25forlife
Basketball Club
Basketball Club
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SAVED THE BEST FOR LAST
2/25/10
We are almost at the end of the Fil-Act regular season and we had a game against "The One" last
Sunday. We took control from the tip-off and opened it up with our inside presence, courtesy of our
Silent Assassin, Kim Tigley and followed up with some outside spark from Jeremiah Sta. Maria.
We pretty much carried the same pace throughout game and won by double digits with a balanced
team scoring. Last week I was just giving AJ Serjue credit for the discipline he's gained in staying
away from technical fouls but of course, I had to jinx it cause he got slapped with one during the
game. lol I guess it's like when you're watching an NBA game and you know that the guy on the
free-throw line is like a 90%+ shooter and you tell a buddy, "Dude, that's an automatic 2 as he's hit
48 consecutive free-throws." Then what, happens? Clank… the guy hits 1 of 2. Anyways, we
couldn't really blame him as the ref, who had a history of taking things personal against players
was out for him from the beginning of the game.
Later on that evening, we were scheduled to go up against one of the top Asian teams in Toronto,
"The Kagers." They added new faces to their roster including a 6'3 big man who had an
unorthodox type of game but was surprisingly effective. We've matched up against The Kagers
several times before so we expected them to come out in a man-to-man D but they caught us off
guard when they showed a 2-3 zone. They did a great job coming out on our shooters and
capitalizing on our mistakes earning them a 9 point lead at the half. Our plan going into the 2nd
half was to push the ball hard and attack before the zone could even set up. It worked to perfection
as we got ourselves back in the game only down a point in a matter of minutes. Then it
happened… again! AJ gets slapped with his 2nd technical foul of the day! lol I saw Jeremiah
walking up to him and I said, "Oh shoot, here it comes" but surprisingly he calmly told AJ, "Ok, you
now what you did, now clear your head and let's win this game." AJ got the message as he hit
some big shots down the stretch giving us a 1 point lead with under a minute left in the game. The
Kagers had no choice but to foul and Ryan Dawinan sunk 2 free-throws to put us up by 3. They got
a quick 2 and fouled Ryan again who was able to sink another 2 (Mr. Big Shot!). Down by 3 with
about 10 seconds left, The Kagers guard, Don Lee Pow got away with a push off and hit a 3 to
send the game to overtime. In O-T, we had the final possession with the game tied and coach, Al
Gregorio called timeout to draw up a final play. Since I missed probably my last 8 shots or so, I
didn't think it would be designed for me but it was. I received the inbound pass backcourt and
handed the rock to Ryan who was able to dribble through a crowd opposite side of me. When he
drew in multiple defenders, he gave me a perfectly placed bounce pass on the baseline 3 point
area. I saw a defender running hard at me to close out the 3, so I took one dribble to my right and
was able to elevate and hit the game winner over another defender's outstretched arm. I knew that
was going in since I've missed too many shots prior to that one. Props to Al Geezy for having faith
in me in crunch time.
p.s. During the game, I slipped awkwardly and think I may have sprained or tore a ligament in my
left knee as I was limping the next day. I plan to see a doctor before resuming any type of
basketball activity. I'm hoping it's nothing bad cause I was having a pretty good season thus far.
Too bad, I'm gonna miss the game this weekend against the only other undefeated team in Fil-Act,
"The Uncoachables." Good luck boys!
ON THE HORIZON
2/18/10
A few years ago I received a call from coach, Al Gregorio telling me that there was this kid that
plays at his Iemelif Church League and he wanted to see if 25forLife was interested. He told me
he was quick, athletic, long, ambidextrous and slashes really well but there was only one
problem… his attitude. His name was AJ Serjue. When we first saw him at practice, it wasn't hard
to notice that dude was talented so he instantly became a 25er. From the bat he and James
Forrester gained a connection and began calling each other cousins (like T-Mac and Carter on the
Raptors). AJ helped 25forLife earn its 8th Fil-Act Championship in his rookie year, dropping 25
points off the bench and also led the team to earn the 1st Unity Cup Championship (named MVP).
He seemed to have been fitting in well until one game he was charged with a technical foul. So
you ask what the big deal was, right? Well, for some reason AJ was getting technical fouls after
technical fouls and a few were during moments in close games or overtimes. Not only that, he
was showing up late during tournament meetings and he was making it clear that it was all about
himself. Next thing you know, we all came together and gave AJ an ultimatum; either shape up or
ship out. A few of us made it our project to work on this kid because underneath all the anger and
selfishness, we were able to see the real AJ Serjue which was the opposite of the perception. It
was a slow and lengthy process but when we helped AJ land a job and got him on the Seneca
College basketball team under coach, Wayne Dawkins his attitude changed for the better and his
game went up to a different level. Game after game he has shown signs of consistency with about
25+ points per and takes over when the time is right. He's rebounding and shooting a lot better
and he has a team 1st mentality and a positive attitude now. I can't even remember the last time
he had a technical foul! We aren't the only ones noticing this transformation, as he was recently
featured on an article on the RISE OF THE SON website: www.riseoftheson.com. This site is run
by none other than Sipag's/North Jersey's very own, Robby Belasoto-Penalosa, who by the way
was named best coach of the 2009 NABA Junior division for leading his North Jersey team to
victory. He's a basketball fanatic that helps recognize and provide exposure to the Asian youth
North American talent. Check out the site to see AJ's props and other upcoming talent. We're all
proud of you AJ and even if Seneca ball doesn't work out, you'll always have a home with
25forLife… that is, if you don't go back to your old ways. lol
In other news, James Forrester and his Seneca Sting team recently came away with some big
wins against Durham College (lost to them in the previous meeting) and Algonquin College (one
of the top college programs in Ontario). Seneca is currently ranked 3rd in the OCAA east division
and 4th overall. Check out full details on www.ocaa.com and www.senecasting.ca. Food em'
James!
I played in the PHYBA league last weekend with Lakan and we were matched up against CKATT
which comprised of guys like Howie, Nate, Eric Rico, and Earl. For some reason, all of our bigs
did not show up so I ended up being the centre and had to guard the import from the opposing
team. lol We were up like 4 points or so with about 2 minutes to go only to see ourselves down by
5 with about 30 seconds left in the game. One of my teammates, Darwin hit a tough shot which cut
the lead to 3 and we made a crucial stop with about 15 seconds left to go. In transition, Jeff was
able to find me wide open behind the arc and I was able to sink the 3 with 10 seconds left which
sent the game to overtime. However in O-T, CKATT made some timely buckets and they never
looked back. Tough loss but I was glad to see the effort by most of our guys. Big game from Clint
V as he chipped in with 20+ points and dropped some nice dimes.
The Toronto Autoshow was hype. Went with the fams and we all had a good time. Some sick
rides up in that place. Hopefully, we win a Honda Accord as I filled in a contest ballot at the show
and the winner will be revealed in March.
Other than the Dunk Off competition, the NBA All-Star weekend went pretty well. The Sprite Dunk
off was crazy and the EAST vs. WEST All-Star game was exciting. Come back to the dunk off
please, Howard!
p.s. Look out for Amare Stoudamire to land in Cleveland for guys like Big Z and J.J. Hickson before
trade deadline today. That's big!
SO FAR, SO GOOD… I GUESS?!?!
