All news tagged NorthportBatangPier

Pureblends Corp., a food manufacturing and solutions company, is close to acquiring the NorthPort franchise before the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) opens its 50th season on October 4. 

PBA chairman Ricky Vargas confirmed that most documents are finalized and due diligence is complete, with the sale expected to be completed soon.

Vargas welcomed the development and thanked San Miguel Corp. for allowing a competitor into the league. 

“It’s a welcome situation,” said Vargas. 

He also announced that competition advertising will be permitted during games, except when a team with a competing brand is playing. 

PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said NorthPort player movements are on hold until the sale is finalized.

“Talks are serious and it’s close to getting done. It could happen anytime. I’d like to thank San Miguel Corp. for allowing a competitor to come in. The Board has also decided to allow competition to advertise on TV during games but only when a team of a competitive brand is not playing, it was decided not to permit any further movements of NorthPort players until the sale is confirmed.”  Marcial said. 

Pureblends, owned by Bryann Calantoc, is reportedly considering a coaching overhaul for Batang Pier, possibly tapping a former PBA head coach to lead the team.

The PBA welcomed its historic 50th season by ushering in a fresh generation of talent, with 122 hopefuls vying for their professional dreams in the 2025 Rookie Draft held Sunday, September 7, at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall.

Terrafirma Dyip set the tone by selecting Ateneo’s 6-foot-9 center Geo Chiu as the No. 1 overall pick—an unsurprising choice, given his status as one of the most highly touted prospects in this year’s record pool of applicants.

Converge FiberXers stayed on script at No. 2, picking Gilas Pilipinas guard Juan Gomez de Liano, who boasts international stints in Japan, Lithuania, and South Korea.

At third, Blackwater Bossing chose 6-foot-1 guard Dalph Panopio, a former Batang Gilas standout who also gained overseas experience in South Korea and India. NorthPort followed at fourth by nabbing Ateneo guard Chris Koon.

NLEX reinforced its backcourt with the selection of speedy guard LJay Gonzales at No. 5. Magnolia secured San Beda forward Yukien Andrada at sixth, while Meralco bolstered its rotation with veteran playmaker Jason Brickman at seventh.

NorthPort extended its campaign in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup by securing a 108-103 victory over Barangay Ginebra in Game 4 on Wednesday, March 5, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

After suffering blowout losses in the first three games—losing by an average of 20.6 points—the Batang Pier finally found a way to stay alive and force a Game 5 on Friday, March 7.

Barangay Ginebra moved one step closer to another Finals appearance in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup semi-finals after dominating the NorthPort Batang Pier, 127-100, on Sunday night, March 2, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Jamie Malonzo, named Best Player of the Game, led the Gin Kings with 27 points, including an impressive 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, while grabbing eight rebounds. It was a breakout performance for Malonzo, who returned to action last January after missing several months due to a left calf injury.

Ginebra’s resident import, Justin Brownlee, provided solid support with 22 points, shooting 5-of-7 from three-point range.

Veterans Japeth Aguilar, Scottie Thompson, and Troy Rosario also contributed significantly, scoring 17, 15, and 10 points, respectively.

Off the bench, RJ Abarrientos made an impact with a double-double of 10 points and 10 assists, posting a plus-24 rating whenever he was on the floor.

Barangay Ginebra relied on their balanced scoring to capture the win in Game 1 of their PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup semifinal series against NorthPort, 115-93, last night, February 26, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Justin Brownlee led the charge for the Gin Kings, pouring in 19 points, four rebounds, and four assists in just 32 minutes of play.

Brownlee was supported by his local teammates, led by Troy Rosario, who scored 15 points, followed by RJ Abarrientos with 14, while Japeth Aguilar added 11.

The first half of the match was a close battle, with Ginebra holding only a five-point lead over the Batang Pier, 56-51.

However, in the third quarter, the Gin Kings unleashed a barrage of points while locking down NorthPort defensively, outscoring them 32-14.

Heading into the fourth period, Ginebra never looked back, maintaining their commanding lead and still outscoring the Batang Pier 28-27 to secure the victory.

Despite the dominant win, Ginebra coach Tim Cone remained cautious, saying it was just one win in a long series.

Still, the victory is a big boost for a Ginebra team that struggled to get ideal training during the long break, with Cone, Brownlee, Rosario, Scottie Thompson, Jamie Malonzo, Japeth Aguilar, and LA Tenorio all serving duties with Gilas Pilipinas.

The Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshot won their past four games to survive elimination and entered the playoffs for the 19th straight conference already.

Magnolia was on the brink of being ousted in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup when their record went down to 3-6, but they peaked at the right time and clinched a quarterfinals berth after dismantling the NLEX Road Warriors in their do-or-die game.

Now, the Hotshots are facing another tough challenge as they have a twice-to-win disadvantage against the league-leading NorthPort Batang Pier, who defeated them, 103-107, during their lone game in the preliminaries.

But Magnolia head coach Chito Victolero likes their chances against NP as they are now parading a healthy line-up.

"We're the underdog in this series. We're down in this series 0-1. So it's another do-or-die situation for us," said Victolero. "But I like our chances."

"We're playing well on both ends of the floor. And pinaka-gusto ko lang is we're all healthy. I think this is the only second or third game (against NLEX) where we are fully healthy, lahat ng mga players," the Hotshots coach added.

"Hopefully we can battle with the No. 1 team and give them a good fight," he ended.

The Northport Batang Pier exhibited steady resolve as they nailed their first win against Ginebra in five years following a thrilling 119-116 victory on Wednesday, January 8, in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

The Batang Pier maintained their lead in the rankings, hiking a 7-1 win-loss record, demonstrating the kind of resolute effort typically seen by traditional contenders.

TNT Tropang Giga was unable to hold on to the tight defense of Northport Batang Pier, which won its fourth straight game, 100-95, on Sunday night at the Ynares Center, Antipolo City.

However, TNT managed to cut the lead to 97-95 with 1:43 left on the game clock when Rondae Hollis-Jefferson made a free throw, but Joshua Munzon successfully converted his three-point shot to keep the Batang Pier from losing the lead.

“I just take that shcot with confidence. The play wasn't even for me but [my teammates] found me. I was open and I was happy that I made that shot. I was confident in myself. Every time I shoot the ball, I think it's going in," said Munzon.

Northport Batang Pier assistant coach Renzy Bajar said the key to their win was their strong defense against TNT.

The Batang Pier also took advantage of the suspension of big man Poy Erram, who was penalized for hitting Glenn Yang in TNT’s conference-opening loss to Hong Kong Eastern this weekend.