WILL there be a team willing to take a risk and change import going to the PBA 49th Season Commissioner’s Cup playoffs by signing former NBA star DeMarcus Cousins?
The 34-year-old Cousins is coming off a stint with the Strong Group Athletics in the 34th Dubai International Basketball Championship and could be available.
Of the eight teams in the quarterfinals, Meralco appears to have an import issue, with Akil Mitchell missing the Bolts’ last three games due to back spasm, including one game in the East Asia Super League.
But if there’s one team where the four-time All-Star will fit right away in its system, it’s Converge.
Charles Tiu calls the shots for SGA and actually serves as the chief deputy of the FiberXers. Because of this, Cousins will have no problem adjusting to Converge's playbook.
SGA is also under the father-and-son tandem of Frank and Jacob Lao, who are involved in the operations of the FiberXers as well, with Jacob serving as team manager.
There's a little problem, though. Converge owes its streak of good fortune to current import Check Diallo, who led the team to finish at No. 3 and arranged a quarterfinal duel with sixth-seed Rain or Shine in a best-of-three series.
But as they say, ‘Life is a mystery.’ And the same goes with basketball.
After all, who would have thought Luka Doncic would be traded by the Dallas Mavericks to the Los Angeles Lakers for big man Anthony Davis. - Gerry Ramos
Pato Gregorio like duck to water at prime John Hay hotels
For months now, his name is being mentioned in news reports as the next chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) amid lingering rumors of another leadership change in the government's sports agency.
All the while, John Patrick 'Pato' Gregorio was in a world away from sports, spending months in Baguio City in his capacity as head of Landco's Lifestyle Ventures overseeing its takeover of the management of the Manor and Forest Lodge Hotels following the return of the vast Camp John Hay complex to the government.
Gregorio, of course, is best known as the former chairman of the PBA board representing Talk 'N Text. It was during his chairmanship that the pro league adopted the Asian imports novelty well ahead of pro leagues in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.
But few people know that Pato jumping into the hotel business is more like fish to water, or, perhaps more appropriately, like duck to a pond. He used to be the president of Waterfront Hotel in Cebu and GM of Davao Insular Hotel.
Not only is he now overseeing the tourism push of the MVP Group's real-estate arm in the country's summer hideaway, his company DuckWorld PH is also part of the consortium that now runs the John Hay golf course under a short-term agreement with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA).
Will he still say yes if given the chance to head the PSC?
Gregorio was non-committal, but judging from some of the VIP guests he frequently receives in Baguio, that option may still be on the table. - Dodo Catacutan
How come SMB never considered bringing McCullough back?
IT'S hard to imagine that despite changing imports with surprising regularity, San Miguel Beermen never once considered hiring their former import Chris McCullough in their PBA Commissioner's Cup campaign.
McCollough was there for the taking, and was waiting for a call from San MIguel. But the call never came and he took what he thought was the next best option: a stint with Strong Group Athletics which was forming a team for the Dubai International Basketball Championship.
A first-round pick of the Brooklyn Nets in the 2015 NBA draft – the same batch as TNT import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson – McCullough, 29, steered the Beermen to the championship of the 2019 Commissioner’s Cup as they stunned heavy-favorite Terrence Jones and the Tropang Giga in the finals.
READ SGA says no regrets over no-show in Dubai bronze-medal game
Time and again, the 6-foot-9 import expressed interest in coming back and play for San Miguel again. The man is no pushover. He was once considered by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) as a possible naturalized player for Gilas Pilipinas.
None of those materialized.
McCullough had played for SGA in last year’s Jones Cup where he emerged as the tournament MVP and led the Philippine side to the championship opposite the Chinese Taipei national team.
He seemed to be available at this time of the year as Strong Group managed to sign him again for the Dubai tournament.
No one knows, except the bosses at San Miguel, why McCullough was not hired or considered. San Miguel had a revolving door of imports that saw the likes of Quincy Miller, Torren Jones, Jabari Narcis, and Malik Pope playing one after the other in a campaign that ultimately ended in failure. The sad result was San Miguel failing to make the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. - Gerry Ramos
Yulo matriarch a 'no-show' at PSA Awards
THE 2024 Philippine Sportswriters Association Awards Night last week went off like clockwork at the Manila Hotel. But behind the successful holding of the event, there was a little drama involving Athlete of the Year awardee Carlos Yulo and his family.
You see, Yulo's mother Angelica was scheduled to attend the event as the companion of Eldrew, Carlos's brother, who was to receive a citation from the PSA.
Knowing how Carlos and his mother have not been in good terms for sometime now, organizers hatched some plans to avoid any untoward incident from happening, including giving them tables far away from each other. The air was thick with tension, especially because Carlos' girlfriend, Chloe San Jose, attended the event and was one reason why Carlos has been estranged from his mother.
Eldrew, however, came alone and had a happy interaction with his brother, with the two seen hugging each other. Caloy even took Eldrew back home to their house in Leveriza.
Many are hoping the family will become one again. Carlos and his brothers will soon begin their training for the Los Angeles Olympics and it would be for their own and the country's good that this feud is settled as soon as possible. - RL
Rizal Memorial Coliseum ready to host PBA games again
THE Rizal Memorial Coliseum is playable again after being closed for a few months when water from a strong monsoon rain flowed into the historic venue and damaged the floor last July.
The Philippine Sports Commission replaced the floor with the one that was installed at the Philspsorts Arena in Pasig which underwent a refurbishing. This venue now has a new basketball court floor.
The Rizal Memorial Coliseum had previously hosted a few games of the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals matches, including a Manila Clasico between Barangay Ginebra and Magnolia last May.
The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas recently used the venue for an officiating seminar, so don’t be surprised if basketball returns to the the decades-old veue. Also expect some volleyball games, too, as venues for these events are a premium with so many tournaments scheduled in the coming months, both amateur and professional. -Reuben Terrado
Shake-up in the offing for Alas Pilipinas Women pool?
SOME of Alas Pilipinas Women’s top players from a triumphant 2024 campaign may not be included in the soon-to-be-named 2025 player pool.
Sources told SPIN.ph that some ‘familiar names’ from last year’s pool — albeit undisclosed — are unlikely to be lent by their mother teams in what will be a busy year ahead for Philippine volleyball.
For instance, Alas players may have to skip the entirety of the 2024 PVL Reinforced Conference to fulfill national team duties which is held at the same time as the international campaign.
It is expected that Alas Women pool won’t just feature new faces but might just have more than a few key losses, too.
With regional competitions including the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games to come in December, Alas Pilipinas will ramp up preparations by the end of the ongoing 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference for a series of training camps here and abroad.
These camps might not include collegiate players who’ll still be in the midst of either UAAP Season 87 or NCAA Season 100 by the time the PVL ends its longest-ever conference in April.
Despite all these scheduling problems, the volleyball community has not lost track of its ultimate goal this year: end a two-decade medal drought in the SEA Games.
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