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Ken Provido-led Philippines U21 crushes Luxembourg U21, 114-72 (78133)

Luxembourg, Luxembourg -- Luxembourg's cold weather wasn't enough to subdue Philippines U21's superb firepower as they went on to win, on the road, in a very convincing fashion, 114-72. Their defense remains formidable, holding Luxembourg U21 to making just a third of all their field goal attempts, compared to Philippines U21's 54.4%.

The Filipinos learned their lesson from their previous game, as the troops didn't relax in the third quarter, scoring 34 points versus Luxembourg U21's measly 8 points. Philippines U21's passing was on point as well, tallying 40 assists, which is currently the team's highest assists total in a game in this tournament, surpassing their previous high of 35 assists against Iran U21.

Ken Provido provided the spark in the Filipinos' offense with 23 points on 9 of 14 fied goal shooting. He also added 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 block. Benedict John Rizal started for the first time in this tournament, and he didn't disappoint with his all-around effort. Aptly called "Swiss Army Knife" by Coach Leo, he collected 17 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks. Osbaldo Peñano and Gilberto Isidro Illundain, also first-time starters, notched double-doubles. Peñano tallied 15 points and 10 assists, while Illundain tallied 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Kurt Plath led Luxembourg U21 with 18 points, followed by Arno Ichau with 17 points, and Ben Behemhöfen with 12 points, on top of 9 rebounds. Dre Breda was the 4th and last Luxembourg U21 player to score in double-digits with 12 points.

Philippines U21's next game will be against Crna Gora (Montenegro) U21, which will be held on 27th of January, 6:30PM (Manila time), on Philippines homefloor. Please continue to support our National Teams!

Points Leaders:
Ken Provido - 23 points
Benedict John Rizal - 17 points
Osbaldo Peñano - 15 points

Rebounds Leaders:
Gilberto Isidro Illundain - 10 rebounds
Robinson Genetia - 9 rebounds
Benedict John Rizal - 8 rebounds

Assists Leaders:
Osbaldo Peñano - 10 assists
Benedict John Rizal - 7 assists
Gabino Cabello - 7 assists

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

- Leo

Philippines U21 stamps class on Crna Gora U21, remains undefeated in 4 games (78164)

Manila, Philippines -- Filipinos in the arena gave a very heartwarming welcome to the Philippines U21 team as they entered their home floor. In return, the team gave the audience an outstanding win, punishing Crna Gora (Montenegro) U21's 2-3 zone, 107-58. The Filipinos thwarted every comeback attempts by Crna Gora U21. In the end, it was too much for Montenegro U21, who are still looking for their first win in this tournament.

Ken Provido, once again, led the team in scoring with 29 points. Besides Provido, 5 other players scored in double-digits. Gabino Cabello and Osbaldo Peñano chipped in 13 points each, while Lamberto Juliano amassed 12 points.

Jan-Jan Revillame, the lead orchestrator for Philippines U21 in this game, was one-assist shy of a double-double, finishing the game with 10 points and 9 assists. He also added 4 steals to showcase his improving defense.

To add to this defensive masterclass, the young Filipino bigs, Robinson Genetia, Ruperto Penuela, and Nicasio Luiz had a field day in the paint, as they grabbed a total of 38 rebounds.

As for Crna Gora U21, only three players scored in double figures. Miroljub Novaković led the team with 13 points, followed by Ranko Barović with 11 points, and Vukota Bauković with 10 points.

Philippines U21's next game will be a road game against a currently winless Bolivia U21 team, which will be held on 4th of February, 7:30AM (Manila time). Please continue to support our National Teams!

Points Leaders:
Ken Provido - 29 points
Gabino Cabello - 13 points
Osbaldo Peñano - 13 points

Rebounds Leaders:
Robinson Genetia - 13 rebounds
Nicasio Luiz - 13 rebounds
Ruperto Penuela - 12 rebounds

Assists Leaders:
Jan-Jan Revillame - 9 assists
Gabino Cabello - 4 assists
Benedict John Rizal - 3 assists

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

- Leo

Philippines U21 blows away home team, Bolivia U21, 93-51 (78190)

La Paz, Bolivia -- In the first half, it seems that the high altitude of La Paz bothered the Filipino players, as Bolivia U21 were only 4 points behind the heavily-favored Philippines U21 team, 33-37. But, the Filipinos found their groove in the second half, dropping a 56-point hammer against the Bolivians' measly 18 points. With this win, Philippines U21 kept its pristine record at 5-0.

