US-SCFA crowned champions in Hong Kong

HONG KONG - The Southern California Fukienese Association (SCFA) of the US put a final exclamation point on its campaign here by beating China's Xin Cheng Holdings basketball team, 93-78, at the 18th 3-D Gold Super Kung Sheung Cup held at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Wan Chai.

The Los Angeles-based SCFA, a team composed mostly of former collegiate players in the US, beat all of its opponents in the tournament by double-digit margins, including host Hong Kong by 30 points, 88-58.

Its only close game was against the Philippines, represented here by Ateneo de Manila and Adamson University, which almost pulled off an upset against the Americans in the semi-final round before succumbing, 91-85.

Xin Cheng Holdings, representing China's Fujian province, earned its championship berth by beating Hong Kong, 72-59, in its own semi-final duel, but could not get its shooting game going against the highly physical Americans.

SCFA stood head and shoulders above the competition here in terms of heft, athleticism and experience. Its frontline paraded a legit 7-footer in David Erickson, 6'9 Robert Curtis, 6'7 Jerome Moton and 6'7, 260-lb 'Baby Shaq' Tarron Williams (200-F-76, college: Cal.St.-San Bernar.).

The Hong Kong National Team, the defending champions, settled for third place by beating the Philippine 'Blue Birds', 61-45. The Filipinos, composed of collegiate players who are having their first taste of international hoops, looked drained from last night's tightly fought game with the Americans, but nonetheless gave a good account for themselves in the tournament with their passionate brand of basketball.

- Ryan Asis Maniago

Ateneo-Adamson 'Blue Birds' lose heartbreaker, 91-85, win hearts

HONG KONG - The boys of Ateneo de Manila and Adamson University came to within a heartbeat of completing a giant come-from-behind upset against tournament favorites Southern California Fukienese Association (SCFA) but fell short, 91-85, at the 18th 3-D Gold Super Kung Sheung Cup held at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium here.

The undefeated SCFA, a US-based team featuring tall, athletic African-Americans, found its match in the feisty Filipinos, who gave them their first real scare in the tournament -- magically erasing an 18-point lead with just over two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter behind the heroics and Adamson's Alex Nuyles and Ateneans Kirk Long and Nico Salva.

Nuyles was unleashed in the final quarter and played like a man possessed, electrifying the crowd with an array of breakaway dunks including an in-your-face, and-1 tomahawk slam over 6'7 Jerome Moton that ignited the rally and elicited a thunderous roar among the audience rarely seen in prim-and-proper Hong Kong.

The game started close, with Salva drilling in 13 points in the first quarter and drawing oohs and aahhs with his Kobe-esque post moves against defenders who were 5-6 inches taller. The Americans managed to shut him down in the second quarter and dominated the boards, which enabled them to score second- and third-chance points against the smaller Filipinos to build a 53-38 cushion at halftime.

SCFA, behind the bullying tactics of 6'7, 115-kg 'Baby Shaq' Tarron Williams (200-F-76, college: Cal.St.-San Bernar.) and 6'9 Robert Curtis, continued to pound the ball inside in the third quarter and managed to fend off repeated rallies by the Filipinos, piling up leads as high as 21 points entering the final canto.

The fourth quarter was all heart. With a potential blowout staring them in the face, the 'Blue Birds' refused to fold and staged one big fight that gave the Americans a run for their money and which won over the hearts of local Hong Kong and Filipino fans alike.

Long, who once again provided a steadying presence in the backcourt together with Adamson's Lester Alvarez, scored a game-high 24 points, including clutch threes in the final minutes. Nuyles and Salva each added 20 points.

The rotund and deceptively menacing Williams, on the other hand, provided much comic relief with his on-court antics and topscored with 18 points for the winning side together with youtube sensation David Kalb.

After the game, the Filipinos were mobbed by a small crowd of local fans that had assembled outside the stadium and who gamely posed for photographs with their newfound idols -- once again -- proof that there is as much respect to be gained from winning as there is from going down with a fight.

The 'Blue Birds' will face the Hong Kong National Team in the battle for third place, while China's Xin Cheng Holdings basketball team, which earlier beat Hong Kong, 72-59, will square off with SCFA for the championship.

