Johan Aguilar, Gian Berino and Miggy Carandang for Speedo

Former Palarong Pambansa and national age-group swimming standouts Johan Aguilar of De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Tankers is wearing Speedo Fastskin FS-PRO Male Legskin - Black (8-008083218) and Gian Berino of University of the Philippines Varsity Swimming Team together with together with Gabriel Agtarap, Rafael Andrew Agatarap, Carlo Amorin, Kyle Bagusto, Joshua Balinas, Gaston Beloso, Josh Cainglet, Gabe Castelo, Hans Chua, Julius Constantino, Alon Cristobal, Nikita Dacera, Daniel De Guzman, Franco Dela Rosa, Lans Donato, Carlo Doragos, Jerem Esguerra, Gab Guerrero, Dexter Lacuna, Billy Lara, Derek Libadia, Brylle Mabus, Benssen Ong, Marc Lynwell Pena, Andrae Pogiongko, Renzo Racadio, Joshua Ranque, Patrick Sajol, Jiego Santiago, Philip Joaquin Santos, Keane Ting, Robbie Villanueva, Duncan Vinulan, Enrico Viovicente and Charlie Walker are wearing Speedo FASTSKIN LZR Racer Male Legskin - Black (8-018040001), while 2009 MVP Enchong Dee is wearing Arena ARN-6015 DGRN RIMIC nux-F, 2019 MVP Maurice Sacho Ilustre, 2008 MVP Timothy Vincent Yap, team captain Mike Advincula, Donn Almera, Miguel Blaise Ampil, Alfonso Bautista, Nicolo Bengzon, Martin Carandang, Skyler Claveria, Hans Mikael Cruz, Joshua Desamero, Charles Diu, Troy Espiritu, Jason Gaviola, Giles Joshua Go, Yuri Ilustre, Marc Libarnes, Elijah Lizares, Christopher Marzel Llorente, Zach Maranon, Matthew Marzan, Owen Mendoza, Carlo Millan, Kyle Paggabao, Emmanuel Dominic Quilala, Marvin Aldrich Relucio, Louie Angelo Ricafrente, Eduardo Santos, Jomai Santos, Rochmond Santos, Christian Sy, Gamaiel Torres, Kevin Christopher Ty, Joshua Benzi Yang and Huxley Yu is wearing Arena ARN-6014 DGRN Half-Spats Nux-F, Juancho Abejo, Quito Abejo, Miguel Alava, MJ Alindogan, Baste Arcilla, Neil Aynera, Bryan Bibat, Joaquin Burgos, Alessi Castro, Jake Chua Yap, Cedrick Jason Cruz, Malco Dacanay, Jan del Rosario, Carl Dela Cruz, Juan Rafael Dela Torre, Yannick Echiverri, Al Fonacier, Mico Garchitorena, Allan Jovero, Kenneth Arwin Landicho, Keith Landicho, Troy Limjap, Zeus Magbanlac, Karl Ivan Marcelo, Christen Mercado, Francis Lorenz Pallasigui, Yani Reynoso, Patrick Sajol, Carlo Salazar, Rafael Sta. Maria, Christopher Tan, Sam Tan, Renzo Teodoro, Josh Vitangcol and Ken Uy is wearing Arena ARN-6015 DRED RIMIC nux-F, University of Santo Tomas (UST) Tigersharks' Miggy Carandang is wearing Speedo Endurance+ Neuron Men’s 8cm Brief – Dark Blue and Sky Blue (8-009333322) and sister Mariel wearing Speedo Fastskin FS-Pro Female Recordbreaker Costume - Black (8-008153218), Evan Uy, Janjan Chiu, Drew Alvarez, Max Austria, Rafa Basa, Robbie Batungbacal, Drei Buhain, Aki Carino, Mike Contreras, Lawin Dacera, Eman Dapat, Islau Dapat, David Dy, Ianiko Filipino, Rafael Guevarra, Jessie Lacuna, Miguel Barlisan, Aldo Batungbakal, Judd Gregorio, Chico Gueco, Rafa Isip, David Mendoza, Luigi Mendoza, Paolo Mutuc, Axel Ngui, Chem Ocampo, Gio Palencia, Getty Reyes, Gian Carlo Silva, Brandon Sing, Bruce Sing, Hubert Taguibao, Sean Paul Tan, Joshua Taleon, Aldo Tong, Rian Marco Tirol, Chase Yao, Erwin Yaptangco wears Arena ARN-6013 ABLU Long Spats Nux-F.

speedo FASTSKIN FS-PRO Men's Legskin (8-008083218)

Thirdy compared to Rodman, Pippen in Olympic Channel feature

Thirdy Ravena has long been one of the most promising young talents in the Philippines.

