Monday night bullets, featuring Smart Gilas, Unilab, Marlou Aquino, and Mon Tulfo

Posted by Jaemark Tordecilla on May 3, 2010 at 22:52 | Comments (26)

Okay, programming advisory: the blog will be light on updates over the next couple of weeks because of the day job. Anyway, here’s some stuff I wanted to pass along:

Big Smart Gilas news: it looks like Kelly Williams will end up joining the team after all. Both the Philippine Star and the Manila Bulletin reported that Talk N Text, which like Gilas is owned by Manny Pangilinan, is in talks to acquire Williams and Sta. Lucia’s other star, Ryan Reyes. It’d be interesting to see who’ll be involved if and when the trade pushes through.

Still on Smart Gilas, team captain Chris Tiu reported over Twitter that Chris Lutz, a Marshall University sharpshooter, will be joining the team soon. Another Fil-Am prospect, Chris Banchero, is auditioning for the team in Las Vegas right now, and he looks like a gamer.

Curiously, Marcio Lassiter, a Fil-Am prospect from Cal State Fullerton, had been playing excellent basketball for the team before he came down with an injury, even eating up Tiu’s minutes. Center Greg Slaughter, who also happens to be Fil-Am, is said to be coming along nicely.

Funny, if Williams’ transfer pushes through, and if Gilas ends up finally signing an import for naturalization, then half of the lineup will end up being either Fil-Am or foreign-born.

Remember my big yarn about the family that owns Unilab and Del Monte potentially buying Purefoods? It turns out that Unilab has an animal feeds business too.

Did anyone else enjoy Marlou Aquino’s turn-back-time performance last week? I certainly did. By the way, did you know he’s running a series of basketball camps for kids this summer? I love Marlou, but my first reaction was that he’d be teaching kids how to loaf up and down the court and ask for bigger won-game bonuses.

Well, here’s a line from his official Multiply account: “Everyone, I am personally inviting you to join SUMMER SLAM 2010: The Marlou Aquino Summer Basketball Clinics! The clinic will include seven sessions of scientific basketball training with professional basketball coaches. Of course, I will also be there to check on your progress once in a while.”

Once in a while! He’ll be there in his basketball camp once in a while! Even in his own basketball camp, the big fella’s mailing it in.

My post about the ABA being a shitty league gained a devoted follower: one guy keeps writing comments using different names, defending the ABA as a great thing. He’s used the following names just to post: Pat Locsin, yolanda trey, jun b, Bobby, simon kletowski, gary, umbro, indigoblue, dragnet, and chris13.

He keeps using the same computer though, and he always leaves a comment from the same location, using a Cox Communications connection from Irvine, California. Should I start getting creeped out?

Still on the ABA, the league’s “global vice president” Paul Monozca was in the news recently, boasting about plans to build an underwater hotel somewhere in Palawan. Then Inquirer columnist Mon Tulfo, bless his soul, calls bullshit on Steve Tajanlangit, Monozca’s partner in the project: “The guy who owns the site talks big and accomplishes nothing. He once owned a huge inter-island cruise ship that would have served local and foreign tourists on a Caribbean-type tour of the Philippines. But the ship was confiscated by the Bureau of Customs even before it could undertake its maiden voyage last year. The guy owed millions of pesos in taxes and duties for bringing the ship in. He couldn’t pay the taxes and duties for the cruise ship, and that’s why the government confiscated it.”

I sincerely hope Smart Gilas is not getting swindled in this whole ABA stint.

Reuel Vidal of the Manila Standard Today gives a shout-out to Fire Quinito in his column today while talking about Alaska’s wacky move to acquire Cyrus Baguio for Wille Miller. He even gets on board with my Willie Thriller nickname campaign. Very cool. Someday, maybe he’ll even spell my name correctly. Hahaha.

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Tags: Alaska Aces, Basketball, Chris Tiu, Cyrus Baguio, Philippine sports media, Smart Gilas Pilipinas National Basketball Team, Willie Miller

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#1 Longtime RP Hoops Fanboy on 2010-05-04 00:35 (Reply)

I'm admittedly biased here but I have always believed that talent-wise, Marlou Aquino is still one of the best big men in the country, and possibly among the better ones in Asia. In college (early 90s), I got to interview Ron Jacobs and he singled out Aquino as key in the Philippines' chances in Asian Basketball (back then, all we worried about was China and Korea because the middle east teams hadn't caught up yet.)

However, like you said, the guys is a slacker! He is literally the biggest underachiever in the league. Even Feihl who was far less talented tried harder.

Whenever he comes to play, he is almost unstoppable. I remember one game when he was angry with opposing coach Yeng Guiao and he took over the game! He demanded the ball and took everyone to school! That was amazing. And then the rest of the year, he was phoning it in. Most days, he still does.

Imagine if we had him (last week's version of him) in 2002, or in 2007, or even 2009.

Sigh.