SCFA 91 - Williams 18, Kalb 18, Mark 13, Moton 12, Goodrich 11, Curtis 11, Yeung 6, Erikson 2

PHL 85 - Long 24, Nuyles 20, Salva 20, Alvarez 8, Camson 7, Colina 2, Austria 2, Dela Cruz 2

- Ryan Asis Maniago

SCFA demolishes Hong Kong, 88-58

HONG KONG - Overmatched in practically all aspects of the game, a very young and raw Hong Kong National Team suffered an 88-58 blowout to the visiting Southern California Fukienese Association (SCFA) basketball team in last night's hostilities at the 18th 3-D Gold Super Kung Sheung Cup at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium here.

SCFA, a US-based team composed mostly of athletic and burly African-Americans, was the more aggressive team from the get-go, taking advantage of their advantage in heft and hustle to pound the ball inside and leave Hong Kong's zone defense in shambles. Looking intimidated, Hong Kong's young players also appeared tentative on the offensive end, muffing open shots and held to only 4 points after almost 8 minutes had gone by in the first quarter.

Tarron Williams (200-F-76, college: Cal.St.-San Bernar.), a burly 6'7 forward with a permanent smirk painted on his face, threw his weight around and practically bulldozed his way into Hong Kong's double- and at times triple-team defense. Whenever Hong Kong's interior defense managed to stand its ground, SCFA turned to its shooters, including youtube sensation David Kalb (he of the Lebron James H-O-R-S-E fame) and temperamental guard Christian Yeung (186-G-87). Yeung drilled in consecutive threes to close the first half with SCFA safely on top, 45-24.

In the third quarter, Hong Kong made defensive adjustments and appeared more aggressive on offense behind the heroics of 20-year old, 6'5 forward Chow Kin Wan (193-C-90), cutting down the deficit to as low as 9 points, 57-46, towards the end the third quarter.

Booed by the local crowd and distracted by a handful of Filipino supporters who provided some comic relief, Williams and Kalb muffed consecutive free throws whenever a boisterous Filipino man with a beer belly and a booming voice playfully jeered, 'Hey Williams, I love you!' to the delight of the audience.

But it was all downhill from there. SCFA quickly raced to a 15-0 run to start the fourth quarter, and it was smooth sailing from then on, although it continued to pound Hong Kong with putbacks after putbacks and non-stop hustle.

Chow Kin Wan was the lone bright spot for Hong Kong with 18 points. No other Hong Kong player managed to score in double figures, including veteran marksman Poon Chi Ho, who was held to 3 points on atrocious shooting.

The loss relegated Hong Kong to second place in its group and will move up the semi-final round against a dangerous Xin Cheng Holdings basketball team, which earlier held back a rallying Philippine side, 80-72. The Philippines, represented here by collegiate standouts from Ateneo de Manila and Adamson University, will face off with SCFA in the other semi-final duel.

SCFA - Yeung 21, Curtis 17, Moton 12, Williams 10, Kalb 10, Mark 9, Goodrich 5, Erickson 2, Hemens 2, Kim 0, Chang 0, Lai 0

HKG - Chow K.W. 18, Liang 8, Chan 5, Lee 5, Wong C.W. 4, Tsoi 4, Fong 4, Poon 3, Lau 2, Heung 2, Cheung W.H. 2, Wong Y.T. 1

- Ryan Asis Maniago

Xin Cheng China shoots down Ateneo-Adamson 'Big Birds' back to earth, 80-72

HONG KONG - After notching two straight victories, Ateneo de Manila and Adamson University, representing the Philippines at the 18th 3-D Gold Super Kung Sheung Cup, got its first rude test in international-style ball as it absorbed a stinging 80-72 defeat at the hands of China's Xin Cheng Holdings basketball team last night at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium here.

Acknowledging perhaps the Filipinos' superior individual talent for creating plays when being guarded man-to-man, the Chinese employed an impenetrable zone defense throughout the game, using their length and agility to cover the lanes, control the boards and deny the Filipinos any easy baskets or passes.

Xin Cheng also proved lethal offensively, burying the Filipinos with three-point shots from all corners and taking a commanding 40-24 lead at the half -- employing a style of play reminiscent of a circa 1990s South Korean team.

