MANILA, Philippines – The UAAP Season 80 men's basketball Final 4 playoffs will begin on Saturday, November 18, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. 

The Ateneo Blue Eagles, De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers, Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons and Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws make up this season's Final 4. 

The Blue Eagles were close to sweeping the elimination round, but lost to the Green Archers on Sunday, November 12, preventing a stepladder format knockout round and an automatic finals spot for Ateneo. 

Top seed Ateneo will face 4th seed FEU, while the 2nd seed DLSU will battle it out with  3rd seed AdU in the semi-final round. 

Both Ateneo and La Salle secured twice-to-beat advantages, making it a challenge for AdU and FEU to reach the finals. 

Tune into @RapplerSports on Twitter for live updates of the games. 

– Rappler.com

MOSCOW, Russia – Russian grandmaster Sergey Karjakin, runner-up in last year's World Chess Championship, on Monday vowed his support for Vladimir Putin after several sports stars publicly backed the president.

Putin is expected to stand for a fourth Kremlin term in 2018 but has not yet confirmed his candidature.

Karjakin, 27, gave no details on what his involvement in the campaign will be, but wrote on Twitter: "I've always openly supported Vladimir Putin but now I can finally do this officially. Putin team. I'm on the team!"

He added a photo of him meeting Putin this summer.

A chess prodigy, Karjakin became the youngest ever grandmaster at 12. Last December he lost to Norwegian Magnus Carlsen at the World Chess Championship.

Karjakin came forward after ice hockey star Alex Ovechkin, who plays in the United States, announced that he is starting a "social movement" called "Team Putin".

"I am personally ready to be part of such a team," Ovechkin wrote on November 2 on Instagram.

Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he welcomed the involvement of Ovechkin, who captains both the Russian team and the Washington Capitals.

"It goes without saying that we welcome Sasha's desire to express support for our president, especially from abroad," Peskov told journalists, using a shortening of Ovechkin's first name.

The Kremlin spokesman added however that he did not know what form this would take.

Ovechkin's message in support of Putin has been "liked" more than 91,000 times.

Sports stars including ice hockey veteran Pavel Bure said they backed Ovechkin's initiative.

Evgeni Malkin, who plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Russian national team, on Sunday announced he was joining Ovechkin's pro-Putin "team."

He wrote on Instagram: "Putin team. I'm in the team of Alex Ovechkin," posting a picture of himself with Putin in ice hockey gear.

The Pittsburg Penguins visited US President Donald Trump in the White House last month while insisting this was unrelated to politics. – Rappler.com

ROME, Italy – Italy's failure to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 60 years was greeted by a mixture of disbelief, dismay and resigned disappointment by fans across the country.

In Rome's trendy San Lorenzo district, the Le Mura bar, which showed the playoff crunch on Monday, November 13, with Sweden on a big screen, emptied at the final whistle after a goalless stalemate which condemned the Azzurri to a 1-0 aggregate defeat.

"It is really very sad because watching the World Cup was something that really brought us together as Italians," said recent graduate Stefania Pusateri, heading for the exit.

"But what is sure is that the shock will be even worse for my father. He is 54 years old and he has never had to go through something like this."

Sitting alongside Pusateri, friend Davide Penna concurred. "I still can't believe it has happened," he said. "We have never experienced anything like this. It's over."

Similar sentiments were voiced by fans coming out of the San Siro stadium in Milan after Monday's 0-0 draw.

"I am disappointed with the whole football system in Italy," said Mirko Palmieri. "It is the umpteenth failure of our country. Even here (at the San Siro), we can't get the job done."

Italy not being at the World Cup will be a new experience for most of the country's fans, and few of them are looking forward to the experience of watching from the sidelines.

The 4-time champions opted not to play at the first World Cup in 1930 but they have been present at every other edition apart from 1958, when they also failed to qualify.

"I was born with Italy being a part of the World Cup, and it has always been like that," one supporter told AFP on his way out of the Milan stadium.

"Tomorrow I will wake up and my life will go on but this summer I will do something else."

Another added: "The disappointment is a double one – first because we are not good, but second because we were beaten by a team that is even worse than us."

'Completely unthinkable'

Back in the Rome bar, the view that Italy deserved to be on the plane to Russia was disputed by journalism student Christian Dalenz.

"The reality is they were not good enough, they haven't earned the right to be at the World Cup. This is a very weak squad. It just does not have enough world-class players who can make the difference."

The extent of the shock that non-qualification represents for Italian football was underlined by the pre-match confidence of most fans that Gigi Buffon and co. would pull through.

"It is not as if Sweden are that strong a team," Fabio Votano, a Roman who was only a toddler when Italy last missed out on a World Cup finals, had told AFPTV hours before kick-off.

"Not winning is completely unthinkable, basically something that has never happened before. For Italy, getting to the World Cup finals is almost a duty."

Italy ended up in the playoffs as a result of finishing second in their qualifying group behind Spain.

They then put in a sluggish performance in the first leg in Sweden, when the home side edged a scrappy, physical affair thanks to substitute Jakob Johansson's deflected shot just after the hour mark.

Rome resident Enrico Doddi insisted Italy's players were good enough to have overcome Sweden.

"They're playing miserably at the moment but Italy still has a good set of players in my opinion," he said. "It is all down to mentality.

"You cannot have a good World Cup without Italy." – Rappler.com

LONDON, United Kingdom – Rafael Nadal pulled out of the ATP Finals on Monday, November 13, admitting he had lost his fitness battle after crashing to defeat in 3 sets to David Goffin in a thrilling encounter.

