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Converge FiberXers opened the Philippine Basketball Association Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup curtain with a victory against the Terrafirma Dyip, 116-87, on Wednesday, November 27, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

The much awaited debut of former top overall pick of the special Gilas draft Jordan Heading has come to fruition already.

Heading scored his first basket in the PBA off a tip-in in the 2:52 mark of the first period. He finished with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field, four rebounds, and six assists against three turnovers in almost 24 minutes of play.

The stats might not be as high as expected of the Filipino-Australian sweet shooting guard but enough to get the nod of Converge head coach Franco Atienza.

Hong Kong Eastern walloped Phoenix to notch its debut win, 102-87, in the Philippine Basketball Association, or PBA, Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup at the Philsports Arena in Pasig on Wednesday, November 27.

HK Eastern showed no jitters right from the start and just took care of business the rest of the way for a 1-0 start, while the Fuel Masters fell to a 0-1 card. 

Familiar faces led the charge for the Hong Kong team with ex-PBA import Cameron Clark and former Bay Area player Hayden Blankley starring on both ends. 

Clark, who has played for San Miguel and NLEX in the past, recorded a double-double with 25 points, 11 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.

Blankley poured in 18 markers, dishing out five dimes and three rejections after making his PBA comeback nearly two years after the Dragons lost to Ginebra in the 2022-23 PBA Commissioner's Cup finals.

Converge registered a resounding 116-87 victory over new-look Terrafirma to kick off their Philippine Basketball Association or PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup campaign on Wednesday, November 27, at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

The FiberXers delivered 14 three-pointers in the game, including nine in the decisive second half that completely took the fight out of the Dyip. 

Converge established the tone by defeating the Dyip 34-16 in the first period. They also showed composure by overcoming Terrafirma's third quarter storm.

Import Cheick Diallo, who played five seasons in the NBA, had an outstanding debut, dominating the paint with a monster double-double of 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting and 16 rebounds with two assists, a steal, and a block.

“When we got Cheick, we know we are getting a high-motor guy, athletic, can jump out of the gym. What we saw now is what we expected him to play like,” Converge head coach Franco Atienza said.

If Justin Brownlee were to ask, Kai Sotto has the capacity and potential to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

This was what Brownlee said after Gilas Pilipinas’ successful matches against New Zealand and Hong Kong last Thursday and Sunday night at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

According to the three-time PBA best import, Sotto's performance level in their past games proved that he is capable of competing in the type and class of play in the NBA.

Apart from that, Kai also has a big advantage in having a 7-foot-3 height, and besides this, he has the strong physique and skills of an NBA player.

“Man, I've been saying, I feel like he's good enough to play in the NBA. Yeah, in my honest opinion. Of course, he's got the height, he's got the size and the skill. But he's been through so much,”  Brownlee said. 

The six-time champion also said that Kai Sotto has great potential to be included in the NBA because of the qualities he has seen since he recently played with him. He also said that Kai will go far if he can play in the oldest professional basketball league in the world.

“For me, it's just great to see, you know, a young player like him with so much potential and just to see him start fulfilling his potential. He's got a long way to go. You know, he's only in his early 20s. So, I'm happy for his progression and I'm excited to see what the future holds for him,” Brownlee added. 

It can be recalled that Sotto recorded 12 points, 15 rebounds, two blocks and two assists in Gilas Pilipinas' previous match against Hong Kong, while last Thursday in their match against New Zealand, Sotto recorded 19 markers, 10 boards and seven dimes.

The wins of Gilas in window 2 gave them a solid hold of the lead in Group B with 4-0 win-loss record.

After sweeping the second window of the qualifiers, Gilas is now qualified for the FIBA ​​Asia Cup to be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in August next year.

Meanwhile, Gilas will next face Chinese Taipei in the third window of the FIBA ​​Asia Cup Qualifiers on February 20 and Gilas against New Zealand again on February 23.

Kai Sotto, Kevin Quiambao, and Carl Tamayo showed their prowess on Sunday night, November 24, at the Mall of Asia Arena when Philippines defeated Hong Kong, 93-54, to secure a ticket in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 to be held in Saudi Arabia.

Sotto delivered another double-double performance with 12 points and 15 rebounds, to go along with two assists and two blocks, while Quiambao added eight markers, five boards and four dimes.

Tamayo scored a game-high 16 points highlighted by two triples and 50 percent shooting from the field. He also grabbed five rebounds and dished off one assist.

Gilas showed their might over the Hong Kong squad after the opening quarter by establishing a nine-point lead, 25-16.

June Mar Fajardo led the Gilas domination in the opening period and finished off with 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, eight boards, one dime, one deflection, and a block.

After Fajardo set the tempo in the first quarter of play, Tamayo was on fire in the second period to add a point in their lead and finished the half at 45-35.

In the third canto, it was a total team effort by the Philippine team as they showcased their passing in skills and had a 9-0 run to erect a 27-point lead. However, Hong Kong point guard Oliver Xu made a triple on the buzzer to cut Gilas lead at 67-43.

The green light has been given to the seven-foot-three Kai Sotto to see action for Gilas Pilipinas this coming window of the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers on November 21 and 24. 