#2 novalino8 on 2010-05-04 06:18 (Reply)

stalker mo na yung ABA fan boy pare. Looks like you've earn another friend.. hehe..

In addition to Marlou Aquino magaling talaga siya kaso minsan parang wala sa sarili at walang focus.

Sa Smart Gilas naman kahit punuin pa nila ng Fil-Ams yan basta makaabot lang sa goal natin ( w/c is the 2012 London Olympics ) ayos na. Yun lang naman ang gusto nating lahat diba?

Ginebra-Alaska trade: maybe the trade will be a good move for both teams. Cyrus Baguio is 3 years younger than Miller, which means that he still has a space for improvement. On the other hand Miller asked for a trade long ago, now he gets it and he ends up with Ginebra which is the team who has the biggest fan base in PBA. Miller who we all expect to show his greatness in Ginebra the team that has ton of guards and scorers, may be the go-to-guy for the team in the near future. Why? Because Ginebra's definitely not done trading.

Abuse the power of SMC while it is still there... Coz MVP will be the one who will run the league once SMC is gone....
Imagine if the whole Smart Gilas Team is done with their mission? What would these MVP players do?..
Imagine the possibilities.....scary right?
^^,
MVP-(Manny V. Pangilinan)
SMC-[San Miguel Corporation (w/c is definitely nearing to an end)]

#3 garyb on 2010-05-04 13:28 (Reply)

I also watched the games of Gilas in LA and read yr blogs ... interesting .... there should be an opportunity for all to comment ... negative or positive and also get facts straight so it is worthwhile for everyone. I have heard about Paul Monozca in Singapore and the USA, seems there are a lot of people watching his moves now. He is now the first foreigner who owns stakes in american sports .... the ABA ... and NASCAR and GOLF ... and now his undersea development. Its a pity I heard there are people extorting money from him in his native Philippines - the crab mentality is alive. Tulfo for one, the writer hitting out on him didnt even have facts straight as the ship was owned by Monozca's partner named Steve and not him. As customs was charging the owner an arm and a leg to get it out (professional kidnapping) of course it remains with customs - everyone know customs is murky in the Phils. Am not good at blogs but I have this to say .... I am 60 yrs old and will bet on any filipino who has shown exceptional abilities to bring us into the 21st century in sports. If its Monozca, I will give him that chance as others will. I heard that if he is successful in his objectives, there is job creation for pinoys. All I am saying is lets be fair and know why Smart Gilas and PLDT even asked him to host them in Singapore and the USA. Lets not judge too soon and hit out on someone who very well might spell the difference in bringing the filipino athlete global. Hopefully at some point Monozca can come out in the open and meet bloggers and to enlighten them with his projects ... Have a nice day !

#4 jaemark on 2010-05-04 13:37 (Reply)

Wow, another new comment, another new name for the same ABA fanboy. This is getting really creepy now.

#5 gilasinsider on 2010-05-04 14:27 (Reply)

are u sure its really this same guy commenting? haha

Anyway, glad to see that Lassiter is improving. Coach was growing frustrated with him earlier this year, even benching him totally in some of their practice games. There is some sort of an attitude problem with him. Correction, the minutes he's been eating up are those of Ababou and Baracael. After that tremendous stint of Mac in Dubai, he hasn't been playing up to that level anymore. Tiu on the other hand is really welcoming chris Lutz because he's getting overworked and playing too much minutes, he doesn't mind resting more, as long as it's good for the team.

As for their Fil-am status, only 1 of them, not the other 2 as reported in the papers is trying out and it's that banchero dude. and we still have no import. Their Manager isn't doing his job.

#5.1 jaemark on 2010-05-04 15:24 (Reply)

hehe, the comments usually leave logs, which computers are being used, which IP address, etc. so it's easy to figure out.

#6 Marlou Fan on 2010-05-04 15:10 (Reply)

Regarding Marlou's Basketball Clinic, the will only be able to visit the Clinic "Once in a while" due to the schedule of their training. The Realtors do weights MWF from 8-10am & drills 11am-2pm. The Clinic is schedules MWF & in the mornings because why would the children want to go in the afternoon? It's more convenient for families so that parents can drop them off before work & come pick them up during lunch. Or something like that.

At least the Ad in Multiply didn't lie, and say that Marlou Aquino would be there EVERY MOMENT. It was honest.

And I know people will probably not take my word for it, but I have seen him training with the Realtors in the past 6 months. Yes, he was a slacker. But since their training for the Fiesta Conference started at the end of February, he has been working as hard as the youngest guys on the team like Ryan Reyes. He does more hardcore weights & plyometrics. At least he's finally working hard. Yep, it is most likely because he's gonna have to retire pretty soon, but at least he's trying to go out with a bang.

I just hope his performance becomes more consistent.

#6.1 jaemark on 2010-05-04 15:29 (Reply)

oh, believe me, i'm rooting for the big fella to do well too. i just find the idea of him running a basketball camp (or actually, putting one up, and showing up once in a while) quite funny.

btw, i think i know you... glad to see you 'round these parts.

