagement in the Japanese league.

Thorpe, 24, arrived Thursday night from the United States. He was measured at 6-4 15/16 in the PBA office Friday before joining the Giants in Bacolod City for their game in  Victorias City, Negros Occidental where they play the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in one leg of the PBA Phoenix Fuel on Tour.

Thorpe is listed in the Houston Cougars journal as a 6-foot-6, 225-pound forward. Houston U is the same school that produced Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler among other great players. Former Great Taste and Manila Beer import Michael Young was a member of a Cougars team that won a championship in the mid-80s.

The Giants got off to a 2-0 start in the tourney but have since gone on a slump with Hamilton’s game taking a downturn after debuting with a triple-double performance to lead the team to a 131-121 win over the Talk n Text Tropang Texters last March 3.

Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio hopes they regain their winning ways with Thorpe taking over from Hamilton.

Thorpe had his first stint playing abroad last year, starring for the Goettingen ball club in Germany where he made a reputation as a show man.

Reports said Thorpe became one of Bundesliga’s popular attractions with his high-flying dunks.

Native of Morristown, New Jersey, Thorpe played high school ball with the Morristown HS before jumping to college ball with Caldwell College then Houston.

He made the All-Morris County selection, All-Iron Hills Conference first team and Iron Division All-Star as a Morristown senior. He led the team to a 24-3 record and won the Morris County MVP honors while averaging 13.5 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in his senior year.

At Caldwell College, an NCAA Division II school in Caldwell, New Jersey, Thorpe immediately made an impact with an average of 17.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. He was named to the All-Metropolitan Division II second team selection.

He later made the All-Region II First Team and All Bi-State Conference First Team selections in junior college where he averaged 18.1 points and 11 rebounds.(jack18jack)

San Miguel Beer went through a wringer but survived, making it 5-of-5 in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference with a 98-92 decision over Sta. Lucia Realty Thursday night at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.

The Beermen gallantly clawed their way back from the depth of 19-point deficits in the third quarter then went to Dondon Hontiveros for the clutch shots at the finish, completing the come-from-behind victory that kept their unbeaten run in the season-ending tourney.

Hontiveros banged in a booming triple and nailed a free throw in the last 23 seconds to clinch the win that stretched the Beermen’s searing run to five games.

Trailing most of the first three quarters, the Beermen shifted to zone defense to stymie Sta. Lucia’s searing offense.

San Miguel stormed upfront, 69-62, at the end of the third period and hung tough to the finish in dealing Sta. Lucia a second loss against three wins.

Before the game, San Miguel and Sta. Lucia were the hottest teams in the tourney with the Beermen on a four-game romp and the Realtors on a three-game roll.

It appeared the Realtors would keep their run going as they started strong and enjoyed 19-point spreads at 53-34 and 62-34.

But the Beermen won’t give up.

The Beermen held the Realtors scoreless in the last five minutes of the third period to sway the tide in their favor going into the fourth quarter.

San Miguel surged ahead to stay at 95-92 on a three-pointer by Hontiveros with 23 ticks left to play.

Sta. Lucia eventually yielded the game as Joseph Yeo was called for an offensive foul on Jay Washington after the Hontiveros trey.

Hontiveros and Gabe Freeman converted three straight charities in the closing seconds for the final count.

Freeman scored 25 points and got 12 rebounds as against Anthony Johnson’s 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Hontiveros and Olsen Racela added 17 and 15 points, respectively, for the Beermen.

The Realtors dominated the first half, sitting on a 44-34 cushion at the turn with Kelly Williams leading their assault with 13 points.

Second-string forward Norman Gonzales scored eight straight points to highlight a key run opening up a 40-31 lead for Sta. Lucia from a 26-all count.

Marlou Aquino made all of his seven points in the first quarter ending in their favor at 21-19.(jack18jack)

The Realtors hope to accomplish that as they battle the Beermen on Thursday at the Ynares Sports Arena in a game pitting the top two teams in this import-laden tournament.

The Beermen have set aside their injury woes this early by winning all of their first four games to pace the 10-team field.

Yet despite being on a roll, Sta. Lucia coach Boyet Fernandez said beating the Beermen would be an enormous task.

“They are a very disciplined team, have a good coaching staff and a talented line up. Yung second unit nga nila puwedeng first five sa ibang teams e,” said Fernandez.

The 6 p.m. showdown is likewise expected to focus on the import match up between Johnson and Gabe Freeman.

So far Johnson had been the most well-rounded among today’s imports, churning out double-doubles in each of the Realtors’ four games. For a while, he held the season-high for scoring with 43 points until Talk `N Text’s Tiras Wade surpassed the output with his 48-point performance.

Freeman, meanwhile, has shown his explosiveness by debuting for 40 points and coming through with several highlight-reel plays in his first game against Burger King.

But he opted to give the spotlight on his local teammates in San Miguel’s last two outings, when he averaged just 11.5 points.(jack18jack)

The 4-0 Beermen and the 3-1 Realtors collide at 6 p.m.

With all the injuries to key players and the adjustment it made with a new import, San Miguel emerged as the surprise team in this reinforced conference.

To keep the streak going, San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen said his wards have to keep playing hard against the Realtors who thrive on defense.

“They’re the type of team that would make you pay for unnecessary mistakes.” Tanquingcen said.

The Realtors have won their three previous assignments and are poised to end the Beermen’s winning streak.

After dropping its initial game against Burger King (87-96), Sta. Lucia scoried victories over Philippine Cup champion Talk ‘N Text (106-100), defending champion Barangay Ginebra (80-76) and Barako Bull (100-91).

“We’re happy where we are right now with the three wins. But we are facing a team that won four games and have a line-up that is so strong na wala kang itulak-kabigin,” Sta. Lucia mentor Boyet Fernandez said. “It’s our defense that will be crucial if we want to get this one.”

In the Realtors’ previous win, import Anthony Johnson, in his second stint in the PBA and first with SLR, scored a career-best 43 points on 20-of-31 shooting while adding a personal-best 21 rebounds.

Johnson will be matched up against Freeman, who replaced Nate Carter. Freeman and Johnson play similar styles, both are athletic and high-leapers, likes to slash to the basket, good outside shooters and excellent defenders.

The Realtors will rely also on their local mainstays of reigning Most Valuable Player (MVP) Kelly Williams, last seasons Rookie of the Year Ryan Reyes, Joseph Yeo, Bitoy Omolon, and veterans Marlou Aquino and Dennis Espino.

As for the Beermen, also expected to step up are locals Dondon Hontiveros, Dorian Pena, Jay Washington, Jonas Villanueva, Olsen Racela, Wesley Gonzales, Mick Pennisi and rookie guard Bonbon Custodio.

San Miguel is still waiting for the return of key players, who are still recuperating for injuries including former two-time MVP Danny Ildefonso, Danny Seigle (back), Marc Pingris (foot), Lordy Tugade (knee) and Mike Cortez (knee).(jack18jack)

Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia believes Jai Lewis is a prized catch who could be their catalyst for a possible major breakthrough in the pro league.

Lewis just bolstered Garcia’s belief with another mammoth performance leading Rain or Shine to a 107-93 rout of Barangay Ginebra that gave the Elasto Painters a share of second place with the idle Sta. Lucia Realtors Wednesday night in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.

“We’ve found the missing link in our game in Jai. He’s really a big factor. He plays well and gets to involve everybody. He makes his teammates confident. And for as long as the players enjoy playing with one another, we’ll be there fighting,” said Garcia as they notched a third win against one loss.

The Elasto Painters have gone 2-of-2 since Lewis took over from Charles Clark as the team’s reinforcement.

“He’s as it again tonight. He imposed his post presence, opening up the Ginebra defense for our other players to shoot from the outside,” said Garcia.

Rain or Shine did hit heavily from afar as it clobbered Barangay Ginebra, dealing the Kings a third straight defeat.

The Kings terribly missed the services of Sunday Salvacion who’s out with a strained left calf muscle sustained in practice Monday. Before Wednesday’s games, Salvacion led all locals in scoring with an average 19.3 points per outing.

The Elasto Painters converted nine three-pointers as they built a 57-37 cushion at halftime and knocked in three consecutive treys as they fended off a Ginebra rally down entering the homestretch.

Donald Dulay rifled in five triples with Rob Wainwright and Ryan Arana adding three apiece, Allan Salangsang two and Sol Mercado, Gabe Norwood, Jireh Ibanes and Lewis one each.

The Kings, on the other hand, struggled with a 37.4 percent shooting as they remained on a slump after a triumphant debut versus the Coca-Cola Tigers.

The Elasto Painters shot 45 percent from the three-point zone and 59.1 percent from the two-point area as they established control early and enjoyed the 20-point lead at halftime.

Rain or Shine hit at 52.4 percent field-goal clip overall as against Ginebra’s atrocious 28.3 percent shooting.

But the Kings get into the groove of things upon their return from the halftime huddle, coming to within four points once in the third quarter.

The Kings kept on coming back from there until their bid was eventually scuttled by the Elasto Painters on three successive treys by Wainwright and Mercado.

Lewis came through with a double-double of 16 points and 17 rebounds with Mercado, Wainwright, Arana and Dulay each adding at least 15 points.

Rod Nealy led all scorers with 32 but was held down to 11 rebounds — eight below his average.(jack18jack)

Yeng Guiao’s first encounter against Barako Bull was a mismatch with Burger King – the team he now coaches – dealing his former club a 123-110 blowout Wednesday night in the Motolite-PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Whoppers seized control early and was never really threatened even when the Energy Boosters made a desperate run in the third quarter that got them within four points.

Guiao, who turns 50 Thursday, admitted there were emotions involved in the game “having coached the other team for nine years.”

“But we tried to treat this just like another game we have to play,” he said.

Guiao coached the Barako Bull (formerly Red Bull) from the time it joined the league as an expansion club in 2000 and steered it to three championships. He resigned from the team shortly after the recent Philippine Cup.

It was the third win in five games for the Whoppers, who rebounded from back-to-back defeats.

“It was an extraordinary good night for us. Everybody played well. There was no exception,” said Guiao, who fielded 13 players with 12 scoring in three or more points.

Arwind Santos turned in 22 points to lead five other Whoppers in double figures, although he had to sit out the first quarter while waiting his new set of uniforms.

Apparently, Santos’ two sets of uniforms were stolen from their practice facility the previous day but the team only learned about it minutes before game time.

Gary David scored 18 points on a 9-of-13 shooting from the field. Rookies Erick Rodriguez and Cholo Villanueva, Marvin Cruz and import Shawn Daniels added 12 apiece for Burger King.

The loss was the second straight and fourth overall in five games for Barako Bull.

Import Cornelius McFadgon led all scorers with 31 points and Gabby Espinas had 25 points for the Energy Boosters, who committed 21 turnovers that netted the Whoppers 25 points.

After Espinas tied the game at 11-all four minutes into the opening quarter, the Whoppers went on a 20-6 run to rip the game apart.

The Energy Boosters slowly clawed their way back and pulled within 61-65 on a basket by Mike Hrabak three minutes into the third quarter.

But Rodriguez hit a three-pointer and Cyrus Baguio added two more to cap a 20-3 blast as the Whoppers sealed the victory with< 4:28 left in the period.(jack18jack)

Just when the Aces appeared to have gotten over the hump following their breakthrough win in the Motolite-PBA Fiesta Cup Sunday, a piece of bad news hit the team again after learning forward Tony Dela Cruz suffered an MCL (medial collateral ligament) injury.

The versatile 6-foot-4 forward is expected to be sidelined for the next six weeks.

Dela Cruz, a former RP team member, injured the knee late in the fourth period of the Aces’ 94-84 win over the Purefoods Giants in a game he failed to finish following a collision with teammate Joe DeVance.

The injury came at a time when Dela Cruz played his best game of the conference thus far. Despite getting sidelined, the veteran player ended up as the Aces’ top local scorer with 20 points.

The victory was just the first for Alaska after starting out the import-laden tournament with three straight losses.

It also served as the crowning glory of coach Tim Cone, who notched his 602nd career win, surpassing the legendary Virgilio `Baby’ Dalupan as the all-time winningest coach in PBA history.(jack18jack)

“Yes, of course. We will miss him,” said La Salle head coach Franz Pumaren yesterday when asked about the status of the fearless forward who won the UAAP crown with the team in 2007.

Maierhofer, who is graduating this semester, is still eligible to play for La Salle this coming UAAP season which starts on July 11. But he has decided to drop it and instead apply for the 2010 PBA draft.

“If it’s a better opportunity for him, we will not hold him back. It’s like the case of Mac Mac (Cardona) who still had one more year left with us but opted for the PBA so we let him go,” Pumaren added.

Maierhofer also decided to shy away from the national pool that was formed by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas under Serbian coach Rajko Toroman. For the meantime, he can play in the PBL.

The country’s finest amateur cagers have been lured by the SBP to be part of the team that may represent the Philippines in major international competitions that can go as high as the Olympics.

And for the first time in history, players are being offered contracts which according to SBP executive director Noli Eala could come close or even match some of those being offered PBA players.

But for some reason, Maierhofer had to turn it down, and give the PBA a shot.(jack18jack)

Giants management has not discounted plans of tapping the services again of former Best Import Marquin Chandler once the former San Jose State mainstay becomes available.

Chandler is currently playing in the Korean Basketball League where he dons the Anyang KT&G Kites team.

Hamilton, the silent but hardworking import of the Giants, posted the PBA Fiesta Conference’s first triple double in his debut against Talk ‘N Text.

But after winning their first two outings, Purefoods has lost twice in a row, the last time against Alaska, 94-84, where Hamilton finished with only 10 points and had five turnovers.

Chandler steered the Giants to the Finals of the 2006-07 Fiesta Conference. Although he bested James Penny for the Best Import award, Purefoods lost the title series to Red Bull (now Barako Bull) in six games.

A second tour of duty with the franchise came the following year, but with injury bothering him, Chandler was just a shadow of the explosive player Purefoods had in the past.

But with the way he’s been playing in the KBL, it seems Chandler is back to his old deadly form.

He currently averages 25.6 points and 8.7 rebounds, while shooting 54.2 percent from the field.(jack18jack)

A member, who asked that he not be identified at the moment, told scribes of the board’s plan to discuss the controversial rules in their next meeting at the end of the month.

The board, he said, will also ask commissioner Renauld “Sonny” Barrios to revamp his technical staff.

“(These new) rules are taking away the beauty of the games,” the board member told the Philippine Daily Inquirer at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City Sunday night. “There are a lot of silly fouls being called and it’s just unfair to all the teams.

“The problem here is not the rules per se, but their implementation, which starts from those who teach our referees how to implement them,” continued the board member.

“Imagine, we came from a tournament (Philippine Cup) that was almost no-harm-no-foul and then they changed the rules drastically.”

Ramil Cruz, a former University of the Philippines cager, is the PBA’s technical chief, with veteran international referee Romy Guevarra as consultant.

“I will have to look into the complaints regarding the officiating,” Barrios said, adding he had heard of such a move by certain board members.

“But not knowing what the complaint is all about (at this time), it’s difficult for me to fully react. I will have to look at the merits of the complaint and then address them.”