1/28/10
Last Saturday, we had another Fil-Act game against the always scrappy team, Angiels. We are
about mid-way into the season and have never played a game with a full squad. I think there were
only 6 of us, comprising of mostly guards. The Angiels took advantage of the opportunity in the
paint as we had a horrible rebounding effort without guys like Jerome, Tigley, Mike, James, and
JR. That's like a starting lineup right there! To make matters worst, I was late for the game as I
thought it started at a different time. However, Al "Geezy" Gregorio decided to lace them up and
dropped 3 three's in the 1st few minutes keeping the game close until I was ready to sub in. I
wasn't really able to get into the groove finishing with a season low of 13 points but Jeremiah Sta.
Maria picked up the slack as he was able to knock down some open J's and a few 3's as well. I
believe the game was tied at the half and that's when it became "The AJ Serjue Show." Dude was
pretty unconscious rebounding, defending, and slashing. AJ kept taking it to the rack and made
like 4 or 5 spectacular and 1's in a row! After displaying his inside game, he wanted to show off
his outside touch so he dropped a couple of 3's as well. In a blink of an eye, we secured a 20
point lead and went on to win the game. AJ finished with a game high 25 points. I see a lot of
improvement in that kid and when he puts his mind into it, he can become unstoppable at times.
On Sunday, we had our Philcan season opener game and once again we were missing several
core players. We did pick up two up and coming players though and they were pretty legit from
what I've observed so far. We matched up with the team KSM comprised of a few ex-Falcons
guards and other familiar faces. I was feeling pretty good from the start and managed to heat up
fairly quickly scoring from different angles on the court. Our defense was suspect though cause
when I looked up at the score board we only maintained a 6 point lead at the half. Finally, James
Forrester said "F-this" and decided to wake up and explode in the 2nd half by using his speed and
power to score in the paint. lol Close to the end of the game, James and I had a 2-on-1 going and
I saw the lone defender commit to me to try and stop the dribbler. I threw a lob up for James and
he grabbed the ball in the air with 1 hand and slammed it home in a leaner-like position before
looking up and yelling out a Vince Carter like, "AHHHHHH!" Crowd was going bananas especially
the peeps from Al's Church League who played in the game before ours. James finished the
game with 20+ points and I had the game high of 32 points earning us the W with the final score
85-65.
Still undefeated besides our rebounding and defensive effort, me being late, and the lack of
commitment from some of our players. Maybe it's because of the winter months and it's too cold to
go outside or something but hopefully we all come together soon to build on the chemistry.
BRAD PITT AIN'T GOT NOTHIN' ON ME!
1/18/10
There's only one explanation that makes sense to me when I think about why I've been feeling
good about my overall game and stamina on the court lately. That reason is because…... I too
have gots the curious case of Benjamin Button! lol Nah, but seriously I do feel like I'm aging
backwards as I'm more confident than ever like every shot I take will go in, I'm stronger, quicker,
and smarter. I don't know what it is but I'm gonna ride it til the wheels fall off.
On January 10th we kicked off the new year with our 1st game back since December 20th, 2009.
The Fil-Act committee decided to match us up against the young and talented team, All-In. The last
meeting we had with them was at the T-Dot Cream of the Crop Tournament and All-In came out
with an overtime W in the end. However, I wasn't at that tournament so I carried a little chip on my
shoulder coming in to last week's rematch. At the start of the 1st half, we blew the doors wide
open as we were firing on all cylinders. All-In countered with some 3's and solid play from their
leader, Allan Ochinang. They kept the game close until about mid-2nd half where I managed to
score most of my buckets. I believe we had a 20 point lead at one point and we never looked
back. I finished with the game high of 29 points and AJ Serjue contributed 22. To their defense,
one of their main bigs, Ian De Leon a.k.a E-Dubz was not present at the game as he was doin it up
in Vegas that weekend… but come to think of it, we were missing Jerome, Jeremiah, Jeff, Cal and
Tigley. lol
Nooooo! I can't believe that Avatar has beaten my all-time favorite movie, Lord of The Rings:
Return of the King… with a box office record of $1.12 billion. Avatar’s worldwide earnings now
stands at $1.14 billion and still counting! I had a debate with a few co-workers about this as they
all say that Avatar kills Lord of the Rings and the producer/writer/director, James Cameron is
simply a genius. Same dude who directed and produced movies like Titanic, Terminator 1 and 2,
True Lies, and other blockbuster hits. I told them that there was only one way for me to find out
which movie is truly better. I'm gonna check out Avatar on Imax within the next few weeks and
make a decision from there. I'll keep y'all posted.
HAPPY NEW YEAR… FROM ME TO YOU
1/06/10
Wow! The year 2009 has officially come to a close. We had a subpar season earning some big
wins but stumbled upon a few heart-breaking losses as well. Here is a brief recap of our
team/player accomplishments for 2009:
- FCCM MAYOR'S CUP TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS (runner up: KAGERS)
* tournament MVP: James Forrester
- CHICAGO GMAA INDO-PAK TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINALISTS (champions: KANSAS
CITY)
* all-tournament team (First Team): James Forrester
* all-tournament team (Second Team): AJ Serjue
- FIL-ACT OPEN DIVISION LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: 9th in 10 years (runner up: SAINTS)
* league and finals MVP: James Forrester
* best guard: Jerome Sta. Maria
- IDENTIFY YOURSELF CCYAA TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS: back-to-back (runner up:
KAGERS)
- PHILCAN OPEN DIVISION LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: 8th in 10 years (runner up: FALCONS)
* league and finals MVP: AJ Serjue
- MICHIGAN MOTOWN THROWDOWN TOURNAMENT FINALISTS (champions: VIRGINIA:
TEAM UNITED)
- DELAWARE PAAD INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT FINALISTS (champions: GK WARRIORS)
- CHICAGO FBA LABOR DAY TOURNAMENT FINALISTS (champions: WINNIPEG)
- T-DOT CREAM OF THE CROP TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS (runner up: RED BARONS)
- EX-PBA PLAYERS vs. TORONTO'S BEST (25forLife) EXHIBITION GAME CHAMPIONS
So as you could see, even though we took home a few crowns, we didn't really measure up to the
traditional standards of our team's performance. Hopefully, we could turn things around in 2010
and add more W's to our belt.
In Fil-Act news, we are 3 games into the season thus far sitting at 3-0. Our latest win was against
the resilient Falcons squad which took place just before the Christmas Holidays. The game
began in a see-saw affair until the Falcons took charge midway through the 1st half earning them
a 12 point lead. However, in a matter of minutes, it was quickly erased with timely buckets from a
few of our players giving us a 5 point lead at the end of the half. The game was going smoothly
until a little tussle between Mike Semira and Ronald (what is his last name!?!?!?) from the Falcons
occurred in the 2nd half. Mike claims that Ronald tried to give him a cheap shot in the family
jewels and he wasn't having that so he gave him a solid push on his chest before getting up in his
face. The referees ended up separating the two and slapped Mike with a technical foul as he kept
jawing at Ronald. I've never seen Mike upset like that since I've known him but it was good to see
a little fire in him. Ronald claims that it was an accident but I guess only he knows the truth. lol
Anyways, we cruised our way to a 9 point victory with 23 from James, 22 from AJ, and 19 from me.
Falcons own, Norman dropped 19 and Ronald finished with 20+ points.
The Philcan season is scheduled to kick-off on January 17th. Jerome Sta. Maria (25forLife's best
rebounding and shot blocking guard) for some reason decided to basically swap places with his
brother, Jeremiah and Ryan Dawinan as he committed to play with Team Rexdale while the two
decided to come back to 25forLife. I guess he's trying to make the league more interesting cause
he feels that it's just too easy for him or something. lol
I'M BACK… BETTER THAN EVER!
12/9/09
I just finished reading Mike's blog and his words inspired me to come up with my subject heading.
