This Too Shall Pass

After a bad loss today, I just remembered a story that someone shared me when I was in Singapore. 

There was once a great Chinese Emperor. When his reign started, he wanted to become a great Emperor but didn't know how to. So he consulted a wise man who lived up in the mountains. They talked for days and days and when the Emperor came down, he brought with him a small rock. No one knows what is inscribed in that rock. Every night before the Emperor slept, he looked at the rock and peacefully hid it under his pillow. In times of great triumph, he looked at the rock. In times of great distress, he looked at the rock. 

When the Emperor died, as people in the palace were savaging through his belongings, they came upon that certain rock and inscribed there was, "This too shall pass". Those words made the Emperor become great because when he was riding on momentum, it made him stay humble and made him realize that tomorrow is a new day with new challenges and obstacles. On the other hand, when he feels down and in distress, he turns to that passage which in turn gives him hope for a better tomorrow. 

This statement should running in each and everyone of us. Everything has its own time and purpose. Although at times things are not given to us on a silver platter, it challenges us to work doubly hard to attain and achieve our goals. Once we our in our darkest hour, it gives us hope for a new day, and to be the ones to change our fate! Nothing is going to stop a Man on a Mission. 

Austin Rivers' Nasty Stepback

This video speaks for itself. 

You can't stop Austin Rivers' nasty stepback. Its patented. 

Michael Jordan: Invincible

As I was snooping around Youtube, I remembered a guy who wanted to make a so-called Michael Jordan movie. At first, I thought it was going to be a real motion picture but sadly its just a Youtube project. Nevertheless, its a great movie featuring THE GREATEST PLAYER of ALL-TIME, Michael Jordan. 

Part 1:

Part 2:

Schedule of Games (August 27 - August 31) EDITED

With the upcoming long weekend, why not make it productive by watching some of Xavier's basketball games.

Saturday (August 27, 2011) <--- GAME CANCELLED DUE TO BAD WEATHER

PRADA: Marist vs Xavier School
Venue: Jacinto Tiu Competition Court
Time: 9:45 AM

Sunday (August 28, 2011) <--- GAME POSTPONED TO SEPTEMBER 4 
Passerelle: UST vs Xavier School (Quarterfinals)
Venue: High School Gym
Time: 1:00 PM (if I'm not mistaken)

Monday (August 29, 2011)
PRADA: Don Bosco Technical Institute vs Xavier School
Venue: DBTI Gym
Time: 8:30 AM

Tuesday (August 30, 2011)
Fr. Martin: Letran vs Xavier School
Venue: San Beda - Mendiola
Time: 9:00 AM

Wednesday (August 31,2011)
PAYA: NU vs Xavier School
Venue: High School Gym Wooden Court or Jacinto Tiu Competition Court
Time: 4:00 or 4:30 PM

Blake Griffin: A Successful Rookie Campaign

I know this might have been a much delayed post on Blake Griffin's extremely dominant rookie season but I after snooping the content of my Mac, I saw a video which I wanted to share with you guys and add an analysis on this season's Rookie of the Year.

Blake Griffin's game is definitely not associated with the Power Forward postion. He seems to have more speed, more agility, and leaping ability compared to the other Power Forwards in the NBA. To me, a typical Power Forward is a guy standing around 6'9 - 6'11 playing back to the basket with a decent mid-range jump shot and a guy who has a knack for rebounding. The perfect example of a Power Forward is Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. Two guys with extremely length, and great offensive and defensive games. 

Blake Griffin's game is very similar to a young Kenyon Martin and an Amare Stoudemire without that mid-range jumper but more dribbling skills, in my opinion. Blake Griffin, just like Kenyon Martin in his young days, is an athletic Power Forward who can jump extremely high for ferocious dunks and block shots. 

Blake Griffin's low post game isn't too shabby either. Maximizing his dribbling skills, he can dribble around you and jump over you if he chooses to do so. Blake still lacks a more consistent mid-range jumper, a better free throw percentage, and he has to learn how to do hook shots. A hook shot may extend Blake's career for another 10 years. 

