Filipino Hoopers, Hoop!

We needed that defeat to bring that fire,” coach Chot Reyes said after the match.

“I always had confidence in this team. They’re united and they stuck together. You can see the results, they speak for themselves,” he continued.

“I’m just so proud of what we’ve done. We came here for the gold medal and we’ve done it,” he added.

Now that they have the title back in their hands, the Gilas have an important competition for this year’s 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup where the first qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be on the line.

SIBOL WINS GOLD IN MLBB MEN’S CATEGORY

When you hear the word basketball, there are many things that will enter your mind, and you can’t make an excuse. There are many Filipinos who play basketball here in the Philippines. Most of them started to like basketball because of amazing NBA players like Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and many more. This game is one of the most popular in the country, and it has been continuously evolving through the years. This game is played mostly by youth. Hoopers can play basketball anywhere due to the creativity of the Filipinos; they can easily make a ring out of wood, a piece of metal, and nails, then place it in the streets; they call this “street basketball.’’

The street basketball here in the Philippines is actually different from street basketball in other coun- tries. You can see Filipinos hooping everywhere. There are so many courts here in the country. They make these for the Filipino players to continue their dreams of playing basketball. One of the most popular courts here is the Tenement Court that you can find in Taguig. The creative designs of the Filipinos are the key to the popularity of this place.

Filipino hoopers are one of a kind. They find creative ways to play basketball. Others prefer to play basketball barefoot because, for them, it is comfortable and easy to move with the ball.

Since it is already summer, the Sangguniang Kabataan Chairman, kagawads, and local government provide a small tournament for Filipino players known as the Streetball Summer League. It has four divisions: the Mosquito division, the Kids division, the Midget division, and the Seniors division. The first one is the Mosquito Division, which is for the kids; next is the Kids

Division, played by teenagers; the Midget Division is for the ages of eighteen and older; and the last is the Se niors Division, which is for the men ages twenty-five and old er. This has prizes for the champions and the runners-up. Streetball is different from basket ball. This is played in the streets, and its rules are dis similar to the classic rules of basketball. If you score at the perimeter, you will get only one point, while if you shoot your shot beyond the arc, you’ll get two points. Lastly, there are no shot clocks.

MJ PHILLIPS TO IMPORT IN THE KOREANV-LEAGUE

Sean Lewis Torres hilippines national esports team Sibol took the gold medal in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games’ Mobile Legends: Bang Bang tournament in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, after they overpowered Malaysia, 3-0, in their gold medal match, May 14.

“First of all pinakalma muna namin sila kasi medyo it blew us out na natalo kami with a totally 99 percent chance of winning,” national team assistant coach Vrendon Lin, told the reporters before their match against Malaysia.

“Sabi namin, kalimutan na lang namin ang talo. It only took one error and nag-focus coming into the next game.” he added The Philippines wants their revenge after a 0-1 loss against the all-star Malaysian squad in the group stage and steals the gold medal once again for the three-peat.

Sibol made a head start, making a massive gold lead at the start of Game 1, before Malaysia made their comeback by capitalizing on a few errors by Sibol later on. Fredrinn of Kyle Saysoncan survive a long haul fight with his sustainability in the 20th minute became a treat for the Malaysians.

They capitalized on their match and did not let the Malaysia team take advantage in their first game, winning every objective and team fight. Team Philippines became even more dangerous in the later games, destroying every tower, even not allowing Malaysia to make their comeback as they took home the gold medal in the last two quick match wins.

Petro Gazz Angels, MJ Philips, a standout middle blocker is headed to Korea to play for the Gwangju Al Peppers. Philips was chosen in the 2023 Korean Volleyball Federation (KOVO) women’s Asian Quota draft last Friday, April 21, 2023. She was among 23 aspirants from Asia, and became one of the first seven Asian imports in the league.

Philips was the sole Filipino player to be drafted; out of six Filipino aspirants. Her selection in the KOVO draft is an incredible achievement after being named the premier volleyball league’s 2nd best middle blocker recently. Creamline star Jia De Guzman, Chery Tiggo, Captain Mylene Paat, Akari spiker Dindin Santiago-Manabat, and F2 logistic pair Majoy Baron and Iris Tolenado failed to make it to the draft’s final round.

“Maraming salamat for picking me. Thank You,” Phillips said during the vir tual draft. “It’s been a dream since I was a little girl, so I’m very excited to start the season and yeah, I hope the Peppers’ fans are excited as well.” she added.

Thai star setter Pornoun Guedpard was selected first overall in the draft. Wipawee Srithong, an outside hitter for the Thailand Na tional team, was selected as the second draft pick by Suwon Hyundai Hillstate.

Daejeon KGC signed Indonesian star Megawati Pertiwi as the third overall pick, while Gimcheon Hipass, the defending champion, acquired Thai middle blocker, Thanacha Sooksod.

The V-League Season is scheduled to kick off in October. The start of V-League this October will lead to a more efficient training for Philips and prevent her from becoming complacent.

Last March, Philips stated in an interview that Petro Gazz had been very supportive of her trying out in Korea. Philips is expected to make an immediate impact on the court for the Peppers. Her presence on the court is sure to be missed by Petro Gazz, who will now have to find a way to replace a key player like her.