Mediaboss Marketing

South Africa's team management is trying to keep the players calm and convince them to carry on their cricket as normal ahead of the knockout match against India on Sunday. Following South Africa's defeat to Pakistan, and India's subsequent loss to Sri Lanka, the match at The Oval is a winner-takes-all affair, and given South Africa's history in knockout matches it's understandable if butterflies are fluttering. But batting coach Neil McKenzie said the backroom boys were trying to keep belief high.

"Because there is no insurance, you can sometimes take a knockout game too seriously and put too much pressure on yourself," he said. "We've had a lot of chats about keeping things exactly the same, being okay with the extra nerves but trusting your game-plan, trusting your blueprint and trusting the players that you've been playing with and been around for 18 months, doing well with.

"It's okay to feel extra tension, but it shouldn't be affecting your performances. We've tried to emphasise that our blueprint is good enough to beat any side. Our game plan is good enough to beat any side. It's making sure we can execute that."

McKenzie admitted the crunch moment has come sooner than South Africa would have liked, but said it is an opportunity to show what they have been working towards. "We were hoping [we would feel this] in a semi-final, but it has come one game early. All that we've put in place, and all our thinking and chats over the last 18 months has come a game early. It's quite exciting for the management, and it's all that we've been planning that we've got to be out there. Against India, a huge Indian crowd, you can't get more pressure cooker than that, but we think we're prepared."

Despite losing to the tournament's lowest-ranked side, South Africa are still the No.1 ODI team. They got there by winning seven of their last nine ODI series. That may count for nothing against India, but McKenzie said it was an indication of what they had done right. "The cricket we have been playing over the last 18 months suggests that if we get our blueprint right and we play somewhere where we know we can be, we should come up on top."

The "blueprint" McKenzie referred to is the same one he believed has fashioned most wins this tournament. With sporting surfaces upfront, McKenzie believed the best way to approach an innings is "a solid foundation, then middle order needs to hit space, knock it around, set up that platform and then obviously try and cash in. Most teams have been getting 70s and 80s in the last 10. That's normally our blueprint."

South Africa failed to do that against Pakistan because the top order was rattled. Only David Miller, with some support from Chris Morris, lent the innings some gravitas. In particular, South Africa's reticence against the spinners brought up a familiar weakness, but McKenzie said the familiarity of India's spinners should aid them.

"Both squads are blessed with a lot of variation - we are talking about Ashwin to our left-handers in the middle stages, but everybody knows what everybody can do. We know what Ashwin and Jadeja do. A lot of the guys have played with and against them in the IPL. It's not like they are coming with any mystery balls or bowlers. It's just down to preparation."

With rain around, South Africa held an optional practice session on Friday to remain "mentally fresh." They will go full tilt at training on Saturday to make sure they are fully ready to take on India.

Go here to read the rest:
South Africa's mental prep in full swing ahead of knockout - ESPN

PVL

By ABS-CBN Sports on Jun 08, 2017 12:22 PM

So said Rex Intal, referring both to his glorious years in the UAAP when he figured prominently in the Ateneo Blue Eagles three straight championships and more recently to his new team Cignal Tvs two defeats in the Premier Volleyball League.

Intal, holder of two diplomas in Information Design as a major and Management as a minor, started in both matches the HD Spikers lost so far to back-to-back champion Philippine Air Force, 28-30, 19-25, 21-25, in the elimination round and to Sta. Elena Construction, 20-25, 26-24, 22-25, 28-30, in Game 1 of their best-of-three semifinal duel.

It felt strange to lose twice after two or three years of winning all your matches, said the former Atenean as he recalled those two occasions when the HD Spikers had bitten the dusts. It was another learning experience for me. I guess I have to jell more with the team and find more ways to contribute. As a team, we have to strengthen the areas where we need further improvements.

Coach Oliver Almadro, Intals mentor in his Ateneo years, and the HD Spikers apparently prepared well for their second semifinal meeting with the Wrecking Balls, making short work of the Richard Gomez-owned ball club, 25-17, 25-19, 25-22, to arrange a knockout Game 3 on Thursday, June 8.

Tuesday after taking Game 2, the HD Spikers were treated to a movie and dinner later in an apparent move at relaxation.

The Sta. Elena management did the same to its players.