Ken Provido provided 20 points to lead all the Filipinos in scoring. First-time starter Glenn Peter Dais chipped in 17 points and 6 assists, while Osbaldo Peñano and Jan-Jan Revillame contributed in both scoring and passing. Peñano had 11 points and 4 assists as the starting point guard, while his reliever, Revillame, collected 10 points and 6 assists.

Wilberto Granert, the new addition to the Philippines U21 roster, made a good account of himself as he added 11 points, 2 assists and 2 steals. Coach Leo noted that he is a huge welcome addition to the team, citing his all-around skills and the ability to play 3 positions on the team.

Nicasio Luiz, on the other hand, swatted everything on the court, as he amassed 7 blocks, which is now his tournament-high, surpassing his previous record of 5 blocks against Shqiperia U21. Luiz was also the leading rebounder for Philippines U21 in this game with 11 rebounds, followed by Robinson Genetia's 10 rebounds and Ruperto Penuela's 9.

Bolivia U21 only had two double-digit scorers in this game. Fidelio Cruz tallied 17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Gustavo Emilio Castillo was the other double-digit scorer with 15 points, with 12 rebounds to complete a double-double. Gustavo Emilio Castillo, Bolivia U21's defensive anchor, grabbed 18 rebounds and swatted 4 shots, but he didn't do well on the offensive end no thanks to Luiz's presence on the Philippines U21 side.

Philippines U21 will put their perfect record at stake against another 5-0 team, Portugal U21, which will be held on 10th of February, 6:30PM (Manila time), in Manila, Philippines. This is the perfect acid test for Philippines U21, so please continue to support our National Teams!

Points Leaders:
Ken Provido - 20 points
Glenn Peter Dais - 17 points
Osbaldo Peñano - 11 points
Wilberto Granert - 11 points

Rebounds Leaders:
Nicasio Luiz - 11 rebounds
Robinson Genetia - 10 rebounds
Ruperto Penuela - 9 rebounds

Assists Leaders:
Glenn Peter Dais - 6 assists
Jan-Jan Revillame - 6 assists
Osbaldo Peñano - 4 assists

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

- Leo

Thrilla in Manila! Philippines U21 outlasts Portugal U21 in a highly-contested low-scoring game (78243)

Manila, Philippines -- The Filipino fans in the arena were treated to a defensive masterclass between two teams with unblemished records. After the first two quarters, the two teams were only separated by 4 points, 31-27, with Portugal U21 getting the slight upper hand. Both teams showed their gritty defenses, limiting each other to just below 27% field goal shooting.

The second half was the same story with the two teams exchanging leads and pouring all their efforts on the defensive side. Philippines U21 entered the last 2 minute mark with a decent lead, only for Portugal U21 to roar back and tie the game in the final seconds via a three-pointer from Eduardo Saramago. In the final possession for Philippines U21, Lamberto Juliano drove to the hoop for a layup, missed it, but the referees called a foul against Portugal U21. Juliano calmly made the two free throws, showing his nerves of steel and ultimately claiming the W for the home team, 69-67. Philippines U21 now sports a 6-0 win-loss record, which increases their chance to claim the top spots coming into the knockout rounds.

The ever-reliable Ken Provido was Philippines U21's leading scorer with 22 points. Lamberto Juliano powered the Filipinos with a double-double, 16 points and 12 rebounds. He also shot 8 of 8 free throws, including the final two free throws that sealed the deal for Philippines U21. Nicasio Luiz, despite the foul trouble, was Philippines U21's chairman of the boards with 14 rebounds, on top of his 2 blocks and 1 steal.

Portugal U21 didn't win the game, but they gave Phiippines U21 a huge scare. Silvio Castro led the Portuguese in scoring with 17 points, while Eduardo Saramago followed up with 13 points, including a made three-pointer which could have forced an overtime. Filipe Fernandes, who was very busy gobbling all the boards he can get while anchoring Portugal U21's 3-2 zone, ended up with 19 rebounds. It also didn't help that starting PG, Fernando Caxias, got injured in the waning seconds of the first half. He ended up with 7 points, on 2 of 16 field goal shooting.

