Almadro sees nothing wrong with 'Walang duwag na Ravena' pep talk

COACH Oliver Almadro’s words of encouragement seemed to fire up Dani Ravena, and it drew mixed reactions on social media.

Almadro tried to motivate Ravena to go for the saves, with the match tied at a set each and a point separating Ateneo-Motolite and Pocari Sweat in the third set of their PVL Open Conference match on Sunday at Imus Sports Complex in Imus City, Cavite.

“Believe me, you’re very good, don’t doubt. Ravena ka, walang duwag na Ravena. Do you understand?” Almadro told the sophomore Lady Eagle, daughter of TNT coach Bong Ravena and former volleyball player Mozzy, and sister of basketball stars Kiefer and Thirdy.

“You know what you’re doing, sometimes nagda-doubt ka lang kung tama ‘yung gagawin mo or hindi,” he continued. “Just follow the system, follow the process, start at the line then move, do you understand? You’re doing good, believe me.”

The words seemed to motivate Ravena as she registered 16 digs and 11 excellent receptions in the four-set win.

While Almandro was praised online for the motivational talk, some believe it was unnecessary.

"Ravena ka. Walang duwag na Ravena."

Coach O tries to inspire Dani mid-game. 🙌 #PVLonABSCBN pic.twitter.com/jNptTxaHM3 

— ABS-CBN Sports (@abscbnsports) September 23, 2018

But Almadro believes it worked, not only for Ravena but the rest of the squad.

“Siguro, kasi nakabalik eh. Siguro nakatulong ‘yun,” said Almadro.

“Sana mga ganoon ko, alam niyo naman hyper ako eh, sana ‘yung mga ganoon ko mag-click sa utak nila. ‘Yun ang hinahabol ko eh,” he said.

“Wala naman talagang Ravenang duwag eh, tama naman,” he added.

Bea de Leon, Kat Tolentino power Ateneo past Pocari in PVL Open

Kat Tolentino leads the Lady Eagles with 19 points. PHOTO: DANTE PERALTA

ATENEO-Motolite defeated Pocari Sweat-Air Force, 25-23, 17-25, 25-20, 30-28, to start its campaign in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference on Sunday at Imus Sports Complex in Imus City, Cavite.

Veterans Kat Tolentino and skipper Bea de Leon led the way for the Lady Eagles with 19 and 12 points, respectively, while rookie Vanessa Gandler made a good impression with nine markers and 14 digs.

“Kami syempre, we’re super, super happy that we won our first game. It’s a good start, its a good sign for us,” said de Leon.

It was also Oliver Almadro’s first win with the Lady Eagles after taking over in May.

Kim Gequillana also had nine points and Maddie Madayag scored eight for Ateneo.

Myla Pablo scored 30 points for Pocari Sweat-Air Force, while Jeanette Panaga had 16 markers.

https://www.spin.ph/volleyball/pvl/bea-de-leon-kat-tolentino-ateneo-pocari-sweat-pvl-open-a796-20180923?ref=home_featured_2

Pep talk from La Salle coach brings out best from Encho Serrano

ENCHO Serrano’s first two games in the UAAP didn’t reflect why he’s one of the most celebrated rookies entering this season.

All of that changed with a little pep talk from La Salle coach Louie Gonzalez.

The former high school star from Pampanga finally showed glimpses of his tremendous potential on Sunday, scoring 11 points and grabbing four rebounds in La Salle's 82-72 win over University of the East.

All it took was a little talk with his coach, who asked the high-flyer to focus on defense and let the offense come to him.

Serrano obliged.

“Actually hindi pa talaga ako ganun ka-comportable, before the game sinabihan ako ni coach na, ‘Hindi ako susuko sa 'yo. Dahan-dahanin natin yan,’ dahil first time ko naman to at walang pang experience,” said Serrano.

“Sabi niya, ‘Basta kuha ka lang ng kumpyansa. Pag pasok mo gusto mo umopensa kaagad, wag mong ilagay yun sa isip mo. Unahin mo muna yung depensa hanggang sumunod sa opensa mo,’” he added.

That was all the motivation Serrano needed as he looked a lot more confident on the floor, pumping much-needed energy into the Green Archers' offense off the bench while playing solid defense the entire game.