The world number one dug deep but was stunned 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (4/7), 6-4 by Goffin in his opening match of the end-of-season finale, which he has never won in his illustrious career.

The Spaniard came into the tournament with doubts swirling over his fitness after pulling out of the Paris Masters with a knee injury.

Initially he showed no obvious ill-effects during a rollercoaster round-robin encounter in front of a supportive crowd but eventually his injury caught up with him and forced him to admit his season is over.

"No, I am off," said Nadal. "My season is finished. Yeah, I had the commitment with the event, with the city, with myself. I tried hard. I did the thing that I had to do to try to be ready to play. But I am really not ready to play."

"Is about the pain," he added. "I cannot hold with enough power to keep playing. I tried, but seriously it was a miracle to be very close in the score during the match. It really doesn't make sense."

Nadal said he would work hard to be ready for the start of the next season.

"I know what I have to do," he said. "I know all the things that happened in the past when I had these things, and I know the treatment that I had to do. I know the periods of time that I need to work. Then if the treatment works or not, we will see."

Nadal, 31, struggled to find his range early in front of a raucous crowd rooting for him and was broken twice in the first set by the Belgian 7th seed, who had lost their previous two encounters.

The Spaniard appeared to have earned a psychological edge when Goffin double-faulted while serving for the set and the match went into a tie-break but the Belgian re-found his focus to come out on top.

The second set went with serve until the 8th game, when Goffin broke to earn a chance to serve for the match, only for Nadal to break back.

Goffin had a golden chance to seal the match in Nadal's next service game but failed to put away a mid-court forehand on match point and the left-hander leveled at 5-5.

The Belgian composed himself to hold and then earned 3 more match points but Nadal, showing incredible grit and playing right at the limit, saved all 3 to take it to another tie-break, which he won.

Discomfort

In the decider, Nadal appeared to feel discomfort in his right knee as he went two breaks down but still he refused to admit defeat, recovering a break before eventually succumbing.

"It was a tough fight until the end," said a relieved Goffin.

"Rafa is one of the strongest players mentally on the tour. I am so happy to finally find the key to win this match. It is so special to do it here."

Nadal has won 75 singles titles in his illustrious career, including 16 Grand Slams and 30 Masters events but he has yet to triumph at the ATP Finals, played on quick indoor courts rather than his favored clay.

Earlier, also in the Pete Sampras group, Grigor Dimitrov held his nerve to beat Dominic Thiem 6-3, 5-7, 7-5.

The elegant Bulgarian had the edge for most of an enthralling contest of one-handed backhands but admitted he felt "pretty nervous" in his first appearance at the ATP Finals.

The 6th seed, who has enjoyed the best season of his career, looked wobbly as he blew his chance to serve for the match at 5-4 in the decider only to hit back immediately as Thiem himself faltered and going on to seal victory on his 3rd match point.

The ATP Finals feature the top 8 fit male singles players and doubles teams that have accrued the most points throughout the 2017 season. – Rappler.com

Apparently, big ballers don’t care about 99.92% conviction rates.

During a state visit to China, US President Donald Trump personally asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to look into the shoplifting case of UCLA Bruin rookie LiAngelo Ball and his teammates in China, according to a report by The Washington Post.

Ball and his teammates Cody Riley and Jalen Hill are still detained in their Hangzhou hotel as of today and are expected to stay for “a week or two,” according to updated reports by ESPN. They were not allowed to participate in their Saturday season-opening victory against Georgia Tech in Shanghai.

Xi responded that he would “look into the case and ensure that the players are treated fairly and expeditiously,” according to an anonymous source of The Washington Post. This source also noted that the charges against the players have been reduced and their case is proceeding toward a resolution.

If this source is correct, then the UCLA trio may be a part of the miniscule 0.08% of people who get acquitted in the “Draconian” Chinese courts which are notorious for convicting nearly every individual charged of criminal activity, as described by Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports. It also helps that US Chief of Staff John F. Kelly remains in personal contact with Chinese authorities and the families of the players.

Wetzel initially reported that the players may face 3-10 years imprisonment for shoplifting, but according to the China Law Translate, the penalties for shoplifting “can vary greatly.”

As reported by The Washington Post, stealing products worth more than 2,500 yuan ($380) may merit jail time and stolen items worth between 7,000-10,000 yuan ($1,050-$1,510) fetches 2-3 years of imprisonment. However, the fact that the charges have been reduced means that the players and their families have cooperated with authorities, which may include actions such as admittance to wrongdoing and providing compensation for the stolen items.

The whole incident has since overshadowed the Ball family’s entry into the Chinese market, as LiAngelo was supposed to accompany outspoken celebrity father LaVar during the store openings of family startup Big Baller Brand.

The Ball patriarch has since been unnaturally silent during the whole ordeal, but did comment on Twitter that “It ain’t that big a deal.” Los Angeles Lakers rookie and big bro Lonzo also did not have much involvement on the issue and, per instructions of his team and family, focused more instead on fixing his early-season struggles with the 16-time NBA champion franchise. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Azkals failed to seal an outright berth to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup due to a 0-0 draw in their penultimate match vs Nepal on Tuesday, November 14 at the Anfa Complex in Kathmandu, Nepal. 

The Azkals have one more chance to qualify into the Asian Cup when they face Tajikistan in their last match of the qualifiers on March 27, 2018, tentatively in Panaad Stadium in Bacolod. 

