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CARL FOWLER| Amarillo Globe-News

Prior to the riot in the nations capitol, I listened to a speech from the great unifier, Joe Biden, in which he regurgitated the Democrats (Socialists) mantra of the past four years concerning Donald Trump, even, once more,accusing Trump of Russian collusion.

His speech continued on that theme as if the election were still ongoing and he had not been certified the winner. Eventually, he got around to stating that he wanted to unify the country.Such blatant hypocrisy is evident to everyone except Washington D.C. Socialists.

The Washington Socialists cannot get over their obsession with Trump.The Capitol riot played right into their playbook:destroy Donald Trump so that he can no longer pose a threat to the Socialists agenda.Thus, the second impeachment.

I have seldom in my lifetime (which is now a considerable number of years) seen such absolute hatred as in the faces of the Washington Socialists, especially in the face of Nancy Pelosi when Donald Trump is mentioned.Hatred literally drips from her face when she mentions Trump as evident in the distortion of her facial features when she speaks of him.Her unprecedented action during the last State of the Union speech by Trump, that of ripping a copy of his speech into shreds before a national audience, graphically reveals her hatred.In my view, Pelosi is the deranged one and should herself be subject to impeachment.

During the arguments in the House of Representatives leading up to the second impeachment (kangaroo trial), the House Socialists repeatedly stated that Donald Trump is a now and continuing threat to democracy and to the Constitution.Thus, the impeachment was necessary in order to preserve democracy and the Constitution. What rich irony and hypocrisy!The Socialists are the ones attempting to rip the Constitution into shreds, the ones who are attempting to squelch free speech by getting rid of the First Amendment.Their war is against religion, as evidenced by Socialists governors and mayors banning attendance to churches but allowing dens of iniquity to thrive. (Im being sarcastic here, but you get my meaning.)

Concerning freedom of speech, the Socialists have no problem with Facebook, Twitter, etc., barring conservative viewpoints from their websites.After all,such actions benefit the Socialists.The Socialists constantly attack conservative media and conservative personalities, such as Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson, in an attempt to silence their seditious comments.I subscribed to Facebook when it first began, but I use it only to respond when my e-mail tells me that I have a Facebook message from a friend or relative. My view is that my business is my business.Besides, Im not interested in what someone ate for dinner.As for Twitter, so far as I know, thats bird talk.

I do not defend the rioting in the Capitol.The folks who breached the doors and windows of that symbol of democracy demonstrated everything that conservatism is not. I regret that a relative few, in light of a crowd of forty-five thousand, took it upon themselves to invade, deface, and give ammunition to our enemies who gloat upon the resulting chaos.

At the same time, a point that has been made over and over by conservatives and Republicans, the chaos caused by the rioting and destruction by the anarchists during the past several months and ignored by the Socialists, has contributed to the frustration of law- abiding citizens who see their cities and communities wrecked by those who proclaim themselves to be peaceful protestors.What did the Washington Socialists do about the destruction in our cities? Nancy Pelosi said she was not interested in statues.

Jerry Nadler said that the burning of buildings, the looting, the rioting taking place in cities were all a myth even as videos showed the opposite.The principal message from the Socialists is that the half of Americans who oppose Washington socialism are too stupid to see the truth.The truth is that truth is not a part of the Socialists agenda.

Donald Trump, through frustration and anger at the constant attacks by the Socialists during his term in office and who is convinced that the Socialists skewed the election in their favor, has gone beyond the pale with his rhetoric.But, who among you reading this could have withstood the constant barrage of hatred demonstrated toward him by the Socialists during the last four years? So far as fraud is concerned, if I were a judge, I would not want to be the one who contributed to reversing an election.The best way to avoid this is to refuse to hear the evidence.

The Socialists are deathly afraid of Donald Trump.He is the one who thwarted their plans to transform America by defeating Hillary.They do not want the same result in 2024.

Their answer: Hate Trump! Destroy Trump!DestroyAmerica!

Carl Fowler is a retired professor of English at Amarillo College and lives in Amarillo.

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Fowler: This is what the faces of hatred look like - Amarillo.com

Knockout City is a lot to handle. In the playlists of the funky, futuristic, and over-the-top dodgeball game, few things are as simple as they sound. In a preview staged by maker Velan Studios and Electronic Arts on Tuesday, I often just found myself standing back and watching the action, trying to develop a sense of fundamental play.

Teamwork is as critical to winning (and fun) play as an understanding of Knockout Citys many unique rules and techniques. Good news for that: The first closed beta for the game starts on Feb. 20 on PC.

Because dodgeball is the inspiration, we get to play with multiple balls in the scene, said Guha Bala, Velans co-founder and president. Velan most recently developed Octobers toys-to-life/mixed reality game Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit

There are very few moves, but its enormously complex in terms of layers, which allows you to really go through that kind of cycle of introduction, practice, and mastery, Bala said. Ill disagree that there are few moves in here but I see his point about it being easy to learn and then difficult to master.

In one straight-forward free-for-all match, I was seeing novice users (like me) running at top speed once they saw a ball spawn point, winding up to fire away, only to have their element of surprise taken away by someone who was paying better attention when the tutorial showed how to intercept a ball. Theres a melee attack thats also a good counter for separating a foe from their ball, so it really isnt a matter of getting to the good weapons first.