The way Blake Griffin is playing now, no one or nothing can stop him except injuries. The way Blake Griffin lands after throwing down a dunk looks very bad since he is putting a lot of impact on his once injured left knee. He has to find a way to land softer or this may pretty much end his career. 

I do foresee Blake Griffin throwing up 20-10 season for many year's to come. The question is, how long will he last. 

The video I was talking about: 

Enjoy the video! 

Yao of the Future

Once again I sincerely apologize for not posting in the blog for a long time. I was busy studying for my Quarterly Tests last week and I didn't bother updating the blog. 

To start the blog again on a strong and positive note, we start big, if you know what I mean. 

Who is the tallest person you've ever met? To others, probably my brother. To those of you who don't know my Y-O-U-N-G-E-R brother, he stands 6'6", approximately 5-6 inches taller than me. To others, probably basketball players whose names you don't even remember. For me, its a different story. 

August of last year if my memory serves me right, I was lucky enough to participate in the Basketball Without Borders Asia program in Singapore. It was a great learning experience since I was play against really tough opponents older than me and at the same time, make friendships that I will never forget. (That will have its own blog entry, I promise) The tallest and youngest guy from that batch is an Indian guy named Satnam Singh Bhamara. 

The catch. 

He's 15. 

His height, 7 feet. 

At first, I was intimated. Honestly speaking, I thought this guy was over 20 even 30. He doesn't look like a 15 year old filled with energy to play the game he loves, basketball. 

Satnam's game is impressive. Aside from the fact he has a well structured wide body, he has freakishly big hands which can challenge shots from any possible distance. He has an excellent and patient back to the basket game plus the fact he enjoys shooting mid range jumpers which are virtually unblock-able. He also has the enough leaping ability to flush the ball. 

One weakness of Satnam's game would probably have to be his footwork although it has improved tremendously from the guy who sprained his ankle doing a back pedal. 

Many of you are currently wondering how this guy grew that freakishly tall. To tell you the truth, its all in the genes. Satnam's dad, Balbir Singh Bhamara, is 7'2. His grandmother in the father side is 6'9. He wears a size 26 Peak shoe that are as heavy as cinderblocks and definitely a sight to see. 

Satnam is now currently in the United States training. Sadly, I have had no contact of him since he doesn't have a Facebook or a Twitter account. 

Deep inside that chiseled tall man is a young kid who enjoys playing basketball. Basketball is a world where he can fit in and the potential of this kid is great. 

Only time will tell if this kid will be the first Indian to make it to the NBA but there is definitely nothing wrong in dreaming big. 

Thoughts Away From The Game

I haven't posted in a while on the blog since this week was our Quarterly Test. True to its name, this brought about a sleepless night plus a very early morning. Today, we had Social Science and Science. I really had no problems in Social Science since all the information was written already down on the questionnaire and you would just have to base your answers from there and/or add the information you took up in class. 

But Science was a totally different story. 

I spent almost the entire night studying for 40% of my grade. I even took the initiative to wake up at 4:30 just to study it again. I was confident but not over confident with my ability to at  least get a decent score. Once I saw Gian Fernando, who was seated 5 seats in front of me, giving me a look, I knew I had to prepare for the worst. As I got my questionnaire and answer sheet, I immediately wrote down all that I knew regarding all the Science topics we discussed for the First Quarter so as to not forget them. Going through the multiple choice, I was able to answer the questions. As I was approaching the 20s, my mind went blank. I wouldn't say it just blacked out for some reason but I guess you all know the feeling that you know the answer but you can't seem to locate it or put it into words. That was what I felt. Approaching the short answer portion of the Quarterly Test, there and then I knew I was bound to fail. It seemed like my teacher didn't teach anything like this or maybe I was just reluctant to listen. Throw in the fact that I hate bad grammar because I suck at comprehending what people are trying to say, the test had it all. 