Playing at a high-altitude location under a 21°C weather, the Azkals attacking third had a difficult time converting their shots in the first half, despite taking control of the midfield.  

In the 34th minute, Kurt Dizon fired a shot that was deflected by Nepal goalkeeper Kiran Kumar Limbu. Mike Ott caught the rebound but failed to control the ball, resulting to a save by Kiran.

At the half, the Azkals had a total of 5 shots but only Dizon's 34th minute out-of-the-box attempt from was on-target. 

Both sides piled pressure on each other in the second half. The Azkals' biggest chances came in between the 74th to 76th minute, where Phil Younghusband nabbed back-to-back corner kicks. 

In the Azkals' last sequence (90+3'), goal keeper Neil Etheridge takes a free kick at the halfline which connected to Carli De Murga, but the latter's header hit the woodwork. 

The Philippines continues to sit on top of Group F with 9 points and a +4 goal difference, while Nepal remains at the bottom with 2 points and a -7 goal difference.

Yemen will face Tajikistan later in the day, which will determine the current standings of Group F before their last set of matches. A win by Yemen will allow them to share top seed with the Philippines. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Sta. Lucia Lady Realtors breathed a sigh of relief after ending their 3-game skid in fine fashion with a 25-19, 25-21, 25-19 win over the Victoria Sports-UST Golden Tigresses in the 2017 Philippine Superliga Grand Prix at the Arena in San Juan Tuesday, November 14.

Sta. Lucia, which won its first in 4 outings, came from behind in the first two sets before controlling the pace in the 3rd set to deal the Tigresses their 3rd loss in as many games.

Down by 5 points in the second set, 13-18, the Lady Realtors turned the tables behind Dana Anisova, who scored back-to-back hits that sparked a 9-1 run, to take a 22-19 lead.

Pam Lastimosa fired two consecutive attacks for a 24-20 Sta. Lucia advantage. Rialen Sante secured the set with a kill.

“We needed a win so we got the win. Noong second set, akala ko bibitaw pa then okay na rin ‘yung na nagrecover. Baby steps namin, we’ll take it,” said Sta. Lucia coach Jerry Yee.

(We needed a win so we got the win. I thought we were going to go down in the second set, fortunately, they recovered. Baby steps but we’ll take it.)

Anisova had a game-high 13 points, built on 11 spikes, while Lastimosa contributed 11 markers. Marisa Field also chipped in 11 points, spiked by 3 blocks and 2 aces, while Sante added 9.

The Tigresses held a 13-12 advantage in the third set but crumbled from then on as the Lady Realtors scored 4 straight points to lead 16-13. UST never tasted the lead since then.

Dimdim Pacres paced the Tigresses with 9 points while Caitlyn Viray and Carla Sandoval combined for 16 markers. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – Petron sent Foton crashing back to Earth as the Blaze Spikers ended the Tornadoes’ 4-game winning streak with a 25-21, 25-22, 12-25, 25-20 win in the 2017 Philippine Superliga Grand Prix at the Arena in San Juan Tuesday, November 14.

After a miserable 3rd set, the Blaze Spikers quickly regained their composure as they raced to a 20-11 lead in the 4th set thanks to 7-1 run capped by back-to-back aces from Rhea Dimaculangan.

The Tornadoes tried to mount a comeback behind a 7-2 run, 18-22, but Petron’s lead was too large to overcome.

With the win, Petron now leads the standings with a 5-1 card while Foton suffered its first loss in 5 outings.

“Sobrang thankful kami and sobrang happy kasi yung mga plano namin, nagbunga ng maganda. Sobra naming inaral ito, honestly speaking,” said Petron coach Shaq delos Santos. 

(We are very thankful and happy because all of our plans worked great for us. We really assessed this matchup, honestly speaking.)

American imports Lindsay Stalzer and Hillary Hurley did most of the heavy lifting for Petron as they scorched for 23 and 20 points, respectively. Stalzer fired 20 attack points while Hurley had 15 kills and 4 aces.

Despite losing the first two sets, Foton prevented a potential sweep behind the efforts of Sara Klisura as the Tornadoes zoomed into an 18-6 lead in the 3rd set. 

Petron scored 4 straight points, 10-18, but Klisura ignited a 7-2 Foton run to force a fourth set.

Klisura dropped a game-high 29-points, built on 24 hits, 3 blocks and 2 aces, while Jaja Santiago added 11 for the Tornadoes. – Rappler.com

LA Revilla’s days with the Kia Picanto are over.

SPIN.ph’s Gerry Ramos reported that Kia board of governor Bobby Rosales confirmed Revilla’s trade to the Phoenix Fuel Masters for Jayson Grimaldo and a 2018 second round pick.

Revilla was undoubtedly the Picanto’s go-to-guy in his three-year stint with the squad but after posting a cryptic tweet following a controversial trade that saw Kia trade its first overall pick to San Miguel, his tenure has been shrouded with uncertainty.

Kia received Ronald Tubid, Jay-R Reyes, Rashawn McCarthy and a 2019 first round pick in exchange for the top pick which the Beermen used to draft Filipino-German standout Christian Standhardinger.

Revilla’s post was already deleted on his Twitter account, @wilLAREVILLAme.

The former De La Salle University stalwart was drafted by the Globalport Batang Pier in 2013 but did not make much noise there.

Revilla then tried out for the Picanto and was included in the roster for the 2014-2015 season. Since then, he has been the face of the embattled franchise which finished with a winless record in the 2017 Governors’ Cup. – Rappler.com

LOS ANGELES, United States – Three American college basketball players arrested in China for shoplifting are back home in Los Angeles after US President Donald Trump intervened on their behalf.

