MANILA, Philippines - NBA Hall of Famer Alex English will be in town for only a week to observe the Petron Blaze Boosters, particularly big men Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Carlo Sharma and Noy Baclao whom he will train for two months next year.

“We believe a two-month period of training is enough. Alex English doesn’t need to be here year round,” said SMC basketball operations chief Robert Non.

Petron tapped the former eight-time NBA All-Star player as skills coach following the transfer of Alton Lister to Meralco. Lister is a 17-year NBA veteran with stints with the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle Super Sonics, Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics and the Portland Trail Blazers.

Published on November 28, 2011

POWERADE’s young stars are steadily rising, but Gary David remains very much the Tigers’ main go-to guy at the present. 

David stressed this anew by playing big roles in Powerade’s back-to-back wins that stoked its drive to the playoffs while earning for himself the Accel-PBAPress Corps Player of the Week honors for the period Nov. 21 to 27. 

It is the second such citation in the conference for the 33-year-old, who was also honored for the period Oct. 24-30, and coach Bo Perasol said it is only fitting.

Published on November 29, 2011

B-Meg kept in step with Petron Blaze with both stretching their streaks to six games to dislodge Talk n Text as tournament leader Tuesday. 

James Yap followed up a 32-point game with a 27-point showing while Kerby Raymundo put in double-double numbers as the Llamados drubbed the Tropang Texters, 114-104, before a crowd of over 10,000 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Published on November 29, 2011

IT WAS not exactly a reprise of their first meeting, but Petron Blaze still came out on top through the skin of its teeth against Alaska Tuesday.

The Boosters repeated over the Aces, 90-85, to come closer to realizing a Top 2 finish in the eliminations of the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. 

Arwind Santos scored a game-high 24 points and combined with Danny Ildefonso and Denok Miranda for the biggest plays in the stretch that enabled Petron to unleash a decisive 7-0 windup.

It was a perfect November for Petron Blaze.

The Boosters came through with clutch plays down the stretch and defeated stubborn Alaska, 90-85, for their sixth straight win in the 2011 PBA Philippine Cup Tuesday night at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Petron ended this month unscathed after six games and improved their mark to 9-3, boosting its chances for the twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinal round.

Arwind Santos had 24 points, 9 rebounds and 3 steals, Alex Cabagnot added 20 markers, six boards and five assists while Dennis Miranda contributed 14 off the bench as they hit the crucial shots in the closing minutes.

Games Tuesday (Smart-Araneta Coliseum)

5:15 p.m. — Petron Blaze vs Alaska

7:30 p.m. — B-Meg vs Talk ’N Text

MANILA, Philippines — With the way James Yap, Peter June Simon, and rookie Mark Barroca are playing, streaking B-Meg hopes to exact revenge against the undermanned defending champion Talk ’N Text squad when they clash Tuesday in the PBA Philippine Cup.

The Llamados and the Tropang Texters collide at 7:30 p.m., right after the 5:15 p.m. encounter between the Petron Blaze Boosters and the Alaska Aces at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Published on November 28, 2011

Talk n Text tries to protect its hold of the lead while two rampaging teams look to sustain their charges and affect a shakeup in the leader board. 

The Tropang Texters meet one of these two teams head-on in a rare PBA Tuesday bill at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. 

 The Texters and the B-Meg Llamados slug it out at 7:30 p.m. to close out the November play dates of the PBA Philippine Cup. Despite a humbling loss the last time out, the Texters are still the tournament leaders but look vulnerable with a badly depleted roster.

Published on November 28, 2011

PETRON Blaze coach Ato Agustin knows Alaska may be down, but definitely not out. That is why he keeps stressing to his players the importance of being on their toes. 

“Hindi kami puwedeng mag-relax,” said Agustin on the eve of his streaking Boosters’ rematch Tuesday with an Alaska squad on the brink in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. 

 “Ang Alaska mahirap na kalaban, lalo na ngayong kailangang-kailangan nilang manalo,” added Agustin. “Kaya kailangan ding handa kami. Kailangan mas aggressive kami at di puwedeng aalis sa gameplan.”

Published on November 27, 2011

POWERADE finally broke Talk N Text's long-time spell and got an additional bonus in the process. 

Gary David scored 27 points in leading a slew of Tigers who came up big in a 131-96 win Sunday that further stoked their drive for a quarterfinals slot in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. 

Published on November 27, 2011

Mick Pennisi and Dylan Ababou checked their personal slumps and Barako Bull got back on track, topping Rain or Shine, 106-102, in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Sunday night. 

Pennisi and Ababou combined for six-of-10 three-point shooting and a total of 43 points as Barako played with a newfound energy and confidence to snap a three-game losing skein. 

“Losing our last three games after four straight wins was tough for the team. It’s so good we got over the hump,” sighed Barako coach Junel Baculi.