#6.2 Longtime RP Hoops Fanboy on 2010-05-04 17:10 (Reply)

I hope you're right.

This fella should have been the all time best big man in Philippine basketball. And correct me if I'm wrong but save for a few exceptions, most times, barring injuries, Big Men careers generally last longer than guards so there's still time.

#7 EQ Hemedes on 2010-05-04 16:08 (Reply)

Jaemark, fyi lang. I read Mon Tulfo's article and he never mentioned a name. The guy Mon Tulfo was referring to is Steve Tajanlangit, not Paul Monozca.

#7.1 jaemark on 2010-05-04 16:13 (Reply)

i think you're right. i'm correcting my entry now.

#7.1.1 The Legend on 2010-05-04 17:00 (Reply)

since i am into travel and tour biz and encountered tajanlangit's biz as well once in a while, i have some info that shouldn't be printed here. lol

and of course about that undersea development.

oh, did you say irvine? lol then it must be joey boy. lol

#7.1.1.1 jaemark on 2010-05-04 17:20 (Reply)

hahaha. kwento mo sa kin yan pag nag-inuman tayo.

i don't think it's joey boy, or if it is, he must have changed Internet service providers. iba yung IP address nito sa IP address ni joey noon eh.

#8 lizlemon on 2010-05-04 20:18 (Reply)

Remember my big yarn about the family that owns Unilab and Del Monte potentially buying Purefoods? It turns out that Unilab has an animal feeds business too.

*** this is not new. matagal na ang animal healthcare business ng mga camposes. does pigrolac ring a bell?

#8.1 jaemark on 2010-05-04 20:42 (Reply)

wow, i didn't know that until you pointed it out. Unilab pala ang may-ari ng Pigrolac.

#8.1.1 Legendary Skyflakes25 on 2010-05-05 05:37 (Reply)

oo naman. univet bale ang company name.

#8.1.2 lizlemon on 2010-05-25 08:28 (Reply)

hindi unilab ang owner ng pigrolac. the campos family owns it just like the family owns greenfield. but unilab doesn't own greenfield. it's not like division ng unilab ang unahco (yung animal feeds) at greenfield.

#9 gilasinsider on 2010-05-05 16:34 (Reply)

Smart Gilas Just arrived from the States. Their Serbian import try out should be coming sometime soon this week.

Took them 32 hours and 28 hours in two different flights to fly home. wow. terrible. And same thing on the way there. The guys found out in the middle of their practice that they were due to leave on that same night instead of the following day. poor guys.

J, will email you some other stuff for you that can't be shared.

#10 kinito on 2010-05-06 21:41 (Reply)

and i hope you get to spell Mr. REUEL Vidal's name correctly. nyahahaha!!

talking about being a know-it-all, i-am-a-fat-lousy-fag pseudo-sports columnist. hahaha. very funny, asshole!

#11 Nothingissomething on 2010-06-21 10:01 (Reply)

I was a participant at the Marlou Aquino Basketball Clinics. Tito Marlou made the organizer adjust the schedules of the clinics so that he may be able to attend every single session of it. He was present in all the sessions in both Levels 1 and 2. He wasn't a total slacker at all and he is not an underachiever. You might have to check out the career record topnotchers at the PBA website and you will see what I mean. That's all. I'm still Tito Marlou's fan no matter what! :)

#12 Rene on 2011-06-28 14:49 (Reply)

filipinos in sigapore know monozca as stirnozca because of all his lies. to ths day there has been no develeopment in palawan regarding his resort. he has never financed anything except press releases. the guy praising him in this blogsite is stirnozca himself. he likes to sound credible by name dropping big shots in the industry who in truty have not even heard of him.

#13 joels on 2011-07-15 15:20 (Reply)

marco santos is a drug addict who is obsessed with monozca . makes a living by computer hacking. thats him commenting on monozca who helped him in singapore cuz he had no money and he needs more to fuel a drug habit. no one is giving in

#14 JenreyP on 2011-09-12 12:20 (Reply)

whats new? this marco yuchengco santos has been doing that to a number of people not just paul monozca! he is also responsible for computer hacking a bank!

#14.1 rene on 2011-09-19 19:37 (Reply)

paul stirnozca has another bogus project - the spirit sports university baloney in tagaytay and managed to con lhuillier

#14.1.1 paul monozca aka stirnozca on 2011-09-19 21:14 (Reply)

no way! we are completely legit! check out our bogus website parmon.com and spiritsportsuniversity.com where we have a school that exists only is spirit MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

#15 PAUL MONOZCA aka STIRNOZCA on 2011-09-20 20:04 (Reply)

we also own shares in american basketball association (ceased to exist in 1970s), arena racing (1/2 scale of nascar cars - for midgets), and probably MAKATI golf and country club in cavite he he he