Unable to get easy points in the paint, the Filipinos turned to its outside shooters in the third quarter, who unfortunately fired blanks even as the Chinese continued to display near-perfect marksmanship from the three-point area, with the lead ballooning to as high as 20 points towards the end of the third quarter.

The Filipinos would not go down without a fight, however. Blue Eagle Kirk Long, who was shut down in the first half, found his range in the fourth quarter where he fired 14 points to stage a last-ditch effort to salvage the game. Adamson's Alex Nuyles also drained two straight threes in the closing minutes to inch them closer, but the Filipinos could not close out the rally as the Chinese managed to trade baskets with them in a virtual three-point shooting contest.

Kirk Long topscored with 26 points in the losing effort, with Ateneans Nico Salva and Oping Sumalinog adding 10 apiece. Adamson's Lester Alvarez, who waxed hot in their last game, was cold from outside and had difficulty creating plays amidst Xin Cheng's choking zone.

With the loss, the 'Blue Birds' ended up in second place in its group and will face an imposing Southern California Fukienese Association (SCFA) in the semi-finals on Saturday. SCFA, composed mostly of athletic and burly African-Americans, demolished Hong Kong's National Team later that night, 88-58, to top its group. Hong Kong will face Xin Cheng in the other semi-final pairing.

XCH 80 - Zhang J.B. 20, Yu X. 14, Weng D.L. 14, Zhang C. 7, Wang J.Y. 7, Huang Q.B. 4, Lin C.Y. 2

PHL 72 - Long 26, Salva 10, Sumalinog 10, Alvarez 8, Nuyles 6, Dela Cruz 5, Erram 5, Colina 2, Austria 0, Camson 0, Golla 0, Tiongson 0

- Ryan Asis Maniago

Ateneo-Adamson 'Big Birds' soar over GCC of China, 78-73

HONG KONG - Philippine collegiate powerhouses Ateneo de Manila and Adamson University barely scraped by the towers of China's GCC basketball team but prevailed at crunch time, 78-73, in a highly physical and heart-stopping ballgame at the 18th 3-D Gold Super Kung Sheung Cup at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium here.

Blue Eagles Kirk Long and Bacon Austria, together with Adamson standout Lester Alvarez, came through with clutch plays in the final minute to cap the Filipinos' come-from-behind rally, fearlessly attacking the rim despite the superior height of the Chinese.

Long, who was limited to 2 points in the first half, scattered 15 points in the second half and took charge in the fourth quarter, where he teamed up with Alvarez in orchestrating the Philippine attack.

Bothered by China's length and quickness, the Filipinos played catch-up for most of the game, conceding rebounds and second- and even third-chance points to GCC, which led 37-31 at halftime.

Spitfirish 6"3' forward Shang Lei of GCC also torched the Filipinos with 19 points in the first half en route to a game-high 38 points, firing threes at will and driving hard to the basket despite the hard-nosed defense of Long and Alex Nuyles. At one point, the Chinese seemed poised for a blowout win.

But the Filipinos would have none of it. Showing tremendous spirit, they patiently chipped away at the lead in the third quarter behind the playmaking abilities of Long and Alvarez, who won over the crowd with their derring-do penetrations and unselfish kick-outs, to the approving eyes of legendary coach Norman Black and sports patron-businessman Manny V. Pangilinan (MVP), who cheered from courtside.

Things nearly came to a head in the fourth quarter as 6'8' GCC center Yao Peng, apparently frustrated over the Filipino onslaught, started hacking away at anyone who came his way and in one play even wrestled the smaller Austria to the ground.

Surprisingly, the mostly Hong Kong crowd rooted for the Philippines, joining pockets of Filipino fans in chanting "defense" and rallying behind the Blue Birds against their Mainland compatriots -- perhaps proof that in the game of basketball, a fighting heart can erase all boundaries.

So-called the "Big Birds" in playful reference to the two schools' monickers in the UAAP -- the Blue Eagles and the Soaring Falcons -- the Filipinos have virtually crashed into the semifinal round and will next face China's Xin Cheng Holdings basketball team to determine its group seeding.

