Stephen Curry leaves Daniel Padilla speechless, basketball fans roaring at MOA arena in 1-day Manila visit

By: Paolo Manuel C. Fule

Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry left the Philippines wanting for more of him, and indeed, he said this will not be his last trip to the country as he finished his one-day only trip to Manila for his Under Armour promotional tour on September 5, Saturday.

He capped the day with a media question and answer at Raffles hotel in Makati followed by an exhibition game with selected high school cagers at the Mall of Asia Arena in the afternoon. Philippine actor and teen heartthrob Daniel Padilla had a meet-and-greet with him in a VIP lounge at Raffles Makati. “That might have been the first time, I’m guessing, he was speechless”, said Curry in the media press conference. It was reported recently that Stephen Curry surprisingly  followed Daniel Padilla on Twitter because the actor posted his collection of the champion layers’ signature shoes and merchandise.

Asked by this reporter if there is pressure going into the regular season being the efending champion and reigning MVP, the baby-faced Curry said “We feel like we’re still the team to beat. It’s going to be a different challenge for us. We’ve never defended an NBA championship before so it will be a new experience for us. All eyes are on our team and every other team is trying to knock us off our throne, so we have to be even better than we were last year to get back to the top.”

Wardell Stephen “Steph” Curry II or popularly known as Stephen Curry was born on March 14, 1988. He is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing 6’ 3” tall, Curry plays the point guard position and is considered by some to be the one of the greatest shooters in NBA history.  The 2015 NBA Most Valuable Player and a two-time NBA All-Star, is the son of former NBA player Dell Curry. In this year’s NBA finals, Curry carried his team into the championship, something that the Golden State Warriors franchise hasn’t repeated since 1975.

Red Lions, Heavy Bombers quash foes in NCAA cage opener

By: Paolo Manuel C. Fule

Six-peat seeking San Beda Red Lions and last year’s Final Four finalist Jose Rizal University Heavy Bombers routed their respective rivals in the opening game of the 91^st National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Mall of Asia Arena, June 27 Saturday.

Sans San Beda big man Ola Adeogun and sharp-shooting guard Baser Amer due to injuries, the San Beda squad still managed to pound the host school Mapua Cardinals with a 102-89 victory. Art dela Cruz led all scorers with 27 points, 17 rebounds and 6 assists while Mapua’s Josan Nimes had 23 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists. Mapua’s Allwell Oraeme also had a good game on the defensive end with 13 points and 16 rebounds, but was haunted with foul troubles in the later part of the second half.        

In the second game of the opener, JRU Heavy Bombers thumped last year’s NCAA finalist Arellano University Chiefs with a 78-61 victory.

Both teams struggled offensively with a 40-28   at the end of the first half, and Arellano with a measly 12-of-39 field goal shooting clip.  JRU finished with 30-of-77 or 39% field goal shooting, while AU had 32 % from 24-of-76 or 32% field goal shooting.

JRU’s Abdoul Poutouochi led all scorers with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 1 block while AU’s Michael Salado scored a team best 15 points. Two-time NCAA MVP and Mapua Alumnus Alvin Patrimonio graced the event and took the stage for his message to the athletes before the start of the opening games.

The Scores:

SBC (102) Dela Cruz 27, Tankou 18, Tongco 18, Koga 16, Solera 11, Sara 6, Mocon 2, Presbitero 2, Sedillo 2, Cabanag 0, Soberano 0, Reyes 0, Bonsubre 0.

MIT (89) Nimes 23, Stevens 13, Oraeme 13, Menina 12, Serrano 10, Villasenor 8, Que 3, Raflores 3, Brana 2, Dela Rosa 2, Biteng 0, Nieles 0, Aguirre 0, Layug 0.

JRU (78) Poutouochi 23, Teodoro 11, AbdulWahab 9, Lasquety 8, Sanchez 7, Dela Paz 6, Grospe 6, Pontejos 4, Cruz 2, Aurin 2, Astilla 0, Balagtas 0, Dela Virgen 0.

