ALLAN THE MAN

The Gilas Pilipinas youth team opened its campaign in the Fiba-Asia Under-16 Championship on a bright note by turning back a tall Kazakhstan squad, 90-88, on Thursday night in Tehran, Iran.

Michael Dela Cruz and Richard Escoto each had 19 points while Andres Desiderio added 10 points for the nationals, who survived Leonid Voronushkin's hot shooting and the big height advantage of the Kazakhs to pull off the win.

“It was a tough game but at least we won it. We’re proud of our boys,” said MVP Sports Foundation head Al Panlilio, who accompanied the team to Iran. “Atleast we were able to shake off some jitters along the way.”

A busy summer of hoops has not changed the top three in the FIBA Ranking Men, but there is plenty of movement further afield.

As they did in 2012, the USA, Spain and Argentina still rank first, second and third respectively, following the conclusion of the 2013 season of men's continental championships.

The Philippines posted a clean slate in Day One of the Fiba 3x3 U18 World Championship by beating three opponents on Thursday in Jakarta.

The team of Thirdy Ravena of Ateneo, Kobe Paras of La Salle Greenhills, Paolo Rivero of Ateneo, and Arvie Tolentino of San Beda defeated Chinese Taipei (13-5), Guatemala (18-9), and Andorra (15-11) to remain undefeated in Pool B.

LA Tenorio plunged straight into action for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the Governors’ Cup without taking a break after helping Gilas Pilipinas win a silver medal in the FIBA Asia Championship.

With the Gin Kings’ campaign coming to an end, Tenorio is finally getting a well-deserved break.

Despite Ginebra’s early exit, the cerebral point guard remains one of the top contenders for the season’s Most Valuable Player award. An automatic nominee after winning Best Player of the Conference in the Commissioner’s Cup, he has stepped up his game in this tournament, playing a string of stellar games that helped boost his case.

Although the Los Angeles Lakers are still uncertain when Kobe Bryant will be on the court this season, general manager Mitch Kupchak isn't pushing for an answer.

The Lakers have plenty of work to keep them occupied in training camp until Bryant figures out when he'll be ready to join them.

It has been five years since De La Salle University Green Archers last played in a UAAP Finals that LA Revilla swears he has forgotten how it feels.

He'll soon get reacquainted with it. The only remnant of the La Salle team that lost to Ateneo in the 2008 Finals, the veteran point guard is also one of the biggest reasons why the Green Archers are back in the league's showpiece event.

SAN Mig Coffee star James Yap has vowed not to let Alaska rookie Calvin Abueva get on his nerves, hours before the two teams renew their rivalry in the PBA Governors Cup quarterfinals.

Yap and Abueva have had much publicized skirmishes in the past, the last in the Commissioner's Cup semifinals that degenerated into a war of words and dragged Yap's teammate Marc Pingris into the fray.