Rolling up in a ball (one of the more wild-card aspects of Knockout City) means a teammate can pick them up and throw them. Just bumping into a rolled-up teammate picks them up; it was a little confusing the first few times that happened, but of course, that means that Knockout City can serve up team-based, knockout game variants where there are no balls.

As for the balls themselves, youve probably guessed that theres more than just your standard, red kickball (which makes a satisfying PROONT noise whenever it hits someone in the face.) Throwing it means quickly flicking the right trigger (a faster, but less effective attack) or charging it up with an auto lock-on to whatever opponent is nearest.

An exploding Bomb Balls big area-of-effect detonation makes it something players want to find and get rid of fast; but it also means that intercepting a pinging Bomb Ball is no longer a way to turn the tables on a foe. (And a generous timing window for catching an incoming ball means I was sitting on the left trigger command for this, somewhat reflexively, but the game came up with a way to force me out of crutch moves and keep me on my toes.)

Because Knockout City is round-based, teams can go from getting killed pretty badly (and tanking the round, sort of like a tennis player in a losing early set) to a very dominant second or third round and a comeback victory. As Bala puts it: I was getting killed in Diamond Dash [a team-based game where KOd players drop a litter of diamonds, meaning sharp teammates can be there to make the save.] But I came out with the last determining point, getting the last diamond for our team that won the match. You had a surprising number of clutch moments like that in this game.

The one area of concern I did have is what latency might do to a fast-paced game. Bala touted the engine that Velan developed specifically for Knockout City, which the studio calls called Viper. Its of course very technical, but, We added another super-high performance engine with a novel computation method to actually hold a physics simulation synchronized, Bala said.

The aesthetics of Knockout City are very important to the game, only because rooftop maps mean pitfalls (in one case, a big swinging wrecking ball) but also bounce pads and perches to reach. Its not a court-based sport, in other words. It also means endless, flashy customizables (there are 17 cosmetic slots and three characters to build up and swap around) which therefore means Velan plans seasonal content and the like, once the game launches on May 21, 2021.

And with cross-play, and cross progression among all platforms, it means Knockout City should have a large user base at launch so that people get into the action quickly. Knockout City is going to be available on everything: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PS5, Windows PC (via Steam and Origin) and Xbox One and Xbox Series X.

As for whether Ill get good at Knockout City, Bala dispensed some protips but mostly said, yeah, watch a few rounds and Ill get the hang of it and if not, Ill at least see a very entertaining game. Just spend some time watching it, he said. I think its a pretty watchable game as well.

Read the original here:
Knockout City, new dodgeball game from Electronic Arts, coming in May - Polygon

Gareth Bale has scored five goals since returning to Spurs on loan from Real Madrid

Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho said they had "one foot in the next round" after Gareth Bale inspired them to victory over Wolfsberger in the Europa League last 32 first leg.

Bale crossed for Son Heung-min to head the opener and then cut inside and blasted home their second goal. That was the first time since April 2013 that he scored and assisted a Tottenham goal in the same game.

Lucas Moura added a fine solo goal before half-time in Budapest.

But Michael Liendl's penalty gave Wolfsberger hope and Christopher Wernitznig hit the bar - before Carlos Vinicius probably killed the tie.

"I don't consider this an incredible victory, just a good victory that brings good feelings," said Mourinho. "The plane back will be a different plane than after a defeat."

Spurs boss Jose Mourinho spoke beforehand about how much he wants to win the Europa League and named a strong team, although Harry Kane was left in London for fitness reasons.

They were excellent in the first half but were much less impressive after replacing Son with Vinicius at half-time.

Wolfsberger were limited opposition, sitting sixth in the Austrian league and in a European knockout game for the first time. The game had to be played six hours away in Budapest, Hungary because of Covid restrictions.

The second leg is next Wednesday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Bale and Dele Alli were the notable starters in the line-up for Spurs. Mourinho said beforehand he was worried about the result and not individual performances of fringe players - but he would have been happy with what he saw in the first half.

Bale set up the opener when he received Matt Doherty's pass before crossing for Son, who matched his personal goal tally of last season with 18.

That was Bale's first assist for Spurs since April 2013 against Manchester City - before he left for Real Madrid.

Doherty picked out Bale again, but this time the Welshman cut on to his left foot and smashed a powerful effort past the goalkeeper, his fifth goal of a loan spell from Real.

When Moura beat several defenders on a mazy run to score Spurs' third, it looked as if it could be a rout.

Alli looked in the mood too, with a brilliant nutmeg to create a shooting opportunity although he fired straight at the keeper.

But they looked much less fluent in the second half, with Bale and Alli more peripheral before being replaced.

Mourinho said Bale could feature against West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday.

"One of the reasons why he left the pitch by minute 65 was to try to have him available for the next match," he said.

"By taking him off at that minute we managed to save him a few miles in his legs and probably, I know the match is Sunday at 12pm, but I believe he has a chance to play the match."

Moussa Sissoko sloppily conceded a penalty which Liendl scored and the hosts looked more assured. Had Wernitznig's powerful drive off the crossbar gone over the line instead of bouncing on it, it could have been a different tie.

But Vinicius most likely booked Spurs' place in the next round when he stabbed home Erik Lamela's flicked header late on.

Mourinho revealed Kane did not want to risk playing, having recently returned from an ankle problem. He had been due to travel to Hungary.