PHL 78 - Alvarez 21, Long 18, Salva 11, Austria 8, Camson 6, Nuyles 4, Colina 3, Dela Cruz 3, Sumalinog 2, Erram 2, Golla 0

GCC 73 - Shang 38, Jiang K.Y. 9, Wang L.M. 5, Li J. 5, Li Y. 5, Hu B. 5, Tang H.J. 4, Zhang Z. 2

- Ryan Asis Maniago

Ateneo-Adamson Philippines wallops Thailand National Team, 83-63

The Philippines, represented here by collegiate champions Ateneo de Manila University and reinforced by four players from rival Adamson University, overwhelmed the Thailand National Team, 83-63, at the 18th 3D-Gold Super Kung Sheung Cup held at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Hong Kong.

King Eagle heir apparent Kirk Long and Adamson Falcons stalwart Julius Colina, who just a week earlier were at each other's throats at the 2010 PCCL Championship in Manila, joined forces in dismantling the Thai defense with their inside-outside game and well-oiled plays. The duo topscored for the Philippine side with 20 points apiece, with Bacon Austria of Ateneo providing able back-up with 10 points.

After a slow start that saw the Thais erecting a short-lived, four-point lead in the first quarter, 19-15, the Filipinos tightened the screws on defense to build a 36-26 lead at the half.

Long then teamed up with Adamson arch-rival Alex Nuyles in slamming the gas pedal at the start of the third canto, as they outran, outgunned and outfoxed their opponents en route to a 61-45 cushion entering the fourth quarter. Nuyles, who struggled in the first half, wowed the predominantly Hong Kong crowd with a breakaway slam off a Kirk Long feed.

Thai pivotman Thonchai Thippayaprapai and gutsy forward Darongpan Apiromvilaichai were the lone bright spots for Thailand, scoring 14 and 11 points, respectively.

A sizeable Filipino contingent among the audience expressed optimism at the Philippines' chances here, especially after a disappointing finish by the CESAFI All-Stars in the 2008 edition, which saw a collegiate selection from Cebu bannered by 6'10 behemoth Junmar Fajardo, getting whipped by host Hong Kong, 100-61, in the finals.

The coaching staff, however, are wary of the size advantage of the other teams, particularly the two club teams from China and the Southern California Fukienese Association, bolstered by athletic African-Americans and youtube sensation David Kalb, renowned for beating Lebron James in a game of H-O-R-S-E.

The Ateneo Blue Eagles, three-peat UAAP Champions, earned the right to represent the Philippines in the tournament by beating the Adamson Soaring Falcons at the recently concluded PCCL Championship in Manila.  Interestingly, Adamson loaned four cagers to bolster Ateneo's roster here after key players from the Ateneo side had begged off for academic reasons.

The Philippines next takes on the GCC Group and Xin Cheng Holdings basketball teams of China, hoping to land in the top two in their group to break into the semifinal round.

PHL 83 - Long 20, Colina 20, Austria 10, Alvarez 8, Dela Cruz 6, Sumalinog 6, Nuyles 4, Erram 4, Salva 3, Camson 2, Golla 0, Tiongson 0

THA 63 - Thongchai 14, Darunpong 11, Darongpan 10, Kittipot 9, Thansith 4, Paramet 4, Kittisak 4, Suttiket 3, Sakgarin 2, Pongsago 2

- Ryan Asis Maniago

Brown Mao Revival

They say that bloggers are the opinion writers of the future. Well, I wouldn’t even dare align myself with the likes of heavyweight Filipino columnists Randy David, Winnie Monsod or the late Teddy Benigno. Tim Yap, maybe.

Besides, I haven’t written anything with nary a semblance of an opinion for a long time now. Recently, though, I rediscovered the joys of opinion writing when I sent an e-mail to Mr. Tony Abaya in reaction to his recent article on The Manila Standard entitled "Sleeping with the Communists" and his other anti-communist treatise, "How now, Brown Maos?"

Tony Abaya, together with Conrad de Quiros, is my favorite columnist (even though they come from opposite ends of the political spectrum). Both are certified intellectuals who would do well to ignore the thoughts of mere mortals such as myself.

So, when Mr. Abaya responded to my e-mail, you can only imagine that I felt like a pubescent girl gushing over her first menstrual visit. Hey, nothing Brokeback Mountain about that, OK? It’s more like Ang Pagdadalaga ni (The Blossoming of) Maximo Oliveros.