Meanwhile, Barangay Ginebra gunslinger Mark Caguioa, last year’s leading local scorer, has started intensive training in the United States under the supervision of his doctors who will determine when he is ready to return to Manila.

Coach Jong Uichico said that Caguioa started running and doing drills on March 9 after his left knee was found to have completely healed.

“Hopefully, if his health keeps on improving, we can have him as early as after the Holy Week break,” Uichico said.(jack18jack)

Guiao also said his players and coaching staff must be out of the issue. “We will not comment on that because that’s a management issue,” he said.

Guiao, who resigned as Red Bull mentor two months ago before transferring to Burger King, told The Manila Times Sunday that the major concern of the players and the coaching staff is on practicing and winning games.

That dinner came after Burger King lost to Talk ‘N Text, 114-117, on Saturday at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex.

The loss gave the Titans a 2-2 win-loss card under the short stint of Romero.

Romero, said through a text mes-sage to The Times that he along with his group and the Burger King ma-nagement, owned by the Lina group of companies, did not come to terms. So he yielded his stakes in the franchise and resigned.

“As for me, much of my attention would now be devoted to the amateurs again along with my other passion which is to propagate our national culture,” he said.

Because of Romero’s resignation, Alvarez said he would assume his old post as team manager and board representative.

“I will assume the role as team manager and since I’m not yet prohibited to sit on the bench, I will be there on the bench most of the time as I will only be active in the PBA office next season,” Alvarez said.

There will be some expected changes in the coaching staff, said Alvarez.

Guiao, however, will remain as head coach of the team, while other members of the coaching staff, which include Junel Baculi and George Gallent, will be replaced along Erick Arejola, who was appointed team ma-nager by Romero.

“About the changes, I have to discuss it with the other stake-holders of Burger King,” said Alvarez. “We will also decide whether to give Yeng a free hand in choosing his assistant coaches.”(jack18jack)

The changes in the Titans’ coaching staff - an offshoot of recent developments at the management level - are expected to be finalized this week in a meeting among Burger King’s stakeholders.

“As far as the changes are concerned, the other stakeholders of the team will need to sit down and talk about the future of the squad, including the other members of the coaching staff,” said incoming PBA chairman Lito Alvarez, who took the team manager reigns from Erick Arejola.

“I think hindi naman mamasamain ng grupo ni Mikee yung gagawin naming decision (shakeup),” added Alvarez. “This is basketball and you have to work with people you are comfortable working with.”

Alvarez is among the stakeholders of Burger King, who also include Bert Lina of Air21, the majority shareholder, Manny V. Pangilinan and Ricky Vargas of Talk N Text and Wilson Young of Basic Holdings Corporation, owner of Asia Brewery.

With Romero out of the picture, Burger King will also have to replace his personnel, such as assistant coaches Junel Baculi and George Gallent, as well as Arejola, and take in new people.

Yeng Guiao, though, stays on as head tactician and Burger King is now in the process of looking for new deputies for the fiery mentor.

Considered for the posts are the think tank of Burger King’s PBL squad, head mentor Gregorio and his assistants Codiñera and Meneses.

But should the Burger King owners give Guiao a free hand to choose his lieutenants he will most likely take in Nadurata, who is also one of his deputies in the current national team.

Asked about his reaction, Guiao remained clueless regarding the future of the team.

“I’m clueless. I really don’t know what to say and I really don’t know kung ano madadatnan ko sa game last Saturday,” said Guiao.

Romero’s departure supposedly traces its roots from a failed business deal.

Burger King currently has 63 outlets in the country and Romero’s group has reportedly promised to help in its expansion program. Sources said it was the reason why the youthful team owner of the Harbour Center team in the PBL was tasked to run the basketball affairs of the Titans in the PBA and Romero was even named the team’s alternate governor.

A highly-placed source disclosed that the expansion deal bogged down after Harbour failed to close out its deal with the Metro Pacific Company, with which it was negotiating to sell its majority stocks to. The amount generated from the sales would have been reportedly used to finance Burger King’s expansion program.(jack18jack)

Rosell Ellis made an impact in his first game back, leading the Alaska Aces to a 94-84 victory against the Purefoods TJ Giants Sunday night and earned for coach Tim Cone his 602^nd victory in the Philippine Basketball Association.

Tony dela Cruz limped out with 3:23 remaining in the fourth quarter after pouring in 20 points, including 12 in the telling third quarter. His 3-pointer with 6:24 left in the third broke a 54-all deadlock and put the Aces ahead for good.

It was a breakthrough win for the Aces after a 0-3 start in the 2009 Motolite-PBA Fiesta Conference and enabled Cone to surpass the legendary Virgilio “Baby” Dalupan as the league’s winningest coach.

The Alaska coach appeared humbled by his latest accomplishment.

“It’s not really how many games you win, it’s your winning percentage and I’m sure Baby’s winning percentage is much higher than mine,” Cone said during the post-game interview.

“I’m just been around for a long time. It’s no secret that he’s my hero and the guy I always look and try to emulate,” added Cone, who has a 0.567 win percentage compared to Dalupan’s all-time best 0.633.

“To me it’s just really longevity. Baby was just a great coach, the best coach by far. I don’t think anybody deserves to be mentioned with Baby. He’s a class all by himself,” stressed Cone, in his 20^th season for the longest tenure among any coach in league history.

Ellis, who took over from pinch-hitter Galen Young, led all scorers with 26 points. He also had 16 rebounds and five assists as the Aces snapped their worst start in four years.

Fresh from a stint in Australia, Ellis, who was named Best Import and helped the Aces win this tournament two years ago, appeared in tip-top shape and ready to rumble with the opposition.

L.A Tenorio scored 15 points and had five assists and Willie Miller added 12 for Alaska which raced to a 44-31 advantage with 2:09left in the second quarter.

To the surprise of the Aces, that lead evaporated in a wink of an eye as Nino Canaleta and James Yap conspired in a 10-0 run that trimmed Alaska’s lead to just 44-41 at halftime.

It was another heartbreaker for the Giants who came into game still reeling from a 103-122 blowout against San Miguel Beer last Friday. They fell to 2-2 (win-loss) record in a tie with Talk ‘N Text and Burger King.

Kerby Raymundo scored 19 points, James Yap had 18 and P.J. Simon added 16 for the Giants, who got another sub par effort from import Brian Hamilton. Hamilton managed just 10 points on 5-of-12 shooting.

The Giants made a run in the third and appeared to have momentum when Hamilton hit a bucket that tied the count at 54.

But dela Cruz answered with a 3-pointer and a jumper and after James Yap scored off the glass, the Alaska forward split his free throw to give the Aces a 60-56 lead that was never threatened the rest of the way.(jack18jack)

Tournament leader San Miguel Beer lost another key player — Jay Washington — to injury but stayed on a roll, clobbering Coca-Cola, 106-91, in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum Sunday.

“We’re showing great potential to improve,” said coach Siot Tanquingcen after his Beermen preserved their clean slate, making it four-of-four in the season-ending tourney thus far.

In all those games, the Beermen used the same formula — well-distributed production.

Wesley Gonzales, Olsen Racela, Dorian Pena, Gabe Freeman, Dondon Hontiveros, Jonas Villanueva and Mick Pennisi tossed in at least 11 points each as they dominated Coca-Cola, handing  the Tigers a third loss against a lone win.

Gonzales stood out as he dished out his best performance in a long while, piling up 20 points on 9-of-13 field-goal shooting and adding eight rebounds.

The Beermen actually started out flat but picked up their game in the second quarter, taking control in the last 36 minutes of play.

“We were playing a second straight game and the fatigue factor showed up early on. Luckily, we gained a second wind and went on to overcome a fresher Coca-Cola side,” said Gonzales.

On Friday, the Beermen walloped the Purefoods Giants, 122-103, at the Araneta Coliseum.

Down by four, 23-27, at the end of the opening period, the Beermen rode high on the exploits of Gonzales, Racela and Pena as they seized control, 54-46, at the turn.

The Tigers came to within two, 54-56, early in the third period but the Beermen quickly reestablished control, 70-56, keeping their rivals at bay the rest of the way.

It was another sterling showing for the Beermen, short-handed minus the injury-stricken Washington, Danny Seigle, Danny Ildefonso, Lordy Tugade and Marc Pingris.

“We’re happy with our good start in this tourney but we can’t look farther. We have to take it one step at a time, one game at a time,” said Tanquingcen.

Having the same thing in mind but not getting the same success were the Tigers.

J.J. Sullinger has been putting up good numbers but the Tigers, as a team, have yet to get consistent performance that could win them games.(jack18jack)

Wade’s explosion in the final half that saw him scoring 23 points in the third period alone enabled the Tropang Texters to tie their victim in the fifth and sixth spot with identical 2-2 slate. After a 2-0 start, the Titans absorbed their second consecutive defeat.

The 6′5 Wade’s sudden burst of firepower eclipsed the previous conference-high of 43 points set by Anthony Johnson in Sta. Lucia’s 100-91 win over Barako Bull on Friday.

“It was a good win even if it was so tough. But I thank my teammates for our teamwork and hard work during the game. I hope this will be the start of a better performance from us,” said Wade.

The ejection of Reyes momentarily caught the Tropang Texters game as they trailed by as many as 22 points, 56-78, on Gary David’s five straight points, still 8:40 left in the third period.

Then came Wade’s onslaught as he scored 11 straight points, including three triples that ignited the Tropang Texters’ fiery run.

To add to the woes of the Titans, Mikee Romero resigned as alternate governor adding that he will be devoting his efforts and resources to the amateur players once again.

“I wish to thank Bert Lina and Mr. Manny V. Pangilinan for the opportunity to run the Burger King Titans from January to March,” said Romero, owner of the six-peat champions Harbour Centre in the Philippine Basketball League. “It was a dream come true for me to finally run a PBA team. Unfortunately, the dream and the winnings have to end as my group and the Burger King Company did not come to terms.”

Romero did not elaborate further on the reason for his resignation.

“As for me, much of my attention would now be devoted to the amateurs again,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Alaska Aces will bring back former best import awardee Rosell Ellis in today’s game against the Purefoods TJ Giants at the Araneta Coliseum.

Coach Tim Cone, whose team is out to rebound from a dismal 0-3 start, expressed confidence Ellis can provide the needed spark when the Aces collide against the Giants at 3:50 p.m.

Solo leader San Miguel Beer seeks its fourth straight victory when it faces Coca-Cola in the second game at 6:30 p.m.

The 6′6 Ellis, who led the Aces to the title two years ago, arrived early Friday from Australia to rejoin his former team. He replaced the less effective Galen Young, who fouled out in all three matches he played with the Aces.

Ellis just steered the Townsville Crocodiles into the semifinals of the National Basketball League in Australia, where he topped the rebounding department with 11.3 boards a game.(jack18jack)

In their bid to arrest a three-game skid, the Alaska Aces decided to bring in the import who once led the team to the Promised Land two seasons ago — Ellis.

The reentry of Ellis brings high hopes for an Alaska team seeking to finally barge into the win column of the ongoing PBA Fiesta Cup. The Aces try to end the slump beginning Sunday against the dangerous Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants.

An undersized power forward, the 6′5 Ellis will bring energy and hustle to an Aces squad that had difficulty regaining its deadly form.

Prior to his stint with the Aces two years ago, Ellis led the NBL in rebounding in 2007 with 11.3 boards in 27 games.

Ellis will replace Young, who was visibly out of shape. In his three games with the Aces, Young had fouled out and failed to lead the team to a win.

Ellis, a former Best Import awardee. will try to save the Aces’ slumping campaign.

“He will surely provide us more energy up front,” said Alaska coach Tim Cone. “Galen has tried everything to help us, but we felt we need Rosell more at this stage, especially in defending the post and providing the weakside rebounding for our team.”

Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio has seen Ellis play several times and he was very impressed with his attitude.

“Ellis brings a lot of toughness on the table for Alaska. He is a blue-collar worker who will do what is required to win. We have to prepare hard against Alaska. Definitely they will do whatever it takes to get out of the cellar,” said Gregorio.

“My wish is for my team to come out ready emotionally and physically,” he added.(jack18jack)

After losing their first two games, the Tropang Texters finally hit pay dirt the last time with a 133-111 win over the Coca-Cola Tigers.

Buoyed up by the victory, the reigning Philippine Cup champions feel confident of repeating the feat against a Titans side they are meeting for the first time this conference.

“We’re still far from the shape we want to be. But I hope we could sustain this and keep on winning,” said Talk N Text mentor Chot Reyes.

The lone weekend offering is set at 5 p.m. at the Muntinlupa Sports Center.

Burger King claimed back-to-back wins before suffering its first loss at the hands of San Miguel, 105-114.(jack18jack)

The Burger King Titans were looking to give Mikee Romero a triumphant exit in the league.

But it didn’t happen as Romero’s deal with Burger King neither materialized.

The Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters foiled the Titans’ bid, fashioning out an amazing 117-114 come-from-behind victory in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference at the Muntinlupa Sports Center Saturday night.

Tiras Wade exploded for a season-high 48 points and almost single-handedly turned things around for the Texters in the Muntinlupa stop of the “PBA Phoenix Fuel on Tour.

It was the highest output by any player since Purefoods import Darius Rice’s 56 in a 127-126 double OT triumph over Magnolia in this very same conference last season.

“It’s all about heart,” said Wade after keying Talk ‘N Text’s second straight win following a 0-2 start in the tourney.

“Our shots just won’t fall early on but we didn’t quit,” added Wade, the big difference as the Tropang Texters overcame a pair of 22-point deficits in the third quarter.

Wade and the Texters gallantly fought back from a huge deficit and beat out the Titans in a tight finish, handing BK a second loss in a row after 2-0 start.

Playing their last game under the management of Romero and his group, the Titans came out strong only to squander a giant lead.

Before the game, Romero issued a press statement announcing that he’s relinquishing his role as chief executive of the BK team which has taken over from the Air21 Express.

The BK Titans basketball team is now likely to be reorganized barely two months after its formation as the planned Metro Pacific-Harbour Centre merger failed to materialize, prompting Romero not to continue running the operation of the BK squad.

“I wish to thank Bert Lina and MVP for allowing me to run the Burger King Titans from January to March of this year. It was a dream come true for me to finally run a PBA team. Unfortunately, the dream must take a backseat as my group and the BK company did not come to terms,” said Romero.

“I salute every single individual from the ballboys to the BK overachieving players and to the Titans coaching staff for giving me an opportunity to work with them and having an open mind in accepting my own basketball philosophy,” Romero added.

Romero was allowed to run the team on the assumption that Metro Pacific and Harbour Centre would merge then Romero would pour investments on Burger King.

The Titans went 2-2 under the management of the Romero group.

Wade proved to be BK’s biggest spoiler on his 48-point showing, now the season’s best output topping Sta. Lucia import Anthony Johnson’s 43-point effort in the Realtors 100-91victory Friday night at the Big Dome.

The former Louisiana-Lafayette U hitman converted five of seven three-point attempts and totaled 23 points in fuelling the Texters’ rally in the third period.