I am bound to fail, I hope I do not. I am not afraid of failing because failure is what keeps us all humble. It also makes us strive more to work hard so as to never experience it again although failure in school is totally a different thing. 

When one fails a subject, a test, or a quarterly test, you feel extremely bad. You are disappointed without measure. Disappointment dominates your entire being and you are angry at yourself. I am the kind of person who never uses excuses although when I was younger I used to blame everybody for MY mistakes. 

This too shall pass. This gives me hope for a better tomorrow and that God has a purpose for this. We shouldn't be afraid to fail but school says otherwise. It challenges us to continue to work harder and do our very best. 

Photo of the Day: August 14, 2011

Congratulations to the Energen RP Youth U-16 team as they qualified for the 2nd U-16 FIBA Asia meet after winning the 1st South East Asian Basketball Association (SEABA) U-16 tournament held in Banting City, Selangor, Malaysia. 

Your glimpse of the RP Youth Jerseys outfitted by the Swoosh. 

Photo of the Day: August 13, 2011

How many of you have envisioned yourselves playing Like Mike? I guess probably from this generation to the next will. Never in a million years will we see someone surpass what Jordan brought to the game of basketball. The tongue, the dunks, the long shorts, his own signature line, among many others will never be replicated. The closest thing that we can associate ourselves to Jordan is his kicks. The Jordan line, which is under Nike, features 23 signature shoes on top of the numerous releases his comes up with. 

Aside from the Jordan 11, this year's edition of the Air Jordan would have to be the best. The color way, its weight, and design makes it one of the best sneakers to cop this year. 

This would have to be my favorite, the Air Jordan 2011: Jordan Brand Classic. Very difficult sneaker to cop since it was only given to the participants of the annual Jordan Brand Classic which features the top high school rank players strut their stuff. 

Other Nike IDs of the shoe.

Excellent shoe. Cop a pair if you will.

Photo of the Day: August 12, 2011

I think its been a week since I posted here since I prefer to bash people rather than to snoop for pictures of people on the net. It takes too much time actually. To serve the craving of my friend, John So, I decided to put this picture of out #MainMan, yes its a twitter hash tag, Austin Rivers. Austin is ranked as the #1 prospect of this year's class. Austin is the son of Boston Celtics Head Coach Doc Rivers and will be playing college ball at Duke University. 

Austin's game is very similar to that of his idol, Dwyane Wade, except that Austin has a much deadlier 3-point shot than that of the Flash. Austin's step-back shot is virtually un-guardable and just go to Youtube for yourself to see it. 

Over the summer, Austin said he would be wearing #0 over at Duke. He created his own nickname, Subzero, since he said his ice was running through his veins. This simply just a photo evidence of it. He's the white guy in the background. 

Bashing of the Day: August 12, 2011

Instead of bashing someone today, like as we often do in this segment, I would like to share a video I found on Youtube. During the NBA Lockout, NBA Players find ways to play the game they love, basketball. Around this time if there was a season, they would be inside a gym building their bodies up but since they have a lot of time to spare, they go to different Pro-Am leagues and play. One of the more famous leagues that NBA Players play on is the Drew League over at LA being ran by a rapper. Sadly, I forgot his name since it didn't deem necessary to do so. 

Here in this video, we will see Milwaukee Bucks Point Guard Brandon Jennings go against one of the incoming rookies, Josh Selby. Both were players who were ranked #1 in their high school class but both didn't take they easy way out. As we all know, Brandon, decided to forego college and play in Italy while Selby played in Kansas U where he was suspended for 10+ games for an NCAA violation and struggled with injuries although I think this guy has tremendous upside in his game. 

Just watch and see how both guys duel. 

As #MainMan Austin Rivers would say, "check out hoopmixtape.com ha". LOL! 

Bashing of the Day: August 11, 2011

Sorry to my loyal followers that I didn't post any blog entry yesterday since I was busy studying for my Science Long Quiz which merits 20% of my grade. God, that test was hard. Anyways, today is a new day and we continue the daily segment. 