I've been feeling good lately and part of it I think was due to the 3 month rest from the Labor Day
Tournament to now, aside from the Turkey Ball Tournament this past October. As you know, we
chose not to put a team up for MPAA this season so I decided to take advantage of the situation
and let my body recuperate from the rigorous wear and tear over the years. I'm happy to see the
vintage me once again and the shots falling down consistently… but I don't plan to stop there. I
have more work to do and I have goals in place for the team and myself in 2010.
As Mike mentioned in his blog, we recently played against the revamped Red Barons. Half of our
team had prior commitments and couldn't make the game so the full Red Barons squad smelt
blood in the air as they were ready to capitalize on the opportunity. It was a back and forth event for
the 1st 10 minutes or so but our hot shooting and inside play was just too much giving 25forLife a
20 point lead at the half. However, the Barons showed some heart in the 2nd half as they were
able to make the score look respectable in the end, only losing by 9 points. I finished with the
game high of 27, Kim "The Monster" Tigley with 24, and the one-time Baron, JR was solid all-
around with 22. The Barons had a stand-out of their own in the newly acquired youngin, Julian a.k.
a JB. Pretty solid guard but still raw at 19 years old, I think. Kinda remided me of a young me as
he is left-handed, scored in bunches, humble, and just let his game do the talking. Okay, I'm
gonna bring up a debate now. Who's better and why: Allan Ochinang from the team All-In or
Julian? Hit me up!
albano@25forlifebasketball.com
Rumor has it that we may be getting new uniforms soon and it could possibly be similar to the
colors of the Nike Sparq theme of black, grey, and neon green. That would look nice I think and
luckily, I have all black kicks so it should coordinate pretty well with the new unis.
WINNING IS A HABIT
12/2/09
So in my last blog I mentioned that our Fil-Act season opener would take place this past weekend
and our team was deeper than ever with the additions of Seppe, Tigley, and Malana. We were
matched up with a young Durham team and the new players did not disappoint as they helped in
many different ways for us to get the W with the final score 98-48. Although it was a blow out, it
was still a good tune up game for us to shake off some rust and build on some chemistry. It was
refreshing to see how well our team's inside, outside, and slashing game was that day and even
though there were a few defensive lapses, I still think we did an okay job overall. OFFENCE A- /
DEFENSE C+.
Our next game is scheduled at Willowood for Sunday, December 6th at 1pm.
I just played NBA 2K10 on PS3 and I have to say… that game is BANANAS! I could play that all day
son. Blue Ray system on a 1080p 52-inch Plasma… the game is so detailed and realistic. I
haven't tried the NBA Live version but I heard it had more of an arcade feel and every shot goes in,
unlike 2K10. KG's unstoppable from anywhere inside the 3 and Eddie House is clutch… just ask
my boy, Rob Damian about that one! lol A 2K fanatic recently gave me a pointer if I were to ever
use the Cavs and Lebron on an iso. Unfortunately, I can't reveal the secret move though… you've
gotta play me! haha
College Hoops is back baby and the #1 recruit in all of college ball, John Wall hits the game-
winner in his debut as No. 4 Kentucky edges Miami, Ohio 72-70.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MqmMxvQrxM
In case you don't know, this was the same dude that dunked on Jerry Stackhouse at a North
Carolina summer league game. Take a look!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5UpQl18OOM&feature=fvw
10… IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
11/23/09
The 2009-2010 Fil-Act season officially began this past weekend and we originally had a game but
it was rescheduled for next week for some strange reason. On paper, I think 25forLife is still the
team to beat with the addition of a few key players like Seppe Pompei, Kim Tigley, and Jeff Malana.
Each one of these guys adds depth to our squad and experience which helps tremendously,
especially in the late part of the games.
SEPPE – underrated fundamentally sound bigs who once played for Ryerson University as a 2/3-
man. He has accurate perimeter shooting, is able to alter and block shots, and rebounds very
well. NBA comparison: PJ Brown
KIM – naturally gifted size and athletic abilities which almost often makes him an instant mismatch
for his opposing defenders. He is a streaky shooter and an excellent slasher. Has the capability
to cover several positions on D. NBA comparison: Gerald Wallace
JEFF – strong as an ox with an uncanny array of moves that allows him to free himself from his
defenders and release his silky smooth J. Has to ability to draw fouls and can give a few of his
own as well… except he lives by the "no easy lay-up" rule. NBA comparison: Carmelo Anthony
So look out for these new and exciting players as they help 25forLife try to capture their 10th Fil-Act
Championship in 11 years!
In NBA news, I witnessed Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks go off for 55 points against
the Golden State Warriors as they replayed the full game on Raptor TV yesterday. I've been
watching some of his games in the early season and the impact he's made in the league. He has
helped turn the franchise around, currently sitting at 8-3 and 3rd overall in the Eastern Conference.
His style of play reminds me of Damon Stoudamire in his rookie year with the Toronto Raptors…
not to mention that they are both left-handed. So I asked myself who I thought was better even
though it's early in the season but I'm still on the fence with this one. This would seem like a good
topic to bring up at the barbershop like I used to do back in the days. lol Anyways, I looked at their
rookie stats and here they are as follows:
JENNINGS
- 11 games and 35 min. per game
- averages 25.3 points / 5.5 assists / 4.4 rebounds / 1.0 steals / 3.4 turnovers
- shot 48% from the field / 49% beyond the three / and 77% free-throws
STOUDAMIRE
- 70 games and 40 min. per game
- averages 19.0 points / 9.3 assists / 4.0 rebounds / 1.4 steals / 3.8 turnovers
- shot 43% from the field / 40% beyond the three / and 80% free-throws
Now I ask you… which stats would you rather have, who is the better player, and why?
albano@25forlifebasketball.com
ANTE UP!
11/11/09
From word of mouth and participating in several out of town tournaments, we've more than often
represented well. Currently we are ranked #15 on the Top Asian Ballers Team in North America
list; www.asianballers.net. With our play, it allowed our squad to meet many people including
players and coaches from different teams. Now we've been receiving a lot more invitations for
future tournaments, mostly in the States. The most recent one is the Christmas Basketball
Tournament on December 19th and 20th located in Minneapolis, Minnesota hosted by
AznBballTourney. I'm sure the tournament will be a good one especially when nationally ranked
teams such as Public Enemy (TX) and NS2Faded (MN) will be participating in the event along with
several top players from the country. Unfortunately, due to the lack of players that could commit on
that date, we've already had to turn down the invite. So the Minnesota committee hit us up with an
even more appealing tournament that they plan to host next year in June. It's called the T.N.P.
Basketball Tournament and it has already attracted numerous teams since the prize money is up
to $3,500… cash! Sounds like a prize worth fighting for if some of us are willing to travel for over
half a day. Mike Semira was thinking of holding a tournament of our own next year where we would
invite the top teams of North America for a grand prize of $3000. However, we may have to up the
ante now since we're all trying to host a competitive and exciting event. There's still a lot of time to
think about the MN tournament as well as ours so I'll keep you all posted when I have more info.
On a side note, I'm not too keen on politics but I was watching T.V. at work the other day and the
whole news episode was about Queen, Elizabeth II and her arrival in Toronto a few weeks ago.
Now, I really had no opinion of the Queen until I witnessed the city shut down the highways and
had thousands of people gathered to meet her. Talking to my friend, I was told that she actually
runs Canada along with the other "Commonwealth Countries" and she gets paid millions in salary
directly from the taxes that we pay! To do what you ask? I was told nothing really but show up at
specific functions, give a speech or two, and raise her hand up and wave in a royal fashion. We
have our government and Prime Minister, she doesn't make decisions, and doesn't sign of on
anything! I don't know how concrete these facts are but if the base of it is true then it's time Canada
dumps her and become truly sovereign!