With Jason Castro, Jared Dillinger, Jimmy Alapag and Macmac Cardona throwing support later on, the Texters hung tough to the finish, completing what’s easily the biggest come-from-behind win this season and since Magnolia battled back from 24 points down to beat Talk ‘N Text 96-93 on Dec. 2, 2007 in the Philippine Cup last season.

BK lorded it over the boards and terribly outscored TNT on fastbreaks as the Titans dominated the first half, enjoying a 19-point lead once in the second quarter.

After closing the half at 65-53, the Titans poured on the heat at the start of the third quarter but failed to sustain the effort, seeing an 81-59 bulge quickly erased by the Texters.

The Texters made it a one-point game, 93-94, at the end of the third quarter and surged ahead at 98-94 on a 5-0 opening run in the payoff period courtesy of Dillinger and Wade.

Talk ‘N Text completed the feat with assistant coach Nash Racela calling the shots for the team. Head coach Chot Reyes was ejected from the game late in the first half.(jack18jack)

Unbeaten teams San Miguel and Purefoods collide Friday in a battle for the solo leadership of the Motolite-PBA Fiesta Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

Although holder of a perfect 2-0 card, the Giants face the tough task of containing Beermen’s new import Gabe Freeman, whom Purefoods mentor Ryan Gregorio describes as “incredible.”

“Part of our preparation is to limit his (Freeman’s) scoring options,” said Gregorio.

Freeman made an impressive debut in San Miguel’s 114-105 demolition of Burger King last Sunday. He torched the Titans for 40 points — 17 in the final quarter - on 14-of-24 field goal shooting while grabbing 15 rebounds.

His play naturally drew raves from no less than San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen.

“I didn’t expect him to be like that,” said Tanquingcen. “But the important thing that he brings to the team is his energy, the aggressiveness. That’s what been missing in the team, yung gigil.”

Gregorio can’t help but agree.

“Freeman was really incredible in his debut,” said Gregorio. “But we should not take their locals for granted. The talent level of that team is so deep that they can remain competitive despite the absence of their key men.”

The San Miguel import will be tested against Brian Hamilton, who made a triple double (22 points, 16 rebounds, 10 assists) in his first game here against Talk ‘N Text, leading the Giants to a high-scoring 131-121 victory.

Meanwhile, Sta. Lucia tries to win for the third straight time as it plays the unpredictable Barako Bull in the 4:50 p.m. curtain raiser.

The Realtors will be playing for the second time in three days. They just defeated Ginebra, 80-76, the other night but are prepared nevertheless.

“Yes, it’s a tough schedule but we have to overcome these things,” said SLR coach Boyet Fernandez. “We will be OK if we could match Barako Bull’s intensity. They may be a team without named players, but that is what makes them dangerous.”

The Energy Boosters have a 1-2 (win-loss) record. They stunned Alaska (92-90) last Sunday.(jack18jack)

Anthony Johnson had a season-high 43 points including 16 in the third quarter that sparked a fiery rally by the Sta. Lucia Realtors, who rebounded from a 13-point deficit and turned the game around for a 100-91 victory against Barako Bull Friday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Sta. Lucia import made 20 of 31 attempts and had 21 rebounds for his fourth straight double-double as the Realtors posted their third consecutive victory in the in 2009 Motolite PBA Fiesta Cup after losing their opening game against Burger King 96-87 on Feb. 28 in Dumaguete City

Those were Johnson’s highest scoring and rebounding outputs in a game since first playing here as an import in the 2007 Fiesta Conference for Coca-Cola.

After a lackluster first quarter, the Realtors picked up the pace in the second before Johnson anchored a decisive third quarter breakaway in which he outscored the entire Barako Bull bench.

Johnson went 8-for-10 in that telling stretch and the Realtors shot 53 percent from the field as Sta. Lucia outscored  Barako Bull, 32-10.

“We were complacent in the first quarter,” offered Sta. Lucia coach Boyet Fernandez, referring to their slow start.  “But we quickly made some adjustments on our offensive patterns that enabled us to break the zone then we played tough defense in the second half and that was the key.”

The Barakos led 52-44 at halftime but the Realtors opened the third quarter with a 14-2 run for a 60-54 lead and never trailed the rest of the way.

Kelly Williams also turned in a double-double effort with 21 points and 13 rebounds and Marlou Aquino dished out another standout performance with 14 points, nine boards and two blocks, drawing nothing but praise from his coach.

“Marlou is playing like a 25-year old. He’s helping us offensively and working just as hard on defense. You can tell that he’s really in top shape. I hope he could keep it,” Fernandez said.

The Barakos tried to make a run in the early in the fourth that pulled them within 70-76 on a basket by Cornelius McFedgon with10:36 remaining.

But the Realtors, who are now-3-0 against Barako Bull this season, answered with 10 straights points that broke their opponents’ spine. Johnson had eight points in that run.

McFadgon turned in 38 points on 12-of-28 shooting and Gabby Espinas and Paolo Hubalde added 11 apiece for the Barakos, who fell to 1-3 (win-loss) record.

Early on, it looked like the Barakos would score an upset.

Their offense was running smoothly and with their zone seemingly unbreakable, the Barakos stormed to a 44-31 advantage with5:10 left in the first half.

Barako Bull appeared to still enjoy the momentum with an eight-point lead going into the second half. But they shot just 23 percent (5-of-21) in the third and never recovered from there.(jack18jack)

Lewis, who replaced Charles Clark, topscored for the Elasto Painters with 26 points and a conference-tying 23 rebounds as he provided the needed boost at the frontline.

The 6-foot-6 Lewis shot an impressive 9-of-17 from the field and was 8-of-12 from the foul line to highlight his debut and help extend Alaska’s long run to three.

For a while, the Elasto Painters appeared headed for a breezy win when they padded their lead to 87-78 with 4:51 remaining.

But the Aces, led by Willie Miller, came through with a run of their own to make the game a lot interesting.

Rookie Gabe Norwood and Rob Wainwright contributed 14 points each for Rain or Shine, which led by as many as 11 points twice, the last at 89-78. Mark Isip added 13 and Jay-R Reyes had 10 for the Painters, who outrebounded the Aces, 57-48.

Sol Mercado was ejected from the game when he appeared to have stuck his right foot out on the “landing spot” of a three-point shooting LA Tenorio at the 8:07 mark of the first period with the Aces up, 13-11.

Though the 6-foot Mercado will not suspended because of a rule change in cases of F2 (landing spot), he will be fined an automatic P20,000 for his action.

The Aces exploited the absence of Mercado as they went on to post a 26-21 lead at the end of the first quarter. But the Elasto Painters, with Lewis leading the assault, started aggressively in the second quarter that saw them take the initiative.

Lewis’ follow-up shot and a jumper by Ryan Arana gave the Painters a 45-40 lead. The Aces, however, responded quickly through the efforts of Devance and Young to trim the gap, 44-45.

Lewis, fresh from a stint with the Rera Kamuy Hokkaido, a professional team in the Japan Basketball League (JBL), replaced Charles Clark, finished the half with 10 points and 13 boards.(jack18jack)

Lewis suits up for the Elasto Painters four days since arriving to the country to take the place of Charles Clark III.

A familiar face for the 27-year-old Lewis at Rain or Shine is guard Gabe Norwood with whom he played together at the George Mason University. Their memorable moment came during the 2006 U.S. NCAA when they led the Patriots to a surprising Final Four stint.

The Elasto Painters carry an even 1-1 card and are coming off a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Purefoods Giants in a road game in Batangas City, 94-102.

Alaska however, is definitely not in the mood to give Lewis a red carpet welcome as the Aces will be seeking their first win in three starts in the season-ending meet.

The Aces have absorbed back-to-back losses to begin the conference, including a stunning 90-92 setback at the hands of the Barako Bulls.(jack18jack)

Anthony Johnson dished out a solid no-relief job with Denok Miranda and Marlou Aquino providing big support as the Realtors overcame the Kings in a furious battle, notching a second straight victory in the import-laced tourney.

“We’re happy on our decision to bring back Anthony Johnson. He’s been very consistent in our first three games so far. If our locals can back him up, then we’ll have a good chance to win games,” said coach Boyet Fernandez whose Sta. Lucia team was swept by Ginebra in two games in the Philippine Cup.

The Realtors, however, couldn’t have squeezed through minus Miranda’s and Aquino’s exploits.

The two scored 13 points each, including the last three points of the contest.

Miranda shattered the 76-all deadlock on a slashing drive with time down to 24.2 seconds. After Sunday Salvacion missed a three-point attempt in the ensuing play, Marlou Aquino upped their lead to three with a free throw off Eric Menk’s sixth and final foul with only 8.6 seconds left.

The Kings eventually yielded the game as Rafi Reavis issued an errant pass to Ronald Tubid in the closing seconds.

Ginebra suffered a second loss in three starts with Nealy held down to 18 points, fouling out with 2:37 left to play.

Aquino, playing with renewed zest, went 6-of-13 from the field and also got five blocks and three rebounds in 29 minutes of action.

The 6-foot-9 behemoth continued to start for his team at center spot even as Dennis Espino returned from a two-game layoff. Espino was good for two steals and one block against two turnovers in 13 minutes.

Ryan Reyes was another key Sta. Lucia player who returned from a two-game layoff. The national hopeful contributed two points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal in 14 minutes.

Johnson, Miranda, Aquino and Joseph Yeo carried the bulk of the fight for the Realtors, who battled the Kings in a fierce duel marked by 17 lead changes and 13 deadlocks.

The Sta. Lucia import went to work early, putting in 11 points as the Realtors took the first period at 24-12.(jack18jack)

Imagine how much better Talk ‘N Text could be once it achieves both.

The Tropang Texters shot the living daylights out of Coca-Cola in the fourth quarter Wednesday night for a 133-111 victory, their first in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Cup, at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

“I’m worried that we have to score 130 points to win this game,” he said. “We scored 121 against Purefoods (in our first game) and we still lost.

“We got to find a way to play better defense.”

But one could dispute that statement, especially in the fourth quarter, where the Texters scored 44 points as they broke free from an 89-87 game at the end of the third to post the rout. There were nine players who scored in the fourth for Talk ‘N Text.

Talk ‘N Text bottled up Coca-Cola’s guns when it mattered, with import JJ Sullinger held down to just three in the period after shooting 29 in the first three.

Alex Cabagnot did get away with 10 of his 18 in the fourth, but most of them were during garbage time.

“We’re still far from the shape we want to be,” Reyes said.

Wade also had 14 rebounds and Alapag dished off a team-high six assists without any turnovers even as three more players scored in twin digits for Reyes.

Coca-Cola had three players playing at least 40 minutes each, with Cabagnot on the floor for all but three and Sullinger and Asi Taulava seeing action for a combined 82.

From that two-point lead, the Texters held the Tigers without a score in the first three minutes to take a 97-87 lead, before bloating this further to 109-93 after Alapag hit a triple at the 6:47 mark.

The lights were out on the Tigers a few minutes after that as Wade seemingly escaped a traveling violation to hit a short stab and make it a 115-98 game with just 4:17 left to play.

Meanwhile, Alaska shoots for its first win against a Rain or Shine side that will be parading a new import in Jai Lewis in the only game scheduled at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Ynares Center in Pasig City.(jack18jack)

Touch fouls are being called with reckless abandon, giving tremendous advantage to the offensive player and leaving basketball fans — who believe in defense and watch the games from a wider perspective like me — looking for a lot more.

There are longer endgames in the PBA today, but longer endgames don’t necessarily mean exciting ones. Games become longer because much time is spent on the free throw line. Players are being sent there because of fouls called based on the new rules.

 The final scores will probably be higher and the accent of the games will definitely be more on offense.

* * *

Take the case of Alaska’s Galen Young, who hit the showers prematurely in each of the Aces’ first two games because of fouls.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that Alaska should have won both games had Young stayed in them until the end. Having Young in the endgame doesn’t mean that Alaska would be the better team in the stretch.

What I am saying is that the final fouls called on Young were mere “touches” on the offensive player. They were infractions that could have easily been let go so that the fans can witness the beauty of those games.

Against San Miguel, a total of seven players left the floor because of fouls, Young being one of them. Four — all big men — came from San Miguel. There’s nothing worse for a losing team than having its import or its top local foul out.

* * *

The new set of rules has given referees more power and has put the outcome of games primarily in their hands and not on the players, who sweat it out there to give fans a show.

It is because of this that Aaron James, my former import at Utex, comes to mind again. He told me during one championship game not to take him out, despite his five fouls, because he knew what type of fouls the referees would call in the endgame.

But during that time, there was a big difference as far as the setting is concerned. During those days of the PBA, the great former commissioner Leo Prieto tapped NBA referees to handle the championship games.

* * *

The PBA technical committee will have to work double time to determine who among the referees interpret the rules properly.

The referees should not be influenced by the contact created by offensive players, thus drawing the foul.

There has to be a constant evaluation of referees after each game to determine their performance.

The ones who don’t perform properly should not be given assignments in important games, especially during the playoffs.(jack18jack)

Talk ‘N Text couldn’t buy one, and so is Alaska.

Today, the Tropang Texters get another chance at ending that early winning drought as they take on Coca-Cola even as defending champion Ginebra and Sta. Lucia square off in the PBA Fiesta Conference at the Cuneta Astrodome.

“I expected to lose our first two games because we weren’t ready,” said Reyes. “But tomorrow, we expect to play a better game against Coke, aka the ex-TNT team of Asi (Taulava), (JJ) Sullinger and (Mark) Telan.”

While the Texters may have been held back by lack of scrimmages in the run-up to the tournament after winning the Philippine Cup in seven games vs the Aces, they were still regarded as heavy contenders to make it far.

They began the conference with a 131-121 loss to Purefoods, and then fell short in their rally against Sta. Lucia Realty and dropped a 106-100 decision.

Coach Kenneth Duremdes realizes that while Talk ‘N Text is still winless, it remains a tough team to beat and without a doubt is expected to execute a well-polished game now that import Tiras Wade has blended with the local brand of play.

The first thing Duremdes thinks they should accomplish is to break Talk ‘N Text’s zone defense. Second, limit the Texters from playing the open court.

“We have to aggressive on attacking the zone,” said Duremdes. “We also have to limit their second-chance points and stop their running game.”

After a fighting 110-103 loss to Ginebra on March 4, the Tigers went back on the winning trail by beating the Barako Bull, getting some sort of momentum and confidence just in time for today’s match.

Sullinger, the import when the Texters made it to the Finals in the 2007 Fiesta Cup against Alaska , faces his former team for the first time. He, however, isn’t expected to finish the tournament since Duremdes has already made it known that they are sticking with their plan to bring in James Penny once he winds up his commitment in another tournament.

Sullinger, incidentally, was fined P20,000 for his flagrant foul 2 in Coca-Cola’s game against Barako Bull. He tried to defend Jeff Chan while the former FEU player was taking a three-point shot, with his right foot stepping on the same spot where Chan’s feet landed.

The Realtors and the Gin Kings, on the other hand, will go into their game having contrasting results from previous matches.

Sta. Lucia beat Talk ‘N Text while Ginebra got stunned by Burger King 110-106.

Although playing without Dennis Espino and Ryan Reyes because of injuries, the Realtors have gotten superb support from Marlou Aquino and Paolo Mendoza, who combined for 25 points in the victory against the Texters.