I would say that I love funny accents. Not necessarily does it have to come from basketball but I love laughing at people who struggle with their English. I wouldn't say that I think lowly of them but rather I highly commend them for braving critics and the fear of being laughed at and they still continue to speak in English. For today, we won't be talking about funny basketball accents but rather the video will be about Manny Pacquiao. 

Pacquiao's English has tremendously improved and has come a long way but its still hard to resist laughing at his English before. 

At least he isn't like his brother who loves Blow-Blows. We'll save that for another time.

Bashing of the Day: August 9, 2011

For today's edition of the Bashing of the Day, I wanted to use Talk N' Text's Mark Yee and him literally fingering Petron's Anthony Grundy. That ain't right and it didn't smell too good. So instead of overusing this hilarious event, I decided to bash Asi Taulava and the Malaysian who literally was knocked out because of his haymaker. 

In a lopsided game in the Jones Cup, with the Philippines up 20 with 7.4 seconds left in the 3rd quarter, play was halted because Mr. Taulava went on a rampage to Malaysian Kwaan Yoong Jin. Before play was halted, this Malaysian had the guts to secretively hit Asi in the nuts. Asi was out cold for several seconds before gathering himself and throwing 2 solid haymakers. I don't know if it hit but that definitely sent a message. Asi doesn't want his balls to be touched or hit in that particular manner. Reggie Evans better watch out!! 

But we don't only bash people but we also give credit where its due. Asi handled it very professionally and was very apologetic and regretful for his actions. The Philippines will play an unbeaten Korean team this Wednesday led by the behemoth that is Ha-Shung Jin. 

Bashing of the Day: August 8, 2011

This will be the new daily segment of the blog. This segment on the blog will feature daily bashing on people but most of the time basketball players for the numerous funny or weird things they do. This part of the blog will also give credit to where its due meaning we also site personal achievements and accolades. 

For the first edition of the Daily Bashing, we talk about the Nutcracker, Reggie Evans. Reggie Evans has long been a journeyman in the NBA having stints with the Seattle Supersonics, Denver Nuggets, and Toronto Raptors. He is often utilized as a defensive stopper, often guarding the opponent's best low post scorer. He also has a knack for rebounding, averaging about 16 a game for my fantasy team before going MIA with an injury. 

Mr. Evans, has a craving for nuts. Not those peanuts that can be bought in the streets or your local supermarkets but the big walnuts down under. 

Photo and Video evidences of his unsurmountable craving for "NUTS"... 

The first time he did it was against Chris Kaman of the Los Angeles Clippers during the Playoffs. Chris was so frustrated he pushed Reggie far far away. 

Another instance where he was wasn't caught...

If his craving isn't satisfied...

He just scratches his head in disgust. 

If I were you, I'd watch out for this Nutcracker. Christmas is still far far away and we wouldn't want our nuts to be cracked. LOL! 

Transaction: August 7, 2011

Two Xaverians, namely Kyles Lao and Isaac Go, will be on loan to the RP Youth U-16 team who will play in the 1st SEABA Under 16 Qualifying Championships which will be held in Banting City, Selangor, Malaysia from August 9-13. Nothing less than the championship is expected from the Philippine team for the right to represent the region in the upcoming 2nd FIBA Asia Under-16 Mens Championship that will be held on October 18-28, 2011 at Nha Trang, Vietnam. 

We wish the best of luck to these Xaverians and to the RP team! 

Photo of the Day: August 7, 2011

The Philippine Azkals have long been part of our new Filipino culture. Whenever they have a match, all Filipinos from all walks of life turn on their TV sets and cheer for them. Sadly, they haven't and WILL NEVER produce results and win. 

Sadly, led by the Younghusband brothers especially Phil, they have been taking over commercials and advertisements. With their new found glory and success, they are capitalizing on their looks. 

