2010 - Playing Hard and Playing Heart...

YEAR-END SUMMARY:

This Hoops year was a year of Hard Work and a lot of HEART.

Yes, we never got to achieve our main objective this year, but our littlest accomplishment highlights our biggest challenges.

We achieve our team wins by gaining above .500 which is high already comparable to our previous years. This puts our team on the level of one of the top teams here in the country.

Definitely, we have put our mark as one of the top teams in the competitive ballclubs, earning our spot to challenge all bigger teams and stronger players.

Looking back, I saw our team fighting towards disappointment and frustration, but never failing to prove ourselves worthy of playing hard in every game - win or lose.

Our team - coaches and players alike, have proven ourselves confident and worthy enough to encounter different obstacles and overcoming this challenges to turn them into victories and accomplishments.

We may have come short of attaining our main objective of becoming Champions, but we will never rest until we have proven satisfied of rewarding ourselves worthy of that crown.

The trophy may have eluded us, but this have been rewarded back by recognition and respect both from our true opponents and peers. Now players and teams looked into us with fear and respect, knowing that we always play and fight hard with heart and fire in our hearts. Fans and observers are now eager to watch our games always expecting a thriller game with a fight to the finish.

Am proud of what my homies have accomplished.

They deserved to be champions, but not yet. Maybe not yet, but just a little more. A little more hard work and a lot more heart. We will continue this culture with passion and focus.

I will leave this hoops year with frustration and disappointment, but with a bright hope for the next year ahead.

The team is in the right direction, and I believe this will be our inspiration to strive more to become better and work hard to achieve our greatest goal.

We are already champions by nature, and this time around the challenge is how to mantain that level with all this changes coming around.

The only thing left for us is to take that 1 more step towards greatness. Destiny here we come.

True Heart, Friendship and Team Work

We won our Quaterfinals! We won it fair and square!

We won it with heart and great pride!

Our team conquered our biggest blunder on this year's big tournament.

We won over a team laden with Superstar players and Big men!

We started slow, cramping our way over a 0-6 lead by our opponent.

But we never doubted and we never faltered.

By the third quarter we are already up by 12 points and momentum was with us.

Our flaws were covered by our desire to win and too much team effort.

Our second and third support units are giving their all to make this our best game ever.

No ifs, no buts, we are giving it all, as though our lives depended on it.

It was a classic game for a rivalry long etched in our memories both as Friend and Foe.

My philosophy proved correct - different people, different talent - big and small.

True Friendship and Teamwork conquers all odds.

Semis here we come!

It's been a long while since I blogged.

This is due to a passing of a great friend.

Now I am more of a believer of friendships great and small. In the battlefield, if numbers can bring victories, then, so are great friends can win battles together.

We have accomplished a good season so far, winning 4 games against 2 to finish the regular schedules. We are off to the Quarterfinals where we are facing an old nemesis but with a new face.

The spirits are high, but we are lacking height and nursing some injuries. All we got is pride, talent and heart.

This is an uphill battle at its best, but we are always on this situation and we have never fail to prove ourselves big - we have lost some but we have won a lot of integrity and pride.

The outcome of this game would add another history in our team against a team that is laden with good players and tall ones, including professional and varsity people.

If we win, we will win this thru brotherhood and friendship. There is no stronger force in this world than a bond between friends who share the same spirit and passion to conquer a challenge.

Let's Go Team Wiz!

my formula in team winning:

1. Make them interested
2. Make them play
3. Make them happy

4. Make them lose
5. Make them cry
6. Make them enjoy
7. Make them work hard
8. Make them belong

9. Make them win

10. Make them proud
= CHAMPIONSHIPS

Sometimes in basketball, you just don't get it..

As one of our saying goes, the ball is round - one time you are up, next thing you are down.
This week is a not-so-typical scenario for me as a sports observer.

Our team had our most biggest upset by not making it to the semis since we started. Our other sister team made it big by going to the finals with my former players leading the helm. It was so sad for me and my team not to make the semis and the finals, and I have but mixed reactions of one of our players mistake at the last seconds.

Player ERC is having an up and down game and he is one of my reliable big man. I have known him to be a better player than he knows he is. This time around he lost too much confidence and made the common mistake of not giving the whole focus and let his bad game take over his mindless actions. That cost us the game, and totally the semis.

I was so frustrated.

The reason is because, all our other players have that spark and hunger to win the game, all except player ERC. I hope he comes back again to redeem himself next time. As a coach, I can only motivate so much, but players must contemplate and focus hard to know his real purpose in winning.

Yesterday on our other tournaments, our team bounced back to get 2 wins. It brought us back to our focus and direction and I am glad that our little players stepped up. All of them felt accomplished and happy. We are now 2 straight Ws in a row.

One thing I learned, Sports is all about failure. The more you handle it correctly, the more wins you get. The less failures you have, the more Champions you will become.