The Gin Kings, meanwhile, are likely to make minor adjustments on their offense. Ginebra is slowly becoming a one-man team centered on import Rod Nealy, who has submitted the highest output in this tournament (42 points).

“It’s key that we make adjustments,” said Uichico. “They (Tigers) are fresh from a win which makes them even the more dangerous since their confidence is high.”(jack18jack)

And it was very obvious that TNT coach Chot Reyes wasn’t surprised with their 133-111 victory that snapped a 0-2 start.

The day before the Coke game, Reyes believed his team would finally hit paydirt.

“Coming to today I felt we had a better chance. I was a lot more confident simply because the one-week break we had between our last game and this game gave us enough time to practice,” Reyes said.

The Tropang Texters took complete control of the game with a 10-0 run in the fourth as the Tigers turned the ball over in their first five possessions.

Wade turned in 38 points and 14 rebounds and teamed up with Alapag in the third quarter as Tropang Texters held off repeated rallies by the Tigers.

“This is a big game for us. What we accomplished tonight gave us confidence heading to our next game. Hopefully we could build on this,” said Alapag, who went 5-of-10 from the 3-point range and 7-for-7 from the line.

The Texters also got significant contributions from Jared Dilinger (13 points), Mark Cardona and Ali Peek (12 points apiece).

“Were still far from the shape we want to be. But I hope we could sustain this and keep on winning,” Reyes said.

TNT dominated the almost the entire first half after opening the game with 9-0 start.

But the Tigers made a late run, took a two point lead on a 3-point play by Alex Cabagnot before Alapag, likely playing inspired ball after getting reunited with girlfriend actress LJ Moreno, made two free throws to tie the count (57-57) at halftime.

Coke, which dropped its third game in as many meetings against Talk ‘N Text this season, appeared to have gained momentum after Cabagnot and Nic Belasco opened the third quarter with back-to-back treys for a 63-59 lead. But the Tigers went on a shooting slump in the next seven minutes that led to their downfall.

TNT capitalized on it and uncorked a 30-15 run that ended with a 3-pointer by Cardona for an 89-78 lead.

Coca-Cola made another searing rally anchored by former Talk ‘N Text import J.J. Sullinger and managed to cut the deficit to 89-87 going into the last 12 minutes.

But their hopes to turn the game around dimmed two minutes in the fourth as the Tigers turned the ball over in each of their next five possessions.

Sullinger led the Tigers with 32 points and had 11 points. Cabagnot and Taulava added 18 points apiece and Mark Telan had 17 for the Tigers, who fell to 1-2.

Villanueva proved this last week when he put up back-to-back solid games to help power the San Miguel Beer to victories for a share of the lead in the early going of the 2009 Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference.

The 25-year-old playmaker from Bocaue, Bulacan dished out a career-high 27 points in a 93-89 victory over Alaska last Wednesday then came back with a 16-point performance in a 114-105 win over erstwhile unbeaten Burger King last Sunday to cop the KFC/Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week honors for the Feb. 28-March 8 opening period.

“He has always had the tools, even when we first picked him up. Now, he plays with confidence,” said San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen of Villanueva, picked at ninth overall in the 2007 Rookie Draft, who had first taste of the starting point guard role in the season-ending tournament.

The former FEU mainstay has since showed he can be as efficient as Cortez or as reliable as Racela.

First, he played like an import when the Beermen played without one against the Aces, then came up with an equally impressive showing against the Titans.

In those games, the 6-foot Villanueva attempted 13 shots in each game, making 15, while averaging 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

“He’s showing a lot of maturity in his game. The experience this past All-Filipino Conference made him tougher both physically and more importantly, mentally,” Tanquingcen said.(jack18jack)

The injury-hit Beermen, who share the early lead with Purefoods at 2-0, will have two-time MVP Danny Ildefonso back in the middle of April, while Marc Pingris is close to recovering from a severe ankle sprain on his left foot.

Coach Siot Tanquingcen said he is hoping Danny Seigle, Mike Cortez and Lordy Tugade will also be able to recover in time to help the Beermen in the season-ending tournament.

The MVP in 2000 and 2001 seasons, Ildefonso also had athroscopic surgery on his left ankle, and bone spurs were removed from his right foot late last year.

Tanquingcen is satisfied with the Beermen’s performance so far, but cautioned his players against getting carried away by their big start.

“It’s not how you start, but how you finish,” Tanquingcen said of his team that went on a conference-leading 7-2 start in the All-Filipino Cup before getting caught in a slump that dropped them to the wild-card phase.

Stepping up for San Miguel in the first two games was Jonas Villanueva, who averaged 21.5 points.

Playing without an import after Nate Carter was not cleared by his team in France, San Miguel drew a career-high 27 points from Villanueva in a 93-89 win over the Aces.

The 25-year-old Bocaue, Bulacan-born playmaker, picked ninth overall in the 2007 Draft, was named as the KFC/Accel-PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for his exploits.

“He has always had the tools,” Tanquingcen said of Villanueva, who posted 16 points as the Beermen, led by debuting import Gabriel Freeman’s 40-point, 15-rebound effort, stopped the Titans, 114-105, Sunday.(jack18jack)

That was how Barako Bull coach Leo Isaac described his team that scored a 92-90 squeaker over Alaska last Sunday in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.

The win, the first in three tries for the Energy Boosters, was a result of his team’s refusal to be affected by a sorry loss just two days before, according to Isaac.

What made the loss bitter to swallow was the fact Coke played the last 18 minutes without an import after JJ Sullinger was ejected for a “landing foul.”

“But one thing going for our group is… we want to prove ourselves, especially the players,” he added. “They just want a spot here in the PBA and it’s good for us that after three official games nakakuha na kami ng panalo.

“For sure, this will change the course of the Barako Bull players.”

The breakthrough will also help Isaac, who usually utilizes a maximum of nine players in his NCAA and PBL teams, make up his mind on who among his players will make up his regular rotation.

“At the moment, we’re still determining on who our nucleus would be,” he stated. “Since hindi pa nga namin alam kung sino ‘yung panlaban namin, pinapaikot pa. We’re giving everybody a chance to show his worth. Para pagka nag-decide na kami na this will be our first team, this will be our relievers, fair para sa lahat. We’re still in that period of really knowing the quality of each individual in our group.”

Isaac only wishes he could be more flexible in his system.

“Sana nga kung puwede gamitin lahat, to give them a fair share of their game,” he explained. “Kasi pag nakita n’yo sa practice, grabe sila mag-ensayo. Talagang makikita mong gusto nilang ma-i-prove ang sarili nila. Some would even stay around after practice to work further on their game.”

Having been a nine-season veteran of the league with Shell and Ginebra, Isaac knows what it takes.

“As a former player, alam ko ‘yung feeling na hindi ako masyadong nabigyan ng playing minutes o hindi ako nakapaglaro. But despite that tuloy pa rin ang ensayo nila, tuloy pa rin silang nag-i-strive on their own. Kaya nga sana i can give all our players enough playing time to prove themselves.”

He added he has given his players no definite deadline to formally crash his rotation. “Mahirap bigyan ng timeline,” he explained. “We will continue to shuffle players until such time na makita.”

The pep talk given by team captain Mike Hrabak after Saturday’s practice also helped Barako Bull dispel any intimidation from the relatively more seasoned and power-laden Aces, among the pre-tournament favorites after finishing second to Talk N Text in the Philippine Cup.

“He said we should not give it a big deal that we’re playing Alaska. Alaska is Alaska, and there will only be five Alaska players against five Barako Bull players at any given time,” Isaac related.

Since entering the league in 2000 the Energy Food and Drinks franchise has not had a 0-2 start in an import-flavored conference since the 2001 Governors Cup.

Things looked brighter for the Energy Boosters after Aces import Galen Young committed his sixth foul in the last 5:43 of the game.

It was only through Jeffrei Chan’s two sterling plays in the last 5.7 seconds that concretized the big-time upset and relegated Alaska to the same 0-2 start it had in the 2005 edition of the same tournament.(jack18jack)

Lewis, an adept athlete in basketball, football and baseball, will team up with Norwood once more, this time to strengthen the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters’ campaign in the Motolite-PBA Fiesta Conference.

Lewis arrived Sunday night to replace Charles Clark III.

The 27-year-old Lewis was the Patriots’ premier inside force in their US NCAA drive. Playing power forward, he averaged 13 points and led the team in rebounding with 7.5 caroms per game and blocked shots (31 in one season).

Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia said they’ve patiently waited for the availability of Lewis, who played recently in Israel.

“Lewis is a big man and a former teammate of Norwood so he won’t feel like a stranger sa team namin,” said Garcia. “More importantly, I think he will provide the inside presence that we sorely lacked.”

Raymond Yu, Rain or Shine’s co-team owner, told GMANews.TV that should Lewis pass the PBA’s measurement, he will make his debut in the Elasto Painters’ next game.

Aside from basketball, the wide-bodied, 6′6 forward has a passion for football and it came as no surprise he pursued a career in the National Football League playing for the New York Giants.

After his NCAA season, Lewis worked to prove he could play in the NFL either as an offensive tackle or a tight end. He worked out for five teams — the Oakland Raiders, the Philadelphia Eagles, the St. Louis Rams, the Cincinnati Bengals and the New York Giants.

A true all-around athlete, Lewis also suited up for the Rera Kamuy Hokkaido, this time as a baseball player in Japan.(jack18jack)

The Tropang Texters, reigning Philippine Cup champions, and the Realtors go into the 6:00 p.m. game fresh off contrasting losses in their respective debuts.

Sta. Lucia fell to Burger King (formerly Air21) in the opener of the import-spiced tournament last week in Dumaguete City, 96-87, while Talk `N Text was beaten by Purefoods in a high-scoring duel Sunday, 131-121.

The Tropang Texters appeared still out of synch against the Giants during their game which they controlled early before collapsing in the latter part of the second half.

Talk ‘N Text had the benefit of a one-week practice prior to the season-ending conference following a two-week vacation in the light of its title triumph over Alaska in the Philippine Cup Finals.

Import Tiras Wade had an impressive debut in Philippine soil with 36 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. But like the rest of the Tropang Texters, he tired and slowed down going into the homestretch.

The Realtors meanwhile, hope to get back the service of injured stalwarts Dennis Espino and Ryan Reyes. The two sat out the team’s game against the Titans.(jack18jack)

Nealy burned the hoops with 42 points, collected 23 rebounds and was an assist short of a triple-double with the nine feeds he issued all-game long.

Ginebra became the fifth team in the season-ending conference to win its debut joining Rain or Shine, San Miguel, Purefoods and Burger King (formerly Air21).

The Tigers, despite trailing by double-digits midway in the third period, seemed headed for the victory but the Kings managed to find ways to get them out of trouble.

Coke reinforcement JJ Sullinger and guard Alex Cabagnot combined for almost half of the Tigers’ output but failed to lead their team against the league’s crowd darling. Sullinger finished with 28 points while Cabagnot added 22 along with five assists.(jack18jack)

Helterbrand scored seven of the Kings’ last 11 points inside the final three minutes to seal the win for the defending champions.

The national team stalwart poured in seven straight points, including a big three-pointer to spark his own scoring spree and give the Kings some breathing room, 102-98.

Prior to Helterbrand taking over the game for the Kings, the Tigers rallied back from a nine-point deficit and threatened at 98-99 on a lay up by import JayJay Sullinger.

Rod Nealy was an assist short of a triple double in his second tour of duty with the league’s crowd darling, finishing with a game-high 42 points, 23 rebounds and nine assists.

His two free throws with five seconds left also kept Ginebra’s perfect shooting from the foul line, when the Kings went 24-of-24 for the sixth best all-time free throw shooting.

Sullinger showed the way for Coca-Cola with 28 points despite playing most of the second half in foul trouble. His barreling drive with 20 seconds left pushed the Tigers to within, 106-103.

But a perfect inbound play by the Kings, which the returning Rafi Reavies converted into a two-handed slam clinched it for the champions.(jack18jack)

Villanueva, the former Far Eastern University top playmaker, scored 27 points — a career high — and had six rebounds in the victory that steered the Beermen for a share of the early lead with Purefoods, Rain or Shine and Burger King.

Dondon Hontiveros added 22 markers to more than make up for Beermen import Nate Carter’s absence.

But his absence was not enough to deny San Miguel from posting a surprise of sort in its very first game of the season-ending tournament.

Alaska came into the game wanting to give coach Tim Cone a victory, his 602nd in a 20-year span that would have pushed him past Virgilio “Baby” Dalupan as the one with the most number of wins in the league.

But the Aces failed to check San Miguel’s blazing start and couldn’t pull it through when they made things very interesting by coming back from an 18-point (76-58) deficit to close in at 88-85 on a three-point play from Tony De La Cruz with 1:32 left to play.

Hontiveros, however, cut through a weak Alaska defense from the left quarter-court, put up a shot against Reynel Hugnatan, made the basket and drew the foul. He converted the three-point play for a 91-85 SMB lead with 42.7 seconds left.

Alaska import Galen Young flopped in his return stint with the Aces. He only produced 12 points and fouled out. Through three quarters, though, he could merely produce five points, pull down five rebounds and already had five personal fouls.(jack18jack)

Nate Carter was all set to make a splash in the Philippine Basketball Association but an unexpected twist spoiled his debut and prompted San Miguel Beer to show up with an all-Filipino roster in its conference debut.

His absence though hardly had a jolting effect on the Beermen as Jonas Villanueva dished out a superb performance and led San Miguel Beer to a 93-89 victory over the Alaska Aces Wednesday night in the 2009 Motolite-PBA Fiesta Conference.

Before sellout crowd at the Ynares Center, Villanueva put on repertoire that made him look like an import as the Beermen won against the Aces for the first time in three meetings this season.

Villanueva led all scorers with a career-high 27 points on a 9-of-13 shooting from the field and was virtually unstoppable in the first half when the Beermen took control of the game.

“I guess it was a blessing,” SMB coach Siot Tanquingcen said after the win.  He said they learned that Carter couldn’t play only few minutes before gametime.

The Beermen placed Carter’s PBA debut on hold after the import’s agency – Passing Lane — failed to secure a clearance from the Pro B league in France – the league Carter last played in  before planning in and signing up with San Miguel. Reports said the SMB import abandoned his team, 

Saint-Etienne B.C.

Tanquingcen said Carter claimed “he left the team because he wasn’t being paid. And that the team gave him permission to leave.”

Actually, Carter has 15 days to accomplish the requirement but apparently, SMB didn’t want to risk paying P500,000 should the world governing body of the sport learned that Carter was allowed to play without a clearance – a must for all imports around the globe.

Although he didn’t say that he is giving Carter the pink slip, Tanquingcen said he and his coaching staff will burn the lines starting Wednesday night and try to shop around for a possible replacement.

Dondon Hontiveros scored 22 points and Bonbon Custodio added 13 for the Beermen who also overcome the absence of injured Danny Ildefonso and Mark Pingris, and the fouling out of Dorian Pena and Jay Washington, four minutes apart midway in the fourth quarter.