"JIGGAAA! WHAT'S MY MOTHER F-ING NAME?"
11/3/09
Being a long-time fan of hip-hop, I always wanted to see 2 top artists perform in their prime…
Biggie and Nas but I never had the opportunity to. Jay-Z to me came at a close 3rd. However, after
seeing his performance at the sold out Air Canada Centre with over 14,000 people shouting
"HOVA! HOVA! HOVA!" seconds before he made his grand entrance, there's a chance that he just
may have surpassed my boy Nas but never B.I.G. of course. The show kicked off with a subpar
performance by Wale. Didn't really recognize any of the tracks that he was flowing on except his hit
song "Chillin." This was the time where everyone was either getting their juice at the bar or making
a pit stop at the washrooms so they wouldn't have to get up again when the "Real" show begins.
The next performance was with Neptune's own, Pharell Williams and his N.E.R.D. crew. Man,
these guys are talented as hell, especially their band. Pharell called over some of the lady fans to
come up on the stage while he sang his classic hit, "Beautiful." Pure groupies on stage backing
that a$$ up! When they finished their act, there was a 10 minute intermission counting down on 2
big screens until the main event makes his way to the stage. When the time expired the whole
place was going bananas! I've never seen anything like it before. The lights went dim and Jay-Z
then rose up from a trap door beneath the stage wearing the classic "Jason" mask as it was also
Halloween that night. Then his sidekick, Memphis Bleek came out as the hype man telling the
crowd to put their thumbs and forefingers together in the shape of Jay-Z's and the R.O.C diamond
logo. When I looked around the ACC, it looked like everyone was under a trance throwing up the
sign in a synchronized fashion. Jiggaman then generously shared the spotlight, bringing back
opening acts, N.E.R.D.'s Pharrell Williams and up-and-coming artists, J. Cole and Bridget Kelly
during his 90-minute set, allowing local rapper, Drake his first performance of "Successful." I
know I didn't pay for my tickets but if I did, I have to admit that they would have definitely been worth
it!
SETLIST
Run This Town
D.O.A.
You Don’t Know
99 Problems
Show Me What You Got
Diamonds Are Forever
I Just Wanna Love U (Give It To Me)
Jigga My
I.Z.Z.O.
Jigga What
Public Service Announcement
Heart of the City
Already Home
Empire State of Mind
A Star is Born
So Ambitious
Drake - Successful
Dirt Off Your Shoulders
ENCORE
Thank You
On to the Next One
Excuse Me Miss/Venus Vs Mars/Bonnie & Clyde/Lucifer/Swagger Like Us (medley)
Can I Get A
Big Pimpin’
Hard Knock Life
Encore
Young Forever
Click below for more info and photos:
http://www.torontosun.com/entertainment/celebrities/2009/11/01/11599026.
html#/entertainment/columnists/jane_stevenson/2009/11/01/pf-11593626.html
ANOTHER RED BARONS vs. 25forLIFE SHOWDOWN
10/26/09
Last week the 2-day T-Dot Cream of the Crop Tournament took place and from what I heard it was
a big success as several games went down to the wire. Mad props to Mike "The Nightmare"
Semira for practically setting up the entire tournament by himself. With 8 of T-Dot's best teams
participating, the 2 remaining teams would have a chance to play in the finals at the Hershey
Centre on October 31st. The winner of the 2 would then move on to play against the Ex-PBA
players on the same day. After several nail-biting games, the 2 teams that came out victorious
were the Red Barons and 25forLife (Here we go again!). It's probably no real surprise as I ranked
these 2 teams as number 1 and number 2 in my "Top 10 Asian Teams of Toronto in the Last 5
Years" blog no too long ago. So whether you're cheering for the home team or your long time
heroes I suggest you check the action out as it should be an exciting event.
Congratulations to team UNC/Lakan for taking home the hardware at the 2009 Turkey Ball
Tournament 2 weeks ago. They managed to knock out The Saints in the semis and we (Red
Barons) lost to the Falcons in an overtime thriller. I didn't see the finals but I heard that UNC/Lakan
defeated the tired Falcons by double digits.
Today, the Ontario Law (Bill 118) has come into effect making it illegal for drivers to use hand-held
cellphones, BlackBerrys and other electronic devices while behind the wheel. The only exception
to the ban is a 911 call. Better get your Blue Tooth and other headset devices because you can be
slapped with a fine of up to $500. Here's more info regarding the Bill. http://www.ontla.on.
ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&BillID=2099
The Raptors season opener is scheduled for Wednesday October 28th and it just happens to be
against King James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. How fitting is that especially with Shaq on their
team now? I think the last time the Raps played against Shaq he dropped 42 in so many different
array of moves and dunks. With Reggie Evans out and Turgoklu with a mild sprained ankle, the
only good news for the Raps is that the Cavs are playing against the Celtics the night before so
hopefully fatigue will play a factor when they meet up.
Got 2 tickets from work to attend the Jay-Z concert at the Air Canada Centre on Oct. 31st, 2009! "It's
the ROC!!!" haha. Valued at $200-$250 each, 3rd row seats… it should be a fun night with the
wifey and a few of the co-workers. http://www.theaircanadacentre.com/news.asp?story_id=415 I'll
keep you posted.
EX-PBA ALL STARS vs. TORONTO'S BEST
10/07/09
If you don't know by now, basketball is the number 1 sport in the P.I. and the PBA (Philippine
Basketball Association) is Philippine's version of the NBA. Only the best of the best make the
league and even ex-NBA imports have played or are currently playing in some of the PBA
conferences. Now the PBA has decided to showcase some of their talent and let the fans and
players from all of North America know what kind of competition one is to expect if they decided to
see one of their games or even try out for the league. On Saturday October 31st, 2009 you can get
a chance to catch some of the action between the ex-PBA All Stars vs. Toronto's Best at the
Hershey Centre located in Mississauga, ON. Witness legendary players like "The Captain" Alvin
Patrimonio, Vergel Meneses, and Jerry Codinera compete with some of the local talent. This is a
once in a lifetime opportunity for all the basketball fans and players of Toronto as the ex-PBA All
Stars will probably be closing out their tour for the year after this final event. For further details log
on to: http://news.ckatt.org/archives/16
The Annual Turkey Ball Tournament hosted by MPAA will resume on Thanksgiving Weekend;
October 10th and 11th, 2009. There will be 5 divisions in this event so it should be an exciting
affair. 25forLife decided not to participate as the Fil-Act and Philcan league will be starting in a few
weeks and some of us wanted to reenergize from the tiring summer practices and tournaments.
However, a few of us have made a commitment to merge with The Red Barons to try and capture
the crown.
Last night I watched the Toronto Raptors play in their 1st Pre-season game vs. The Philadelphia
76ers without the likes of Chris Bosh, Hedo Turkoglu, and Antoine Wright. They were doing well at
1st but began to crumble after the half. I was impressed with Reggie Evans because as
advertised, he looked like a beast in the 1st 10 minutes of the game. He was just a workhorse
rebounding, scoring, defending, and other intangibles that don't show up on the stat sheet. He
even had the fans, mostly of London, Ontarions chant his name "Reggie, Reggie, Reggie…"
whenever he made a good play. The Raps came alive in the 4th quarter and made the game
interesting only to fall short in the end. I'm really excited to see how the team gels during the
course of the year and when some of the big dogs return to the lineup.