"He's an experienced guy that had injuries in the past, he knows his body better than anyone," Mourinho said.

"He knows that I want him to play every minute of every game, so it's never a question of a choice.

"I wanted to come here with the best team and the players that could give us more opportunities to win the game and get a good result, but he made the decision based on his feelings.

"Of course myself and the medical department, we agreed with him in giving him this opportunity to take care of his condition, but I believe on Sunday he will be OK and ready."

Player of the match

BaleGareth Bale

Squad number30Player nameTaferner

Squad number17Player nameStratznig

Squad number10Player nameLiendl

Squad number11Player nameVizinger

Squad number27Player nameNovak

Squad number44Player nameLochoshvili

Squad number9Player nameJoveljic

Squad number22Player nameBaumgartner

Squad number4Player nameScherzer

Squad number24Player nameWernitznig

Squad number31Player nameKofler

Squad number19Player nameSprangler

Squad number3Player nameHenriksson

Squad number6Player namePavelic

Squad number8Player nameDieng

Squad number2Player nameGiorbelidze

Formation 4-1-3-2

31Kofler

27Novak22Baumgartner44Lochoshvili4Scherzer

19Sprangler

30Taferner10Liendl24Wernitznig

9Joveljic11Vizinger

Formation 4-2-3-1

1Lloris

2Doherty4Alderweireld15Dier33Davies

17Sissoko8Winks

9Bale20Alli27Lucas Moura

7Son Heung-Min

Match ends, RZ Pellets WAC 1, Tottenham Hotspur 4.

Second Half ends, RZ Pellets WAC 1, Tottenham Hotspur 4.

Foul by Erik Lamela (Tottenham Hotspur).

Kai Stratznig (RZ Pellets WAC) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Offside, RZ Pellets WAC. Alexander Kofler tries a through ball, but Cheikhou Dieng is caught offside.

Foul by Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur).

Guram Giorbelidze (RZ Pellets WAC) wins a free kick on the right wing.

Goal! RZ Pellets WAC 1, Tottenham Hotspur 4. Carlos Vincius (Tottenham Hotspur) left footed shot from very close range to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Erik Lamela.

Attempt missed. Erik Lamela (Tottenham Hotspur) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Pierre-Emile Hjbjerg with a cross.

Attempt missed. Tanguy Ndombele (Tottenham Hotspur) right footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top right corner. Assisted by Carlos Vincius.

Offside, RZ Pellets WAC. Michael Liendl tries a through ball, but Cheikhou Dieng is caught offside.

Matt Doherty (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Foul by Guram Giorbelidze (RZ Pellets WAC).

Steven Bergwijn (Tottenham Hotspur) wins a free kick on the left wing.

Foul by Dominik Baumgartner (RZ Pellets WAC).

Pierre-Emile Hjbjerg (Tottenham Hotspur) is shown the yellow card.

Substitution, RZ Pellets WAC. Mario Pavelic replaces Michael Novak.

Attempt blocked. Luka Lochoshvili (RZ Pellets WAC) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Michael Liendl with a cross.

Corner, RZ Pellets WAC. Conceded by Toby Alderweireld.

Substitution, Tottenham Hotspur. Tanguy Ndombele replaces Dele Alli.

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Wolfsberger 1-4 Tottenham Hotspur: Gareth Bale scores and assists in Europa League win - BBC Sport

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) has invited the Gilas Pilipinas cadet team to play in the upcoming Philippine Cup that will usher in Season 46 this April 2021. The gesture is a welcome development as it not only puts the young cadets in the spotlight that will make them household names, but it will also spur their progress and development as a team as they build up for the 2021 FIBA-Asia Cup and ultimately, the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) President Al Panlilio has lauded this move and thanked the PBA for extending its assistance to the national cause. While there is no confirmation yet from the SBP if the team will participate, there are positive signs that they will.

Not counting the 1998 Centennial and the 2002 Selecta national all-pro teams that participated in the 1998 Centennial Cup and the 2002 Governors' and Commissioner's Cups, respectively, there have been nine PBA conferences when an all-amateur national team participated as a guest team. Recent interviews of former national players on the podcast An Eternity of Basketball revealed that their PBA stint played a pivotal role in speeding up the cohesion and development process.

In this two-part series, we'll look back at how these national teams performed in the PBA. The first part covered the four PBA conferences participated in by the RP-NCC teams of Ron Jacobs. This is the second part, and covers the national teams of Joe Lipa and Rajko Toroman, as well as the one-conference stint of Derick Pumaren's national team in 1988.

RP-Magnolia Team - 1986 All Filipino Conference (7th place)

Roster: Alvin Patrimonio, Ronnie Magsanoc, Jojo Lastimosa, Elmer Reyes, Allan Caidic, Samboy Lim, Dindo Pumaren, Eric Altamirano, Glenn Capacio, Harmon Codiera, Jerry Codiera, Jack Tanuan.

Coach: Joe Lipa

After a turbulent political year that started with the snap elections that moved into the historic EDSA Revolution in February 1986, the BAP decided to dissolve the NCC national team as its benefactor, Danding Cojuangco, went on exile. Forced to field a team for the Asian Games slated in September, then-BAP President Lito Puyat announced the appointment of Joe Lipa as head coach sometime in May. With less than four months to prepare, Lipa formed a roster made up of top players from the Philippine Amateur Basketball League (PABL) and standouts from the UAAP and NCAA, as well as veterans from the defunct NCC national team. To enable them to play against quality competition while developing chemistry, the team decided to play as a guest team in the PBA All Filipino Second Conference that was to start in July and end just three weeks before the Asian Games.