The Aces, who trailed by as many as 17 points late in the third quarter, pulled within 73-78 on two free throws by Young with 5:12remaining.

But Alaska lost the momentum on the next play when San Miguel Beer center Samigue Eman scored in the lane and drew a foul on Galen Young, who called it a night with 4:54 remaining after scoring 12 points and 10 rebounds.

For the third time since tying the record of the legendary Virgilio “Baby” Dalupan in Game 5 of the recent KFC Philippine Cup finals against Talk ‘N Text, Tim Cone was denied from notching his 602^nd victory that would make him the winningest coach in the league.

The absence of Carter didn’t seem to bother the Beermen, who completely controlled the first half with Villanueva exploding for 13 points while hitting all his five attempts from the floor including 3-for-3 from the 3-point range.

Villanueva scored 10 points in the opening quarter and SMB capitalized on seven turnovers by Alaska in the period to race to a 25-12 lead and never look back. 

Five of those Alaska turnovers were committed by Young, who struggled in the first half against his former team. He scored just two points on 1-of-7 shooting.

The Beermen extended the lead to 31-15 on back-to-back threes by Ken Bono and Dondon Hontiveros, one and 30 minute in the second quarter.

Joe Devance (19 points) and Jeffrey Cariaso (14 points) picked up their rhythm late in the second quarter and combined to score Alaska’s last 14 points of the period as the Aces trimmed SMB’s lead to just 44-38 at halftime.(jack18jack)

Game time is at 7:30 p.m.

The Kings will be without main man Mark Caguioa, who is still recovering from a knee injury.

Besides Caguioa, Junthy Valen zuela may also not see action in the import-spiced conference after undergoing surgery recently to repair a tear in his left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

But the Kings, known for their never-say-die spirit, will draw firepower from new acquisitions JC Intal, Doug Kramer and Chico Lanete who will surely beef up the team’s bench. Rafi Reavis will also be back in the fold after playing only five games in the Philippine Cup because of a foot injury.

With the import height limit pegged at 6′6, Ginebra chose to bring back Rod Nealy, who powered the Kings to a quarterfinal finish two years ago. The Kings dominated the season-ending tournament last year with seven-footer Chris Alexander.

Coca-Cola, who spoiled its playoff chances last year because of import woes, will pin its hope on the sweet-shooting JJ Sullinger, who will be backed-up by old reliables Asi Taulava, Nic Belasco, Ronjay Buenafe, Mark Telan, Ronjay Enrile and Alex Cabagnot.

After falling short of capturing the 2009 Philippine Cup title, runner-up Alaska returns to test the mettle of San Miguel Beer at 4:50 p.m.

Coach Tim Cone seems unfazed since Galen Young, who stirred SMB to the semifinals the last time he played here, will surely make things easy for the Aces.

The Beermen will parade a new reinforcement in Nate Carter, who will be supported by Dondon Hontiveros, Dorian Pena, Mick Pennisi, Jay Washington, Marc Pingris, Bon-Bon Custodio, Ken Bono and Wesley Gonzales.(jack18jack)

The potentially explosive match up is set at 4:50 p.m. at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City in a game where Cone will be seeking his 602nd victory and surpass the legendary Virgilio `Baby’ Dalupan as the league’s winningest coach.

“Wow, who would have thought that that was a possibility,” said Cone, now in his 20th year as coach of the General Milling franchise.

Cone could have added more depth and meaning to a 602nd win if he had won the Philippine Cup crown against Talk ‘N Text. But they failed to slow down the Tropang Texters in a thrilling Game 7, a loss that was also depressing for a guy and a team that blew a 2-0 series lead.

Everything’s OK now for the Aces. He says the journey starts again, and he feels very comfortable with a healthy line-up and with Galen Young, his import who once played for the Beermen.

“This is another journey for us,” Cone said. “We learned lessons from our previous loss in the Finals, and it’s just a matter of putting those lessons into play.”

Later in the day, defending champion Ginebra begins its title defense against Coca-Cola.

The Gin Kings have tapped Rod Nealy as their reinforcement while the Tigers have hired, for the meantime, JJ Sullinger as they await the arrival of James Penny, the former Red Bull import who guided the Bulls to the 2005-06 Fiesta Conference title.

Nealy will actually be playing for Ginebra for the second time. He first suited up for the most popular team in 2007, and Uichico says that he has improved a lot.

Sullinger, on the other hand, played for Talk ‘N Text in 2006-07. He led the telecommunications franchise to the championships against the Aces, but lost in a Game 7.(jack18jack)

That explains why Cone takes some relief in the fact that although the 6-foot-6 Young arrived only last Thursday he already has enough knowledge of the Aces and the league to get by. The Aces open their campaign in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference today at the Ynares Center in Antipolo against San Miguel Beer.

“We couldn’t ask for a tougher opening assignment than San Miguel, but we feel we’re ready and Galen, thankfully, is familiar with them and the league,” Cone said yesterday.

Before that, the 33-year-old former Milwaukee Bucks draftee was the Uytengsu franchise’s import in the 2004-05 transition tournament.

Young will have to dredge up all the knowledge he has of both teams since the Aces are out to bounce back from a sorry Game 7 loss to Talk N Text in their Philippine Cup finals series.

“For us, the journey starts anew,” Cone said.

The Beermen will parade an unfamiliar face in Nate Carter, who has impressive credentials. The 6-foot-5 former University of Oklahoma mainstay is coming fresh from a stint in France and also won the MVP award in the Israeli league a couple of years back.

Despite the presence of Carter and with Danny Seigle, Dorian Pena and Lordy Tugade back from the injuries that sidelined them in the Philippine Cup where they wound up fourth, SMB coach Siot Tanquingcen still has worries.

“Alaska is always tough to play against,” said Tanquingcen. “They’re too disciplined in offense and defense. We have to outhustle them.”

The other game pitting defending champion Ginebra against Coca-Cola also features two returning imports in the Kings’ Rod Nealy and the Tigers’ James ‘JJ’ Sullinger.

Nealy is a versatile player who can take over a game. The 6-foot-5 former Houston Baptist U standout also played for the Kings in the 2006-07 Fiesta Cup, leading them to the quarterfinals, where they lost to sister-team San Miguel Beer.

In 22 games for Ginebra that conference, Nealy averaged 31.9 points, shooting 39.1 percent from the three-point territory and 51.4 from the field in all. He also averaged 14.9 rebounds, with 5.4 assists and 1.4 steals.

The 28-year-old Nealy, whose one-game 53 points is still a record in HBU Huskies basketball, last played for the Albany Patroons of the Continental Basketball Association in the US, averaging 16.1 points with 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists.

Nealy was instrumental in helping the Patroons advance to the CBA Finals against eventual champion Oklahoma Cavalry, which starred current Burger King import Shawn Daniels.(jack18jack)

The Gin Kings, who beat the Air21 Express (now the Burger King Titans) to win the crown last year, take on the Tigers in the 7:30 p.m. main game of an exciting twinbill that also pits Alaska and San Miguel Beer at 4:50 p.m.

In conjunction with the inauguration of the Rizal province’s new provincial capitol in Antipolo, entrance to the games is free, according to Gov. Junjun Ynares.

The new provincial capitol and the Ynares Sports Center are located in the same complex in Antipolo. The old Rizal provincial capitol is in Pasig.

Rod Nealy is rejoining the Kings, hoping to provide the energy and intensity Ginebra drew from Chris Alexander in their successful title run in the 2008 tourney. The Kings failed to make it past the quarterfinal round with Nealy as import in 2007.

But the former Houston Baptist mainstay has reportedly improved a lot.

Nealy is up against another returning import in J.J. Sullinger, a former Talk n Text reinforcement now with Coca-Cola.

In the other game, Galen Young returns to the Alaska camp, going up against the team, SMB, which he powered to a semifinal finish in 2007.

Nate Carter debuts with the Beermen.

Burger King, Rain or Shine and Purefoods gained the head start in the tourney, winning their respective matches over the weekend.

The Titans clobbered the Sta. Lucia Realtors, 96-87, in a road game in Dumaguete Saturday while the Elasto Painters topped the Barako Bull Energy Boosters, 91-83, and the Giants dwarfed the Talk n Text Tropang Texers, 131-121, Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.(jack18jack)

Prospect of star player Mark Caguioa returning to active roster this conference is likely possible.

Possible as in 80 percent certain.

Should his rehabilitation from the knee injuries that sidelined him for the entire PBA Philippine Cup goes according to schedule, fans can expect the man they call “The Spark” to be back in a Ginebra uniform by the middle of the eliminations.

“I just hope he could return (during the eliminations),” said Uichico with his fingers crossed.

Without their top scorer, the Kings were eliminated in the quarterfinal round of the All-Filipino tournament, losing to sister team San Miguel.

Apparently, Caguioa was already feeling the pains on his injured knee as early as the Finals of the 2008 Fiesta Cup, when Ginebra beat Air21 (now Burger King) in seven grueling games.

Caguioa is being treated by Steve Lombardo, the famous Los Angeles Lakers doctor.(jack18jack)

Coach Jong Uichico bared this Sunday night before scouting teams at the Araneta Coliseum, saying he would only want Caguioa to return “if he is perfectly fit and ready to play.”

Caguioa missed the entire KFC-Philippine Cup won by Talk ‘N Text as he received treatment for tendonitis on both knees in the United States, where he still is at the moment.

Caguioa played last year’s Fiesta Cup with extreme pain on both knees but was still good enough to help import Chris Alexander and a solid local crew come back from a 2-3 deficit to win over Air21.

The former Glendale Community College standout actually won last season’s scoring title with an average of 24.9 points. He also normed 4.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

Incidentally, the Kings open defense of their title on Wednesday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City opposite Coca-Cola with returning import Rod Nealy bannering the team.

Reigning Player of the Conference Jay-Jay Helterbrand will be Uichico’s foremost local in the continued absence of Caguioa.

Wednesday’s schedule also pits Alaska against San Miguel in a twin-bill which coincides with the inauguration of the new Antipolo provincial capitol, near the games venue.

Rizal Gov. Jun-Jun Ynares will treat his province-mates to free admission to the games starting with the Alaska-San Miguel setto at 4:50 p.m.

Ginebra and the Tigers, who will be reinforced by JJ Sullinger, also a lefty like Nealy, tangle in the 7:30 p.m. contest.

Galen Young returns to Alaska while Nate Carter debuts for the Beermen.(jack18jack)

The Giants showed Sunday night the depth, promise and true potential of the squad that has gone a lot of retooling before the start of the Fiesta Conference with their 131-121 demolition of the newly-crowned All-Filipino champion Talk N Text Tropang Texters.

Seven players finished in double figures led by Yap’s 33 points and the Giants showed their deadly form against the usually explosive Tropang Texters

For Gregorio, getting a better team means he could provide Yap and Raymundo a much needed rest.

“Our team right now has got better and I can give James and Kerby their much-awaited reward — more rest. I told them that that’s the best reward I can give them right now, but we can reap more benefits if the team keeps on winning,” said Gregorio.

Gregorio wasn’t surprised with the locals’ potential. What surprised him more was his import’s performance.

“I must admit I wasn’t fascinated by his credentials — an NBA veteran, who played for the New Jersey Nets,” said Gregorio. “But not after I saw him played Sunday night. And I liked what I saw.”

Hamilton made Gregorio a firm believer as he debuted with a triple-double performance, the first triple-double performance for a debuting import since Dennis Williams 13 years ago.

Hamilton finished with 22 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Giants took advantage against a visibly out- of-shape Tropang Texters’ side, who just didn’t have the energy to compete in the latter stage of the game against a souped-up Purefoods squad.

“Part of the pre-game talk is to wear them down because we know they were still in hangover phrase after winning the All-Filipino championship,” said Gregorio.(jack18jack)

Ellis competed in the National Basketball League in Australia for the Townsville Crocodiles, who reached the semifinals of the said league. The Alaska Aces have brought in former San Miguel Beerman Young as substitute import in the Philippine Basketball Association Fiesta Cup.

Young will suit up against his former team San Miguel Beer when the Aces face the Beermen, 4:50 p.m. on Wednesday, at the Antipolo Ynares Center.

He led the Beermen to the semifinals of the 2007 Fiesta Cup, where they lost to eventual champion Alaska. Young first played in the Philippines in the 2004 PBA Fiesta Conference as import of the Aces. He was actually the first choice of Alaska coach Tim Cone in 2007. But he was not available at the start of the season so the Aces settled for Ellis instead.

When Young finally became available to play in the PBA, he flew in to join San Miguel Beer, which he led to the semifinals where they eventually lost to Ellis and the Aces. The Aces signed Young to a one-month contract as a substitute import until Ellis arrives.

“It’s a unique situation for me,” said Young. “Coach Tim is a friend of mine and he called. He asked me what I was doing and if I would like to come out here and play because Rosell was still in Australia. I came out here to play and see what happens.”

The 33-year-old Young (who was born Oct. 16, 1975) said he was glad to be back in the country and happy to play with familiar faces in the Alaska team.

“I am glad to be back to play for coach Tim again,” said Young. “I am glad to be playing alongside Sonny Thoss and Brandon Cablay. Those were two of my original teammates the first time I was here. So it is good to be back here and run the triangle offense again.”

The veteran import revealed that he is not looking too far ahead and will just focus on playing his best.

“You know, it is just business,” said Young. “Everything is business. If they want me to stay, then, of course, I will stay. But right now I am here for one month. And I am here to do my job well. So that is what I’m thinking about.

Young should be an easy fit with the Aces because he is familiar with many of the players in the team.

“I know Jeff Cariaso really well,” said Young. “Me and LA [Tenorio] played together in San Miguel. I know Rey [Hugnatan]. I know these guys’ style of play really well. So it shouldn’t be hard to adjust and play together. So it should be a good time for us playing together.”

According to PBA statistical guru Fidel Mangonon, Young had four triple-doubles while playing for Alaska in 2004, which is the most by any player in a conference in the last 12 years. He is the last player to have triple-doubles in back-to-sback games. He also had a triple-double with San Miguel in the 2007 Fiesta Conference. His five total triple-doubles is the most by any player in last 12 years of the PBA.

Shell’s Dennis Williams also had four triple-doubles during the 1997 Governors Cup.

As second choices go, Young is as good as it gets.(jack18jack)

Brian Hamilton waited for the tournament proper to dish out his game, providing Purefoods Tender Juicy tremendous boost in a triumphant debut in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference.

Hamilton produced a triple-double job with 22 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists in his first official game in the local pro league, powering the Giants to a 131-121 win over the Philippine Cup champions Talk n Text Tropang Texters Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

The former Lousiana Lafayette mainstay became the first import to debut in the league with a triple-double performance since Dennis Williams came through with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists for Shell in the 1997 Governors Cup.

“To tell you honestly, I was not excited looking at Brian in our practices. But there are players who are game players. I’m happy with what he showed us tonight,” said Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio of his import.

James Yap, Enrico Villanueva, Don Allado, PJ Simon, Roger Yap and Kerby Raymundo also put in significant numbers, inspired by the performance of Hamilton — a mere replacement to Reggie Larry who got injured in a tuneup match.

Hamilton and the six key local Giants all scored in double figures, combining for all but eight of the team’s highest output in five years.