Now, the three-peat champion with Ateneo de Manila University is paving a brand new path as he is all set to play for San-En NeoPhoenix in Japan's B.League.

And to introduce the Filipino prospect to the rest of the world, the Olympic Channel featured him on its website.

How it described Ravena's game was interesting, to say the least. "A bit Rodman on the boards and a bit Pippen on the floor, Ravena is a hardworking, full-court player who can make huge defensive plays and hit that clutch shot in a big game," it said.

The 6-foot-2 swingman normed 6.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists in his fifth and final year as a Blue Eagle.

Those are far from the numbers Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen would do, but it's still safe to say that Ravena does, indeed, have that kind of potential.

And he has a golden opportunity to prove just that in becoming the first Filipino to play in Japan's pro league.

Yet again, the three-time Finals MVP said he knows full well that this means much more than just his present and future. As he put it, "You kind of have this torch that you want to make sure that is beautiful and well-lit in Japan. I have to make sure that I represent not just myself well, but the whole Philippines as well."

Fortunately for him, he has found a new way to get his mind right. "This is my first time trying out yoga that wasn't instructed by a team or anyone else and I loved it," he said.

Yes, apparently, Ravena is now very much into yoga. "When you clear everything in your mind, that's when everything starts to fall into place because you're not thinking about anything else," he said.

The feature then went on to discuss the 23-year-old's thoughts on kuya Kiefer, the Ravena household that includes 16 dogs and a cat, and Kai Sotto.

Ravena is the first basketball player from the Philippines to be on the Olympic channel. Volleyball stars Alyssa Valdez and Denden Lazaro have already been featured.

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Follow this writer on Twitter, @riegogogo.

https://sports.abs-cbn.com/basketball/news/2020/08/13/thirdy-compared-rodman-pippen-olympic-channel-feature-70174

Adamson's future in good hands with Mike Fermin readying Baby Falcons to be Soaring Falcons

For the first time in a long time, Adamson University is reaping the rewards of its Jrs. program.

Last season, the Soaring Falcons counted a couple of players coming from their high school in AP Manlapaz and Joem Sabandal.

Add Team B players Lorenz Capulong and Doria twins Adam and Andrey and San Marcelino's Srs. squad is well-stocked with former Baby Falcons.

Unfortunately, that did not necessarily translate in the standings as Adamson fell short of the Final Four for the first time under coach Franz Pumaren. "Well, that's the problem din when you start winning. You start spoiling everybody, the community, the fans," he mused to fellow coaches Charles Tiu, Paolo Layug, and Anton Altamirano in his appearance on Coaches Unfiltered.

Nonetheless, the multi-titled mentor is certain that after getting their feet wet, the young Soaring Falcons are raring and ready to take the leap come next season. "Last year was difficult for us precisely because we have a very young team. No experience at all, but of course, you can see the flashes of brilliance of the younger guys," he shared.

He then continued, "Hopefully, this year will be different because they are coming in as sophomores already."

Indeed, Manlapaz and Sabandal will be back for more, backstopping top guns Jerrick Ahanmisi and Jerom Lastimosa as Adamson hopes to get back inside the playoff picture.

And for sure, Manlapaz and Sabandal will be up to the task to take the reins after Ahanmisi and Lastimosa.

For that, the Srs. squad can thank the guiding hands of head coach Mike Fermin in the Jrs. "I have so much respect for the high school coach, si Coach Mike," coach Franz said.

In the last years, the Baby Falcons have spread their wings and taken flight in the high school cage wars.

They are yet to break through to the championship, but they have still willed their way to stand alongside the likes of powerhouses Nazareth School of National University, Ateneo de Manila High School, and Far Eastern University-Diliman.

In fact, after Manlapaz and Sabandal's days there, Adamson HS is now home to the most recent Jrs. MVP in Jake Figueroa.

The 6-foot-2 workhorse, as well as sniper Matty Erolon, represent the next crop of promising prospects the Soaring Falcons hope to harvest. "I think in the next following year, we have a very good high school team and yung focus nila will also be getting the players ready for college," Pumaren said.