AU (61)   Salado 15, Jolts 11, Enriquez 10, Cadavis 8, Bangga 5, Gumaru 5, Jalalon 4, Nicholls 3, Meca 0, Ongolo 0, Ortega 0, De Guzman 0, Zamora 0, Tano 0.

Email the author at paolomanuelfule@yahoo.com or text 09184059751.

Rhayyan Amsali to represent country, starts training for U-16 Batang Gilas

By: Paolo Manuel C. Fule

One of the most interesting high school ballers to watch out for this year would be Rhayyan Amsali, who hails from Zamboanga City. He now plays for the National University Bullpups, and recently lifted his team to victories with 25 points against St. Benildo in the MSSA league where they won as champions and   another one versus La Salle Zobel Alabang in the Paya Aspirants’ League where he also pitched in 25 points.

Rhayyan is a three-time MVP, best player in Got Skills 2013, five-time best player in Got Skills 2014, part of the mythical five in Got Skills, Top ten in the Junior NBA2014 and won as Junior NBA Alaska Youth Ambassador 2014 at the Mall of Asia Arena. He is currently joining the practices for Batang Gilas Under 16 where he is to represent the country in an international basketball competition. Only 14 years of age, he is simply the kind of guy whose skills and talent in this sports will be put to test and molded in the coming years.

“My dad taught me how to play basketball. Every time I go home from school, we practice shooting and dribbling skills. My parents enrolled me in basketball clinic for more exposure”, said Rhayyan. His ambition in life is to finish college and be a PBA player someday. Indeed, the future looks brighter for this rare find of a talent.

* photo creditto Jake Rovin Morales

mail the author at: paolomanuelfule@yahoo.com or text 09184059751

Rhayyan ‘The Hulk’ Amsali: The next big guy in PH basketball

By: Paolo Manuel C. Fule

Basketball as they say is the game of big, tall guys. Height is might, indeed, and more often than not, centers or legitimate big men are needed in a basketball team. They are important for ball possessions and rebounding, and give much confidence for outside shooters of a team. Meet Rhayyan Amsali, the next big guy in high school basketball.

Rhayyan Musa Amsali was born on December 28, 2000 at WMMC Hospital, Zamboanga City. He stands 6’ 2” and currently plays shooting guard in Midget Division for the NU Bullpups. His father is Rizalon Ulag Amsali and his mother is Nurhaisa M. Amsali.

“I balance my studies and basketball career by making sure I listen and participate actively in class and take down notes during lectures. I believe that when I listen, I understand things better. After my daily practice in basketball, I finish all my homework before I go to bed”, quipped Rhayyan.

Rhayyan’s career high is 38 points at Paya League midgets division, NU vs. La Salle Zobel and Got Skills League 38 points NU vs. MARIST quarterfinals. His favorite NBA players are Lebron James,

and Kobe Bryant. In the PBA, he likes James Yap and Calvin Abueva, while in the UAAP, he likes Jeron Teng and Alfred Aroga, and in the NCAA, he likes SBC guard Amer Baser.

His pre-game rituals include praying or duwa’a before the game starts and taking deep breaths always calm him down before playing. His jersey number 13 is actually the number of letters in his name, and he believes it is a lucky number for him.

Rhayyan is a three-time MVP, best player in Got Skills 2013, five-time best player in Got Skills 2014, part of the mythical five in Got Skills, Top ten in the Junior NBA2014 and won as Junior NBA Alaska Youth Ambassador 2014 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

“My dad taught me how to play basketball. Every time I go home from school, we practice shooting and dribbling skills. My parents enrolled me in basketball clinic for more exposure”, said Rhayyan. His ambition in life is to finish college and be a PBA player someday.

Email the author at: paolomanuelfule@yahoo.com  or text 0918405