James Yap knocked in three triples and finished with a team-high 33 points with Villanueva and Allado adding 15 apiece, Simon and Roger Yap 13 each and Raymundo 12.

Talk n Text import Tiras Wade also had an impressive debut with 36 points, 14 rebounds and six assists but seemed to tire out, slowing down in the fourth quarter.

“Part of our pre-game talk was that we wanted to wear them down. They’re still in a hangover pace. We did wear our running shoes and wear them down,” said Gregorio.

In a shootout marked by 12 lead changes and four deadlocks, the Giants emerged victorious by pouncing on the Texters in the last 15 minutes of play.

Down by six at the half, the Giants surged ahead, 108-99, after the third and poured on the heat in the final period.

The Giants completed a strong finish though Raymundo fouled out and Villanueva sat out the last three minutes after hurting his right foot.

“It’s nice because we came in with a lot of healthy players. Hopefully, nothing’s wrong with Rico,” said Gregorio.

The two teams engaged in a shootout early with both shooting above 50 percent to combine for 136 points in the first half.

Tiras Wade accounted for 21 while going 7-of-11 from the field and 7-of-9 from the stripe in a hot first half he also laced with eight rebounds and three assists against two turnovers.

Hamilton kept pace with Wade at the start, churning out 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals as the Giants enjoyed a 42-32 lead after the first period.

Talk n Text held Purefoods down to 42.9-percent shooting in the second quarter as the Texters surged ahead going into the final half.(jack18jack)

For the moment, however, Charles Clark III would have to do.

Clark showed he could even stay for good after coming up with a double-double and leading the Elasto Painters to a cruising 91-83 win over Barako Bull Sunday in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.

 Clark came up with 23 points and 13 rebounds and drew ample support from his local teammates for the win that readily became apparent after the Elasto Painters held the Energy Boosters to only nine points in the second quarter before erecting as much as a 70-47 lead just past the halfway point of the third quarter.

“We played great but we could be better,” said Rain or Shine head coach Caloy Garcia after his team reprised its season-opening Philippine Cup feat of winning its first game.

“Hard work and team work brought us this win,” added the man who related his team also geared up for the tournament with practices and tune-ups for a month.

Jay-R Reyes and Gabe Norwood also had a double-double each with 18 and 14 and 15 and 11, respectively, while Ryan Arana had 16 points as Rain or Shine hardly felt the absence of usual starting playmaker Sol Mercado and gunner Allan Salangsang.

Mercado was serving out a one-game suspension due to a flagrant foul-penalty 2 he committed in the Elasto Painters’ losing Philippine Cup quarterfinals series against Sta. Lucia Realty, while Salangsang was injured.

Barako Bull could only wish it had more time.

The drastically retooled team formerly known as Red Bull and now being handled by Leo Isaac drew 41 points from Cornelius “Scooter” McFadgon, but only Carlo Sharma was the lone other Energy Booster in double figures with 16 to go with nine rebounds.

“Basically, they’re still adjusting to a new system, but Barako Bull is a very strong team also,” noted Garcia. “It’s just fortunate we were able to adjust early, especially to the calls.”

The 6-foot-5 Clark, who saw action for the team formerly known as Welcoat in the 2007 edition of the same tournament before a fractured toe forced a replacement, was also a huge difference and not only because of his 250-lb. frame.

“He has lost more than 35 pounds since the first time he played here and he’s more mobile now. He works hard every day, even in practice, and he can shoot and also post up,” related Garcia, who maintains they remain in contact with Lewis, who is currently still seeing action in Japan.

“Maganda na rin iyon. At least me standby kami kapag-na-free up na si Jai,” he said.
Clark knows how to use his bulk well, helping Rain or Shine post a 62-44 advnatage off the boards in the end.

“In the rebounding side he occupies the space we need,” Garcia noted.

Barako Bull actually started hot, leading by 23-13 after McFadgon, the smallest among the reinforcements at slightly under 6′4, scored eight of his points during a 14-0 run.

But once the Clark-led Rain or Shine found its bearings, there was no stopping the carnage that followed.

Rain or Shine outscored Barako Bull 28-9 in the second period after forcing the Energy Boosters to miss 18 of 21 field goal tries and into four turnovers.

In the blink of an eye, the Elasto Painters had erected a 46-34 lead at halftime and stretched that to 70-47 after Clark scored six of his points during a 16-6 run.

The Asian Coatings franchise went into the final period with a 75-53 advantage and Barako Bull would come no closer than eight points after that.(jack18jack)

The Tropang Texters are again fancied to make it deep in the import-laden tournament as they will rely heavily on an import that boasts of great credentials but has never set foot on Philippine basketball court before.

Tiras Wade, the 6-foot-5 braided-haired player from Tampa , Florida , leads the Texters’ campaign for a third franchise championship. The telecommunications ball club has never before won a tournament with imports around, with both their titles coming in the Philippines Cups (2003 and 2008-09).

Rain or Shine, which had a breakthrough Philippine Cup season after making the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, begins their stint against a new-look Barako Bull in the opener.

The Elasto Painters, though, will be without Sol Mercado, who will be serving a one-game suspension for a flagrant foul penalty 2 he committed on Nelbert Omolon the last Philippine Cup. They will have Charles Clark III as import.

The Energy Boosters, on the other hand, will have new faces Alex Crisano and John Arigo. Crisano was acquired from Ginebra for a future draft, the same deal Barako Bull had with Coca-Cola for Arigo.

Barako Bull, however, has the smallest reinforcement as Scooter McFadgon only measured 6-foot-3 and 13/16 and appears thin for the PBA’s physical brand of play.

While everyone must be looking at Talk ‘N Text as one which is halfway through accomplishing a season sweep, Purefoods certainly deserves a serious look.

They made a major facelift in the off-season by acquiring Don Allado and KG Canaleta from Burger King (formerly Air21) in exchange for Beau Belga, Chad Alonzo and Chico Laneta. Lanete, on the same day of the trade, was sent to Ginebra, the defending champion.

Brian Hamilton was the one Purefoods hired to lead its thrust. He played for the Louisiana Lafayette in College, was a former New Jersey Nets player who was cut in September last year before playing for the Utah Flash in the US National Basketball Developmental League (NBDL).(jack18jack)

The likes of Jojo Lastimosa, Bong Hawkins, Poch Juinio and Jeff Cariaso — all members of Alaska’s fabled 1996 grandslam team — have found themselves traded to other teams in one way or another in each of their careers but found themselves back to this great basketball organization.

Lastimosa and Hawkins are now part of the Aces’ coaching staff. Juinio went back two seasons ago until he retired wearing an Alaska jersey before the start of the season while Cariaso is still very much in coach Tim Cone’s active roster.

Cablay, whose career was marred by injuries, has returned to the Aces after three seasons playing for San Miguel Beer and Purefoods. His entry will certainly provide the backcourt depth the Aces’ needed in the Motolite Philippine Basketball Associaion (PBA) Fiesta Conference, which opened Saturday in Dumaguete City.

“Brandon is no stranger to our system,” Cone told GMANews.TV. “He is an integral part of our Triangle Offense and he has played with such tremendous impact during his stint with our team in his rookie season until 2005. We definitely loved to have him back.”

Cablay was plucked out of semi-retirement. He last suited up for Purefoods last season, but his continues battle with injuries forced him to sit out majority of the games until the Giants waived him.

In search of a dependable guard to ease up the load on two-time most valuable player (MVP) Willie Miller and cerebral quarterback LA Tenorio, Alaska took a second chance of getting Cablay back.

Alaska also gave priority on familiarity in selecting an import — Galen Young, who played for the team in the 2004-05 season.

Young came in as a temporary reinforcement for the Aces as the team awaits Rosell Ellis, whose squad in the Australian league is still playing in the National Basketball League playoffs.

Young took his new role professionally despite playing for the Aces on a temporary basis.

“Its one thing that motivates me, I am back in the Philippines and I am happy to be back with Alaska,” said Young. “I have no ill feelings toward San Miguel. They treated me well when I played for them. I just want to play well and give my best.”(jack18jack)

Welcome to the pro league, Mikee Romero.

Marvin Cruz sparked the Titans’ big scoring binge in the second half when they went on a 19-5 run, including a 10-0 burst middle in the third. The 10 straight points allowed the team to turn a 49-58 deficit into a 59-58 lead from where Burger King never looked back.

Gary David led the Titans’ scoring with 16 points, import Shawn Daniels had 14 while Arwind Santos and Cyrus Baguio added 13 and 12 each in the win that was coach Yeng Guiao’s first in nine years outside of Red Bull (now Barako Bull).

Still adjusting to the Guiao’s system, the Titans (formerly the Air21 Express) struggled in the early goings and were staring at a nine-point deficit — following two free throws by reigning MVP Kelly Williams — when Cruz suddenly caught fire.

A strong drive to the hoop by the former University of the Philippines guard, coupled by a Santos three-pointer and a basket by Daniels had Burger King taking command in a sudden reversal of fortunes, 66-61, before the Titans settled for a 72-68 lead at the end of the third.

Burger King posted its biggest advantage at 87-73 on David’s four straight free throws.

Playing without key players Dennis Espino and Ryan Reyes, the Realtors went to import Anthony Johnson in the pivotal fourth, who responded with 32 points as Sta. Lucia came to within 83-89 with 3:41 left.

But a Cyrus Baguio fallaway jumper, a free throw by new acquisition Beau Belga and a basket by Wynne Arboleda finished the Realtors off, 94-83, in the final 2:33.

Williams complemented Johnson with 16 markers.(jack18jack)

The Titans came through with a balanced game and outplayed the injury-depleted Realtors, getting a triumphant start under coach Yeng Guiao and team manager Eric Arejola.

Meanwhile, Philippine Cup champion Talk n Text starts its bid for a possible double-championship in the season as it takes on Purefoods at 6:30 p.m. today at the Araneta Coliseum. Rain or Shine and Barako Bull clash in the other game at 3:50 p.m.

In appreciation of their fans’ support in the recent finals, Talk n Text is giving away 2,000 free Upper B tickets in connection with their promo “Libre Ka, Pag Smart Ka.”

Burger King seized the early lead in the season-ending tourney as the Titans beat the Realtors on searing runs in the second half of the contest, the first in a series of road games featured in the “PBA Phoenix Fuel on Tour.”

The two teams engaged in a close battle in the first 30 minutes of play before the Titans fully hit their strides, turning a 49-58 deficit to an 87-73 spread midway through the fourth quarter.

Gary David, Shawn Daniels, Arwind Santos and Cyrus Baguio all put in at least 12 points each as they negated Anthony Johnson’s 32-point debut with the Realtors.

The Realtors started strong but lost steam in the second half playing short-handed minus the injury-stricken Dennis Espino and Ryan Reyes.

David and Daniels teamed up with second-stringers Marvin Cruz, Chad Alonzo and JR Quinahan as the Titans uncorked a decisive 17-3 run to surge ahead at 66-61.

The Realtors came within one, 71-72, at the start of the final period before Beau Belga and Egay Billones took their turns to carry the cudgels for the Titans, pushing BK 14 points up at 87-73.(jack18jack)

Cyrus Baguio and Gary David made up for the sub-par performance of import Shawn Daniels as they combined for 29 points to lead the Titans to an auspicious start in the import-laden conference.

Both the Titans, formerly Air21 Express, and the Realtors fought closely in the first three periods, exchanging leads of not more than seven points until David and Arwind Santos struck heavily to post their biggest lead, 87-73, still 6:17 remaining in the game.

Despite having a new coach in Yeng Guiao, who replaced Bo Perasol, the Titans showed no problem adjusting to the new system as they fell behind to the Realtors by only three points, 21-24, in the first period.

After a 61-all deadlock late in the third canto, Arwind Santos drained a triple to grab the lead for the Titans and Marvin Cruz added a short jumper for a 66-61 advantage. They never relinquished the lead from there.

“It’s actually a good start for us. We hope we can sustain the intensity,” added Arejola.

It was a fiery wind-up for the Titans, who kept an eight-point lead, 91-83, down-the-stretch en route to the big win that overshadowed Johnson’s big 32-point production in the match.

The 6′1 David, 10th overall pick by Coca-Cola in 2004, went on to finish with 16 points, three assists and a block, while Daniels could only make 14 points. Santos and Baguio chipped in 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Kelly Williams, last year’s Most Valuable Player, added 16 for the Realtors.

Meanwhile, it’s now Tiras Wade of Talk ‘N Text and Purefoods’ Brian Hamilton’s turn to display their wares when the newly-crowned Philippine Cup champion Tropang Texters and Giants face each other in the resumption of the games Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

Rain or Shine with Charles Clark at the helm meet Barako Bull in the first match at 3:50 p.m, while the Tropang Texters and the Giants collide in the second game at 6:30 p.m.

Besides import Scooter McFadgon, the Energy Boosters will parade a new coach in Leo Isaac, who replaced Guiao.

Coach Caloy Garcia of the Elasto Painters said that the 6′6 Clark has already adjusted to his system and is expected to lead the team against the Energy Boosters.

The Elasto Painters, who settled for 10th in the same conference last year, are aiming to at least surpass their quarterfinal finish in the recent 34th Philippine Cup conference.(jack18jack)

“This is a young, talented team that is willing to learn. So far, so good, they’re responding to the system,” said Guiao on the eve of the Titans’ opening game against Sta. Lucia Realty that formally kicks off the Motolite-PBA Fiesta Conference in Dumaguete City.

The team that was formerly known as Air21 got a lot of hype during the off-season, especially after Guiao was hired to replace Bo Perasol, the guy who guided the team to its best finish (runner-up) in this same tournament last season and who now acts as assistant coach to Kenneth Duremdes at Coca-Cola.

Burger King lost key men during the break. It decided to trade Don Allado and KG Canaleta to Purefoods and sent JC Intal and Doug Kramer to Ginebra. What it got in return were bangers’ Beau Belga and Chad Alonzo.

Still, the Titans have managed to keep the core of the team. Gary David is there and so with perennial MVP contender Arwind Santos and Wynne Arboleda.

Burger King will play the Realtors without Homer Se (injury), though, but is still expected to engage Sta. Lucia in a tight battle for board control with import Shawn Daniels, the man who led the franchise to a third place finish in the 2006-07 Fiesta Conference.

Sta. Lucia took in former Coca-Cola import Anthony Johnson as reinforcement. Johnson is a noted scorer who can play on the long court, a weapon the Realtors could use to free space for Dennis Espino down low.

Johnson also had a brief stint with the Realtors while they competed in the Brunei Cup two years ago.

“We don’t want to gamble anymore,” said SLR coach Boyet Fernandez. “We’ve already learned our lessons well in getting somebody who is good on paper, pero pagdating dito, hindi naman pala. At least si Johnson, konting adjustment na lang ang kailangan because he already played for us.”

The Burger King-Sta. Lucia Realty match-up, the first in a series of ‘PBA Phoenix Fuel on Tour’ road games, will feature one that loves to run and the other opting to play the half-court.

Also, Sta. Lucia’s defenses will be put to a test as it tries to slow down Guiao’s free-flowing offensive game, the same strategy he used in steering Barako Bull to three titles in an eight-year stint.