UCLA freshmen players LiAngelo Ball – the younger brother of Los Angeles Lakers rookie star Lonzo Ball – and teammates Cody Riley and Jalen Hill arrived on a flight from Shanghai to Los Angeles and exited the airport from the departures level, avoiding reporters awaiting the plane, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Larry Scott, commissioner of the Pacific-12 Conference of which UCLA is a member, said in a statement the players were on the flight and the trio were allowed to leave Hangzhou, where they were detained a week ago.

"The matter has been resolved to the satisfaction of the Chinese authorities," Scott said. "We are all very pleased that these young men have been allowed to return home to their families and university.

"We are grateful for the role that our Chinese hosts played, and for the courtesy and professionalism of the local authorities."

Scott thanked Trump, the White House, and the State Department for their assistance in resolving the case.

Trump said he personally asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to intervene on behalf of the 3 players during his two-day state visit to Beijing last week.

"What they did was unfortunate," Trump said. "You know, you're talking about very long prison sentences. They (the Chinese authorities) do not play games."

Ball, Riley, and Hill were arrested in Hangzhou ahead of a scheduled game against Georgia Tech in Shanghai.

According to ESPN, they were nabbed on suspicion of stealing from a Louis Vuitton store and later freed on bail but ordered to remain in Hangzhou.

The UCLA and Georgia Tech squads were in Hangzhou for a side trip to the headquarters of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.

Shoplifting can bring jail time in China depending on the value of the goods.

UCLA, one of the most storied names in US college basketball with 11 men's NCAA championships, won Saturday's game in Shanghai 63-60 without the 3 players. The rest of the team flew home afterwards.

Besides coinciding with Trump's visit, the case drew attention in the United States due to the involvement of Ball, one of 3 high-profile basketball-playing sons of LaVar Ball.

The elder Ball has become a media personality by aggressively promoting his sons as future NBA superstars and had traveled to China on the trip to promote his Big Baller Brand shoe and apparel line. – Rappler.com

Match highlights: 

The Philippines picked up a third Asian Cup qualifying draw in a row on Tuesday after the Group F encounter against Nepal in Kathmandu finished goalless. In our previous two matches we also shared points with Yemen twice via 2-2 and 1-1 scores.

After we manhandled the Nepalese 4-1 at home in March, this seemed to be an easy three points for the Philippines. Get the W, pop the champagne, and start looking for cheap flights to Dubai in 2019, where the final stage will be held.

But it just wasn't to be for Thomas Dooley's men on a difficult afternoon.

As I feared, this match proved to be a stumbling block

Back in January when the draw for the qualifying came out, I wrote these words here in Rappler, lamenting what I saw as an unfortunate draw. 

“The way I see it there was no harder Pot 4 away game than Nepal, and that is exactly what we landed. The altitude and the travel make this game a true banana skin. Almost every other Pot 4 away game would have been a short hop away at sea level against a beatable team. True, an away match at Bhutan would have also meant difficult travel and a match at high altitude, but the Bhutanese are probably weaker than Nepal.”

That was how I felt in January. Last weekend I wrote a preview to this game talking a lot about the altitude in Nepal, and two guys I really respect in Pinoy football, Mikee Carrion, (who was the match analyst on ABS-CBN S+A,) and ex-Kaya coach Maor Rozen, reassured me that it might not be an issue.

Rozen told me that up to 1500 meters above sea level, there is really nothing much to worry about with pro athletes. It's only higher than that where things become difficult. Carrion said that in South America some visiting teams to high-altitude matches sometimes deliberately come a day before so that their body doesn't have time to notice the thin air.

Plus the weather was startlingly balmy, around 21 degrees celsius at kickoff, 2:15 pm local time. The sun was out too. I guess autumns in Nepal are really pleasant most of the time.

By kickoff I was really liking our chances. Conditions seemed perfect for us to win.

But it wasn't to be. The ground looked very firm on TV, and we seemed to have difficulty controlling the weight of our passes and first touches in the thin air. Nepal looked very organized in the back and limited our chances.

The Azkals were not afraid to press in the first half. Perhaps we paid for it with some tiredness in the second? I would love to ask the players.

In the end, luck was not on our side as two chances were cleared off the line and Carlie De Murga's last-gasp header clanged off the woodwork.

Misagh Bahadoran was not fielded, and that likely means he just didn't have the fitness in the eyes of Dooley to get a run-out. Curt Dizon did well up top, stinging the palms of the Nepalese goalie.

So in the end, this did turn out to be a tough game. Nepal is 60 places below us on the FIFA rankings, and they had nothing else but pride to play for. But it didn't matter much as we just couldn't crack them.

We were without some key cogs but for me there was one injured Azkal that we missed the most....

We really needed Manny Ott

The center of the park was not the creative engine it could have been on Tuesday. Paul Mulders, Phil Younghusband, and Kevin Ingreso were unable to rule the middle third. There were too main aimless direct balls.

Manny Ott, Mike's kuya, is out for a few months with an injured knee. We sorely needed his composure, passing touch and vision. He is that rare player with the ability to read defenses and break them down.

Here's hoping that the Ceres man somehow makes it back for the March game against Tajikistan, and that the other injured Azkal talisman, Javi Patiño, is upfield to receive his passes.

Let's take a look at where we stand

On Tuesday night Yemen and Tajikistan played to a 0-0 draw as well in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe. I see this as a good development because it keeps both sides below us in the standings.

