Jason Dixon of Patriots wins Best ABL Import award

 

Jason Dixon hams it up for the photographers after receiving his Best ABL Import award. (Photo 1 © Les Tan/Red Sports)

By Les Tan/Red Hoops in Kuala Lumpur

Jason Dixon hams it up for the photographers after receiving his Best ABL Import award. (Photo 1 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
Kuala Lumpur, Tuesday, March 9, 2010 – American Jason Dixon of the Philippines Patriots walked away with the Best ABL Import award at the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) end-of-season dinner last night in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The Philippine Patriots also received their championship rings on the night, their reward for sweeping Jakarta-based Satria Muda BritAma 3-0 in the best-of-five finals last month. It was a night of celebration for team owners, sponsors and the organisers of the inaugural league that tipped off in October 2009.
The 6′ 9″ (206cm) big man though, was modest about his award.

Big man’s return

source: Rommel C. Manlosa | sunstar.com.ph

Seven-foot giant Gregg Slaughter is mulling his options and eyes a return to the University of the Visayas Green Lancers for a final performance for the next Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) season.

Slaughter has now devoted his full time for the Smart Gilas Pilipinas national teamand didn’t join the UV Lancers in the Partners Cup. He only got to return to Cebu during a two-game friendly series against the the M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Niños last Wednesday and Thursday.

“I am thinking about it. But I don’t know. It’s all up to me,” said Slaughter, who added that he wants to help UV win an unprecedented 10th straight Cesafi crown.

Smart Gilas: No import for Aussie tour

source: Joaquin Henson | philstar.com

It’s not likely that the Smart-Gilas national basketball squad will play in Australia with a naturalization candidate. That’s the word from team manager Frankie Lim who said the other day he’s still negotiating to sign up either Dwayne Jones or Brian Butch as Gilas’ “import.”

“I’m still trying to get hold of Jones’ agent,” said Lim. “Butch is our second option. He’s a four-guy who has a good touch from medium range.”

Smart Gilas Pilipinas Year One: The Thousand Mile Journey

by Rick Olivares | bleachersbrew.blogspot.com

Inside the dugout of the Smart Gilas Men’s National Basketball Team at the Al Ahli Club in Dubai, the atmosphere was festive as the team celebrated their third place finish in the 21st Dubai International Tournament.

The Nationals beat the import-laden Al Jalaa Syria 107-98 to repay them for their opening day loss that touched off an incredible comeback that saw them come within four points of making the finals.

Head Coach Rajko Toroman was being interviewed outside the dugout when Demetric Shaw, one of Al Jalaa’s American imports, came over. Seconds later, Toroman ushered Shaw inside and the room quickly fell silent.

Philippine Patriots coast to inaugural ABL Championship.

Image by: Anthony Gabriel

ABL NEWS |  Sunday, February 21, 2010

Sunday, 21 February 2010, Jakarta – The inaugural GE Asean Basketball League season drew to a close yesterday as the Philippine Patriots displayed their all-round supremacy on the hardwood to defeat Satria Muda Britama 75-67 in Jakarta, Indonesia and earn a much deserved 3-0 series whitewash to claim the title of champions.

Smart Gilas just too good

Rommel C. Manlosa | sunstar.com.ph

THE Smart-Gilas Pilipinas team displayed a variety of offensive weapons and showed no mercy to the M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Niños, 83-71, in the first of their two-game exhibition matches at the Cebu Coliseum last night.

The victory evened the head-to-head match-up between the Nationals and the Niños, who hired American Jason Dixon for the exhibition matches, at one game each.

The Niños won their first encounter, 82-76, in February last year and the two will get to settle the score at 5 p.m. still at the Cebu Coliseum.

Gilas’ win also ended the Niños’ string of 26 victories dating back to the Liga Pilipinas regular season.

Smart Gilas Pilipinas defeats M. Lhuillier-Cebu Niños in first exhibition game

source: Caecent No-ot Magsumbol | philstar.com

GAME 2 Update:
Cebu Ninos beat Smart Gilas Pilipinas, 79-76

CEBU, Philippines – RP Smart Gilas bounced back with and 83-71 victory last night to beat M. Lhuillier-Cebu Niños in the first game of their two-part exhibition at the Cebu Coliseum.

The win actually evens things up for both teams as the Cebuanos stopped the nationalsquad in their first meeting last year.

Today’s game set at 5 p.m. will be some sort of a decider.

The RP Smart Gilas came in full force with stars Chris Tiu, Japeth Aguilar and MarcioLassiter joining the squad for this Cebu stint.

The Niños, however, took command in the early going and were up by as much as 12 points before Gilas broke the ice.

M. Lhuillier hits back at Gilas

by Emmanuel B. Villaruel (The Freeman) | philstar.com

CEBU, Philippines – The M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Niños wasted away a 20-point lead in the third quarter, but toiled hard when it mattered most to scrape through a 79-76 victory and get even with the Smart Gilas Team Pilipinas in their two-day exhibition match before a sizeable crowd last night at the Cebu Coliseum.

After closing the first half with a buzzer-beating triple, streak-shooter Stephen Padilla opened the third period with another 3-point bomb to give the Niños of team owner Michel J. Lhuillier and coach Raul “Yayoy” D. Alcoseba their largest lead at 46-26.

M. Lhuillier-Cebu Niños beat Smart Gilas Pilipinas in second exhibition game

source: Rommel C. Manlosa | sunstar.com.ph

The M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Niños displayed the poise of a veteran to avenge a frustrating defeat last Thursday with pulsating 79-76 victory over the Smart-GilasPilipinas National Men’s Team at the Cebu Coliseum friday night.

The win wrapped up a two-game exhibition series and the Niños will again host two matches against the Talk ‘N Tex Phone Pals on March 8 and 9 at the Cebu Coliseum.

Yesterday, the M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala squad stamped its dominance over the youthful Gilas, 2-1 in their head-to-head match-up, though Smart Sports director Patrick Gregorio said Gilas could be back for more matches.

Smart Gilas feels it has found ‘Mr. Right’

source: June Navarro | inquirer.net

All indications point to Dwayne Jones being a perfect fit for the Smart Gilas Pilipinas national team.

At least that’s how Rajko Toroman sees it after the Gilas mentor revealed that they are close to signing up the 6-foot-11, 251-pound inside operator out of Saint JosephUniversity, a US NCAA Division I school.

“I like Jones,” said Toroman. “But we have to make a deal. Coach Greg Popovich (of the San Antonio Spurs) was very positive about him. I’m doing my best to get as much information as I can.”