Seven Cebuanos to join PBA Developmental League

Ariel Mepana of
ML Kwarta Padala

A TOTAL OF SEVEN Cebuanos are set to strut their wares in the first-ever Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Developmental League, which is set to kick off tomorrow at the Arena in San Juan City.

Cebu has long been a hotbed for basketball and proof of it is the number of players who are raring to make their mark in this new league in the hope of getting a shot at the PBA. 

Suiting up for Freego Jeans is Mandaue native and former University of Cebu (UC) Baby Webmaster, Julius Colina. Colina has played power forward for the last four years with the Adamson Falcons, leading the team to second place in the Philippine Collegiate Champions League after Ateneo.

The PC Gilmore Wizards, on the other hand, has Franz Dysam, the current Letran standout who once donned the colors of the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Panthers. 

On the other hand, the Cebuana Lhuillier has tabbed former University of the Visayas (UV) and M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala standout Ariel Mepana while Cafe France has picked another former UC ace, Leymund Babad.

The FCA Cultivators also have a Cebuano in their fold in Alfred Gerilla, who suited up for the Mandaue-Cebu Landmasters in the last season of the Liga Pilipinas. 

The Maynilad Water Dragons have two in their roster in former UV Green Lancer Chris Diputado and current San Beda point guard Jessmar Villahermosa, who once played for the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R).

The league opens tomorrow with a double header that features RnW Pipes against the PC Gilmore and Maynilad versus Cobra.


Source: Cebu Daily News

Mark Abadia gets 30, SCSIT beat slumping Hotel Fortuna

Mark Abadia gets 30, SCSIT beat slumping Hotel Fortuna

Mark Abadia former ADU Falcons

The former UC Jr. Webmasters Mark Abadia waxed hot in the 4th quarter enables the Salazar Colleges of Science and Institute of Technology (SCSIT) to an 81-66 win over Hotel Fortuna to stay on the number one spot of the M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Basketball Association yesterday at USC gym.


Mark Abadia, played for the UC Jr. Webmasters and ADAMSON University of the UAAP scored 13 of of his 30 points to beat Hotel Fortuna which lead by Vernini Tangarorang's 20 points. 

Future NBA Player from CEBU

Mark Jayven Tallo 2009 Jr. NBA MVP

 Mark Jayven Tallo is a Cebuano basketball player committed to playing for the ATENEO BLUE EAGLES for the UAAP Season 2011. He was one of the top recruits of the nation this 2011 Season which featured such great young players like Keifer Ravena, Bobby Ray Parks and Greg Slaughter. A lucrative offers for NU and DLSU was turn down by Tallo just to play with ATENEO for a guaranteed playing time and inclusion of this years line up is the main reason why he choose ATENEO over the other schools.


He was named Jr. NBA MVP for 2009. He was the focal point of a CIT Wildkittens basketball team which knockout heavily favored USJR Juniors team to help capture CIT's first ever CESAFI Juniors Championship. He was awarded as the youngest(15 yrs. old) MVP of the 2009 CESAFI Season.

Cebu Hoop Sensation Mark Jayven Tallo will see action in the 2011 Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Cup

MANILA, Philippines — Ateneo looms as one of the teams to beat in the 2011 Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Cup after practically retaining its core that won for the Eagles the UAAP championship last year.

Only Eric Salamat and Jason Escueta are missing from this year’s roster.

With the addition of former high school star Kiefer Ravena, the Eagles become an even more formidable contender.

Ravena, son of former PBA superstar Bong Ravena, led the Blue Eaglets to two championships. He also emerged as one of the key players of the RP Youth 18-under squad under its former coach Eric Altamirano.

Dubbed as “The Phenom,” Ravena, dropped 30 points against San Sebastian en route to leading the RP Youth 18-under team to a 93-88 victory in last year’s tournament.

The national team took part in the event as a guest team.

“Kiefer Ravena will be a big part of our line-up this year. We’re lucky that he stayed in Ateneo and I’m looking forward to coaching him since we need a guy like him with the departure of Eric Salamat.

“He’ll definitely be a big asset to the team,” said Ateneo coach Norman Black, who also has three other talented rookies on his roster, namely Gwynne Capacio, Mark Tallo and 6-9 Greg Slaughter.

The tournament has been the favorite venue for teams preparing for the UAAP and NCAA wars.

This year, the 2011 Filoil Flying V Pre-Season Premier Cup, presented by Mighty Bond, has invited Lyceum of the Philippines University as its lone guest squad.

“This is quite a big honor for us and we’d like to thank the orgnizers for inviting us. We may have the weakest team on paper, but we’ll definitely try our best every game,” said Lyceum Pirates coach Boni Tan.

The Pirates earned the distinction of being the first college team to be invited in the premier pre-season tourney by virtue of their impressive performances in the Philippine Collegiate Champions League, where they become the only non-NCAA and non-UAAP team to advance to the Sweet 16 for three consecutive seasons (2008-2010).

LPU’s other credentials include being the back-to-back champions in the Inter-Scholastic Athletic Association (ISSA), and another back-to-back feat in the Millenium Basketball League (MBL).

Courtesy of  http://www.mb.com.ph