The Pinoys have 9 points after two wins and three draws to lead the group. Yemen and Tajikistan are at 7 points. Two-point Nepal are out of the running for UAE in 2019.

The top two in the group progress. On March 27 we tangle with Tajikistan at home and Yemen and Nepal play in the last set of group games. I gather that the favorite to host the match is Panaad again, but there has been no official announcement yet.

A win against Tajikistan and we are top of the group and punch tickets to UAE. A draw will be good enough too. That gives us 10 points, and leaves the Tajiks stuck at 8, safely below us. In that scenario, Tajikistan needs Nepal to beat Yemen to give the Central Asians passage.

It is still possible for us to qualify even if we lose. That brings Tajikistan to 10 and leaves us at 9. Nepal needs to either draw or beat the Yemenis, though, for us to back into the final stage in 2019.

The nightmare scenario is if we fall to Tajikistan and Yemen beats Nepal. That leaves us with 9 points, a point less than the other two and out of the AFC Asian Cup.

But aside from that possibility we are actually still in good shape. This nil-nil may not satisfy, but it nudges us ever so closer to the promised land of UAE in 2019.

With no more Azkals play for the rest of the year, we need to give the PFL a look

The first Philippines Football League season is nearing the finish line. The clubs in the four-team playoffs are already known. FC Meralco Manila, Ceres Negros, Kaya Makati and Global Cebu will participate, and it's only seedings that are at stake for the last few regular season games. For more information check out the league's Facebook page here. (https://www.facebook.com/PhilippinesFootballLeagueOfficial/)

The two-legged semis will take place on December 2, 3, 9 and 10. The one-game final happens on December 16. The action should be intense.

The Azkals may be done playing for their country this year, but you can now check out your favorite Pinoy footballers battle for their clubs.

Follow Bob on Twitter @PassionateFanPH. – Rappler.com

LOS ANGELES, United States – Three US college basketball players detained in China for shoplifting publicly apologized Wednesday and thanked President Donald Trump for helping secure their release.

Trump had personally asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping to intervene to free UCLA's LiAngelo Ball -- the younger brother of Los Angeles Lakers rookie star Lonzo Ball -- and teammates Cody Riley and Jalen Hill, who were arrested last Tuesday in Hangzhou.

The trio were held on suspicion of stealing from a Louis Vuitton store and later freed on bail but ordered to remain in the picturesque Chinese city.

Shoplifting can bring jail time in China depending on the value of the goods.

On Wednesday, all three admitted their guilt at a news conference in Los Angeles, one day after returning home.

"I take full responsibilities for the mistake that I made, shoplifting. I know that this goes beyond me letting my school down but I let the entire country down," said Riley.

"Before I thank everybody who worked so incredibly hard helping us returning home safely, I want to thank the Chinese government and the police for taking care of us. And to President Trump and the United States government, thank you for taking the time to intervene on our behalf."

Ball told reporters he had not exercised his "best judgment" and vowed never to repeat the "stupid decision" to steal, also thanking Trump, as well as the Chinese police and UCLA.

"This does not define who I am. My family raised me better than that and I am going to make myself a better person from here on out," he added.

Hill told reporters he wanted to be known for his love of basketball rather than "this dumb mistake."

"This incident has changed me in a way that I cannot describe. I have so much more respect from the people around me from coaches and staff and the fans of UCLA," he said.

UCLA head coach Steve Alford said the trio had been suspended indefinitely and would not travel with the team or suit up for home games.

Alford thanked "President Trump and his administration for their nonstop efforts" in resolving the case.

Earlier Wednesday, Trump tweeted about his role in urging Xi to secure the trio's release.

"Do you think the three UCLA Basketball Players will say thank you President Trump? They were headed for 10 years in jail!" Trump mused.

The case drew attention in the United States due to the involvement of Ball, one of three high-profile basketball-playing sons of LaVar Ball.

The elder Ball has become a media personality by aggressively promoting his sons as future NBA superstars and had travelled to China on the trip to promote his Big Baller Brand shoe and apparel line. – Rappler.com

SEOUL, South Korea – The World Anti-Doping Agency maintained its suspension of Russia on Thursday, November 16, raising the specter of a possible ban from February's Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

WADA's Foundation Board, meeting in Seoul, came to the decision after its Compliance Review Committee recommended that Russia's anti-doping body, RUSADA, "should not be reinstated".

The decision had been expected after Russia refused to admit running a state-sponsored doping system, as detailed in an explosive report for WADA by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren.

The International Olympic Committee is expected to decide whether Russia can compete in Pyeongchang at an executive board meeting next month in Lausanne.

Russia was declared "non-compliant" by WADA in 2015 after the McLaren report alleged institutionalized doping culminating at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi – where the hosts topped the medals table.

Russia's secret service and sports ministry were accused of orchestrating an elaborate plot that included using a "mousehole" to switch dirty samples at the doping laboratory in the Black Sea resort.

WADA has told Russia to "publicly accept" the report's findings and allow access to urine samples at its Moscow anti-doping laboratory, among its key demands before returning to compliance.

Russian Olympic Committee president Alexander Zhukov admitted that Russia's anti-doping system had failed, but he said officials at RUSADA and their Moscow laboratory were to blame.

"We accept the fact our national anti-doping system has failed... (but) we absolutely deny a state-sponsored doping system," Zhukov told the WADA meeting, echoing previous denials.

He added that an unconditional recognition of the McLaren report "is impossible".

Russian Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov pointed to improvements within RUSADA, and insisted it was independent of state control as he pleaded for the agency to be reinstated.