Losing with pride

A loss is always painful. So much more in a game. We lost the championships, but we are proud winners - in our hearts. Both Game 1 and Game 2 are tightly-fought matches. Our players played with too much heart on our last game. Coming back from a 16-point deficit from the first to the last quarter, we fought back with our backs against the wall at the final minutes to even lead by 2 pts. We are all pouring our hearts out, with our voices shouting at the very top, it was a comeback we waited for, but alas, our height disadvantage give way to a better team. We fought greatly against a better team with better players including varsity persons who have long been playing in the amateur leagues. Our player TT was so great, he drilled a lot of treys to put us on that important 2-point lead. We fought and fought until the final seconds, only to come up short with a basket score. This is our best game ever, only that we are in the losing side.

But this is a loss that we earned so much respect from ourselves and from our opponents. Next time would be different I promise.

LEBRON's Free Agency the REAL STORY..

I have never given my comments yet regarding Lebron's decision to move from Cleveland to Miami. So here it goes.

I always believe that Pat Riley is a wise man and a genius at best. The related story below about Lebron shows how devicingly great Pat Riley is - more as a person, higher than his legacy and a greater symbol than his persona. I always adore Pat Riley ever since he was a Laker coach. For me, the Lakers 80's team were the perfect team with Pat Riley as the White Old Wizard of LOTR winning over the Celtics - with Magic and Kareen on the battlefront. This is a cool dude wiseman - all with his glory and fame, wit and skill, you must never underestimate his commanding presence. He is becoming more of the Yoda of the Jedi Knights. The more he is becoming older the greater he is.



So when I heard of Lebron's declaration of Independence to join the Three Kings of South Beach, I knew the mastermind of all this is the Godfather of Basketball himself - Mr. Pat Riley.

I think I am going to believe on Riley more than Wade+Bosh+Lebron winning the NBA championship.

If they win it's because of him. read on...

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=ApgOkGqkEuVILiM1yDqzvK28vLYF?slug=aw-heatfreeagency071610

Ginebra loses 2010 PBA qtrfinals to Alaska

I haven't followed the PBA for a while, but I am still happy that Ginebra is still the crowd favorite in the PBA.

As I've read, BGK came back to 0-2 against alaska but lost yesterday on what seems to be a championship match with a 21,000 fans crowd favorite.

It's good to know that BGK still have that charisma and never-say-die attitude. Win or Lose, their fans are still hoping for happy days ahead.

Next time barangay, next time...

http://www.pbaddicts.net/news-f14/simpson-twinner-tows-alaska-past-ginebra-and-into-final-4-t7932.htm#68141

Learn PATIENCE

This is finals week for our team.

We lost Game 1 in our last finals, and lots of issue and challenges beleaguering our team, up from the coaching staff, down to the players.

Luckily we got a break that Game 2 had to be cancelled. But we have another game in another tournament to have ourselves tested on how we can adjust for the upcoming critical championship game.

Sadly, we lost the game yesterday, so we need to focus our energies to concentrate what needs more to prepare for Game 2.

Here are my thoughts in the game:
1. The game ended with double overtime, but we still lost.
2. Most of our breaks are lucky ones, the team lacks 100% intensity, mostly defense.
3. We are not the running team as we used to be.
4. We thought we are more composed and relax, but in reality the opponent team was better than us, that's why they won.
5. Our big men rotation are good, not until the last minutes and exra period where we rely on our quickness and speed which did not materialize.
6. Our players stepped up to fight the close match. Both our teams are fairly even, but their big players are dominating which is why the reason we are compensating for speed to overcome the gap, but in the end their tall game prevailed - mostly 2nd chance opportunites and putbacks, including foul counted situations which are very critical.
7. Player BS - stepped up, putting the 3 pts that put into 1st regulation
8. Player BL - had a fair game, but ended up fouling out on early 4th
9. Player MK1 - I pre-judged him early to be my 2nd best player, but he got bigger and bulkier, so our running game is compromised.. We are 2 steps down from being a running team not like before.
10. Player EC - Good game but not great, put in a lot of good baskets but faltered on the last regulation with his mental lapses. Nevertheless, it's the kind of game I expected from him, although I think he is still not totally 100% full throttle.

11. Lastly, we still maintain that high percentage of ERRORS! We need PATIENCE!

Our back-court control is becoming weak, which explains this setback. Player BS is looking slow in PG position, but he compensates in steals and great shots that's why all of us rely on him when he is on the court. Even Player TT likes him to be his wingman when he plays. Need to get a good strategy to utilize this.

We got a great challenge ahead for Game 2, what we need is practice and focus with a little spark and luck. All of us believe if we will win crucial Game 2 then we have a high chance of winning the championship.

Wish us Good Luck!

Once Upon a Time, a basketball blog...

This is a project for my passion and my hobby - hoops and balls :)..

The blog represents my journey into the exciting world of sports specifically basketball.

Players, Coaches, Teams, skill, hoops, slam, kicks and jam.

Everything that is Basketball..