“Ngayon pag pasok ko pinakita ko talaga kay coach na hindi ko sasayangin ang opportunity na binigay niya sakin, dedepensa talaga ako ng 100 percent. Lumabas naman at sumunod pa ang opensa. Okay naman,” he added.

However, Serrano insisted he’s still far from where he wants to be, saying there are still a lot of facets in his game that he needs to work on particularly his free-throw shooting after going 1-of-6 from the stripe.

“Yung free throws ko, ang dami kong miss kanina, pinapasok ko kasi sa isip ko na na-pressure ako, inuunahan ko yung sarili ko ng pressure na baka mag miss ako. Siguro kailangan lang, mag-start ako sa practice dahil marami pa akong iimprove.”

https://www.spin.ph/basketball/uaap-men/pep-talk-from-la-salle-coach-brings-out-best-from-encho-serrano-a1331-20180923?ref=home_featured_1

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UAAP: FEU Tamaraws vent ire on UP Maroons to atone for shock loss

FAR Eastern University came out guns firing and never looked back as it tore through University of the Philippines, 89-73, in the UAAP Season 81 on Sunday at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

Coming off an upset loss at the hands of University of Santo Tomas last week, the Tamaraws laid the brunt of their rage on the Fighting Maroons as they opened the game with an 8-0 blast and never looked back.

Jasper Parker and Axel Iñigo set the tone early as they charged through the Maroons defense in the first half like bulls tearing through red cloth, before continuing to pounce on the Maroons in the second half – leading by as many as 25 points near the end of the third period.

The closest the Fighting Maroons ever got was within 14 early in the fourth but that the Tamaraws responded with bombs from beyond the arc to stymy that rally.

“It was a defensive game para sa amin. Yung opensa namin, bonus lang. Good job by everyone, the players stuck to our gameplan,” said FEU coach Olsen Racela as they improved to 2-1 for the season.

“Again, the run was an effect of our defense kaya nagalit ako nung nag 10-0 run sila (nung fourth). Hindi kami dapat nag-stop ng offense with offense. UP had an off night. Again, maganda rin yung naging execution namin,” he added.

Prince Orizu had a perfect night with 15 points on 7-7 shooting alongside seven boards while putting the clamps on Bright Akhuetie who finishe with nine points on 4-11 shooting.

Arvin Tolentino added 13 points, Wendell Comboy finished with 12 while Parker and Iñigo  finished with 11 points apiece.

Javi Gomez de Liano led the Maroons with 15 points as they dropped their second consecutive game following a rousing start to the season.

The scores:

FEU 89 – Orizu 15, Tolentino 13, Comboy 12, Parker 11, Inigo 11, Cani 8, Ebona 8, Tuffin 5, Stockton 3, Gonzales 2, Escoto 1, Bayquin 0

UP 73 – Gomez de Liano Ja 15, Gomez de Liano Ju 13, Manzo 11, Desiderio 10, Akhuetie 9, Prado 8, Vito 3, Murrell 2, Lim 2, Jaboneta 0, Tungcab 0, Gozum 0, Dario 0, Spencer 0

QUARTERS: 25-13, 49-35, 69-46, 89-73

In-form Phoenix continues to roll, deals Magnolia first loss

PHOENIX notched its third straight win, handing Magnolia a 95-82 defeat on Sunday in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Eugene Phelps had 36 points, 20 rebounds, and four blocks as the Fuel Masters improved  to 5-1 (win-loss) and extended the best start to a conference in franchise history.

As a misfiring Magnolia side slumped to its first loss in three games after making just 29 of 90 shots, Phoenix continued its rise since acquiring Calvin Abueva in a trade.

“For me, one of the best ang Magnolia especially sa defense. We were able to put a clamp on their offensive guys especially in the third quarter,” said Phoenix coach Louie Alas.

Phoenix is now in second place in the standings, just behind unbeaten Blackwater.

The Fuel Masters went on a 7-0 run to open a 82-72 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Phelps' two-hand jam extended the lead to 87-75 with 3:33 left.

Matthew Wright had 13 points, five rebounds, and four assists while Justin Chua had 12 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks for Phoenix, which also got nine points and 10 rebounds from Calvin Abueva.

Romeo Travis had 28 points, 19 rebounds, and two blocks but made just 11 of 21 shots, missing a number of attempts from point-blank range when the game got away from the Hotshots in the final stretch.