Although Sta. Lucia plays tough and physical, Burger King, it appears is ready for it.

No less than Mikee Romero, the man behind Burger King, said that he is molding the ball club to become a rugged, running unit.

The Titans finished runner-up to Ginebra in this tournament last season. But they are coming off a forgettable performance in the Philippine Cup, where they again failed to make the quarterfinals.

The Realtors, meantime, lost to Alaska in the semifinals in the previous conference.

Tomorrow, PBA action returns to the Araneta Coliseum with Talk ‘N Text, backstopped by hulking import Tiras Wade, taking on the Brian Hamilton-led Purefoods in the main 6:30 p.m. game. Rain or Shine, with Charles Clark III as its reinforcement, squares off with Barako Bull (Scooter McFadgon) in the opener.

The defending champion in this tournament is Ginebra, which sees action on Wednesday against Coca-Cola.(jack18jack)

Returning imports Shawn Daniels and Anthony Johnson spearhead the Titans’ and the Realtors’ respective bids in the 5 p.m. match, the first in a series of road games featured in the “PBA Phoenix Fuel on Tour.”

Focus could well be on the Titans since PBA watchers are curious on how the team will fare after all the changes they undertook during the conference break.

There’s also the entry of new alternate governor Mikee Romero, new team manager Eric Arejola and new assistant coaches Junel Baculi and Jorge Gallent.

The team, however, keeps the core of Arwind Santos, Wynne Arboleda, Gary David, Homer Se, Marvin Cruz and JR Quinahan, making the management and the coaching staff confident of a fighting finish in the tournament where the old team wound up second behind Barangay Ginebra.

“This is a young, talented team that is willing to learn. So far, so good. They’re responding to the system,” said Guiao.

On the other side is the Sta. Lucia team, returning to action with not a single change from the roster that finished a strong third in the recent Philippine Cup.

Their import is no stranger to the Realtors system either since Johnson reinforced the team in a stint in the Brunei Cup in 2007.

“In Johnson, all we need is little adjustment because he has already played for us,” said Sta. Lucia coach Boyet Fernandez.

Johnson is almost two inches shorter than Daniels but Fernandez is likely to play his import in the wing with Dennis Espino and Marlou Aquino to alternate on defense against the Burger King import.

The Realtors were in the hunt for a season sweep last year but eventually settled for seventh place in the Fiesta Conference, struggling with imports Wesley Wilson, Jamar Brown and Lee Benson.

Air21, on the other hand, enjoyed breakthrough performance as it found a gem of an import in Steven Thomas who brought the team all the way to the brink of winning the championship. The Express lost to the Ginebra Kings in an epic finals that went to a deciding Game Seven.

With Daniels, the Express reached the semifinals and finished third in the 2006 Fiesta Conference.

For the record, Air21 was 2-0 over Sta. Lucia last conference. The Express dealt the Realtors their worst defeat, 107-83, in the tourney last Oct. 24 at the Ynares Center in Antipolo, settling the outcome of the game early.

The Realtors, however, were 2-0 against Guiao.(jack18jack)

Leave the job of scrutinizing all up to the Sta. Lucia Realtors.

The two teams clash in a lone opener Saturday ushering the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Fiesta Conference in Dumaguete City.

This is the third team Guiao will handle after Swift and Red Bull. He had a combined five titles with those teams, and would surely like it very much to accomplish more with a ball club that has the materials to do so.

Burger King lost key men during the break. It decided to trade Don Allado and KG Canaleta to Purefoods and sent JC Intal and Doug Kramer to Ginebra. What it got in return were bangers Beau Belga and Chad Alonzo.

Still, the Titans have managed to keep the core of the team. Gary David is there and so with perennial most valuable player contender Arwind Santos and Wynne Arboleda.

Burger King will play the Realtors without Homer Se (injury), though, but is still expected to engage Sta. Lucia in a tight battle for board control with import Shawn Daniels, the man who led the franchise to a third place finish in the 2006-07 Fiesta Conference.

“This is a young, talented team that is willing to learn. So far, so good they’re responding to the system,” said Guiao, who now tries his magic touch in tandem with fellow winner Mikee Romero following a successful nine-year stint with Barako Bull (formerly Red Bull).

Sta. Lucia took in former Coca-Cola import Anthony Johnson as reinforcement. Johnson is a noted scorer who can play on the long court, a weapon the Realtors could use to free space for Dennis Espino down low.

Johnson also had a brief stint with the Realtors while they competed in the Brunei Cup two years ago.

On Sunday, action returns to the Araneta Coliseum with Talk ‘N Text, backstopped by hulking import Tiras Wade, taking on the Brian Hamilton-led Purefoods in the main 6:30 p.m. game. Rain or Shine, with Charles Clark III as its reinforcement, squares off with Barako Bull (Scooter McFadgon) in the opener.

The defending champion in this tournament is Ginebra, which sees action on Wednesday against Coca-Cola.(jack18jack)

The fabled members of the Ateneo Blue Eagles squad had been reunited with Barangay Ginebra during the season break and all three are looking forward to giving the Kings a big boost as the league’s most popular team begins its Fiesta Cup title defense.

Escalona had been the Kings’ back-up guard for two seasons now and the chance to play together with his college teammates came shortly after Intal and Kramer were shipped by Air21 in a blockbuster trade that also involved Purefoods just before the Finals of the recent Philippine Cup.

“Yeah, it’s a reunion of sort for the three of us and we are very excited playing together again, especially for Ginebra, which everyone knows is the most popular team in this country,” Kramer said.

Like Kramer, Intal is happy playing with Escalona again. That they are together in a team as popular as Ginebra comes as a bonus.

“For quite a while, I have not experienced playing before a big crowd cheering for my team (Ateneo). I can again experience this while playing for Ginebra. Last year when we played against Ginebra in the finals (for the Fiesta Cup), there are a lot of people cheering but not for us (Air 21),” said Intal.

“Now instead of jeering us, the crowd will be cheering for us, so I think that will be a great experience.”

Incidentally, Barangay Ginebra coach Jong Uichico was a product of La Salle, the known bitter rival of Ateneo.

“I think that’s behind us now. What’s important is for us to help the team win another championship,” Kramer stressed.(jack18jack)

 Burger King Titans

Barako Bull Energy Boosters

That’s the modest goal of Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia and team owners Raymund Yu and Terry Que as they prepare their squad for another tough mission in the Motolite-PBA Fiesta Cup.

In the previous Philippine Cup, Rain or Shine, formerly Welcoat Paints, earned its first playoff berth when it claimed an outright quarterfinals seat.

To do that, however, Yu and Que understand that the team needs to double its effort.

“We hope we can better our performance last conference,” Yu said. “But to do that, we have to work really hard from the start. Though we lost in the quarterfinals, it was already a big accomplishment for Rain or Shine.”

They also hope to draw another fine performance from Jay-R Reyes — easily one of the league’s fast-rising stars.

Then there are the trio of rookies in Gabe Norwood, Sol Mercado and Ty Tang, who all provided the Painters the class, savvy, firepower and stability, which they lacked in their first two forgettable seasons in the PBA.

The emergence of Reyes as among the elite big men, as well as the arrival of Norwood, Mercado and Tang put Rain or Shine as among the popular teams in the PBA right now.

“We have already a huge following, so we have to play as hard as we can and continue to entertain the crowd with our brand of basketball,” Que said. “Despite the crowd support, it is paramount for us to raise our level of game.”

One thing that is crucial in their campaign, according to Garcia is the conditioning and health of his players.

“If we are all healthy till the end of the conference, then I’m sure, we will be out there fighting to our best ability,” he said.

The 6-foot-5 Norwood, the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year award, had just recovered from over-fatigue while they will miss the services of forward Allan Salangsang due to injury.

Garcia, however, is confident that import Charles Clark can rise to the challenge this time even though the team has agreed to have a standby import in Norwood’s ex-teammate at George Mason University, Jai Lewis.

“He has improved a lot since last conference and I’m happy with his performance during our tune-up games,” said Garcia.(jack18jack)

Coach Caloy Garcia and team owners Raymund Yu and Terry Que expressed hope they can improve on their achievement in the last 34th Philippine Cup.

“We hope, we can better our performance in this Fiesta Conference. We just have to work really hard and play our bests all the time. Even as we lost in the quarterfinals, but it was really a big accomplishments already for us,” said Yu.

Garcia also mentioned JR Reyes and TY Tang as among those that contributed much for reaching the quarters in just two years in the league.

“We have already a huge following, so we have to play as hard as we can and continue to entertain the crowd with our brand of basketball. With the crowd support, it is necessary for us to raise our level of game,” added Que.

Garcia said the team’s success in the import-laden conference set to start Saturday in Dumaguete City, will depend largely on their physical condition.

“If we are all healthy till the end of the conference, then I’m sure, we will be out there fighting to our best ability,” stressed Garcia.

For one, Norwood had just recovered from over-fatigue and Clark can rise to the challenge this time, providing muscle inside the paint.

“He has improved a lot since last conference and I’m happy with his performance during our tune-up games. Hopefully, he will play much better during official games,” said Garcia, who will also count on the services of Rob Wainwright, Eddie Laure and Ryan Arana.

Others who can help the Elasto Painters are Donald Dulay, Mark Isip and Mark Andaya.

Rain or Shine, however, will be without the stocky Mercado when it plays Barako Bull on Sunday. Mercado will be serving his one-game suspension due to an F2 foul he committed during their quarterfinal series with Sta. Lucia last conference.(jack18jack)

Abanilla will join a bumper cast of Siot Tanquincen’s assistant coaches in the Beermen’s fold headed by Pido Jarencio, Biboy Ravanes, Freddie Abuda and former NBA superstar Alton Lister.

Guiao has been trying to recruit Abanilla to join him in Burger King but his former understudy was still tied up with Red Bull at that time.

The fiery mentor, who is also the RP men’s basketball team coach in the coming Southeast Asia Basketball Association (SEABA) tournament and the much-awaited FIBA Asia Men’s Basketball Championship, resigned as Red Bull’s coach early this year.

“I was trying to get him (Abanilla) but he was still under contract with Red Bull,” said Guiao. “But I’m happy for him. He will be a big help to any squad. He has been a good assistant and capable of even assuming the head coaching post to any team now.”(jack18jack)

Leo Avenido and Dale Singson, who both played for the Tigers in the past under former coach Binky Favis, had been signed up anew by the Tigers.

Avenido, the former Far Eastern University (FEU) King Tamaraw, was Coca-Cola’s former draft and later had stints with Talk ‘N Text and Air21.

Prior to signing up again with the Tigers, he was the star player of the Manila Capitals in Liga Pilipinas, where he even emerged as the most valuable player (MVP) in the one of the legs of the fledgling league.

Singson, University of Santo Tomas’ starting guard in the late 90s, had a brief stint with Coke after spending time playing for Shell and San Miguel.

Signed by Alaska when the Tigers cut him from their regular roster, the younger brother of former PBA player Montoy helped the Aces bag the 2007 PBA Fiesta Cup title opposite Talk `N Text.

Both Singson and Avenido were signed up following the trade of John Arigo to the Barako Bull and the continuous sidelining of big man Nick Belasco.(jack18jack)

“(Talk n Text’s chance for a season sweep) is kind of good. The team’s confidence is high coming from a run (Philippine Cup championship) like that. We’re bringing the same winning attitude in this tournament,” said Wade as the imports slugging it out in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference were presented in a press conference at the PBA office in Libis, Quezon City yesterday.

In the same press conference, PBA commissioner Sonny Barrios formally announced that Motolite is sponsoring the season-ending import-reinforced tourney.

The imports met the press after they were officially cleared to play in the tourney, measuring inside the 6-foot-6 height limit.

Shawn Daniels of Burger King is the tallest at 6-foot-5 5/8 while Barako Bull’s Scooter McFadgon is the shortest at 6-foot-3 13/16. Ginebra’s Rod Nealy measured 6-foot-5 1/16, Sta. Lucia’s Anthony Johnson 6-4 15/16, Purefoods’ Brian Hamilton 6-foot-4 3/4, Rain or Shine’s Charles Clark 6-foot-5 1/4, San Miguel’s Nate Carter 6-foot-5 1/16, Coca-Cola’s J.J. Sullinger 6-foot-4 1/4 and Wade 6-foot-5 3/8.

Alaska’s Galen Young missed the event as he’s only to arrive today.

“We expect you to play your best and hope you give the fans what they came for,” Barrios advised the imports.

Daniels and Johnson, both returning imports, are the first to display their wares as Burger King and Sta. Lucia clash in the opening game on Saturday in Dumaguete.

The burly Daniels, who has reinforced Air21 (now Burger King) in two previous tourneys, is known to be a post-up player while Johnson, a former Coca-Cola import, is more of a wing player.

Taking the spotlight Sunday are Wade, Hamilton, Clark and McFadgon as Barako Bull and Rain or Shine clash in the 3:50 p.m. curtain-raiser then Purefoods and Talk n Text square off at 6:30 p.m.

Asked what he can bring to the table for Talk n Text, Wade said: “About everything.”

To the same question, Nealy replied “hard work,” Fadgon “scoring,” Clark “low-post presence,” Johnson “what it takes to win,” Carter “energy,” Hamilton “hopefully to meet up their (Purefoods’) standard and bring it to the next level.”

Nealy is said to have improved, his game maturing at 29. The former Houston Baptist mainstay reinforced Ginebra two years ago, failing to make it to the semis as they were beaten by San Miguel Beer and import Galen Young in the quarterfinals.

Hamilton and McFadgon seem to have the best credentials with both having experienced playing with NBA teams at least in pre-season tourneys. Hamilton had a short contract with the New Jersey Nets and McFadgon with the New Orlean Hornets.

In a bid for a season sweep, the Tropang Texters hope to draw boost from Wade, who has played in Italy, France, Hungary, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Israel all in the last two years.

Wade is said to be an old-school swingman with excellent perimeter shooting skills, plus a strong body that allows him to create his own shot.

Curiously, Wade, Johnson and Hamilton all played for Louisiana-Lafayette in college basketball.(jack18jack)

Tiras Wade, the man with the braided hairstyle Talk ‘N Text hired to lead its drive for a season sweep, started it. Every other import soon said the same.

“It’s hot,” said Wade as an answer to a question over his first thoughts on making his maiden stint on Philippine soil.

For sure, the humid climate will pester the imports in the coming weeks or so. But it would be good for them as well to remain hot while playing, or they might find themselves meeting a cold reception which could lead to a job cut short.

Shawn Daniels, the hulking Burger King reinforcement, ended up as the tallest at 6-foot-5 and 5/8, with Scooter McFadgon of the Barako Bull the smallest at 6-foot-3 and 13/16.

Only Galen Young of Alaska wasn’t around. He has yet to arrive, but is expected to meet the grade and play for the Aces once they begin their campaign on March 4 against Ginebra.

Sporting a red t-shirt, ankle socks, long shorts and slippers, Wade looked bigger than his 6-foot-5 and 3/8 height. He was the man everyone seemed to decipher, a first timer in the PBA but already loaded with a lot of pressure in trying to steer the Tropang Texters to a second straight title romp.