The RP-Magnolia squad lost a couple of close games to Shell, 100-98, with Samboy Lim pouring 34 points, and Alaska, 117-112, before pulling off its first and only win against Ginebra, 97-88. They suffered their biggest loss against eventual champions, the Mon Fernandez-powered Tanduay Rhum, 117-90, then lost to Manila Beer, 104-92, followed by a heartbreaking defeat to Great Taste, 109-108, that saw Allan Caidic waxing hot with 35 points. The loss to the Coffeemakers was particularly painful as a win would have carried them over to the quarterfinals. Instead, they ended up with a 1-5 card, and played a knockout game against Alaska for the last QF seat. They fought to the end, only to lose to the expansion but veteran-laden Alaska Milkmen, 100-96, to finish their PBA campaign.

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The team then went to Seoul and became one of the most unforgettable national teams in the modern era. They started off well, beating darkhorse Japan, 81-78, before pulling off a rout against hapless Hong Kong, 109-75. They faced the heavily-favored Chinese team for their third game and couldn't keep up with their taller opponents, losing 112-84. The Philippines recovered three days later with an easy 90-74 victory over Kuwait - a fitting warmup to their next game against rivals, host South Korea. In that battle, the Sokors jumped to an early lead, but the Philippines fought back and kept the game close despite being in front of a hostile crowd and contending with calls favoring the hosts. In the final seconds of the game and the RP Team down, 103-102, Caidic got hold of possession and spearheaded a fastbreak. He went for the layup but was called for a charge despite replays showing the Sokor player not having established defensive position. Despite the loss, the Filipino heroes ended the tournament on a positive note, beating Malaysia, 84-68, and Jordan, 83-81, to win the bronze medal.

While their PBA stint may have been forgettable, credit must be given to the squad aptly described as the Golden Bronze team for their heroic performance in the Asian Games. Given that they only had a few months to prepare, the one-month, seven-game experience in the PBA provided them with the competitive spirit to go toe-to-toe with their more favored Asian rivals.

RP Team - 1987 PBA Open Conference (7th place)

Roster: Joey Mendoza, Ronnie Magsanoc, Jojo Lastimosa, Joey Guanio, Alvin Patrimonio, Bong Alvarez, Dindo Pumaren, Nelson Asaytono, Glenn Capacio, Benjie Paras, Jerry Codiera, Zaldy Realubit.

Coach: Joe Lipa

Coming off an impressive stint as head coach of the "Golden Bronze" team in the 1986 Seoul Asian Games when it won the bronze medal, Coach Joe Lipa was the toast of the basketball community. He was immediately reappointed by the then Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) as national team mentor for the 1987 ABC tournament to be held in Bangkok in November that year. Lipa was eventually hired as head coach of the Formula Shell Spark Aiders at the start of the 3rd Conference but could only join the team after the ABC.

The Open Conference kicked off the 1987 season with the RP Team featured as a guest team to help them prepare for the ABC. Having to go up against teams reinforced by imports with a height ceiling of 6'6, the amateurs had to contend with top-tiered recruits like David Thirdkill, Michael Young, Michael Hackett, Norman Black, Francois Wise, and Calvin Thompson.

The nationals made an auspicious debut, trouncing the tournament favorite Tanduay Rhum Makers, 112-107, with Alvin Patrimonio leading the charge with 31 points. After suffering back-to-back shellackings from Magnolia and Great Taste, the RP Team pulled out a 100-99 squeaker against Shell to pull even at .500. By then, the imports were already establishing their presence and establishing chemistry with their respective teams; the nationals lost their next eight games to end up with a 2-10 card, tying Shell at the cellar. They still had a chance to crack the quarterfinal round in a knockout game against the Spark Aiders, but they lost, 120-111, and eventually got eliminated. Lastimosa had a career game, knocking down 32 points, in a 120-117 loss to Ginebra.

The team then went to Jakarta in September for their gold medal-retention bid in the SEA Games and ended up undefeated to win the Philippines' fifth men's basketball gold medal in six SEA Games stints. The victory was a major boost as Lipa announced the team's readiness for the ABC. The team topped the preliminaries by beating Jordan and India, but lost in a close game against China, 97-94, that saw the Philippines coming back from a double-digit deficit in the first half. The loss, though, resulted in a semifinal showdown against South Korea. Led by stalwarts Lee Chung Hee and Hur Jae, the Sokors ripped the Filipinos, 105-88. Disheartened by the loss, they lost the bronze medal game to Japan, 89-75, to end the tournament in fourth place. Patrimonio took consolation by earning a Mythical Selection alongside South Korea's Hur Jae and Lee, Sun Fengwu, and Zhang Bin of eventual gold medalists, China.

The PBA stint not only made superstars out of these amateur players but also clearly established that they were ready to join the pros, particularly Patrimonio, Lastimosa, Capacio, and Codiera. True enough, the year after, when new team Purefoods was given the concession to hire four amateur players directly, it immediately took in these four to make up the first core of what is now one of the most successful franchises in league history.