Jio Jalalon, Ian Sangalang, and Mark Barroca each added 11 points for the Hotshots. Jalalon, however, fouled out with five minutes left in the game.

The scores:

Phoenix 95 – Phelps 36, Wright 13, Chua 12, Revilla 9, Jazul 9, Abueva 9, Perkins 7, Wilson 0, Intal 0.

Magnolia 82 – Travis 28, Jalalon 11, Sangalang 11, Barroca 11, Lee 8, Ramos 6, dela Rosa 3, Melton 2, Galaminda 2, Reavis 0, Herndon 0, Pascual 0, Brondial 0.

Quarters: 30-19; 48-48; 71-67; 95-82.

https://www.spin.ph/basketball/pba/in-form-phoenix-continues-to-roll-deals-magnolia-first-loss-a795-20180923?ref=feed_1_section

Bataan Risers make it eight MPBL wins in row after holding off Sharks

Former JRU star Bryon Villarias shows the way or Bataan. PHOTO: BATAAN RISERS FACEBOOK PAGE

BATAAN and Makati continued their impressive run in the MPBL Datu Cup at the Ynares Sports Center in Pasig.

Ex-pro Byron Villarias came away with a double double as the Risers survived a tough stand by the Cebu Sharks, 76-69, for a league-best eighth straight win.

The cousin of NLEX Road Warrior rookie guard Kiefer Ravena scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Two more others finished in double figures – Pamboy Raymundo with 12 and Jeepy Faundo with 10 - as Bataan improved to 8-1 for the solo lead in the Northern Division.

Villarias’ double-double effort was matched by Cedric Ablaza, who had 15 points and 10 boards in powering the Makati Skyscrapers to a tense 67-64 triumph over the Valenzuela Classic.

The 6-foot-3 Ablaza joined forces with ex-pro Rudy Lingganay in scoring the last three points from the free throw line for Makati, which won a second straight game to improve to 6-3.

Valenzuela, which dropped to 2-7 after a fifth straight loss, had a chance to send the game to overtime, but Rocky Acidre’s three-point try failed to hit the mark in the last two seconds.

https://www.spin.ph/basketball/byron-villarias-bataan-risers-cebu-sharks-mpbl-a1373-20180923?ref=feed_2_section

Olsen Racela relieved to see FEU Tamaraws quickly bounce back

OLSEN Racela is delighted with how his players responded following Far Eastern University’s upset loss at the hands of the University of Santo Tomas last week.

Displaying the fire and tenacity that was sorely missing in that game, the Tamaraws came up with their most impressive outing of the UAAP Season 81 so far, blowing past University of the Philippines on Tuesday.

“Good bounce back win. It had to take a game like we played against UST for us to really play things possession by possession,” said Racela.   

For the 47-year-old coach, it takes the pain of a loss to truly make his players realize the warnings that he’s been talking about.

And playing a strong team like the Fighting Maroons, he’s happy that they finally showed up.

“Hindi minor yun, major yun. Of course, yun yung klailangan namin matutunan. I always remind these players about that pero kailangan ata ma-experience muna nila,” Racela said.

“Hindi enough yung, parang akong magulang e. Di ba gaganyanin mo yung bata tapos papasok dito, lalabas dito, unless ma-experience nila talaga yung sinasabi mo, dun nila maiingraine sa utak nila. I think that’s what happened,” Racela added.

Racela believes the nine-day break allowed them to reflect on their mishaps and refocus on what they really wanted to do.

“I gave them two days off. Para makarecover sila. Killer week yun para sa amin eh,” said Racela.

“That was also an opportunity for us to focus on our fundamentals. I think It showed on this game.”

https://www.spin.ph/basketball/uaap-men/olsen-racela-feu-tamaraws-ust-tigers-up-maroons-uaap-season-81-a1331-20180923?ref=feed_2_section

Prince Orizu eclipses Bright Akhuetie in matchup of top big men

PRINCE Orizu finally got a chance to play with his good pal in Bright Akhuetie in the UAAP Season 81 and it’s pretty clear who got the better of that match-up.

Orizu’s Far Eastern University came away with an 89-73 win over fellow Nigerian Akhuetie and University of the Philippines on Sunday in San Juan.