He then continued, "Ang importante rin is pag-akyat nila sa akin, we can easily hone their skills."

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Follow this writer on Twitter, @riegogogo.

https://sports.abs-cbn.com/uaap/news/2020/08/13/adamson-s-future-good-hands-mike-fermin-70173

G League coach Shaw on Kai Sotto: Grow like Bynum, play like Jokic

For NBA G League Select Team head coach Brian Shaw, Filipino teen phenom Kai Sotto can look at two NBA big men that can help him track his development all the way to the Association.

In terms of his growth and strength, Shaw says Kai could see a similar trajectory as that of Andrew Bynum.

In 2005, Bynum was the youngest player to enter the NBA as a 7-foot teenager out of high school. He had to spend some time developing before turning into an All-Star center and two-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers.

"At the time, the youngest player to ever come in to the NBA was Andrew Bynum with the Lakers. He was a young big guy who eventually became very, very good but it didn't happen overnight," Shaw said through an interview set up by NBA Philippines.

"I think if Kai puts in the work, doing everything at game speed, I think he'll just naturally get better," he added.

Shaw says that bigs have a longer learning curve when it comes to basketball. That's especially true for players whose growth spurt may not match with their current skill level and strength.

In the case of Kai, he's still only 17-years-old after all. The muscles will come eventually.

"I had a fortune of coaching a lot of big guys, especially when they were really young. Kai is young, and a lot of times when you grow that fast at such a young age, it takes a little bit of time for your body to get a foundation of the basics to catch up," Shaw said.

"With the work we'll put in everyday, the things I'll be able to share and chart his progress like I did with a young Andrew Bynum, and I played with Shaq when he was young, they got better and better as time went on. I don't see why it would be any different with Kai," he added.

In terms of actual playing style, Shaw says he sees Sotto fitting in the mold as that of Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.

One of the top centers in the NBA today, certainly one of the most versatile, Jokic is a legit 7-footer that can score all over the court, rebound, and facilitate.

In the current NBA season, Jokic is averaging 20.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists. He's also a career 33.8 three-point shooter.

"I think he has the ability to play like Nikola Jokic. Kai can shoot from the outside. Obviously, I haven't had the chance to be around him yet, but from the film that I watched, it looks like he could shoot the ball from outside," Shaw said of Sotto.

"He could be a facilitator where you can put him on the top of the floor, give him the ball, and let him do dribble hand-offs. I see him as a guy that's pretty versatile. Obviously he has to get stronger but I think he can play with his back to the basket as well as facing the basket," the former Laker added of Kai.

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Follow this writer on Twitter, @paullintag8

https://sports.abs-cbn.com/nba/news/2020/08/13/brian-shaw-kai-sotto-grow-like-bynum-play-like-jokic-70176

2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup joint qualifiers postponed to 2021

Stephan Schrock and the Azkals will have to wait until next year before they can return to World Cup Qualifiers action

It'll be a while before we get to see the Philippine Azkals back in action.

After it was announced back in late July that the 2020 AFF Suzuki Cup would be postponed to 2021, the on-going World Cup and Asian Cup Qualifiers have also been pushed back to a later date due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

FIFA and the AFC announced Wednesday that the 2022 Qatar World Cup and 2023 China Asian Cup joint qualifiers, which were scheduled for October and November of this year, have been postponed to 2021.

"In light of the current COVID-19 situation in many countries, FIFA and the Asian Confederation (AFC) have jointly decided that the upcoming qualifying matches for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ and AFC Asian Cup China 2023, originally scheduled to take place during the international match windows in October and November 2020, will be rescheduled to 2021," an official statement posted on the FIFA website stated.

"With the aim of protecting the health and safety of all participants, FIFA and the AFC will continue to work together to closely monitor the situation in the region and to identify new dates for the respective qualifying matches. Further details on the new dates for the next round of qualifying matches for the FIFA World Cup 2022 and Asian Cup 2023 will be announced in due course," the statement continued.

The Philippines is currently sitting third in Group A with 2 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses for 7 points. The Azkals were scheduled to face Guam on October 8th, China PR on November 12th, and Maldives on November 17th. All these remaining matches have been rescheduled to 2021.

https://sports.abs-cbn.com/football/news/2020/08/13/world-cup-asian-cup-joint-qualifiers-postponed-2021-70172