"RUSADA performs all functions within the World Anti-Doping Code," he said. "I guarantee RUSADA will be fully independent, it is a totally new organisation.

"We are ready to go forward and work openly in the full standards of WADA. Please let us be compliant."

Progress has been made, and WADA has already partially lifted its ban on RUSADA, giving it the right to collect samples. It also audited the body in September.

But suspicions remain. Foundation Board member Adam Pengilly asked how WADA could "trust" Russia's new anti-doping regime "until there is a real acknowledgement of what happened?"

Last week, WADA also said it had obtained an "enormous" internal database of Russian drug test results from 2012-2015.

Despite WADA's refusal to readmit Russia, it may not be fatal to the country's chances of competing in Pyeongchang.

In 2016, the IOC ignored WADA's calls to ban Russia from the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro over the McLaren report, instead leaving the decision to individual sports bodies. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Mapua University Red Robins relied on Clint Escamis’ fourth quarter heroics to keep their title-retention bid alive following a 91-81 win over the La Salle Green Hills Greenies in Game 2 of the best-of-3 NCAA Season 93 boys’ basketball finals at the Araneta Coliseum Thursday, November 16.

Escamis poured in 10 of his game-high 25 points in the payoff period to keep the Red Robins afloat against the surging Greenies, who erased a 13-point deficit and tied the game at 67-all heading into the final period.

Mapua did not face much problems amid Most Valuable Player Will Gozum’s early fourth quarter exit due to foul trouble as Escamis scored 6 points in an 11-1 run that gave the Red Robins 78-68 lead.

The Greenies went within 5 points, 81-86, thanks to a Joshua Marcos triple with 1:23 left in the game but Escamis, who also had 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and 1 block, converted back-to-back layups to prevent the comeback.

“Sinabi ko lang na stay aggressive, possession by possession, wag nating madaliin. Ganoon ‘yung naging problema namin noong Game 1 eh,” said Mapua coach Randy Alcantara. “Siguro mas gusto namin ngayon, mas malaki ‘yung puso ng mga naglaro ngayon.”

(I just told the players to stay aggressive and not to rush the game since that became our problem in Game 1. Maybe we just wanted it more and they played with more heart today.)

Warren Bonifacio made his presence felt with 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Red Robins while Erick Jabel added 17 points, highlighted by 3 straight buckets in the last period, 7 boards and 4 assists and was plus-17 the whole game.

The Greenies were down by 9 points at the start of the third period, 46-55, before tying the game at 67-all behind Joel Cagulangan’s back-to-back triples.

Cagulangan had a team-high 16 points, 9 assists and 3 rebounds but shot a dismal 31 percent and committed 10 turnovers. Marcos and Joshua David conjoined for 24 points and 14 rebounds.

Game 3 will be on Tuesday, Nov. 21, at the same venue.

Scores:

Mapua (91): Escamis 25, Bonifacio 18, Jabel 17, Gozum 10, Garcia 8, Enriquez 6, Lacap 4, Dennison 3, Ramos 0, Sarias 0, Socias 0

LSGH (81): Cagulangan 16, David 12, Marcos 12, Lepalam 10, Mosqueda 9, Perez 9, Sangco 5, Morales 4, Lao 4, Belgica 0, Pedrosa 0, Dela Cruz 0, Cruz 0

Quarter scores: 25-19, 55-46, 67-67, 91-81

– Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – The Lyceum of the Philippines University’s historic 18-0 sweep in the elimination round went for naught as the San Beda College Red Lions took a 92-82 win in Game 2 to sweep their best-of-3 NCAA Season 93 men’s basketball finals at the Araneta Coliseum Thursday, November 16.

Robert Bolick once again played hero for the Red Lions, who won their 10th title in 12 years, as he delivered a dagger triple with 50 seconds left in the game that gave San Beda a comfortable 89-82 lead.

Bolick scored half of his team-high 18 points in the final period to go with 6 assists and 5 rebounds.

Lyceum held a 76-73 lead midway the payoff period before the Red Lions went on a 10-3 run, 4 points coming from Bolick, for an 83-79 advantage.

"This championship will not be a reality if not for my players. They deserve to win this championship because they work hard really well. They sacrificed for about 11 months and we know in the course of our season, people doubted us but the circle of this team never doubted each other," said San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez.

Donald Tankoua, who was named finals Most Valuable Player, followed up his magnificent Game 1 performance with a 17-point and 17-rebound showing while Davon Potts was still steady with 15 markers and 5 boards.

Javee Mocon made his presence felt for San Beda with 14 points, 6 boards and 3 assists while AC Soberano added 11 points, highlighted by a triple late in the game that put the Red Lions up 86-82, to go with 3 steals.

The Red Lions played catch up basketball throughout as they trailed by as much as 11 points but banked on their championship experience in the fourth quarter to exact revenge on Lyceum, which swept them in the elimination round.

Season MVP CJ Perez paced the Pirates with 22 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals but was kept scoreless in the deciding quarter.

Mike Nzeusseu had 15 points, 15 rebounds and 2 blocks for Lyceum while Jaycee Marcelino chipped in 12 markers, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.

Despite the loss, barging into the finals behind an undefeated run in the elimination round was still an astounding accomplishment for the Pirates, who joined the league as a guest team in Season 87.