The development was confirmed by Gilas Pilipinas team manager Richard Del Rosario. He said that Sotto has finally been cleared to play after going through concussion protocols. 

However, Del Rosario added that AJ Edu still remains doubtful as he continues to undergo strength training and treatment for the right knee that he hurt recently in the Nagasaki Velca’s 71-68 defeat to the Akita Northern Happinets.  

“Kai is good to go, but AJ is still undergoing strength training and treatment,” said Del Rosario.

Sotto’s presence in the team is a big boost together with the 8th-time PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo as the Tall Blacks are coming in with a seven-footer and a couple of 6-foot-10 bigs.

Quincy Miller has the possibility of playing in the PBA once again, as he is considered by the San Miguel Beermen to be their import in the upcoming Season 49 Commissioner's Cup.

Miller is currently playing for SMB as one of the two reinforcements in the East Asia Super League (EASL) Home and Away Season 2.

San Miguel deputy Peter Martin said that they are considering bringing in the 31-year-old in the mid-season conference to help them defend their title, but there's no assurance yet.

"Maybe, maybe not," said Martin of Miller's status.

In their EASL loss to the Taoyuan Pilots last Wednesday, November 13, at the Philsports Arena, Miller showed brilliance by delivering 32 points on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc.

The numbers he provided were far from the first time he suited up for the Beermen when they lost against Suwon KT Sonicboom in the opener of the regional tournament a month ago.

Miller only chipped in eight markers on 2-of-12 shooting from the field during the loss.

And his redeeming performance last Wednesday caught the attention of the San Miguel coaching staff.

Meralco Bolts secured their second home win in the East Asia Super League (EASL) Season 2 on Wednesday night, November 13, when they narrowly defeated the Busan KCC Egis, 81-80, at the Philsports Arena.

Akil Mitchell, who replaced the recently retired Allen Durham as one of Meralco's reinforcements in the tournament, led the Bolts to victory with his 33 points punctuated by his split free throws in the final 6.4 seconds that eventually sealed the game. He also grabbed 22 rebounds in their come from behind victory.

Mitchell, who will also play for Meralco as their Commissioner's Cup import, boosted the team to a 2-1 win-loss record.

The other reinforcement of the Bolts, DJ Kennedy added 14, to go along eight boards, five assists, and two steals for the squad, while team captain Chris Newsome scored eight before fouling out in the crucial minutes of the fourth quarter.

Seasoned players Mike Phillips of De La Salle University Green Archers and Camille Clarin of National University Bulldogs both delivered outstanding performances for their teams in the final stretch of eliminations in the UAAP Season 87 basketball tournaments.

As both teams continued to compete for their respective titles, Phillips and Clarin contributed crucial assistance for their respective teams, which resulted in them being awarded as the Collegiate Press Corps (CPC) UAAP Players of the Week award for the period of November 3–10.

After a fiercely contested poll, Phillips defeated Mo Konateh of FEU, AJ Fransman of Adamson, and Nic Cabañero of UST to win the weekly prize.

With an average of 15.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 3.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks during DLSU's 2-0 week, the 6-foot-8 forward was the most popular pick among reporters in the men's tournament.

In a hard-fought 58-53 victory over FEU, Phillips filled the void left by reigning MVP Kevin Quiambao on a rare off night. He finished with 17 points, 15 rebounds, two assists, five steals, and two blocks.

“I’m just so happy with my role that coach [Topex Robinson] gave me," said Phillips, who scored 11 of his 17 points in the final quarter against the Tamaraws.

"I just try to be one of the leaders on the defense and the energy, and a lot of times I still struggle with my offensive end, and sometimes too much energy, and it’s not channeled the right way, but that’s why I trust in my teammates,” he added.

The Gilas Pilipinas has released its list of 15 players who will compete in the 2025 FIBA ​​Asia Cup Qualifiers on November 21 and 25 to be held at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Among of those were: June Mar Fajardo, Ange Kouame, Jamie Malonzo, Chris Newsome, Japeth Aguilar, Mason Amos, Justin Brownlee, Aj Edu, Calvin Oftana, CJ Perez, Kevin Quiambao, Dwight Ramos, Kai Sotto, Carl Tamayo and Scottie Thompson.

Ange Kouame has been included in Gilas Pilipinas after the Samahan ng Basketbol ng Pilipinas confirmed it.According to SBP executive director Erika Dy, Kouame will also participate in the Gilas camp at the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba City Laguna starting November 15.

Dy also said that having multiple naturalized players in the first pool submitted to FIBA is allowed, until the eve of the game where a technical meeting will be held to finalize the roster.

“The night before [a game], there’s a technical meeting. You have to have only one naturalized [player],” Dy said.

The TNT Tropang Giga kept their title as the PBA Governors' Cup champion when they finally ended the series of the Season 49 edition, conquering Barangay Ginebra, 95-85, on Friday night, November 8, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

It was another sweet victory for TNT as they finished the series once again in six games just like what they did in 2023.

Tropang Giga's hardworking reinforcement Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led the squad with 31 big points and defeated Ginebra's resident import Justin Brownlee for the second time around. In fact, Brownlee was 6-0 in the Finals until Hollis-Jefferson came into the picture last year.

RHJ also grabbed 16 rebounds and dished off seven assists during the game.