See, this is probably the WORST commercial ever. So instead of banking on the Azkals so-called success and good looks, you should just pair this guy with the Younghusband brothers. Definitely gonna reap in the dough. 

500th VIEW!

I just wanted to make a short blog to thank each and every person who has viewed this blog. I just reached 500 views a couple of minutes ago. I started this blog a week or a week and half ago for the purpose of documenting my work for my school's newspaper, Stallion. I really didn't expect this quick so-called success since I thought only the players who were curious about their stats would view it or I just really set my standards very low. Again, I want to thank everyone for viewing this site and I hope that I make continue to provide good articles, pictures, and views and in turn you continue to view the site more. Share it with your friends! 

Staying humble, dreaming big. 

Photo of the Day: August 6, 2011

While my friends and I were talking about the way a certain teammate of ours acts, it hit us that there were many similar incidents in the NBA. I wouldn't call it bloopers but this has to be one the funniest things that has happened in NBA History. 

The videos speak for itself.

The pain speaks for it slef.

Photo of the Day: August 5, 2011

Does anyone here unfamiliar with Paolo Susmerano? For those of you who don't know him, he is the Xavier basketball player with a Portobello mushroom as his hair. He plays the game with relentless aggression. His defensive intensity has people fearing his wrath. Paolo is a defensive player who relies on fastbreak lay-ups and pull up jumpers. 

His game is very similar to...... 

PING EXCIMINIANO!

And this is how he scares his opponents...

LOL. No hard feelings, Pao

Funny Video

Although this is not anything basketball related, I thought I would share this to you guys. Funny sh*t!

Credits to my #MainMan, John So, for the video.

Photo of the Day: August 4, 2011

One of the funnier tweets I got on twitter. I'm not too sure if this is really Brook Lopez's account but it seems like it. One day at school, me and Richmoune were critiquing Brook's awful game. If I remembered correctly, he had around 15 points 5 rebounds and shot atrociously from the field. Well, Brook thought he played a good game and that is why he hasn't matched his potential. 

Injury Update: August 4, 2011

Kyles Lao - Hyperextended Left Knee - All set and ready to go. He resumes full basketball practice tomorrow.

Jarrell Lim - Strained Achilles - This injury was misdiagnosed and it is an apparent knee injury bugging him. Listed as day-to-day.

Isaac Go - Strained Right Shoulder - Currently undergoing extensive rehab and hopefully he is cleared for contact by next week.

Paolo Susmerano - Bruised and Battered - Fully recovered from the beating he took in the DWTL Recollection, if our sources are correct.

No Photo of the Day today. You can contribute by sending your picture to my twitter account, twitter.com/giango

Photo of the Day: August 3, 2011

This would have to be one of the best T-shirt ideas ever. This was created by the students of Virginia Commonwealth University on their Cinderella Final Four story. Sadly, they didn't win. I really do not love the stories for underdogs because they ruin the best possible match but the ball is round and that's how the game of basketball is played. 

If anyone can find me that T-shirt, I want one!!  

Photo of the Day: August 2, 2011

This will be a much different approach to the Photo of the Day segment. Instead of starting with a picture, I start of with a video. The video will envy most of us sneaker heads since this is the Pantheon of Nike kicks. Makes me wanna steal one. I wish I had the money to buy these.

But for now, I'm stuck with this. LOL!

NO MATCH!

Photo of the Day: August 1, 2011

Today, August 1, 2011, will be the start of the daily photo segment here in this website. Feel free to share your funny basketball related pictures here. You can tweet me at http://www.twitter.com/giango .

Sino kaya tong nadaganan? Parang hinimatay na dahil sa kapos ng hangin o sa tulis ng katawan niya? Kayo ang mag-desisyon.

Injury Report

August 1, 2011

Kyles Lao - Hyper-extended Left Knee - Out 4 days

Isaac Go - Strained Right Shoulder - Out 2-3 weeks

Jarrell Lim - Strained Achilles - Day-to-day 

Paolo Susmerano  - Bruised and Battered - Out indefinitely