Scores:

San Beda (92): Bolick 18, Tankoua 17, Potts 15, Mocon 14, Soberano 11, Abuda 5, Bahio 5, Presbitero 3, Doliguez 2, Noah 2, Tongco 0, Adamos 0

Lyceum (82): Perez 22, Nzeusseu 15, Marcelino Jaycee 12, Ayaay 7, Caduyac 6, Santos 6, Tansingco 5, Marcelino Jayvee 4, Pretta 2, Serrano 2, Ibanez 1, Baltazar 0

Quarter scores: 17-22, 41-47, 65-66, 92-82

– Rappler.com

LOS ANGELES, United States – Retired boxing world champion Oscar De La Hoya has said he would be ready to step back in the ring to face mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor.

The 44-year-old fighter turned promoter, who has not fought since being battered to defeat by Manny Pacquiao in 2008, said he has been "secretly training" and is confident he could beat UFC champion McGregor.

"You know I'm competitive," De La Hoya said on 'Golden Boy Radio with Tattoo and the Crew', a daily digital radio show.

"I still have it in me. I've been secretly training. I'm faster than ever and stronger than ever. I know I can take out Conor McGregor in two rounds. I'll come back for that fight. Two rounds. Just one more (fight). I'm calling him out. Two rounds, that's all I need. That's all I'm going to say."

De La Hoya flirted with the idea of a comeback in June 2015 only to rule it out a week later.

The 1992 Olympic gold medallist, a 10-time world champion, was one of the loudest critics of McGregor's foray into boxing earlier this year, when he lost a money-spinning duel with Floyd Mayweather.

McGregor, 29, was knocked out in the 10th round of that fight, which De La Hoya derided as a "circus" and a "farce".

De La Hoya said he would only consider fighting McGregor under boxing rather than MMA rules.

"Let's get it straight: In the cage, he would freaking destroy me," De La Hoya said. "Only in the ring.

"I've been working out for the last five months. (My confidence) is how I feel now from my training. I don't know what it is, but I'll tell you now that I've never felt so good before in my life." – Rappler.com

CHESAPEAKE, USA - There was some rust to shake off for Reymart Gaballo after 11 months out of the ring. But after a few moments of adjustment, the hard-hitting puncher from General Santos City connected with a right hand which began the ending for Ernesto Guerrero, putting him down for a count before a left hook to the body left him breathless.

Referee Bruce McTavish reached the count of 10 with Guerrero still on all fours on Wednesday, November 15, moving Gaballo’s record to 17-0 with 15 knockouts. 

“I am very happy to win in my USA debut. I will continue to work hard to reach my dream as a world champion,” Gaballo, a raw but promising bantamweight prospect, said in a statement. 

The fight headlined a show promoted by Gabriel “Bebot” Elorde Jr, and Gaballo’s promoter Jim Claude Manangquil expects Gaballo to be back in the ring by February or March.

{source}

<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Reymart Gaballo (17-0, 15KOs) knocked out Ernesto Guerrero in two rounds last night in his US debut in Honolulu. First KD was on a right hand, then body shot finished it <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/boxing?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#boxing</a> <a href="https://t.co/kj7JLd5ek5">pic.twitter.com/kj7JLd5ek5</a></p>&mdash; Ryan Songalia (@ryansongalia) <a href="https://twitter.com/ryansongalia/status/931188575953178625?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 16, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>{/source}

It was an incremental step-up in class for Gaballo, as Guerrero (27-22, 19 KOs) was probably more of a junior bantamweight than 118-pounder, but had gone the 6-round distance with unbeaten Ruben Villa in California this past September in a featherweight fight. Gaballo appeared stiff at times, taking counter right hands when he jumped in with his guard low before finding the timing on his right hand.

“First fight abroad [in the USA], one year no fight with little experience…but I’m confident he will be more relaxed next time,” said Manangquil, whose brother John Ray Manangquil manages Gaballo.

Gaballo had been training in Miami with Osmiri “Moro” Fernandez since July as they work on rounding out his technique.

The Gaballo fight is just the first of a busy next few weeks for Manangquil’s Sanman Promotions as he heads next to Las Vegas for Harmonito Dela Torre (19-0, 12 KOs) vs 2012 Olympic silver medalist Tugstsogt Nyambayar (8-0, 8 KOs) of Mongolia in a 10-round bout this Saturday at the Cosmopolitan, then off to Rhode Island for John Vincent Moralde (19-0, 10 KOs) vs Toka Kahn Clary (23-1, 16 KOs) in another 10-rounder in Providence. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – The grace of every ballerina’s hop and twirl comes from weeks of painstaking training. “We train every day for 8 hours, Tuesday to Saturday. That's a regular week for us. Because of our work, we're actually very prone to injuries. We know that we can be hurt anytime,” says Denise Parungao.

Some people consider pain as a badge of honor, but for Denise, it is an enemy that has to be defeated. “We have high pain tolerance so we're actually not bothered by the pain. We're bothered by the things we cannot do because of the pain. You can’t dance less than your hundred percent so when you’re in pain, you have to do something about it,” she said.

Ballet Philippines is one of the longest-standing and most established dance companies in the country. Being its principal dancer requires rigorous training that can take a toll on one’s body.

“I've done shows with stress fractures. I had a growing bone tearing up a tissue and I can't do anything. I can't bend, I can't plié, I can't point. And that's very frustrating. I can't dance,” she said.

Aside from doing pilates and taking pain killers, Denise believes it’s more important to be mentally positive and to know that the injury won’t last forever. “I took a long break from ballet because of injury and every day, I need to tell myself, ‘It's okay. You're going to heal.’ Just remember how much you love to dance and why you started doing it.”

