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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

Incredible game and management, I see you built a super strong all around team, altough enthusiasm was the deciding factor in this game, it's still an amazing achievement.

Will be a super exciting semi-finals for all teams involved, I wish you luck!

PT NT

Thank you very much!

And good luck in your game vs Slovenia U21.

Estonia U21's second half surge ends Philippines U21's tournament run (78788)

Tallinn, Estonia -- Estonia U21 proved that their #1 tournament ranking was not a fluke. They ended up winning a highly-contested game versus Philippines U21, 82-72. Philippines U21 used defense to win games, but this time it was Estonia's defense that sealed the deal, as Philippines U21 was limited to only 29.3% field goal percentage, while Estonia had 34.9%. It was a very close game in the first half, but then Estonia U21 surges ahead and eventually claiming a Finals spot. They'll be up against Portugal U21, the 15th ranked team.

Endel Karu and Gennadi Kaar were the driving forces behind Estonia U21's win, scoring 21 and 20 points, respectively. Both players also shot effectively, each with 8 of 17 field goal shooting. The imposing paint presence of both Nazar Kozlov and Edvard Brosman was enough to disrupt Philippines U21's inside incursions. Kozlov posted a 12 points and 13 rebounds double-double, while Brosman snagged 14 rebounds and swatted 2 shots. Ülo Paabo dished out 7 assists to orchestrate Estonia U21's offense.

On the other side, Glenn Peter Dais and Ruperto Penuela carried the fight for Philippines U21. Both players led the team in scoring with 13 points each. Penuela was also tasked to defend against Estonia's monster bigman, Kozlov. Regardless, he still collected 13 rebounds of his own. With most of the scoring options shut down, Jan-Jan Revillame had to step up in terms of scoring, but to no avail as he only made 2 of 14 field goal attempts. He still finished the game with 11 points and 6 assists.

This is Philippines U21's last game for this season, but it was a great run, regardless. See you next time and good luck to us in the upcoming tournaments!

Points Leaders:
Glenn Peter Dais - 13 points
Ruperto Penuela - 13 points
Jan-Jan Revillame - 11 points
Benedict John Rizal - 11 points

Rebounds Leaders:
Ruperto Penuela - 13 rebounds
Robinson Genetia - 11 rebounds
Jeff Castro - 8 rebounds

Assists Leaders:
Jan-Jan Revillame - 6 assists
Glenn Peter Dais - 2 assists
Gabino Cabello - 2 assists
Lamberto Juliano - 2 assists

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

- Leo

With our tournament run over, we'll start scouting prospects today. Hoping to finish all the necessary scouting before the draftees arrive on Monday.

Sa mga masesendan natin ng BB-mail rgdg their trainee/s, I'm hoping for your replies, very important. ;)

Maraming salamat!

- Leo

Maraming salamat Coach Leo!

You have done a great job leading us to Top 4 this season.

Cheers for the next season!

Just want to remind everyone who will draft potential U21 and/or NT prospects:
If you're not planning to train them, sell them immediately. Every week of training counts. Let's not waste the potential of our future flag-bearers.

With regards to scouting, we're done with the current crop of players (Under 20). We'll focus on the newly-drafted ones starting tomorrow.

Maraming salamat at good luck sa draft mamayang gabi!

Best regards,
Leo