Ateneo fans have observed that since suiting up for Cignal Tv, Intal has been more relaxed now on the court, freer with his smiles and cheers for a teammate who has scored in stark contrast to his UAAP days when, in staying single-focused to help Ateneo win a match, he rarely smiled and even hardly talked to his teammates.

I train just as hard as before, he said, but on the court I try now to have a good time, to enjoy the game, and feel no pressure without necessarily letting my performance slip.

Intal and Joshua Villanueva joined their champion coach on Cignal after a prolonged celebration of Ateneos third consecutive title triumph in the UAAP.

The prolific pair only had one training with their new teammates before the PVL, a joint undertaking of Sports Vision as organizer, Asics as official league partner, and Mikasa as official game ball, was launched April 30.

Intal got to play only in the third game against Philippine Army.

He was sent in to the court late in the first set, scoring three points at once in three minutes, and was never pulled out en route to a 12-point production.

From then on, he has made the starting team of coach Almadro together with another former Ateneo teammate Ysay Marasigan.

But it is not so for Villanueva, converted from middle blocker to open spiker for Cignal. He only gets two or three minutes of playing time if ever hes utilized at all, which is very rarely.

Thats another thing Intal feels strange about.

Im so used to having Josh (Villanueva) on the court and now

See the rest here:
Intal: 'I'm not used to losing in two or three years' - ABS-CBN Sports

LUBBOCK, Texas Sophomore right-hander Cody Deason will start for the Arizona Wildcats in their elimination game Sunday vs. Sam Houston State in the NCAA Tournaments Lubbock Regional. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after noon Tucson time.

Deason (5-2, 2.77 ERA) pitched one inning during Arizonas 6-5, 12-inning victory over Delaware on Saturday. He would have pitched more, but a 2-hour, 18-minute rain delay limited him to that one frame. He faced four batters, striking out three. He threw 19 pitches.

Deason will face sophomore left-hander Seth Ballew (6-3, 3.99). The Bearkats threw a lefty at the Wildcats on Friday, and it worked as Sam Houston won 5-4 to push Arizona into the losers bracket. Coach Matt Deggs said he liked the matchup, and hes going to that well again.

In the wee hours of Sunday morning, after Sam Houston State lost to host Texas Tech 6-0, Deggs predicted a dogfight against Arizona, which has become a familiar foe. Todays game will be the fourth postseason meeting between the schools in the past two years.

I think the two ballclubs are very similar, the way they go about their business, Deggs said. Both play extremely hard, play with a lot of energy, love to play. You can see the passion on both sides.

Neither one of us wants to see our season end. Whoever wins will absolutely have to finish the other guy, I promise you that.

Here's Arizonas lineup:

Read the original here:
Cody Deason to start for Arizona Wildcats in NCAA knockout game vs. Sam Houston State - Sequoyah County Times

LUBBOCK, Texas Sophomore right-hander Cody Deason will start for the Arizona Wildcats in their elimination game Sunday vs. Sam Houston State in the NCAA Tournaments Lubbock Regional. First pitch is scheduled for shortly after noon Tucson time.

Deason (5-2, 2.77 ERA) pitched one inning during Arizonas 6-5, 12-inning victory over Delaware on Saturday. He would have pitched more, but a 2-hour, 18-minute rain delay limited him to that one frame. He faced four batters, striking out three. He threw 19 pitches.

Deason will face sophomore left-hander Seth Ballew (6-3, 3.99). The Bearkats threw a lefty at the Wildcats on Friday, and it worked as Sam Houston won 5-4 to push Arizona into the losers bracket. Coach Matt Deggs said he liked the matchup, and hes going to that well again.

In the wee hours of Sunday morning, after Sam Houston State lost to host Texas Tech 6-0, Deggs predicted a dogfight against Arizona, which has become a familiar foe. Todays game will be the fourth postseason meeting between the schools in the past two years.

I think the two ballclubs are very similar, the way they go about their business, Deggs said. Both play extremely hard, play with a lot of energy, love to play. You can see the passion on both sides.

Neither one of us wants to see our season end. Whoever wins will absolutely have to finish the other guy, I promise you that.

