ALLAN THE MAN

Team executive Robert Non said that Powell has asked permission to allow him to sign with the Houston Rockets in the NBA. The Rockets are currently holding the fourth seed in the Western Conference standings.

“Kasi if ever makukuha niya yung offer sa Houston Rockets, it will be considered as one year, which will be counted to his pension,” Non told a small group of sportswriters.

San Miguel Corp. (SMC) denied any involvement in the decision of their two players to pass up the chance to join Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

SMC chief of basketball operations, Robert Non, said that they even encouraged Greg Slaughter to join the national training pool.

Slaughter, who plays for Barangay Ginebra, and San Miguel Beer’s Mario Lassiter recently announced that they are pulling out of the Gilas training pool.

With last year’s import Vernon Macklin unavailable to suit up because of the 6-foot-9 height limit for the Commissioner’s Cup, Barangay Ginebra San Miguel has tapped a veteran to lead the team for the tournament.

The Gin Kings have signed 33-year-old Leon Rodgers, according to the import’s agent Sheryl Reyes.
Rodgers is scheduled to come to the Philippines on February 24 as the swingman is currently playing in China until February 16.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel was relentless in the endgame, converting on key baskets while pulling off defensive stops to win Game 6, 94-91, and force a do-or-die Game 7.

THE SCORES:

BARANGAY GINEBRA 94 - Caguioa 21, Slaughter 20, Tenorio 16, Aguilar 13, Baracael 9, Helterbrand 5, Ellis 4, Reyes 4, Mamaril 2, Monfort 0, Urbiztondo 0.

SAN MIG SUPER COFFEE 91 - Pingris 20, Simon 17, Barroca 14, Sangalang 12, Reavis 9, Yap 9, Melton 5, Devance 3, Mallari 2, De Ocampo 0.

Quarterscores: 22-24, 41-50, 73-74, 94-91

SAN MIG SUPER COFFEE 79 - Barroca 14, Pingris 12, Simon 10, Reavis 10, Yap 10, Mallari 8, Devance 7, Sangalang 6, Melton 2.

GINEBRA 76 - Ellis 20, Reyes 11, Aguilar 9, Slaughter 9, Tenorio 9, Caguioa 6, Baracael 5, Helterbrand 5, Mamaril 2, Monfort 0, Urbiztondo 0.

Quarterscores: 21-21, 46-44, 62-57, 79-76

Game Three’s battle among basketball royalty, the Coffee Prince stood tallest against the towering Gin Kings. Mark Barroca scored 25 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and handed out five assists to power the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers to a 97-89 victory over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel on Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena. “We deserved a good game. Last game was a blowout,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone. The win gave San Mig Coffee a 2-1 series lead in their Manila Clasico semifinals series in the PLDT Home DSL Philippine Cup
SAN MIG SUPER COFFEE 97 – Barroca 25, Simon 19, Pingris 15, Yap 13, Devance 8, Reavis 7, Melton 6, Mallari 2, Sangalang 2, De Ocampo 0.

GINEBRA 89 – Slaughter 29, Caguioa 21, Tenorio 14, Aguilar 12, Baracael 7, Ellis 3, Helterbrand 2, Mamaril 1, Ababou 0, Monfort 0.

THE SCORES:

SAN MIG SUPER COFFEE 85 - Devance 20, Simon 16, Pingris 10, De Ocampo 9, Sangalang 8, Melton 8, Barroca 5, Yap 5, Mallari 4, Reavis 0.

GINEBRA 83 - Tenorio 16, Aguilar 14, Baracael 12, Slaughter 10, Ellis 9, Caguioa 8, Reyes 5, Helterbrand 4, Monfort 3, Mamaril 2.

Quarters: 26-28, 43-40, 57-65, 85-83

Barangay Ginebra forward Japeth Aguilar is now the PBA’s leading scorer in the Philippine Cup and to add to his growing list of accolades, he was recently cited by FIBA for his throw-down as the best alley-oop play of 2013 in an on-line poll no doubt dominated by Filipino posts.

FIBA communications director Patrick Koller, writing from the federation head office in Mies, a Swiss border village near Geneva, alerted The Star on an article published in fiba.com about the 6-9 frontliner who scored 29 points against Alaska last Saturday to seize the top spot of the PBA scoring ladder with a 19.69 average.

NOTWITHSTANDING the recent losses suffered by both Barangay Ginebra and Petron, Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao still considers the two powerhouse franchises as the teams to beat heading into the playoffs of the PLDT myDSL-PBA Philippine Cup.
Of the two, the ever observant and analytical mentor admitted being wary of the Kings’ tall frontline and complete arsenal.

GILAS coach Chot Reyes is very much aware of the clamor in cyberspace to have Barangay Ginebra 'Twin Towers' Japeth Aguilar and Greg Slaughter in the team bound for the Fiba World Cup in Spain.

“Yes, I can see the messages of the fans. I can read it," the Gilas coach, a popular figure on Twitter with over 81,000 followers, told Spin. "They message me on different social networking sites."

Unofficial PBA Top 10 Plays Video. Check out Ginebra's Chris "Air Force" Ellis top dunks of the 2013 calendar year!

Now that Barangay Ginebra has some of the best talents in the league, it’s time for the team to prove its strength in the hardcourt.

Ginebra board representative Robert Non admitted having already assembled a formidable lineup following the acquisition of top pick Greg Slaughter, No. 4 pick James Forrester, JayR Reyes and Emman Monfort.

Now, the team will have to work on its chemistry to become a force in the upcoming PBA Philippine Cup, which opens on Sunday.

Potential number one overall pick Greg Slaughter minced no words in saying that he is ready to dominate the league he is about to enter.

Interviewed by Solar Sports Desk during his surprise “visit” in last weekend’s Ginebra practice at the Acropolis Gym, Slaughter said he is ready to take the next step after dominating the collegiate leagues in Cebu and Manila.

Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and Barako Bull Energy Cola exchanged point guards, early Thursday morning, in a trade approved by the PBA Commissioner's Office.

“The proposed trade between Ginebra's Rob Labagala and Barako Bull's Eman Monfort has been approved by the PBA,” read the official statement from the league.

Potential top rookie pick Greg Slaughter is not pressured at all if and when he joins Barangay Ginebra as the year’s no. 1 overall selection in this year’s PBA Draft.

He said suiting up in a Ginebra uniform will allow him to help the league’s most popular ballclub win a league title after a five-year drought given the mixture of veterans and young players in the team.

HOURS after dropping by Barangay Ginebra's practice on Friday, Greg Slaughter made no effort to hide where he wants to end up in the PBA rookie draft on November 3.

“If I end up in Ginebra, I can’t ask for anything more than that,” said the Cebuano seven-footer, the prospective No. 1 pick in the rookie draft where the Gin Kings happen to own the top selection overall.