Philippine Team - 1988 All Filipino Conference (7th place)

Roster: Peter Aguilar, Renato Agustin, Paul Alvarez, Nelson Asaytono, Elmer Cabahug, Romeo Dela Rosa, Hernani Demegillo, Peter Jao, Ricardo Marata, Ferdinand Pumaren, Rizaldy Realubit, Jerry Ruiz.

Coach: Frederick Pumaren

There was no major international tournament for 1988 as both the ABC and the SEAG would be held the year after. Meanwhile, the Asian Interclub just concluded in Jakarta and a PABL selection sponsored by RFM-Swift was formed at the last hour to allow the Philippines to defend its Interclub title, last held and won in 1984 by the NCC team. They succeeded in retaining the title, repeating over China, 84-69.

Seven players from the PABL selection were chosen to be part of the Philippine Team that was preparing for the next year's ABC and SEA Games. These were Aguilar, Agustin, Alvarez, Asaytono, Cabahug, Demegillo, and Marata. The BAP appointed multiple PABL champion coach Derick Pumaren to take over Joe Lipa's role as mentor. Pumaren then added Dela Rosa, Jao, his younger brother, Dindo, Realubit, and Ruiz to the final roster that was to play in the PBA as a guest team in the 1988 All Filipino Conference.

The nationals had an impressive debut in the opening game of the conference, toppling Shell, 105-97, in the first game of a doubleheader. Back-to-back losses to defending champions Great Taste, 114-100, and Alaska, 130-108, put the Philippine team in the middle of the pack with a 1-2 card. But Pumaren's boys roared back with an upset over heavily-favored Purefoods, 111-101, squaring themselves at 2-2, while putting the Hotdogs at .500 with a 3-3 record. It was downhill from there, as the team lost five in a row, before pulling off an impressive 146-113 repeat over Shell under new coach Charlie Favis. They ended their campaign with losses to San Miguel and Aejo, finishing with a 3-9 card.

While the BAP may have been proactive when it opted to prepare the national team one year in advance, the effort went for naught though as the bulk of the team eventually joined the PBA Draft the succeeding year. All but Jao were part of what was perhaps the greatest draft class in PBA history. As such, Coach Pumaren had no recourse but to put up a different team for the SEA Games and the ABC. The results in both tournaments were disastrous: a silver medal in Kuala Lumpur and a ninth-place finish in Jakarta.

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Even though Allan Caidic was called for a dubious foul in a semifinal game against South Korea, the Philippines went on to win a "golden bronze" in the 1986 Asian Games.

Smart-Gilas - 2009-10 Philippine Cup

Roster: CJ Giles, Chris Tiu, Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Japeth Aguilar, Mark Barroca, JV Casio, Dylan Ababou, Mac Baracael, Aldrech Ramos, JR Cawaling, Jason Ballesteros, Magi Sison.

Coach: Rajko Toroman

A quiet storm was already brewing when Smart-Gilas formalized its entry as one of the eleven teams set to play in the PBA Philippine Cup that debuted in October 2009. A few days before the start of the season, the same Smart-Gilas team that was to take over national team duties embarrassed the Yeng Guiao-mentored Powerade Philippine national team that had recently placed eighth in the FIBA-Asia Championship in Tianjin, China, 98-69, in a benefit game for Typhoon Ondoy victims at the Araneta Coliseum.

Then, after playing on opening day for the Burger King Whoppers in a loss to Purefoods, 93-80, top rookie pick Japeth Aguilar wanted to leave the Lina franchise and rejoin the national squad. Team manager Lito Alvarez and head coach Guiao decided to trade Aguilar, his rights landing with Talk 'N Text, who loaned him to Smart-Gilas.

When Burger King faced the nationals five days into the season, the hostilities became evident. Aguilar had rejoined Smart-Gilas and Guiao came out with a game plan learned from the humbling Powerade loss. Unfortunately, at one point, BK's lead point guard, Wynne Arboleda, was assessed his second flagrant foul against a driving Baracael and was heckled endlessly by a Smart-Gilas fan who sat at ringside. Arboleda assaulted the fan and was initially slappeda 20,000-peso fine and, after three days, was suspended for the entire season, costing him close to 2.3 million pesos in salary. When the smoke cleared, the Whoppers won, 115-105.

In addition, there were complaints from other PBA teams about how Coach Toroman utilized his key players against "sister" team TNT. Giles played for only five minutes in that game, resulting in a 103-70 defeat at the hands of the Texters. In the end, the PBA decided to not render any bearing on all Smart-Gilas games against the PBA teams. At that time, Gilas carried a 1-2 card, losing to Burger King and TNT and winning over San Miguel Beer, 109-96. Gilas' campaign ended with a 3-6 card.

This was the first official tournament that Smart-Gilas participated in after assuming the national team functions. Despite the controversies and the sour ending, the experience hastened the maturity process, especially when dealing with adversities. Giles, who was initially regarded as a gem of a find for naturalization, was eventually replaced by Marcus Douthit.

Smart-Gilas - 2011 Commissioner's Cup (4th place)

Roster: Marcus Douthit, Chris Tiu, JV Casio, Japeth Aguilar, Mark Barroca, Mac Baracael, Jason Ballesteros, Dylan Ababou, Chris Lutz, Marcio Lassiter, Magi Sison, Aldrech Ramos.

