ALLAN THE MAN

San Mig Coffee moved one step away from a return to the Governors’ Cup finals, and the Mixers found a most unlikely hero in Alex Mallari. The rookie guard scored a career-high 23 points, including 13 in the fourth period, to lead his team’s 94-87 win on Friday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

“Alex was awesome tonight,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone. The Mixers caught a good break when Meralco import Mario West left with a right shoulder sprain after a foul by San Mig Coffee forward Joe Devance.

“We were fortunate that Mario went out,” said Cone. Despite playing with an all-Filipino lineup, the Bolts did not go away. They were still within striking distance trailing by two points, 81-79, when Mallari hit a three-pointer with 2:38 left.

The Philippine national youth basketball team fell short in its gold medal quest, dropping an 85-78 result to China in the finals of the FIBA Asia Under-16 Championship on Friday in Tehran, Iran.
The Filipinos settled for the silver medal after battling gallantly against the much-taller Chinese, who were up by only four points, 59-55, heading into the final period.

Another Philippine national team has made the basketball-crazy country proud once more, after the youth squad entered the gold medal match of the FIBA Asia Under-16 Championship in Iran.

The team booked a ticket to the FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Dubai next year, marking a banner year for the Philippine basketball after Gilas Pilipinas earlier qualified for the Basketball World Cup last August.

For Manuel V. Pangilinan, the president of Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, the success of the team is a testament to the effectiveness of the country’s basketball programs.

Shaquille O’Neal isn’t the only Hall of Fame former Lakers center taking shots at Dwight Howard on his way out of LA. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar thinks little of Howard’s game and maturity. 

Per Cap’s Facebook and ESPN: “‘Dwight Howard is a perfect example of the fact that ‘potential has a shelf life.’ Laker fans should be patient and allow Mitch & company to prepare themselves to do some serious work in the free agent market.’ [...] 

Gilas Pilipinas won’t be the country’s only national team that will play in the world basketball stage next year.

The Philippine national youth basketball team followed the path blazed by their senior counterparts after scoring a victory over Chinese Taipei, 77-72, in the semifinals of the FIBA Asia Under-16 Championship in Tehran, Iran on Thursday.

Ateneo high school gunner Jolo Mendoza had 28 points on four three-pointers, including a long bomb with 1:21 left that gave the Philippines back the lead for good.

The Philippine national youth basketball team showed no fear against an Iranian squad playing in front of a home crowd, fashioning out an impressive 79-52 victory in the quarterfinals of the FIBA Asia Under-16 Championship on Wednesday in Tehran.

Ateneo high school stars Jolo Mendoza and Mike Nieto led the way with 16 and 13 points, respectively, for the Philippines, which saved the best for last by outscoring Iran, 22-6, in the final period.

With the win, the Filipinos booked a ticket to the semifinals of the competition, setting up a date with Chinese Taipei. The Taiwanese won earlier in the day against Bahrain, 70-67.