Here's Arizonas lineup:

More here:
Cody Deason to start for Arizona Wildcats in NCAA knockout game vs. Sam Houston State - Arizona Daily Star

GlobalPort's Terrence Romeo glides for a lay-up against Alaska's Calvin Abueva. Richard Esguerra, ABS-CBN Sports

MANILA, Philippines The GlobaPort Batang Pier caught the last bus to the quarterfinals of the 2017 PBA Commissioner's Cup after a thrilling 107-106 victory over the Alaska Aces in a knockout game Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Terrence Romeo drilled a big-time three-pointer with 8.1 seconds left to put the Batang Pier ahead, 106-104, and GlobalPort held firm defensively in the dying moments of the contest to secure their passage to the playoffs.

GlobalPort will face off with the top-seeded Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings, who are armed with a twice-to-beat edge, in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

"Today's game is a testament that the boys don't want to go on a break yet," GlobalPort coach Franz Pumaren said after the game. "It's going to be a tough series for us just a one-day rest, and we're playing the No. 1 team, the team that's on a streak."

"Hopefully, we can sustain the run," he added.

Romeo finished with 26 points, five rebounds, and three assists, while Stanley Pringle added 21 points, six boards, and five dimes. Import Justin Harper tallied 32 points and 17 rebounds.

It appeared as though the game was going to be a blowout in Alaska's favor as the Aces ran out to a 26-12 lead in the first quarter, only for the Batang Pier to score 14 straight points bridging the first and second frames to force a tie.

GlobalPort eventually led by as much as nine, 41-32, in the second period, but the two teams found themselves locked into a back-and-forth war in the second half. Calvin Abueva and import Cory Jefferson took turns carrying the load for the Aces, while Pringle, Romeo and Harper starred for the Batang Pier.

Romeo was spectacular in crunch time, drilling a triple that made it 101-100 with 2:12 left, before Chris Banchero's lay-up gave Alaska back the lead. After two charities by Pringle off a Jefferson foul made it 104-102, Abueva hit a crucial lay-up to tie the contest for Alaska with just 20.6 seconds to go.

The Batang Pier, however, showed no panic as they put the ball in Romeo's hands and let him go to work. The former UAAP MVP shook off the defense of Kevin Racal for a step back triple that hit nothing but net, giving GlobalPort a crucial two-point advantage, 106-104, with just 8.1 seconds to go.

"We have to give credit to the guy," Pumaren said of Romeo. "He's really willing to take the shot, and that's why he's Terrence Romeo. In short, makapal ang mukha niya."

Abueva agonizingly missed a field goal in Alaska's next possession, as he saw his lay-up go in-and-out of the basket. However, the Batang Pier left the door open for the Aces when Harper made only one of two charities.

Unfortunately for Alaska, Simon Enciso's triple from the right corner hit iron, and Ping Exciminiano's follow-up was one point too short.

The loss provided a heartbreaking finish to Alaska's campaign in the tournament. The Aces opened the Commissioner's Cup with four straight victories including a 107-79 rout of GlobalPort in their first game but ended it with an eight-game losing streak.

This marks the first time since the 2012 Governors' Cup that the Aces have missed the playoffs, and the first time that they missed the playoffs in Alex Compton's tenure.

Abueva netted a career-high of 31 points, making 12 of his 19 shots, to go along with 13 rebounds and three assists. Jefferson added 32 rebounds and 16 boards, while Banchero scored 16 markers.

However, the Aces allowed GlobalPort to shoot 47% from the field, and including 13 of their 38 three-pointers. In contrast, Alaska mustered only four triples in the entire contest.

The scores:

GLOBALPORT 107 - Harper 32, Romeo 26, Pringle 21, Guinto 8, Cortez 6, Pessumal 5, Anthony 5, Grey 3, Maierhofer 1, Mamaril 0, Forrester 0, Paredes 0, Pennisi 0.

ALASKA 106 - Jefferson 32, Abueva 31, Banchero 16, Manuel 9, Exciminiano 8, Racal 3, Enciso 3, Galliguez 2, Cruz 2, Thoss 0, Pascual 0, Hontiveros 0, Dela Cruz 0.

Quarter scores: 20-26, 52-49, 74-78, 107-106

For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.

Originally posted here:
PBA: GlobalPort ekes out thrilling win over Alaska to claim quarterfinals berth - ABS-CBN News