Coach: Rajko Toroman

When Barako Energy opted to take a leave of absence in the second conference of the 2011-12 season, the PBA was more than willing to accommodate the Smart-Gilas team that was preparing for the 2011 FIBA-Asia Championship to be held in Wuhan later that year. The young turks were quick on the block in this import-laced conference, displaying their speed, chemistry and outside shooting, to finish second at the end of the elims with a 7-2 card, just behind TNT's 8-1 record. The team could've easily swept the eliminations as they lost to the Derby Ace Llamados and the Meralco Bolts in overtime. That second-place finish earned them an automatic semifinals seat where they faced the Nate Brumfield-led Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings that had beaten Rain or Shine, 2-1, in their quarterfinals series. Ginebra used its vast experience and defeated Gilas, 3-1, in their best-of-five series, earning a trip to the Finals against eventual champions TNT.

Douthit was particularly impressive in his first PBA stint, dominating the stats categories in rebounds (18.3), blocks (3.3) and FG% (54.8%). Casio, Tiu, Lassiter, and Baracael also had highlight games, but it was also evident that the lack of collective experience took its toll on the team. This eventually led the SBP to include pro players in the final roster of the national team for Wuhan. Asi Taulava, Jimmy Alapag, Kelly Williams, and Ranidel De Ocampo became part of the team that placed fourth overall.

There was no denying that Gilas' PBA stint was a major boost to the team's performance. Individually, the core of this team went on to be selected in the first round of the 2011 and 2012 PBA Drafts - a testament to how these players were able to nurture their skills with the national team.

Now, today's Gilas cadets may be young and promising, but they need all the experience they can get to tangle with the region's, and the world's, top teams. With only two and a half years remaining before the 2023 FIBA World Cup to be held here in Manila, the SBP need not look far to fast-track the development of this young team. Under the able guidance of coaches Jong Uichico and Tab Baldwin, participating in the PBA as a guest team would be a first, but important, step in the right direction. After all, no matter how one looks at it, regardless of record and final standing of the all-amateur national teams that competed in the PBA, there is no denying the overall benefit of their participation.

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National teams in the PBA (Part 2): The Joe Lipa and Rajko Toroman eras - ESPN

The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) has invited the Gilas Pilipinas cadet team to play in the upcoming Philippine Cup that will usher in Season 46 this April 2021. The gesture is a welcome development as it not only puts the young cadets in the spotlight that will make them household names, but it will also spur their progress and development as a team as they build up for the 2021 FIBA-Asia Cup and ultimately, the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) President Al Panlilio has lauded this move and thanked the PBA for extending its assistance to the national cause. While there is no confirmation yet from the SBP if the team will participate, there are positive signs that they will.

Not counting the 1998 Centennial and the 2002 Selecta national all-pro teams that participated in the 1998 Centennial Cup and the 2002 Governors' and Commissioner's Cups, respectively, there have been nine PBA conferences when an all-amateur national team participated as a guest team. Recent interviews of former national players on the podcast An Eternity of Basketball revealed that their PBA stint played a pivotal role in speeding up the cohesion and development process.

In this two-part series, we'll look back at how these national teams performed in the PBA. This first part covers the four PBA conferences participated in by the RP-NCC teams of Ron Jacobs. The second part will cover the national teams of Joe Lipa and Rajko Toroman, as well as the one-conference stint of Derick Pumaren's national team in 1988.

RP Northern Cement (3rd place, 1984 1st All Filipino Conference)

Roster: Jeff Moore, Chip Engelland, Hector Calma, Franz Pumaren, Jong Uichico, Elmer Reyes, Yves Dignadice, Rey Cuenco, Alfie Almario, Naning Valenciano, Peter Aguilar, Jun Tan, Tonichi Yturri.

Coach: Ron Jacobs

After an unceremonious debacle in the 1983 ABC in Hong Kong where the Philippines ended up ninth overall brought about by a controversial technicality that forfeited the team's first two games in the preliminary round, NCC forged an agreement with the PBA to serve as guest team for the first time in the 10th season of the league. With the disbandment of Toyota at the end of the 1983 season and the number of teams down to seven, the arrangement became mutually beneficial.

At the end of the eliminations, the Nationals surprised everyone by topping the field with an 11-3 card, one game ahead of Crispa and Great Taste, the latter welcoming Toyota stars, Arnie Tuadles and Chito Loyzaga in its fold. Crispa then defeated GTC in the playoff for the automatic second semis seat, 124-120. The two teams that benefited most from Toyota's disbandment, Beer Hausen and Gilbey's Gin, ended up with 8-6 slates, apparently still adjusting to the new environment. Gold Eagle, led by their franchise player Abe King, closed the elims with a 4-10 record to join the Coffeemakers, the Brewmasters and the Gin Tonics in the single-round robin quarterfinals. Tanduay and Countryfair were eliminated.

Gilbey's and Beer Hausen joined NCC and Crispa in the semis as both teams won two of their three games. Great Taste, considered one of the favorites to win the title, shockingly lost to Gold Eagle, 103-97 that virtually spelled their doom. They also lost to Gilbey's in overtime, 151-145, before ending their campaign with a 142-126 victory against previously unbeaten Beer Hausen. Gold Eagle filed a protest after their 106-104 loss to the Gin Tonics, and the league ordered a re-play to determine the second semifinalist. Gilbey's eliminated the Beermen, 115-106.