JP's blog archives
September 2008 - January 2009
February 2009 - September 2009
2/25/10
We are almost at the end of the Fil-Act regular season and we had a game against "The One" last
Sunday. We took control from the tip-off and opened it up with our inside presence, courtesy of our
Silent Assassin, Kim Tigley and followed up with some outside spark from Jeremiah Sta. Maria.
We pretty much carried the same pace throughout game and won by double digits with a balanced
team scoring. Last week I was just giving AJ Serjue credit for the discipline he's gained in staying
away from technical fouls but of course, I had to jinx it cause he got slapped with one during the
game. lol I guess it's like when you're watching an NBA game and you know that the guy on the
free-throw line is like a 90%+ shooter and you tell a buddy, "Dude, that's an automatic 2 as he's hit
48 consecutive free-throws." Then what, happens? Clank… the guy hits 1 of 2. Anyways, we
couldn't really blame him as the ref, who had a history of taking things personal against players
was out for him from the beginning of the game.
Later on that evening, we were scheduled to go up against one of the top Asian teams in Toronto,
"The Kagers." They added new faces to their roster including a 6'3 big man who had an
unorthodox type of game but was surprisingly effective. We've matched up against The Kagers
several times before so we expected them to come out in a man-to-man D but they caught us off
guard when they showed a 2-3 zone. They did a great job coming out on our shooters and
capitalizing on our mistakes earning them a 9 point lead at the half. Our plan going into the 2nd
half was to push the ball hard and attack before the zone could even set up. It worked to perfection
as we got ourselves back in the game only down a point in a matter of minutes. Then it
happened… again! AJ gets slapped with his 2nd technical foul of the day! lol I saw Jeremiah
walking up to him and I said, "Oh shoot, here it comes" but surprisingly he calmly told AJ, "Ok, you
now what you did, now clear your head and let's win this game." AJ got the message as he hit
some big shots down the stretch giving us a 1 point lead with under a minute left in the game. The
Kagers had no choice but to foul and Ryan Dawinan sunk 2 free-throws to put us up by 3. They got
a quick 2 and fouled Ryan again who was able to sink another 2 (Mr. Big Shot!). Down by 3 with
about 10 seconds left, The Kagers guard, Don Lee Pow got away with a push off and hit a 3 to
send the game to overtime. In O-T, we had the final possession with the game tied and coach, Al
Gregorio called timeout to draw up a final play. Since I missed probably my last 8 shots or so, I
didn't think it would be designed for me but it was. I received the inbound pass backcourt and
handed the rock to Ryan who was able to dribble through a crowd opposite side of me. When he
drew in multiple defenders, he gave me a perfectly placed bounce pass on the baseline 3 point
area. I saw a defender running hard at me to close out the 3, so I took one dribble to my right and
was able to elevate and hit the game winner over another defender's outstretched arm. I knew that
was going in since I've missed too many shots prior to that one. Props to Al Geezy for having faith
in me in crunch time.
p.s. During the game, I slipped awkwardly and think I may have sprained or tore a ligament in my
left knee as I was limping the next day. I plan to see a doctor before resuming any type of
basketball activity. I'm hoping it's nothing bad cause I was having a pretty good season thus far.
Too bad, I'm gonna miss the game this weekend against the only other undefeated team in Fil-Act,
"The Uncoachables." Good luck boys!
ON THE HORIZON
2/18/10
A few years ago I received a call from coach, Al Gregorio telling me that there was this kid that
plays at his Iemelif Church League and he wanted to see if 25forLife was interested. He told me
he was quick, athletic, long, ambidextrous and slashes really well but there was only one
problem… his attitude. His name was AJ Serjue. When we first saw him at practice, it wasn't hard
to notice that dude was talented so he instantly became a 25er. From the bat he and James
Forrester gained a connection and began calling each other cousins (like T-Mac and Carter on the
Raptors). AJ helped 25forLife earn its 8th Fil-Act Championship in his rookie year, dropping 25
points off the bench and also led the team to earn the 1st Unity Cup Championship (named MVP).
He seemed to have been fitting in well until one game he was charged with a technical foul. So
you ask what the big deal was, right? Well, for some reason AJ was getting technical fouls after
technical fouls and a few were during moments in close games or overtimes. Not only that, he
was showing up late during tournament meetings and he was making it clear that it was all about
himself. Next thing you know, we all came together and gave AJ an ultimatum; either shape up or
ship out. A few of us made it our project to work on this kid because underneath all the anger and
selfishness, we were able to see the real AJ Serjue which was the opposite of the perception. It
was a slow and lengthy process but when we helped AJ land a job and got him on the Seneca
College basketball team under coach, Wayne Dawkins his attitude changed for the better and his
game went up to a different level. Game after game he has shown signs of consistency with about
25+ points per and takes over when the time is right. He's rebounding and shooting a lot better
and he has a team 1st mentality and a positive attitude now. I can't even remember the last time
he had a technical foul! We aren't the only ones noticing this transformation, as he was recently
featured on an article on the RISE OF THE SON website: www.riseoftheson.com. This site is run
by none other than Sipag's/North Jersey's very own, Robby Belasoto-Penalosa, who by the way
was named best coach of the 2009 NABA Junior division for leading his North Jersey team to
victory. He's a basketball fanatic that helps recognize and provide exposure to the Asian youth
North American talent. Check out the site to see AJ's props and other upcoming talent. We're all
proud of you AJ and even if Seneca ball doesn't work out, you'll always have a home with
25forLife… that is, if you don't go back to your old ways. lol
In other news, James Forrester and his Seneca Sting team recently came away with some big
wins against Durham College (lost to them in the previous meeting) and Algonquin College (one
of the top college programs in Ontario). Seneca is currently ranked 3rd in the OCAA east division
and 4th overall. Check out full details on www.ocaa.com and www.senecasting.ca. Food em'
James!
I played in the PHYBA league last weekend with Lakan and we were matched up against CKATT
which comprised of guys like Howie, Nate, Eric Rico, and Earl. For some reason, all of our bigs
did not show up so I ended up being the centre and had to guard the import from the opposing
team. lol We were up like 4 points or so with about 2 minutes to go only to see ourselves down by
5 with about 30 seconds left in the game. One of my teammates, Darwin hit a tough shot which cut
the lead to 3 and we made a crucial stop with about 15 seconds left to go. In transition, Jeff was
able to find me wide open behind the arc and I was able to sink the 3 with 10 seconds left which
sent the game to overtime. However in O-T, CKATT made some timely buckets and they never
looked back. Tough loss but I was glad to see the effort by most of our guys. Big game from Clint
V as he chipped in with 20+ points and dropped some nice dimes.
The Toronto Autoshow was hype. Went with the fams and we all had a good time. Some sick
rides up in that place. Hopefully, we win a Honda Accord as I filled in a contest ballot at the show
and the winner will be revealed in March.
Other than the Dunk Off competition, the NBA All-Star weekend went pretty well. The Sprite Dunk
off was crazy and the EAST vs. WEST All-Star game was exciting. Come back to the dunk off
please, Howard!
p.s. Look out for Amare Stoudamire to land in Cleveland for guys like Big Z and J.J. Hickson before
trade deadline today. That's big!
SO FAR, SO GOOD… I GUESS?!?!
1/28/10
Last Saturday, we had another Fil-Act game against the always scrappy team, Angiels. We are
about mid-way into the season and have never played a game with a full squad. I think there were
only 6 of us, comprising of mostly guards. The Angiels took advantage of the opportunity in the
paint as we had a horrible rebounding effort without guys like Jerome, Tigley, Mike, James, and
JR. That's like a starting lineup right there! To make matters worst, I was late for the game as I
thought it started at a different time. However, Al "Geezy" Gregorio decided to lace them up and
dropped 3 three's in the 1st few minutes keeping the game close until I was ready to sub in. I
wasn't really able to get into the groove finishing with a season low of 13 points but Jeremiah Sta.