Philippines U21, once again, will put their perfect record on the line. But this time, it's a road game against a very strong Uruguay U21 team. The game will be held on 18th of February, 6:00AM (Manila time). Please continue to support our National Teams!

Points Leaders:
Ken Provido - 22 points
Lamberto Juliano - 16 points
Gabino Cabello - 9 points

Rebounds Leaders:
Nicasio Luiz - 14 rebounds
Lamberto Juliano - 12 rebounds
Jeff Castro - 8 rebounds

Assists Leaders:
Jan-Jan Revillame - 6 assists
Ken Provido - 2 assists
Gabino Cabello - 2 assists

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

- Leo

Philippines U21 extends unbeaten streak, edges Uruguay U21 on the road (78272)

Montevideo, Uruguay -- With odds against the Filipino squad, and without the waves of Filipinos in the stands, Philippines U21 still managed to get away with another low-scoring win over the home team, Uruguay U21, 66-60. Philippines U21's impregnable defense limited Uruguay U21 to its lowest output in this tournament. Previous lowest output was 78 points in another home loss against Andorra U21 a month ago.

Philippines U21 started flat-footed, allowing Uruguay U21 to surge past them by 8 points, 7-15, which was the biggest lead by any team in this game. The Filipinos shook off the jitters and gave Uruguay U21 a run for their money, exchanging leads until the final minutes of the game.

It didn't help that Philippines U21's leading scorer, Ken Provido, got injured in the second quarter, after 14 minutes of gameplay. As a result, Uruguay U21's Gerardo Camiña was assessed a flagrant foul for clipping Provido on his layup attempt. Provido left the game with 13 points, 9 of which are from the 3-point area.

With Provido unable to return to the game, Gabino Cabello stepped up big time for the Filipinos, as he led the team with 23 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. He was also instrumental in turning the game around in the final minutes, scoring 6 of the final 8 points of Philippines U21. Osbaldo Peñano pinpoint passing was on display in this game, finishing the game with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

The Filipinos were heavily outrebounded by Uruguay U21, 43-72. It was also the first time the Filipinos got outrebounded in this tournament. After the game, Coach Leo emphasized the importance of rebounding to his wards. "We could have blown the game wide open if we exerted more effort in boxing out.", Coach Leo exclaimed. "But, I'm still thankful for the guys for defending like their life depends on it."

On the other side, José Vidal was the lone bright spot for the Charrúas, pouring in 29 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Together with Camiña and Francisco Castillo, the trio grabbed a total of 47 rebounds, which still outrebounds the whole Philippines U21 team. It could have been a different story if another Uruguayan stepped up in terms of scoring.

For the final seeding game, Ísland (Iceland) U21 will visit Philippines U21 on its homefloor. The game will be held on 24th of February, 6:30 PM (Manila time). Please continue to support our National Teams!

Points Leaders:
Gabino Cabello - 23 points
Ken Provido - 13 points
Osbaldo Peñano - 10 points

Rebounds Leaders:
Robinson Genetia - 9 rebounds
Jeff Castro - 8 rebounds
Gabino Cabello - 6 rebounds
Osbaldo Peñano - 6 rebounds
Glenn Peter Dais - 6 rebounds

Assists Leaders:
Osbaldo Peñano - 6 assists
Gabino Cabello - 5 assists
Jeff Castro - 3 assists
Robinson Genetia - 3 assists

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

- Leo

Last edited by Leo (Pilipinas U21) at 2/24/2025 8:18:17 AM

Philippines U21 melts Iceland U21's upset ambition, wins 8th in a row (78339)

Manila, Philippines -- With Gilas (the real one) losing twice a few days ago in the ongoing FIBA Asia tournament, the Philippines U21 team gave the Pinoys some reason to celebrate by demolishing Iceland U21, 102-62. This is Philippines U21's 8th win in as many games, which assures them of homecourt advantage in the first knockout round.

It was just another day in the office for Ken Provido, as he led the team in scoring, once again, with 19 points. Gabino Cabello added 14 points, 5 assists and 4 steals, while Bartholomew Lipa performed well off the bench with 13 points, 4 assists and 4 steals.