After months of rehabilitation, Denise finds a newfound spring in her step as she bounces back in Ballet Philippines’ Gala Celebration on August 18-20 at the CCP Main Theater.

“The CCP Main Theater is my home. When you're lost in the moment, if you're that character, you just let go because when we're performing, we have this adrenaline. No matter how tired, no matter how sore, you just keep on going. Every single day we work hard to be on that moment onstage. That break made me realize that I love dancing so much that I want to get back better,” she said. – Rappler.com

MANILA, Philippines – It all came full circle for Robert Bolick as he willed the San Beda College Red Lions to their 21st NCAA title against the Lyceum of the Philippines University Pirates on Thursday, November 16.

Bolick provided the boost the Red Lions needed to stave off the Pirates in Game 2 of the best-of-3 finale, knocking down a gritty triple with only 50 seconds left that virtually closed all doors for a possible Lyceum comeback, 89-82.

San Beda swept the championship series with a 92-82 Game 2 win and even though it was Donald Tankoua who was crowned finals Most Valuable Player, it was Bolick who always delivered the finishing blow which kept the Pirates at bay.

During Game 1, Bolick buried a backbreaking triple to cap off a personal 8-0 run that put the Red Lions up 91-82 with only 35 seconds remaining en route to the victory.

In two games of the finals, he scored 20 of his 42 total points in the final quarter alone.

But if there is someone to thank for his improved outside sniping, it would ironically be the Pirates.

“Since the start of the season kasi coach Boyet (Fernandez) told us to shoot before the start of the training and medyo hindi ko ginagawa. He always tells me na ‘You can’t shoot from the outside, the 3-point shot,’ and from that day na natalo kami sa Lyceum when I missed my free throws, I took it personal,” said the Ormoc City-native.

(Since the start of the season, coach Boyet told us to shoot before the start of the training but I did not really comply. He always told me that I couldn't shoot from the outside and from that day that we lost to Lyceum, because I missed my free throws, I took it personal.)

When the two teams first met, Bolick’s statline of 21 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists was not enough as the Red Lions surrendered a 91-96 decision to the Pirates.

Things got worse the second time with Lyceum pulling off a 107-105 squeaker to end the eliminations with a perfect 18-0 card. In that game, Bolick still finished with 16 points but missed 13 of his 17 shots and turned the ball over 6 times.

“Sabi nila, wala daw akong shooting. (They say I don’t shoot the ball that well.) From that day on, every after practice, I shoot 7 spots 20 made each. I always visualize na maybe, you know, it’s always going to be close games and I have to practice where I will take a shot and saan ako komportable to make that 3.”

Now with back-to-back NCAA titles under his belt, Bolick is not stopping on his chase for more championships with the Red Lions especially that he decided to stay one more year in Mendiola instead of pursuing a professional career.

“I can already apply for the draft, but I think it’s my responsibility to keep one more year for San Beda for the way they treat me, galing pa lang sa teachers, sa fathers, tao sa cafeteria, mga guards, kahit kung sino sino lang doon. (The teachers, the fathers, the people in the cafeteria, the guards, the people there.) You’re inspired to play for them.” – Rappler.com 

NEW YORK, USA - IBF junior flyweight champ Milan Melindo had said unification would be his path to carving a legacy. He’ll get his shot at doing so on New Year’s Eve when he faces WBA 108 pound titleholder Ryoichi Taguchi at Ota-City Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.

The fight was announced jointly by Melindo’s promoter ALA Promotions and Watanabe Promotions, which represents Taguchi, at conferences in the Philippines and Japan on Thursday, November 16. 

It’ll be Melindo’s first fight back in Japan after shocking Akira Yaegashi with 3 fast knockdowns in the first round to lift the title in May, and his first time back in the ring since overcoming two bad cuts to retain the belt by split decision over Hekkie Budler on September 16 in Cebu City.

Edito Villamor, trainer of the 37-2 (13 knockouts) Melindo, tells Rappler the cuts have healed and that the 29-year-old from Cagayan de Oro City returned to sparring a week ago for what could be a career-defining fight. 

“This is a great fight between two world champions and this is the dream of Milan to fight any world champions of the organizations,” said Melindo’s trainer Edito Villamor. “We need to win in every round impressively and convincingly.”

Taguchi (26-2-2, 12 KOs) has made 6 title defenses over 3 years, including a split-draw against Carlos Canizales last New Year’s Eve before stopping Robert Barrera in 9 rounds in his most recent defense in July. The 30-year-old from Tokyo has been unbeaten since losing a decision to Naoya Inoue, the current WBO junior bantamweight titleholder and one of the sport’s pound-for-pound best talents, in 2013. 

The fight will be presented by ABS-CBN in the Philippines and TBS Television in Japan, Michael Aldeguer of ALA tells Rappler.

“The unification opportunities have always been in our radar as we always try to make the big fights,” said Aldeguer. “It was not easy putting this fight together but it was worth the wait.”

The announcement comes just weeks after an announcement by the IBF ordering Melindo to face Budler again in an rematch of their optional title defense. Budler’s manager Colin Nathan tells Rappler that they’re being assured of first crack at the winner of the unification fight, the first in the division since Kazuto Ioka and Yaegashi brought the WBA and WBC belts together in 2012. 

The most recent Filipino boxers to become unified champions are Nonito Donaire Jr and Brian Viloria in the junior featherweight and flyweight divisions.

The other two champions in the division are Ken Shiro (WBC) and Kosei Tanaka (WBO), both of Japan. – Rappler.com