Maria picked up the slack as he was able to knock down some open J's and a few 3's as well. I
believe the game was tied at the half and that's when it became "The AJ Serjue Show." Dude was
pretty unconscious rebounding, defending, and slashing. AJ kept taking it to the rack and made
like 4 or 5 spectacular and 1's in a row! After displaying his inside game, he wanted to show off
his outside touch so he dropped a couple of 3's as well. In a blink of an eye, we secured a 20
point lead and went on to win the game. AJ finished with a game high 25 points. I see a lot of
improvement in that kid and when he puts his mind into it, he can become unstoppable at times.
On Sunday, we had our Philcan season opener game and once again we were missing several
core players. We did pick up two up and coming players though and they were pretty legit from
what I've observed so far. We matched up with the team KSM comprised of a few ex-Falcons
guards and other familiar faces. I was feeling pretty good from the start and managed to heat up
fairly quickly scoring from different angles on the court. Our defense was suspect though cause
when I looked up at the score board we only maintained a 6 point lead at the half. Finally, James
Forrester said "F-this" and decided to wake up and explode in the 2nd half by using his speed and
power to score in the paint. lol Close to the end of the game, James and I had a 2-on-1 going and
I saw the lone defender commit to me to try and stop the dribbler. I threw a lob up for James and
he grabbed the ball in the air with 1 hand and slammed it home in a leaner-like position before
looking up and yelling out a Vince Carter like, "AHHHHHH!" Crowd was going bananas especially
the peeps from Al's Church League who played in the game before ours. James finished the
game with 20+ points and I had the game high of 32 points earning us the W with the final score
85-65.
Still undefeated besides our rebounding and defensive effort, me being late, and the lack of
commitment from some of our players. Maybe it's because of the winter months and it's too cold to
go outside or something but hopefully we all come together soon to build on the chemistry.
BRAD PITT AIN'T GOT NOTHIN' ON ME!
1/18/10
There's only one explanation that makes sense to me when I think about why I've been feeling
good about my overall game and stamina on the court lately. That reason is because…... I too
have gots the curious case of Benjamin Button! lol Nah, but seriously I do feel like I'm aging
backwards as I'm more confident than ever like every shot I take will go in, I'm stronger, quicker,
and smarter. I don't know what it is but I'm gonna ride it til the wheels fall off.
On January 10th we kicked off the new year with our 1st game back since December 20th, 2009.
The Fil-Act committee decided to match us up against the young and talented team, All-In. The last
meeting we had with them was at the T-Dot Cream of the Crop Tournament and All-In came out
with an overtime W in the end. However, I wasn't at that tournament so I carried a little chip on my
shoulder coming in to last week's rematch. At the start of the 1st half, we blew the doors wide
open as we were firing on all cylinders. All-In countered with some 3's and solid play from their
leader, Allan Ochinang. They kept the game close until about mid-2nd half where I managed to
score most of my buckets. I believe we had a 20 point lead at one point and we never looked
back. I finished with the game high of 29 points and AJ Serjue contributed 22. To their defense,
one of their main bigs, Ian De Leon a.k.a E-Dubz was not present at the game as he was doin it up
in Vegas that weekend… but come to think of it, we were missing Jerome, Jeremiah, Jeff, Cal and
Tigley. lol
Nooooo! I can't believe that Avatar has beaten my all-time favorite movie, Lord of The Rings:
Return of the King… with a box office record of $1.12 billion. Avatar’s worldwide earnings now
stands at $1.14 billion and still counting! I had a debate with a few co-workers about this as they
all say that Avatar kills Lord of the Rings and the producer/writer/director, James Cameron is
simply a genius. Same dude who directed and produced movies like Titanic, Terminator 1 and 2,
True Lies, and other blockbuster hits. I told them that there was only one way for me to find out
which movie is truly better. I'm gonna check out Avatar on Imax within the next few weeks and
make a decision from there. I'll keep y'all posted.
HAPPY NEW YEAR… FROM ME TO YOU
1/06/10
Wow! The year 2009 has officially come to a close. We had a subpar season earning some big
wins but stumbled upon a few heart-breaking losses as well. Here is a brief recap of our
team/player accomplishments for 2009:
- FCCM MAYOR'S CUP TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS (runner up: KAGERS)
* tournament MVP: James Forrester
- CHICAGO GMAA INDO-PAK TOURNAMENT QUARTER-FINALISTS (champions: KANSAS
CITY)
* all-tournament team (First Team): James Forrester
* all-tournament team (Second Team): AJ Serjue
- FIL-ACT OPEN DIVISION LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: 9th in 10 years (runner up: SAINTS)
* league and finals MVP: James Forrester
* best guard: Jerome Sta. Maria
- IDENTIFY YOURSELF CCYAA TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS: back-to-back (runner up:
KAGERS)
- PHILCAN OPEN DIVISION LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: 8th in 10 years (runner up: FALCONS)
* league and finals MVP: AJ Serjue
- MICHIGAN MOTOWN THROWDOWN TOURNAMENT FINALISTS (champions: VIRGINIA:
TEAM UNITED)
- DELAWARE PAAD INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT FINALISTS (champions: GK WARRIORS)
- CHICAGO FBA LABOR DAY TOURNAMENT FINALISTS (champions: WINNIPEG)
- T-DOT CREAM OF THE CROP TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS (runner up: RED BARONS)
- EX-PBA PLAYERS vs. TORONTO'S BEST (25forLife) EXHIBITION GAME CHAMPIONS
So as you could see, even though we took home a few crowns, we didn't really measure up to the
traditional standards of our team's performance. Hopefully, we could turn things around in 2010
and add more W's to our belt.
In Fil-Act news, we are 3 games into the season thus far sitting at 3-0. Our latest win was against
the resilient Falcons squad which took place just before the Christmas Holidays. The game
began in a see-saw affair until the Falcons took charge midway through the 1st half earning them
a 12 point lead. However, in a matter of minutes, it was quickly erased with timely buckets from a
few of our players giving us a 5 point lead at the end of the half. The game was going smoothly
until a little tussle between Mike Semira and Ronald (what is his last name!?!?!?) from the Falcons
occurred in the 2nd half. Mike claims that Ronald tried to give him a cheap shot in the family
jewels and he wasn't having that so he gave him a solid push on his chest before getting up in his
face. The referees ended up separating the two and slapped Mike with a technical foul as he kept
jawing at Ronald. I've never seen Mike upset like that since I've known him but it was good to see
a little fire in him. Ronald claims that it was an accident but I guess only he knows the truth. lol
Anyways, we cruised our way to a 9 point victory with 23 from James, 22 from AJ, and 19 from me.
Falcons own, Norman dropped 19 and Ronald finished with 20+ points.
The Philcan season is scheduled to kick-off on January 17th. Jerome Sta. Maria (25forLife's best
rebounding and shot blocking guard) for some reason decided to basically swap places with his
brother, Jeremiah and Ryan Dawinan as he committed to play with Team Rexdale while the two
decided to come back to 25forLife. I guess he's trying to make the league more interesting cause
he feels that it's just too easy for him or something. lol
I'M BACK… BETTER THAN EVER!
12/9/09
I just finished reading Mike's blog and his words inspired me to come up with my subject heading.