Lamberto Juliano got another double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. He also showcased his improved playmaking abilities by recording 6 dimes in this game. Meanwhile, Jan-Jan Revillame was in a scoring mood in the first half, scoring all of his 10 points in this period, but went gun-shy in the second half, probably realizing that he should be the one distributing the ball. He also added 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

For the visiting Iceland U21 team, Márus Auðunsson had 18 points and 8 rebounds to pace the Icelanders, while Oddur Dýrason had a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double to somehow steer their team to victory. Iceland U21 finishes their consolation campaign with an unimpressive 1-7 record.

Philippines U21 now awaits the results of the other consolation games to determine their final ranking, and who their next opponent will be. Rankings and schedules will be released as early as tomorrow (25th of February) noon, Manila time. Please continue to support our National Teams!

Points Leaders:
Ken Provido - 19 points
Gabino Cabello - 14 points
Bartholomew Lipa - 13 points

Rebounds Leaders:
Lamberto Juliano - 13 rebounds
Jeff Castro - 13 rebounds
Robinson Genetia - 9 rebounds

Assists Leaders:
Lamberto Juliano - 6 assists
Gabino Cabello - 5 assists
Jan-Jan Revillame - 5 assists

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

- Leo

Philippines U21 marches to the second round, demolishes the visiting Dominican Republic U21 (78606)

Manila, Philippines -- Philippines U21 made quick work of the visiting Dominican Republic U21 team, blitzing to a 20-point first quarter differential, en route to a lopsided victory, 133-72. Just like in their previous games, defense is the name of the game for the Filipinos, limiting the visitors to only 72 points on 32.2% field goal shooting.

Ken Provido, once again, proved that he's the real deal, torching opposing defense with 31 points on 14 of 22 field goal shooting, while Lamberto Juliano had 23 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.

With Philippines U21 having a commanding lead, they had the luxury of fielding their second stringers. Gilberto Isidro Illundain took advantage of the extra court time as he led the bench mob in scoring with 21 points, on top of 6 rebounds. Another player who took advantage is Benedict John Rizal, who was very aggressive in forcing defenders to foul him. He scored 13 points off the bench, 6 of them were from the charity stripe.

Robinson Genetia channeled his inner Dennis Rodman by grabbing 19 rebounds in just 26 minutes of action... and just 4 points. He also added 4 assists to his name. Speaking of assists, Jan-Jan Revillame managed to lead the team in assists with his 8 dimes, off the bench, followed by starter, Gabino Cabello, with his 7 assists.

Enrique Corte led the way for Dominican Republic U21 with 24 points and 7 rebounds, while Victor Mesa and Juan Mato scored 16 and 10 points, respectively. Marcial Tejerías, who is their third best scorer, was only limited to just 7 points, but he had 7 assists to steer the ship for the Dominicans.

Philippines U21 will now await the result of the clash between two European teams, 20th-seeded Slovensko U21 team and 13th-seeded Andorra U21 team. The winner of this game will take on the young Pinoy cagers on their home turf on March 10, 6:30pm (Manila time). Please continue to support our National Teams!

Points Leaders:
Ken Provido - 31 points
Lamberto Juliano - 23 points
Gilberto Isidro Illundain - 21 points

Rebounds Leaders:
Robinson Genetia - 19 rebounds
Nicasio Luiz - 10 rebounds
Ken Provido - 8 rebounds

Assists Leaders:
Jan-Jan Revillame - 8 assists
Gabino Cabello - 7 assists
Bartholomew Lipa - 5 assists

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

- Leo

Philippines U21 outlasts resilient Andorra U21, books Final 8 spot (78666)

Manila, Philippines -- It was a battle between two teams with defensive acumen, similar to the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons in 2004-2005. Both teams kept the scores low, turtling on their 3-2 zone defenses. Philippines U21 even limited Andorra U21 to just 26 points in the first half, but Andorra U21 kept it very close thanks to the shotblocking abilities of Israel Marcos and Marc Manonell, who swatted a total of 10 shots, compared to Philippines U21's total of 6 blocks. In the end, Philippines U21 prevailed over Andorra U21, 74-65. Philippines U21 wins its 10th game in the tournament, and clinches a spot in the quarter finals of the ongoing Consolation tournament.

Ken Provido went on his usual scoring ways, tallying 18 points, 7 rebounds 2 assists and 2 steals. Robinson Genetia also scored 18 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to complete his second double-double in this tournament. His first double-double was an 11-point, 11-rebounds output vs Albania U21. It was a difficult night for the Filipinos in terms of scoring, as no other Filipinos scored in double digits besides Provido and Genetia.