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Fresh from a grand slam conquest the previous season, the Redmanizers turned up the juice, winning four straight games after an initial loss to Beer Hausen, 109-108, at the start of the semis. After conquering NCC, 96-94, for their fourth victory and a seat in the Finals, Coach Tommy Manotoc resigned because of health reasons. Many-time national team member and assistant coach Narciso Bernardo took over. NCC, on the other hand, lost their first two games against Gilbey's and Crispa before pulling even with victories over Beer Hausen, 115-109, and Gilbey's, 135-124. The nationals lost steam in the end, losing a heartbreaking game to Crispa and against Beer Hausen, 119-107, leading to their elimination as they finished the semis with a 2-4 card. In their shortened series battle for 3rd place, NCC toppled Beer Hausen in five games, 3-2.

NCC's first stint in the PBA was only the third time since 1980 that a guest team played in the PBA. The Nicholas Stoodley-backed South Korean national team played in the Invitationals and finished third overall. They were also aiming to replicate another Nicholas Stoodley-backed foreign team made up of American professionals (led by former 1979 Royal Tru Orange import Larry Pounds) to win a PBA title as a guest team - a feat the Jeansmakers accomplished in the 1980 Invitationals against the Toyota Tamaraws. While they may have failed to accomplish this goal, there were obviously more gains, none more important than the mainstream acceptance of the team to the discriminate Filipino basketball fans. Their ability to go toe-to-toe against the top pro teams earned them more fans and considerable respect.

RP Northern Cement (4th place, 1984 2nd All Filipino Conference)

Roster: Jeff Moore, Chip Engelland, Hector Calma, Franz Pumaren, Yves Dignadice, Jong Uichico, Jun Tan, Elmer Reyes, Alfie Almario, Peter Aguilar, Rey Cuenco, Naning Valenciano, Tonichi Yturri.

Coach: Ron Jacobs

The PBA was forced to have a second All Filipino conference in one season because of the economic crisis besetting the country. With the value of the dollar rising significantly against the peso, the PBA teams decided not to hire imports to manage costs.

There were eight teams bracketed into two groups, with NCC, Crispa, Gold Eagle and Tanduay comprising Group A, and Great Taste, Gilbey's, Beer Hausen and Countryfair rounding up Group B. Teams in the same group would play each other once while facing the remaining four teams in the other bracket twice, for a total of eleven games. At the end of the eliminations, Great Taste and Northern earned automatic semifinals seats, ending up with 9-2 and 8-3 cards, respectively. Crispa beat Gold Eagle, 2-0, Gilbey's came from behind to defeat Tanduay, 2-1, while Beer Hausen swept Countryfair, 2-0, to join GTC and NCC in the semis.

GTC topped the double round semifinals with a 6-2 slate, losing only to Beer Hausen, 105-89, and Tanduay, 136-131. The Brewmasters, led by eventual MVP Ramon Fernandez, and NCC tied for second with 5-3 cards each, while splitting their semis games, 123-98 in favor of NCC in the first round and a 118-107 revenge from Beer Hausen in the second round. In their knockout game for the second finals seat, the Brewmasters won the game, 122-117, amidst controversy over allegations of one-sided officiating favoring Beer Hausen. Coach Jacobs was vocal about his disgust as he felt that the league didn't want an all-amateur team to succeed in the PBA.

In protest, Jacobs hardly played Moore and Engelland in their best-of-five series for third place against Tanduay, losing 135-121 and 127-95. Game 2 even saw rookie reserve, Dennis Abbatuan scatter a career-high 51 points, mostly from at the post and underneath, as NCC's defense seemed half-hearted. Deputy Commissioner Tommy Manotoc summoned Jacobs to his office and admonished him for shortchanging the fans. In Game 3, NCC vented its ire on a hapless Tanduay team with a 148-110 demolition led by Engelland's 60 points. With Great Taste already sweeping Beer Hausen in the Finals, Tanduay copped third place by virtue of a 2-1 series win.

The nationals were at the cusp of making it to the Finals for a battle royale with the Coffeemakers. They had an excellent chance of achieving this feat, but because of the relative youth and inexperience of the local talents, they succumbed to the pressure, losing back to back games in the second round against GTC and Beer Hausen. Yet, it was a major accomplishment as the finalists were led by the best players of the country in Brown and Fernandez.

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Allan Caidic's exposure with the Northern Consolidated program in the mid-80s was the foundation for his storied PBA career.

RP Northern Cement - 1985 Open Conference (3rd place)

Roster: Dennis Still, Jeff Moore, Chip Engelland, Hector Calma, Samboy Lim, Allan Caidic, Yves Dignadice, Elmer Reyes, Franz Pumaren, Tonichi Yturri, Benjie Gutierrez, Jun Tan.

Coach: Ron Jacobs

The NCC RP team had a full slate for 1985 given that the SEA Games and the ABC would be held in December. In support of the national cause, the PBA adjusted the sequencing in its calendar, with the All Filipino sandwiching the two import-laced conferences. With NCC going overseas in Gerona for the World Interclub and Taipei for the Jones Cup in June and July, the league accommodated the national team for the Open and Reinforced Conferences. Similarly, Still was finally inserted into the lineup alongside Engelland and Moore but with the provision that only two naturalized players were allowed to play at the same time.