I've been feeling good lately and part of it I think was due to the 3 month rest from the Labor Day
Tournament to now, aside from the Turkey Ball Tournament this past October. As you know, we
chose not to put a team up for MPAA this season so I decided to take advantage of the situation
and let my body recuperate from the rigorous wear and tear over the years. I'm happy to see the
vintage me once again and the shots falling down consistently… but I don't plan to stop there. I
have more work to do and I have goals in place for the team and myself in 2010.
As Mike mentioned in his blog, we recently played against the revamped Red Barons. Half of our
team had prior commitments and couldn't make the game so the full Red Barons squad smelt
blood in the air as they were ready to capitalize on the opportunity. It was a back and forth event for
the 1st 10 minutes or so but our hot shooting and inside play was just too much giving 25forLife a
20 point lead at the half. However, the Barons showed some heart in the 2nd half as they were
able to make the score look respectable in the end, only losing by 9 points. I finished with the
game high of 27, Kim "The Monster" Tigley with 24, and the one-time Baron, JR was solid all-
around with 22. The Barons had a stand-out of their own in the newly acquired youngin, Julian a.k.
a JB. Pretty solid guard but still raw at 19 years old, I think. Kinda remided me of a young me as
he is left-handed, scored in bunches, humble, and just let his game do the talking. Okay, I'm
gonna bring up a debate now. Who's better and why: Allan Ochinang from the team All-In or
Julian? Hit me up!
albano@25forlifebasketball.com
Rumor has it that we may be getting new uniforms soon and it could possibly be similar to the
colors of the Nike Sparq theme of black, grey, and neon green. That would look nice I think and
luckily, I have all black kicks so it should coordinate pretty well with the new unis.
WINNING IS A HABIT
12/2/09
So in my last blog I mentioned that our Fil-Act season opener would take place this past weekend
and our team was deeper than ever with the additions of Seppe, Tigley, and Malana. We were
matched up with a young Durham team and the new players did not disappoint as they helped in
many different ways for us to get the W with the final score 98-48. Although it was a blow out, it
was still a good tune up game for us to shake off some rust and build on some chemistry. It was
refreshing to see how well our team's inside, outside, and slashing game was that day and even
though there were a few defensive lapses, I still think we did an okay job overall. OFFENCE A- /
DEFENSE C+.
Our next game is scheduled at Willowood for Sunday, December 6th at 1pm.
I just played NBA 2K10 on PS3 and I have to say… that game is BANANAS! I could play that all day
son. Blue Ray system on a 1080p 52-inch Plasma… the game is so detailed and realistic. I
haven't tried the NBA Live version but I heard it had more of an arcade feel and every shot goes in,
unlike 2K10. KG's unstoppable from anywhere inside the 3 and Eddie House is clutch… just ask
my boy, Rob Damian about that one! lol A 2K fanatic recently gave me a pointer if I were to ever
use the Cavs and Lebron on an iso. Unfortunately, I can't reveal the secret move though… you've
gotta play me! haha
College Hoops is back baby and the #1 recruit in all of college ball, John Wall hits the game-
winner in his debut as No. 4 Kentucky edges Miami, Ohio 72-70.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MqmMxvQrxM
In case you don't know, this was the same dude that dunked on Jerry Stackhouse at a North
Carolina summer league game. Take a look!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5UpQl18OOM&feature=fvw
10… IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
11/23/09
The 2009-2010 Fil-Act season officially began this past weekend and we originally had a game but
it was rescheduled for next week for some strange reason. On paper, I think 25forLife is still the
team to beat with the addition of a few key players like Seppe Pompei, Kim Tigley, and Jeff Malana.
Each one of these guys adds depth to our squad and experience which helps tremendously,
especially in the late part of the games.
SEPPE – underrated fundamentally sound bigs who once played for Ryerson University as a 2/3-
man. He has accurate perimeter shooting, is able to alter and block shots, and rebounds very
well. NBA comparison: PJ Brown
KIM – naturally gifted size and athletic abilities which almost often makes him an instant mismatch
for his opposing defenders. He is a streaky shooter and an excellent slasher. Has the capability
to cover several positions on D. NBA comparison: Gerald Wallace
JEFF – strong as an ox with an uncanny array of moves that allows him to free himself from his
defenders and release his silky smooth J. Has to ability to draw fouls and can give a few of his
own as well… except he lives by the "no easy lay-up" rule. NBA comparison: Carmelo Anthony
So look out for these new and exciting players as they help 25forLife try to capture their 10th Fil-Act
Championship in 11 years!
In NBA news, I witnessed Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks go off for 55 points against
the Golden State Warriors as they replayed the full game on Raptor TV yesterday. I've been
watching some of his games in the early season and the impact he's made in the league. He has
helped turn the franchise around, currently sitting at 8-3 and 3rd overall in the Eastern Conference.
His style of play reminds me of Damon Stoudamire in his rookie year with the Toronto Raptors…
not to mention that they are both left-handed. So I asked myself who I thought was better even
though it's early in the season but I'm still on the fence with this one. This would seem like a good
topic to bring up at the barbershop like I used to do back in the days. lol Anyways, I looked at their
rookie stats and here they are as follows:
JENNINGS
- 11 games and 35 min. per game
- averages 25.3 points / 5.5 assists / 4.4 rebounds / 1.0 steals / 3.4 turnovers
- shot 48% from the field / 49% beyond the three / and 77% free-throws
STOUDAMIRE
- 70 games and 40 min. per game
- averages 19.0 points / 9.3 assists / 4.0 rebounds / 1.4 steals / 3.8 turnovers
- shot 43% from the field / 40% beyond the three / and 80% free-throws
Now I ask you… which stats would you rather have, who is the better player, and why?
albano@25forlifebasketball.com
ANTE UP!
11/11/09
From word of mouth and participating in several out of town tournaments, we've more than often
represented well. Currently we are ranked #15 on the Top Asian Ballers Team in North America
list; www.asianballers.net. With our play, it allowed our squad to meet many people including
players and coaches from different teams. Now we've been receiving a lot more invitations for
future tournaments, mostly in the States. The most recent one is the Christmas Basketball
Tournament on December 19th and 20th located in Minneapolis, Minnesota hosted by
AznBballTourney. I'm sure the tournament will be a good one especially when nationally ranked
teams such as Public Enemy (TX) and NS2Faded (MN) will be participating in the event along with
several top players from the country. Unfortunately, due to the lack of players that could commit on
that date, we've already had to turn down the invite. So the Minnesota committee hit us up with an
even more appealing tournament that they plan to host next year in June. It's called the T.N.P.
Basketball Tournament and it has already attracted numerous teams since the prize money is up
to $3,500… cash! Sounds like a prize worth fighting for if some of us are willing to travel for over
half a day. Mike Semira was thinking of holding a tournament of our own next year where we would
invite the top teams of North America for a grand prize of $3000. However, we may have to up the
ante now since we're all trying to host a competitive and exciting event. There's still a lot of time to
think about the MN tournament as well as ours so I'll keep you all posted when I have more info.
On a side note, I'm not too keen on politics but I was watching T.V. at work the other day and the
whole news episode was about Queen, Elizabeth II and her arrival in Toronto a few weeks ago.
Now, I really had no opinion of the Queen until I witnessed the city shut down the highways and
had thousands of people gathered to meet her. Talking to my friend, I was told that she actually
runs Canada along with the other "Commonwealth Countries" and she gets paid millions in salary
directly from the taxes that we pay! To do what you ask? I was told nothing really but show up at
specific functions, give a speech or two, and raise her hand up and wave in a royal fashion. We
have our government and Prime Minister, she doesn't make decisions, and doesn't sign of on
anything! I don't know how concrete these facts are but if the base of it is true then it's time Canada
dumps her and become truly sovereign!
