ALLAN THE MAN

When center Marcus Douthit limped off the court in the second period of Gilas Pilipinas’ semifinal game against South Korea never to return, it could’ve been the best thing that happened to the home team at the recent FIBA Asia Championship here.

Without Douthit in the middle, Korean coach Jae Hak Yoo took it as a signal to attack the interior. That was Yoo’s biggest mistake. The Koreans tried to exploit the mismatch at center with 6-8 Kim Joo Sung, 6-8 Eric Sandrin, 6-9 Lee Jong Hyun and 6-8 Kim Jong Kyu taking turns manning the slot. Left to play the five spot for Gilas was unlikely center Marc Pingris, who’s 6-5, with Ranidel de Ocampo, also 6-5, at the four position. Douthit could only watch helplessly from the bench, the pain throbbing in his swollen right shin like it was whacked by a sledgehammer.

A unanimous vote by the 11 member associations of Asean Football Federation (AFF) in Dili, Timor Leste, resulted in Australia becoming a full member of the AFF, Football Federation Australia announced Monday in a release on their website.

“Football Federation Australia is honored to be admitted to the ASEAN Football Federation. We look forward to being an active member, and to contributing to the ongoing development and success of football in our region”, said FFA General Secretary and CEO David Gallop.

Team James Younghusband recovered from an early deficit before pulling away with a 4-1 victory over Team Phil Younghusband  in the 2013 CLEAR Dream Match on Saturday night at the University of Makati football field.

With the teams beefed up by international football legends Fabio Cannavaro and Dennis Wise, the match was be competitive at the very start. Phil Younghusband quickly made his presence felt by burying a breakaway goal at the fourth minute to give his team an early 1-nil lead. Team James won 5-1.

WATCH 2013 Clear Dream Match Full Football Game Replay Video BELOW:

On a scale of one to 10, chef-de-mission Nathaniel “Tac” Padilla gave all the Filipino athletes that vied in the second Asian Youth Games here a perfect score.

“Definitely, they all get a 10,” said Padilla yesterday at the close of the 45-nation event among 2,641 athletes aged 14 to 17 years.

UAAP Season 76 School Standings As of August 24 2013. National University (NU) moved closer to league-leading Far Eastern University (FEU) at the UAAP men’s standings following its 75-61 win over University of Sto. Tomas (UST) on Saturday.

The Bulldogs now hold a 7-3 card, just a game away from the Tamaraws, who own a 7-2 record.

Former University of the East Red Warriors varsity Ruben Zaballa continue to pursue his passion for basketball as he plays for one of two teams which will represent Spain in the semifinals and finals of the 3x3 FIBA World Tour in Istanbul, Turkey this October.

The Barcelona-based player is the only Filipino among the 18 elite players who competed during the elimination rounds in Spain.

Calvin Abueva was a contender for Best Player of the Conference in the Philippine Cup and the Commissioner’s Cup.

Each time, despite impressive statistics, the Alaska Aces star rookie came up short after not getting enough votes from fellow players and members of the media.