The 6-foot-8 slotman had 15 points and seven rebounds while also putting the clamps on the highly-touted Akhuetie who finished with nine points on 3-11 shooting.

“Bright is like one of my best friends. We push each other to do our best because he's a really good player,” said Orizu.

“I just needed to stand my ground because I did not want to be the friend who loses,” he added.

As Akhuetie continued to miss, Orizu was there picking his spots, making all of his seven shots to continue what has been an impressive season so far.

“Did not know that actually. I only knew about it when my teammates told me about it. We were focused on our defense and executing our offense so the shots just sort of came for me,” he said.

Coming off a disappointing loss against the University of Santo Tomas last week where he saw a career night of 25 points and 15 rebounds go down the drain, Orizu was determined to translate his stellar individual play to a win.

This time around, they got the results that they’ve wanted.

“It's all about about defense which Coach O (Olsen Racela) has been preaching a lot. Every since the pre-season, he was talking about the defensive game. We came short in UST because we didn't do very well on defense,” Orizu said.

“So I talked to my teammates and my coaches about how we can come back stronger. We remembered on how we played defense against La Salle. The offense itself just came in itself. We are more of a defensive team.”

https://www.spin.ph/basketball/uaap-men/prince-orizu-bright-akhuetie-feu-tamaraws-up-maroons-uaap-season-81-a1331-20180923?ref=feed_2_section

Wolves granting Butler trade request after contrasting desires by management

AFTER keeping one of their stars, The Minnesota Timberwolves are eager to part ways with their other.

Following their move to sign Karl-Anthony Towns to a five-year, $190-million extension, the Wolves are determined to trade Jimmy Butler.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported the development on Sunday, Manila time.

Minnesota is aligning its organizational focus on next step of trading All-Star Jimmy Butler, league sources tell me and @JonKrawczynski.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 23, 2018

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN solidified the report, saying Wolves owner Glen Taylor has instructed president and head coach Tom Thibodeau and general manager Scott Layden to put Butler on the trading block, ordering them to act swiftly on the matter.
Butler has been basically requesting for a trade after saying he has no intention to re-sign with the Wolves next summer. And it seems the Western conference club has given in to his wishes.
Layden, Wojnarowski said, has tried to deny inquiries from other teams about the availability of Butler, but the big boss has other plans.

Thibodeau’s general manager, Scott Layden, had been shutting down trade inquires for Butler in recent days, and Taylor has demanded that Layden not only take calls on potential deals, but reach out to initiate conversations, league sources said. This is all really...unique. https://t.co/RwoI9RSvGz

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 23, 2018

https://www.spin.ph/basketball/nba/jimmy-butler-trade-request-minnesota-timberwolves-glen-taylor-scott-layden-tom-thibodeau-a1931-20180923?ref=feed_4_section

Etheridge surrenders five goals as Aguero, Manchester City blank Cardiff

Manchester City's David Silva, center left, celebrates with Sergio Aguero, right, and Bernardo Silva after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Fulham at Etihad stadium in Manchester, En PHOTO: AP

CARDIFF, Wales — Sergio Aguero celebrated signing a new contract with Manchester City by scoring the opening goal in a 5-0 win over Cardiff in the English Premier League on Saturday (Sunday, Manila time).

The Argentina striker's fourth league goal of the season came on his 300th appearance for City, which bounced back from its surprise midweek loss to Lyon in the Champions League.

Bernardo Silva, Ikay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez — with two second-half goals as a substitute — also scored at Cardiff City Stadium as City recorded a fifth win in the opening six games of its title defense.

City announced on Friday that Aguero penned a one-year extension to his contract, tying him to the club until 2021 and likely meaning he'll see out a decade at Etihad Stadium.

The fans' favorite was back in the starting lineup after getting dropped to the bench against Lyon and was dangerous throughout, getting his goal in the 32nd by finishing off a squared ball by Bernardo.

The Portugal playmaker turned scorer three minutes later when he flicked in a cross from Leroy Sane.

Gundogan curled in a classy third just before halftime after exchanging passes with Raheem Sterling, before Mahrez scored in the 67th — with his first since joining in the offseason from Leicester — soon after replacing Aguero and again in the 89th.

https://www.spin.ph/football/neil-etheridge-cardiff-city-manchester-city-sergio-aguero-premier-league-a994-20180923?ref=feed_4_section