"JIGGAAA! WHAT'S MY MOTHER F-ING NAME?"
11/3/09
Being a long-time fan of hip-hop, I always wanted to see 2 top artists perform in their prime…
Biggie and Nas but I never had the opportunity to. Jay-Z to me came at a close 3rd. However, after
seeing his performance at the sold out Air Canada Centre with over 14,000 people shouting
"HOVA! HOVA! HOVA!" seconds before he made his grand entrance, there's a chance that he just
may have surpassed my boy Nas but never B.I.G. of course. The show kicked off with a subpar
performance by Wale. Didn't really recognize any of the tracks that he was flowing on except his hit
song "Chillin." This was the time where everyone was either getting their juice at the bar or making
a pit stop at the washrooms so they wouldn't have to get up again when the "Real" show begins.
The next performance was with Neptune's own, Pharell Williams and his N.E.R.D. crew. Man,
these guys are talented as hell, especially their band. Pharell called over some of the lady fans to
come up on the stage while he sang his classic hit, "Beautiful." Pure groupies on stage backing
that a$$ up! When they finished their act, there was a 10 minute intermission counting down on 2
big screens until the main event makes his way to the stage. When the time expired the whole
place was going bananas! I've never seen anything like it before. The lights went dim and Jay-Z
then rose up from a trap door beneath the stage wearing the classic "Jason" mask as it was also
Halloween that night. Then his sidekick, Memphis Bleek came out as the hype man telling the
crowd to put their thumbs and forefingers together in the shape of Jay-Z's and the R.O.C diamond
logo. When I looked around the ACC, it looked like everyone was under a trance throwing up the
sign in a synchronized fashion. Jiggaman then generously shared the spotlight, bringing back
opening acts, N.E.R.D.'s Pharrell Williams and up-and-coming artists, J. Cole and Bridget Kelly
during his 90-minute set, allowing local rapper, Drake his first performance of "Successful." I
know I didn't pay for my tickets but if I did, I have to admit that they would have definitely been worth
it!
SETLIST
Run This Town
D.O.A.
You Don’t Know
99 Problems
Show Me What You Got
Diamonds Are Forever
I Just Wanna Love U (Give It To Me)
Jigga My
I.Z.Z.O.
Jigga What
Public Service Announcement
Heart of the City
Already Home
Empire State of Mind
A Star is Born
So Ambitious
Drake - Successful
Dirt Off Your Shoulders
ENCORE
Thank You
On to the Next One
Excuse Me Miss/Venus Vs Mars/Bonnie & Clyde/Lucifer/Swagger Like Us (medley)
Can I Get A
Big Pimpin’
Hard Knock Life
Encore
Young Forever
Click below for more info and photos:
http://www.torontosun.com/entertainment/celebrities/2009/11/01/11599026.
html#/entertainment/columnists/jane_stevenson/2009/11/01/pf-11593626.html
ANOTHER RED BARONS vs. 25forLIFE SHOWDOWN
10/26/09
Last week the 2-day T-Dot Cream of the Crop Tournament took place and from what I heard it was
a big success as several games went down to the wire. Mad props to Mike "The Nightmare"
Semira for practically setting up the entire tournament by himself. With 8 of T-Dot's best teams
participating, the 2 remaining teams would have a chance to play in the finals at the Hershey
Centre on October 31st. The winner of the 2 would then move on to play against the Ex-PBA
players on the same day. After several nail-biting games, the 2 teams that came out victorious
were the Red Barons and 25forLife (Here we go again!). It's probably no real surprise as I ranked
these 2 teams as number 1 and number 2 in my "Top 10 Asian Teams of Toronto in the Last 5
Years" blog no too long ago. So whether you're cheering for the home team or your long time
heroes I suggest you check the action out as it should be an exciting event.
Congratulations to team UNC/Lakan for taking home the hardware at the 2009 Turkey Ball
Tournament 2 weeks ago. They managed to knock out The Saints in the semis and we (Red
Barons) lost to the Falcons in an overtime thriller. I didn't see the finals but I heard that UNC/Lakan
defeated the tired Falcons by double digits.
Today, the Ontario Law (Bill 118) has come into effect making it illegal for drivers to use hand-held
cellphones, BlackBerrys and other electronic devices while behind the wheel. The only exception
to the ban is a 911 call. Better get your Blue Tooth and other headset devices because you can be
slapped with a fine of up to $500. Here's more info regarding the Bill. http://www.ontla.on.
ca/web/bills/bills_detail.do?locale=en&BillID=2099
The Raptors season opener is scheduled for Wednesday October 28th and it just happens to be
against King James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. How fitting is that especially with Shaq on their
team now? I think the last time the Raps played against Shaq he dropped 42 in so many different
array of moves and dunks. With Reggie Evans out and Turgoklu with a mild sprained ankle, the
only good news for the Raps is that the Cavs are playing against the Celtics the night before so
hopefully fatigue will play a factor when they meet up.
Got 2 tickets from work to attend the Jay-Z concert at the Air Canada Centre on Oct. 31st, 2009! "It's
the ROC!!!" haha. Valued at $200-$250 each, 3rd row seats… it should be a fun night with the
wifey and a few of the co-workers. http://www.theaircanadacentre.com/news.asp?story_id=415 I'll
keep you posted.
EX-PBA ALL STARS vs. TORONTO'S BEST
10/07/09
If you don't know by now, basketball is the number 1 sport in the P.I. and the PBA (Philippine
Basketball Association) is Philippine's version of the NBA. Only the best of the best make the
league and even ex-NBA imports have played or are currently playing in some of the PBA
conferences. Now the PBA has decided to showcase some of their talent and let the fans and
players from all of North America know what kind of competition one is to expect if they decided to
see one of their games or even try out for the league. On Saturday October 31st, 2009 you can get
a chance to catch some of the action between the ex-PBA All Stars vs. Toronto's Best at the
Hershey Centre located in Mississauga, ON. Witness legendary players like "The Captain" Alvin
Patrimonio, Vergel Meneses, and Jerry Codinera compete with some of the local talent. This is a
once in a lifetime opportunity for all the basketball fans and players of Toronto as the ex-PBA All
Stars will probably be closing out their tour for the year after this final event. For further details log
on to: http://news.ckatt.org/archives/16
The Annual Turkey Ball Tournament hosted by MPAA will resume on Thanksgiving Weekend;
October 10th and 11th, 2009. There will be 5 divisions in this event so it should be an exciting
affair. 25forLife decided not to participate as the Fil-Act and Philcan league will be starting in a few
weeks and some of us wanted to reenergize from the tiring summer practices and tournaments.
However, a few of us have made a commitment to merge with The Red Barons to try and capture
the crown.
Last night I watched the Toronto Raptors play in their 1st Pre-season game vs. The Philadelphia
76ers without the likes of Chris Bosh, Hedo Turkoglu, and Antoine Wright. They were doing well at
1st but began to crumble after the half. I was impressed with Reggie Evans because as
advertised, he looked like a beast in the 1st 10 minutes of the game. He was just a workhorse
rebounding, scoring, defending, and other intangibles that don't show up on the stat sheet. He
even had the fans, mostly of London, Ontarions chant his name "Reggie, Reggie, Reggie…"
whenever he made a good play. The Raps came alive in the 4th quarter and made the game
interesting only to fall short in the end. I'm really excited to see how the team gels during the
course of the year and when some of the big dogs return to the lineup.
JP's blog archives
September 2008 - January 2009
February 2009 - September 2009
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