Bong Ravena, one of Talk ‘N Text’s assistant coaches, had no dazzling description for Wade. But he did not have negative statements either. What he said was that Wade has this fine touch just around the shaded lane and could become a key part in what they do best — run the open court.

“Their confidence is high with a winning run like that,” said Wade. “I’ll try to bring it from there and bring the same winning attitude.”

The other imports who came by at the PBA office for measurement were Rod Nealy, Ginebra (6-5 1/16); Anthony Johnson, Sta. Lucia (6-4 15/16); Brian Hamilton, Purefoods (6-4 &frac34;); Charles Clark III, Rain or Shine (6-5 &frac14;); Nate Carter, San Miguel Beer (6-5 1/16); and JJ Sullinger, Coca-Cola (6-4 &frac14;).

Aside from talking about the key role the imports will have for their teams in the season-ending conference, Commissioner Renauld ‘Sonny’ Barrios yesterday also welcomed the league’s new title sponsor, which vowed to help the PBA in terms of promotion.

“We have been in the three Bs (boxing, basketball, and billiards) and as we see it, we think that things are improving a lot in basketball, especially in the PBA,” said Ernest Estrera, Motolite’s vice-president for marketing. “We need a visible role, and we could help promote the PBA through our nationwide branches especially on the grassroots level.”

Estrera also said that if everything goes well, they could even sponsor the PBA All-Star Games this season. The event is expected to be held on April 23.

Back to the imports, Barrios said that they should play ‘their hearts out’ since the fans will be ’scrutinizing’ them.

“We expect you (imports) to play your best and hope that you give the fans what they came for,” said Barrios.

The defending champion in the tournament is Ginebra, which won last year with seven-footer Chris Alexander over Air21 in seven games.

But this early, there are too many teams to consider, especially Burger King, which became an instant contender with the entry of national coach Yeng Guiao and the return of Daniels as reinforcement.

Daniels was the one who guided Air21 to its best finish (2007-08 Fiesta Cup third placer) before it made the Finals last season.

Also fancied to make it deep into the Fiesta Cup are San Miguel Beer, Sta. Lucia Realty, and Purefoods, which will parade a new import in Brian Hamilton. Hamilton replaced first choice Reggie Larry, who disclocated a finger during practice.(jack18jack)

But the man with the braided hairstyle said he’s up to the task, vowing to bring the same winning spirit displayed by the franchise just a conference ago. “Their confidence is high with a winning run like that. I’ll try to bring it from there and bring the same winning attitude.”

Wade was with the rest of the reinforcements Wednesday at the PBA office where formal measurement were done on them. None among the nine of the 10 imports exceeded the 6-foot-6 height limit.

Shawn Daniels, the hulking Burger King reinforcement, ended up as the tallest at 6-foot-5 and 5/8, with Scooter McFadgon of the Barako Bull the smallest at 6-foot-3 and 13/16.

Only Galen Young of Alaska wasn’t around. He has yet to arrive Thursday, but is expected to meet the grade and play for the Aces once they begin their campaign in bouncing back from a painful Philippine Cup stint on March 4 against Ginebra.

Sporting a red t-shirt, ankle socks, long shorts and slippers, Wade looked bigger than his 6-foot-5 and 3/8 height. He was the man everyone seemed to decipher, a first timer in the PBA but already loaded with a lot of pressure in trying to steer the Tropang Texters to a second straight title romp.

The other imports who came by at the PBA office for measurement were Rod Nealy, Ginebra (6-5 1/16); Anthony Johnson, Sta. Lucia (6-4 15/16); Brian Hamilton, Purefoods (6-4 &frac34;); Charles Clark III, Rain or Shine (6-5 1/4); Nate Carter, San Miguel Beer (6-5 1/16); and JJ Sullinger, Coca-Cola (6-4 1/4).

Ginebra is the defending champion, winning last year’s title with seven-footer Chris Alexander around over Air21 in seven games.(jack18jack)

The corporate name is new and so are people on the bench and behind it. But make no mistake about it — the Titans mean business right on their maiden campaign.

Even coach Yeng Guiao, brought in by Harbour Centre owner Mikee Romero, the new partner of Burger King under the Lina Group of Companies, expressed delight with the improvement of the team, notably the jelling and rapport of each member to one another.

When asked about Romero’s goal of the team reaching the semis, Guiao answered positively, knowing Romero’s never-say-die and organizational savvy.

“That’s a realistic objective,” said Guiao. “I’m seeing a good sign, but you really don’t know until mag-compete sila and face the pressure in game situation.”

His only concern though is that his team got smaller following the departure of Ranidel de Ocampo, Doug Kramer, Don Allado, Nino Canaleta and JC Intal.

The team’s only big men are JR Quinahan and Homer Se. But Guiao and Romero remained unfazed.

“Since this is an import tournament, and we got a post up player import, mako-compensate naman ‘yun,” said Guiao, who will be assisted by PBL champion coaches in Harbour Centre’s Jorge Gallent and Junel Baculi.

“Our desire really is to be a run-and-gun team, that’s one way to keep away from our weakness. We have to score on transition and we need to get our points on fast break,” said Guiao who is quite satisfied with their 1-2-3 positions.

“I’m happy with our 1-2-3 positions, this is a first class group of people with their respective positions. Hindi kami dehado sa talent when it comes sa mga positions na ‘yun.”

The focal point of the team’s offense will be the exciting Arwind Santos and the do-it-all Gary David — both former MVP winners in the PBL.

Aside from the 6-foot-4 Santos and David, the team boasts of the exciting Cyrus Baguio and top playmaker in Celino Cruz, who both played under Guiao at Red Bull before. The team will be beefed up by two former Harbour players in 6-foot-6 Beau Belga, 6-foot-4 Chad Alonzo and rugged forward Erick Rodriguez.

“We may not be a tall squad, but I promised that we will give our rivals tough time,” said Romero, who bankrolled the participation of the RP team to the 2007 SEABA in Jakarta and the SEA Games in Thailand of the same year.

Other members of the team are Wynee Arboleda, Marvin Cruz, EgayBilliones and Cholo Villanueva — all proven warriors even during their amateur days.

“The BK Titans are now the new breed of PBA warriors on and off the court,” said Romero.(jack18jack)

Ronald Tubid said Tuesday night that they are very happy that the 210 lbs. Reavis, who plays center and is a second overall pick by Coca-Cola in 2002, has already started practicing with the Kings, who won the title last year by defeating Air21 Express, 4-3.

Tubid said that the acquisition of former Ateneo Blue Eagles Dough Kramer and JC Intal strengthened the Kings’ frontline.

“We are very happy to see Rafi [Reavis] back in practice. It boosted our quest to be able to defend the Fiesta Conference crown,” said the 6′1″ former UE Warriors guard Tubid, a 16th overall pick by Shell in 2003.

Besides Reavis and Tubid, coach Jong Uichico, who was booted out by San Miguel Beer, 2-1 in the quarterfinal round of the last Philippine Cup, will also count on old reliables Billy Mamaril, Erik Menk, Sunday Salva cion, Willie Wilson, Paul Artadi, Chris Pacana, Jun-Jun Cabatu, Macky Es calona and spitfire Jay-Jay Hilterbrand.

“Despite the absence of Mark [Caguioa], we will really do everything to be able to retain the title,” added Tubid.

Meanwhile, former Singapore Slingers Al Vergara signed a five-month contract with the Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants, the team’s management recently announced.

Coach Ryan Gregorio said that the 5′10″ Vergara’s presence would strengthen the Giants backcourt with the injury of Roger Yap.

Without the 6′1″ guard Yap, a 9th overall pick by Purefoods in 2001, the Giants will lean on Topex Robinson and Jonathan Fernandez for their backcourt plays.

Besides Yap, also in the Giants’ injured list are James Yap and Richard Yee.

Gregorio, who just found 6′6″ Brian Hamilton as an able replacement for the injured Reggie Larry [fractured index finger], has high hopes for the Giants with the early acquisition of Don Allado and KG Canaleta from Air21.

Hamilton, a former Louisiana-Lafayette University stalwart, once played with the Utah Flash in the National Basketball Association-Developmental League where he averaged 10.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.3 steals through 49 games.

Gregorio likewise expressed confidence on Jon Dan Salvador, Peter June Simon, Enrico Villanueva, Paolo Bugia, Aaron Aban, Kerby Raymundo and Richie Alvarez.(jack18jack)

The Kings open hostilities against Coca-Cola at the Araneta Coliseum next Wednesday. This year’s Fiesta Conference has a height limit of 6-6 for imports unlike in the previous edition where there was no ceiling and Ginebra won the title with 7-1 center Chris Alexander.

“Technically, we’re not the defending champions because we won the last conference with a seven-footer,” said Uichico. “The real defending champion is Alaska which won the 2007 conference with a 6-6 limit for imports. The way I see it, Alaska and Talk ‘N’ Text are the teams to beat. They made it to the finals in the Philippine Cup and they’ve even gotten stronger with their imports.”

“We don’t want to start the way we did in the last two conferences (0-5 in the 2008 Fiesta Conference and 2-5 in the Philippine Cup),” he went on. “We had to make a run just to get into the playoffs. We’ll try to go as far as we can with a healthy lineup. Rafi (Reavis) and Eric (Menk) are back practicing and they’ll be in uniform when we play Coca-Cola. Everyone is healthy except for Mark and Junthy.”

Caguioa sat out the last conference undergoing rehabilitation for chronic tendonitis in both knees in Los Angeles. He is slowly recovering and may be back in action before the season ends. Valenzuela underwent knee surgery recently and will be out two more months.

“We’re monitoring Mark’s condition closely,” he said. “His situation requires a lot of rest, rehabilitation and strengthening. He aggravated his tendonitis when he played hurt in the finals of the last Fiesta Conference. The pain in the knees is gone but Mark still hasn’t done sprints and hasn’t gone back on the court. His treatment is called sonocure and it involves high-frequency ultra-sound therapy, which can only be taken five times, once a week. Mark has now done three. Surgery is our last recourse but from all indications, Mark is responding very well to the treatment.” Picking up veterans J. C. Intal, Doug Kramer and Chico Lanete via a three-way trade with Purefoods and Air21 was a big lift, said Uichico.

“The timing was just right,” he said. In the last conference, we could’ve beaten San Miguel in the playoffs but were a man short in our rotation. We were exhausted when we got to the fourth period because our guys played too long minutes. The new guys are still learning our system. They’ll contribute for sure. They’ve filled up the holes in our lineup or at least narrowed the gaps. We’ve told the new guys to play with the Ginebra spirit — never-say-die. That’s the Ginebra mystique and if they don’t play with the Barangay spirit, they won’t fit in.”

Uichico said import Rod Nealy’s return is a boost. Nealy, 28, averaged 31.9 points in 22 games for the Kings in the 2007 Fiesta Conference where Ginebra lost to San Miguel Beer in the quarterfinal playoffs.

“We always had Rod in mind to bring back,” said Uichico. “We know how he plays so we’re not making any big adjustments. He’s now more experienced, having played a lot overseas after his first tour with us. He’s lost some weight and he’s more athletic now. We don’t want a role player. We want a scorer to make up for Mark’s absence and Rod can do it all — he posts up, he scores off the dribble, he shoots from outside. He’s the kind of import we need to pick up our slack in scoring. He gives us no problems on and off the court. His attitude is great. He practices hard, reports for work on time and hardly goes out at night.”(jack18jack)

“Our desire really is to be a run-and-gun team, that’s one way to keep away from our weakness,” said Titans coach Yeng Guiao, whose team opens its campaign against Sta. Lucia Realty on Saturday. “We have to score on transition and we need to get our points on fast break.”

Burger King head of basketball operations Mikee Romero, who engineered Harbour Centre’s record-setting run in the Philippine Basketball League, believes that even with their lack in big men, the Titans will be tough to handle.

“The BK Titans are now the new breed of PBA warriors on and off the court,” said Romero.

Burger King, led by RP Team players Arwind Santos, Cyrus Baguio and Gary David, will be reinforced by the burly Shawn Daniels in the Fiesta Conference.

Burger King (formerly Air21) parted ways with JC Intal, Doug Kramer, KG Canaleta and Don Allado before the start of the tournament, but acquired Beau Belga, Chad Alonzo and Erick Rodriguez recently to shore up its thin frontline.

“Since this is an import conference and we got a post-up player as import, we can compensate for our weakness in the post,” said Guiao.(jack18jack)

“Reaching the semifinals is a realistic objective,” Guiao said yesterday as the BK Titans prepare for the season-ending conference.

“There’s improvement, maganda na ‘yung jelling ng team. As far as the system and my coaching style are concerned, they (players) are getting a hang of it, maganda naman ang reception and they’re responding to it,” Guiao added.

Incoming Burger King alternate governor Mikee Romero, whose Harbour Centre recently completed a rare six-peat in the PBL, has said that he expects the Titans to contend for a semifinals berth.

Last season in this same conference, Air21 came short of winning its first ever PBA title, losing to Ginebra in Game 7 of the Finals.

Guiao, head coach of the all-pro national team that will compete in the FIBA-Asia championship this August in China, joined the team last January after he resigned as mentor of Red Bull.

Guiao’s inspiring attitude and winning record, having won five PBA titles — two with then Swift and three with Red Bull — combined with Romero’s passion and desire for winning is what makes BK one of the top contenders in the Fiesta Cup.

With the recent trades that shipped Doug Kramer and JC Intal to defending champion Ginebra and Nino Canaleta and Don Allado to Purefoods, Burger King, formerly Air21, was left with talented backcourt and wingmen.(jack18jack)

“We have been in the three Bs (boxing, basketball, and billiards) and as we see it, we think that things are improving a lot in basketball, especially in the PBA,” said Ernest Estrera, vice-president for marketing of Motolite, which comes in as the title sponsor for the Fiesta Cup that starts Saturday in Dumaguete.

“We need a visible role, and we could help promote the PBA through our nationwide branches especially on the grassroots level,” Estrera added.

The formal announcement of Motolite’s entry coincided with the official measurement of the reinforcements for the tournament featuring imports not more than 6-foot-6 in height.

No one among the nine of the 10 imports exceeded the height limit. Shawn Daniels, the hulking Burger King reinforcement, ended up as the tallest at 6′5 and 5/8, with Scooter McFadgon of the Barako Bull the smallest at 6′3 13/16.

The other imports who came by at the PBA office for measurement were Rod Nealy, Ginebra (6′5 1/16); Anthony Johnson, Sta. Lucia (6′4 15/16); Brian Hamilton, Purefoods (6′4 &frac34;); Charles Clark III, Rain or Shine (6′5 &frac14;); Nate Carter, San Miguel Beer (6′5 1/16); Tiras Wade, Talk N Text (6′5 3/8); and JJ Sullinger, Coca-Cola (6′4 &frac14;).

Only Galen Young of Alaska wasn’t around, being set to arrive only today. But he is expected to also meet the grade.

League Commissioner Renauld ‘Sonny’ Barrios said the imports should play ‘their hearts out’ since the fans will be ’scrutinizing’ them.

“We expect you (imports) to play your best and hope that you give the fans what they came for,” said Barrios.(jack18jack)