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.

Xavier High School’s Tyler ‘The Quicksilver’ Tio on the brink of basketball stardom

By: Paolo Manuel C. Fule

Chinito ballers in the hard court have evidently fascinated the collegiate and professional basketball world today. The rise of Tengsanity with brothers Jeron and Jeric Teng in their historic matchup in UAAP season 76 was such a historical one, as it broke the record for the most number of attendees in a UAAP Finals match at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Xavier High School also has its share of heartthrob chinito basketball player inside the court. Meet Tyler Tio. Born Christian Tyler Chan Tio on April 5, 1998 in San Fernando La Union to Mr. Jaime Tio Jr. and Ms. Tessie Tio, this spitfire shooting guard/point guard from Xavier High School Golden Stallions is on his way to making it someday to the ranks of elite cagers in the collegiate basketball.

His numbers speak volumes of this 5-foot-11 cager’s basketball talents. In the  Prada Juniors Division Championship against La Salle Greenhills, he scored a scorching 52 points for Xavier High School. In the NBA, he likes Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade while in the PBA, he looks up to TY Tang of Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. In the UAAP, he likes co-Xaviers players Kyles Lao, Jarell Lim and Jeron Teng. For him, the hardest to guard he ever played with would be his teammate Kyle Ong who go against him every day because of his blend of skills and length. His favorite shot would be pull up jumper. If there is an NBA player to whom he would want to have a one-on-one with, it would definitely be Kobe Bryant. “I know he won’t go easy on me”, quipped the cager from Xavier. Asked about the exercises that he does and the foods that he eats to be fit for the game, “I practice every day and extra skill work after. I try to stay away from junk food and soft drinks” said Tyler. Asked about the way he balances his studies and his game, “I always do my homework in school so that when I get home after practice, my workload isn’t as heavy”.

Tyler is currently playing for the Xavier High School Stallions in the MMBL tournament. With determination and perseverance, this young athlete can achieve greater heights and carve a niche in the world of professional basketball in the near future.

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