Gabino Cabello only scored 7 points off the bench. Lamberto Juliano started this game at power forward, but his shots weren't falling in, He only made 1 out of his 10 shots for 5 points, but he collected 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks to somehow help his team in other ways. His backup, David McKee, despite being the newcomer on the team, managed to muscle his way through the tight zone, scoring 6 points off the bench, same with Ruben Lumanta, another newcomer on the team.

Ricard Vendrell led the way for Andorrans with 23 points, while Joan Carles Lebrero scored 16 points and added 6 rebounds. Similar to Philippines U21, Andorra U21 also had problems dealing with their opponent's zone, thus only 4 other players scored for Andorra U21.

Philippines U21 will now be waiting for the winner of the game between England U21 and Israel U21. The game will be scheduled on March 17, 5:30 PM (Manila time). Please continue to support our National Teams!

Points Leaders:
Ken Provido - 18 points
Robinson Genetia - 18 points
Gabino Cabello - 7 points

Rebounds Leaders:
Robinson Genetia - 15 rebounds
Lamberto Juliano - 11 rebounds
Nicasio Luiz - 10 rebounds

Assists Leaders:
Osbaldo Peñano - 6 assists
Lamberto Juliano - 5 assists
Jan-Jan Revillame - 4 assists

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

- Leo

Thank you very much coach! We're doing our best to go as far as possible in this tournament. ;)

No Provido, No Problem: Philippines U21 still pulls off masterful win over Israel U21, clinches Final 4 spot (78727)

Manila, Philippines -- Philippines U21's ace, Ken Provido, went from being the hero, the savior of the country, the tournament sensation... to a zero, at least in this game. He was not allowed to play due to some undisclosed reasons. Provido's camp didn't give any clues about his status, but they insist that he might be able to suit up for their next game, if there is. And, we might indeed see him don the Pilipinas U21 jersey again as Philippines U21 took down Israel U21, 77-64. Philippines U21 moves on to the Final 4 where they await the winner of the match-up between Estonia U21 and Chile U21.

Without Provido, Philippines U21 heavily relied on Lamberto Juliano and Gabino Cabello. Both Juliano and Cabello rode a fiery start, as they paced the team towards an 11-point lead after the first half. Their aggressiveness also resulted to foul troubles on Israel U21's starting bigs. Juliano ended up with a huge double-double, 23 points and 17 rebounds. He also added 3 assists and 2 blocks and was perfect from the charity stripe. Cabello goes for 22 points on 9 of 17 field goal shooting.

Robinson Genetia continues to hold the fort for Philippines U21. He grabbed 12 boards and swatted 3 shots. He was also instrumental for holding down Israel U21's monster big, Rotem Kalderon. Jan-Jan Revillame returned as Philippines U21's starting point guard, and he continues to impress the crowd with his stellar playmaking and passing as he collected 8 assists to lead the team. Newcomer, Ricardo Diaz-Castillo, was a surprise starter for the Filipinos. He didn't do much based on the stats, but according to Coach Leo, he earned a spot on the team due to his energy, hustle, and defense.

Liam Katzburg, Yechezkel Gelberg and Itzchak Arbel carried the scoring load for the Israelis. They each scored, 18, 12 and 12 points, respectively. Israel U21's bigs were wreacking havoc on the Philippines' offense due to their shotblocking skills, but foul troubles kept them from aggresively blocking every shots that came their way.

The next game's schedule depends on the winner of the Estonia U21 and Chile U21 match-up, but the date will most likely be on March 24 or March 25. If Estonia U21 wins, the game will be held in Estonia. If Chile U21 wins, Philippines U21 will once again enjoy another homecourt advantage. Please continue to support our National Teams!

Points Leaders:
Lamberto Juliano - 23 points
Gabino Cabello - 22 points
Robinson Genetia - 8 points

Rebounds Leaders:
Lamberto Juliano - 17 rebounds
Robinson Genetia - 12 rebounds
Ricardo Diaz-Castillo - 6 rebounds

Assists Leaders:
Jan-Jan Revillame - 8 assists
Lamberto Juliano - 3 assists
Robinson Genetia - 2 assists

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

- Leo