Just for my own kicks (because I have the power to bore you to death), I’m posting my email-cum-opinion-article as a blog entry below. Tony’s (naks, first-name basis daw!) articles can be viewed in blog form at www.tapatt.org while Conrad’s There’s the Rub column, in full blog edition, is at dequiros.blogspot.com.

**

Dear Mr. Abaya,

I truly enjoy reading your articles, most especially the ones about communism (i.e. the Brown Mao series). As an idealistic college student and volunteer (we taught kids in an urban poor community) not too long ago, I, too, found solace in leftist rhetoric whenever I tried to make sense of the rampant injustices that pervaded the little world I lived in.

Deep inside, however, I also felt that there was something amiss about communism — for it flew in the face of human nature and the practical realities of daily life. I figured that human evolution has somehow programmed "greed" (or its more recent descendant, the "profit motive") into human nature to enhance one’s chances of survival. They say greed is good? But nature does not even distinguish between good and bad. Perhaps we are all born capitalists, and communism (and altruism and hedonism and all other -isms) is just something we learn along the way? Because we are "moral" animals, etc.

Capitalism in its wildest or purest state (God save us from dog-eats-dog globalization) may be a cruel jungle, but it is perhaps the natural order of things. If so, the whims of the market are too powerful a force of nature for communism to defeat roundly. Tame it, maybe, like what the social democrats and civil society are doing?

While I continue to believe in man’s innate goodness, the real world I discovered after college turned out to be a harsh (if not deadpan) teacher. I slowly shed off my leftist inclinations, more so after I became an OFW several years ago.

In Shanghai or any other Chinese city I visit, almost every young Chinese I know (from the suit monkey types to the xiao-long-bao-hawker kind) are avowed capitalists. They simply can’t imagine ever going back to their parents’ near-death brush with the Cultural Revolution. This, despite their continued allegiance to the communist government.

"Socialism with Chinese characteristics" does not really seem that socialist anymore. But it doesn’t seem that "capitalist evil", either. Sure, the transition is not without problems as China is always on the brink of social unrest given the widening gap between the rich and poor. But in general, most Chinese seem to agree that they could work together in promoting prosperity and harmony in society without necessarily "imposing" communist-style "equality".

It is quite an eye-opener, really, and as I watch firsthand how China rides on the wave of capitalism to emerge as the world’s next economic superpower, all eyes are on the "other giant", India. Like the Philippines, India also has a "proud" democratic tradition and a burgeoning communist movement. But it seems that some Indian communists are following the Chinese example and are having a change of heart. Please click on http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2005/10/31/8359173/index.htm to view an article that came out in Forbes magazine (OK, consider the source) in October of last year.

It quotes the chief minister of West Bengal, which is the heartland of the Indian Communist Party. His pronouncements remind me of Deng’s famous line, "We had it all wrong, comrades". Curiously, the paragraphs that contain most of his heretical statements, can be found in the print edition of the magazine but are omitted in the online edition. No erratum was published explaining the omission.

Having read this article, do you then think it’s possible for some Filipino communists (particularly the younger, presumably more open-minded, ones) to also tone down their hardline stance and cooperate with more moderate forces for the good of the country? If yes, then "sleeping with the communists" can’t be that bad. It might even be a small step towards better things. Like you said, violence is not the answer. Hatred is not the answer. Perhaps a "better idea" could win them over? Given their respective countries’ similar size and scale, the communists in communist China are showing the communists in democratic India that it is, after all, possible to tame the market beast.

Perhaps, the communists in democratic Philippines can also learn something from their communist brothers in communist Vietnam? Vietnam, given the breakneck pace of its growth, is well-poised to feed economic dust to laggard Philippines.

It won’t be long before Pinoys go gaga over "Vietcongnovelas" featuring fashionably dressed Romnick Sarmenta lookalikes and svelte Vietnamese hookers saying "Me so horny, boom-boom long time" with an American accent. =)

Maybe I’m being naive, too. But I continue to believe that many communists (except those who espouse violence) have only the best intentions for our countrymen. It’s just that we follow different means to attain the same end. In the final analysis, I am inclined to think that humankind’s eventual redemption can be found neither in the left nor in the right because, as in most things, the "truth" is somewhere in between.

Best regards and keep on writing!