The Open featured reinforcements with unlimited height, with returning imports like 6'11 Lewis Brown (who replaced Doug Harris), the 6'5 Norman Black, and 6'9 Rich Adams (replacing Kevin Graham), while newcomers were 6'9" John Campbell of Ginebra (replacing Harold Driver), 6'7" David Pope of Tanduay (who replaced Merlin Wilson), and Great Taste's 6'9" Joe Binion (replacing Napoleon Johnson).

Great Taste and Tanduay topped the elims with 8-4 cards. NCC, Magnolia, Manila Beer, and Shell duked it out in the quarterfinals for the last two semis slots, while Ginebra dropped out of the race with a 3-9 record. The Ice Cream Makers won two games in the single round robin quarterfinals to gain the third semis slot. The Brewmasters were particularly impressive as they swept their three games by an average of 15.6 points to tie NCC for second. In their knockout playoff game, NCC extracted vengeance with a convincing 98-75 victory to knock out the Lucio Tan franchise.

NCC started well, beating Great Taste, 100-97 in their first semis game. The Coffeemakers, though, went on a roll, led by eventual MVP Ricardo Brown, and won five in a row to earn the first Finals seat. While the national team dominated Tanduay in their two games, they couldn't get past their tormentor, Magnolia, losing both games, 97-95 and 94-84. In their conference head-to-head duel, the Ice Cream Makers won four of their five games. In the last game of the semifinals, NCC had to beat GTC to forge a three-way tie for first at 4-2, but suffered an overtime loss, 102-94, to end up in the battle for third, where they demolished the Rhum Makers, 4-2 in a best-of-seven series.

Nineteen eighty-five may yet be the best year of the NCC national team in terms of accomplishment and performance. Apart from achieving their final objective of winning the ABC title, the PBA crown was a major accomplishment as well, given the daunting odds. When the PBA agreed to have Still play for NCC, it showcased the league's willingness to take risks - the odds of seeing an all-amateur team win a PBA title were high with the 6'8" Jolly Green Giant beefing up the Northerners. While the Open Conference may have yielded only a third-place finish, the invaluable lessons of playing against the pro teams beefed up by a tall import made the nationals more than ready to face challenges in the coming months.

RP Northern Cement - 1985 Reinforced Conference (1st place)

Roster: Dennis Still, Jeff Moore, Allan Caidic, Hector Calma, Samboy Lim, Elmer Reyes, Yves Dignadice, Pido Jarencio, Franz Pumaren, Jerry Codiera, Tonichi Yturri, Alfie Almario.

Coach: Ron Jacobs

This was the most successful national team to ever play in the PBA. And, they did this in dominant fashion, making them only the second guest team (after Nicholas Stoodley in the 1980 Invitationals) to win a PBA title. After a successful conquest of the 1985 Jones Cup in Taipei where they beat the US Golden Eagles team in overtime, 108-100, as well as a valuable experience in the 1985 World Interclub in Gerona, Spain, the PBA was NCC's last preparation for the ABC tournament to be held in Kuala Lumpur starting December 26, 1985.

With Chip Engelland still ineligible to play in the ABC because of residency requirements, Coach Ron Jacobs opted to sit the sweet-shooting naturalized player and fielded his final 12-man lineup for the tourney. They went up against teams reinforced by one import no taller than 6'6" - the likes included Michael Hackett, Ronnie Valentine, Francois Wise, Norman Black, Lester Rowe, and Corey Blackwell.

Manila Beer and Ginebra topped the eliminations to earn the first two seats in the semifinals. Magnolia, NCC, Great Taste, and Tanduay figured in the quarterfinals for the last two slots, with Shell being the only team to be eliminated. NCC and Great Taste won two of their three games, while Tanduay and Magnolia only won once, catapulting the Coffeemakers and the national team to the semis. In the double round-robin Final Four, Manila Beer came out on top with four wins to earn the first Finals seat, with NCC taking the long route by beating Great Taste in a playoff, 123-107.

NCC went unbeaten after losing to Manila Beer in the second round of the semifinals, 99-93, racking up five wins in a row, including a sweep of the Brewmasters, 4-0, in their best of seven Finals series, winning by an average margin of 25.5 points in what is regarded as the most lopsided series in league finals history. While Moore and Still dominated in both scoring and rebounding, it was the more superior local support of NCC that carried them to victory. Calma scored 26 points in Game 2 to back up Moore's 28, while Caidic tallied 25 to backstop Still's 31 markers in Game 3.

That win streak, coupled with an immaculate slate in both the 1985 Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok and the 1985 ABC proved how dominant and merciless Jacobs made this team. At that time, they were already regarded as the country's best basketball team, even better than any PBA franchise.

The marked improvement of NCC as compared to their previous PBA performances may also be a testament to their international stints prior to the conference. They played in Spain, Taiwan, and Malaysia (Asian Interclub) where they were able to go up against future stars like David Robinson, Chuck Person, Harold Pressley, Kenny Gattison, Joe Wolf, Jay Bilas, Tommy Amaker, Marcel de Souza, and Drazen Petrovic, among many others. But, more importantly, it was the team chemistry that led to the Reinforced title as Jacobs parlayed the roles of each player to the hilt, maximized their individual strengths while working within a disciplined system, and introduced one coaching innovation after another. The 1985 PBA Reinforced stint may have only validated how good everyone, including themselves, knew they were.

Originally posted here:
National teams in the PBA (Part 1): The Ron Jacobs-NCC era - ESPN