Pare, sobrang cheesy!

Here's my latest Greenwich TVC, together with some Blue Eagles and John Lloyd, featuring the Extreme Cheese Pizzas.... The Philly Cheese Steak pizza and The Extreme Cheese and Pepperoni Overload pizza :) The first time I tried it during our shoot, it was really delicious! We all loved it! Hope you'll like it too.

Last Saturday , I visited Naga for the first time. I was invited to be guest speaker for the BACS athletic meet or Bicol Association of Catholic Schools . Schools from all over Naga, Legazpi, Catanduanes, Sorsogon, etc., participated in the various sports and cultural competitions held at the Ateneo de Naga University. The sports events include basketball, volleyball and table tennis, while there were also singing and dancing competitions. Coincidentally, it happened to be the opening day of the intramurals of Ateneo de Naga as well.

I took the first flight out and was back in Manila by 5pm. We arrived before 7am and immediately checked out CWC in Cam Sur, where people go wakeboarding. Then, had a quick breakfast, did a radio interview and proceeded to Ateneo de Naga (ADNU) where i spoke briefly to the students. After which, there was supposedly a short photo-op and signing session but apparently it lasted longer than we all expected. It was really heartwarming to see all these young and fine supporters... mostly girls i have to say. Then , we had lunch with the Board of Trustees of ADNU, who happened to have a meeting there that day too. Then we proceeded to watch the championship game between ADNU and Aquinas University of Legazpi. ADNU won that game with a huge margin, thanks to a very supportive and active homecourt crowd. It was a short but very fulfilling trip!

I want to thank the organizers for inviting me and making all the necessary arrangements. Everything was very organized. The reception i received was amazing. I didn't expect the students to be so energetic and friendly. It made me feel so lucky to have played for a university with such a big fan base in Bicol. To all the Bicolanos who happen to come across this blog page of mine, thank you for making my visit to Naga such a memorable one! Looking forward to seeing you again some time soon :)

Chris

Ateneo vs La Salle Part 2 (08/16/09)

Another win for the Blue Eagles today and this time much more convincing! I was calm throughout the game and enjoying myself. No tense moments. Finally the Blue Eagles made the right adjustments and totally controlled the game.

First, they attacked La Salle's press and got lots of easy points, unlike in the first game where they were quite passive. They were driving and dishing to the open men (mostly Ryan and Eric). Shooting was excellent today. Rabeh didn't have to bleed for his points, because most of them were easy baskets thanks to the beautiful assists coming from the guards, most especially Eric Salamat. Ateneo's defense was excellent, taking away the strengths of La Salle. It was clear that they studied the video tapes and the tendencies of each player. Great scouting. I think Rabeh played his best defensive game with 3 blocks. Prior to this game, he only averaged 0.4 blocks despite being the biggest player in the league playing lots of minutes. I think Eman Monfort and Jai Reyes might even be able to surpass that! Because of Ateneo's ability to make stops, La Salle could not set up its press as much and force errors. Also, we took care of the ball and took away La Salle's easy fast break points. Lastly, the boys were having fun in the court and it was very evident. They played as a team and everything was just flowing naturally. Great game! But still a long season ahead.

I love this picture by Aly Yap! Checking papers in an Ateneo-La Salle game... amazing! Only the legendary Fr. Dacanay can hack it. Good news for the Fr. Dacanay students :)

Ateneo vs La Salle (08/09/09)

When I received a text message saying that the 2nd round Ateneo-La Salle game would be this Sunday, i couldn't believe it. We haven't even gotten over the high of that wonderful nerve-racking game. I have to admit that i did get stressed out watching from the sidelines. My heart was beating fast and i can't help wanting to just get inside the court, not exactly to play, but more so to give tips and reminders to the Blue Eagles. There were so many lapses. Here are some of my insights about the game.

From the opening tip, I could see that the Archers were more fired up. I'm not saying that they wanted the win MORE, because there's always no need for any motivation when facing your arch rivals. The archers also came out with a lot of confidence, especially from their rookies and sophomores. The veterans were actually missing in action. They were getting too many easy points on the fast break, partly because of the terrible transition defense of the eagles. On the other hand, Ateneo was bleeding for every point, with Eric having to craft all kinds of crazy shots. La Salle's defense was excellent. They pressured the ball very well like always and they clog the middle and closed out on the shooters quite well. They were able to do so partly because of the lack of movement in the offense of ateneo which is centered on Rabeh. I felt that Jai and Ryan could have created more for the big men by penetrating deep into the defense of La salle and giving Ateneo easy points. But only Eric was able to do so.

Moreover, Ateneo's players seemed more winded and fatigued towards the end of the game while the DLSU players still looked fresh. Maybe they're not as conditioned as La Salle? But I'd like to think it had to do with the longer stretches that Ateneo players have to play as compared to La Salle's short and quick rotation. Going back to defense, I felt that there was a lack of focus on defense. Normally, we scout individual tendencies of opponents before the actual game. So come game time, each player knows exactly how to defend whoever he is matched up against. Apparently, the eagles allowed an archer to have the game of his life. Not to take away anything from the guy, he played great. What i'm saying is that they could have limited his points if they defended correctly. I don't want to go into the technicals and reveal anything in this blog. Let's let the coaches take care of that in the drawing board.

Even if Ateneo prevailed in overtime, DLSU had made a statement that they're no pushover in this league! I guess they didn't have a go-to-guy (like a Casio or Maierhoffer) to provide the points when they needed it most down the stretch. Their young players showed great potential and that the teams in the UAAP will have to worry about them in the near future.

It was such a fun game to watch! More than that, it was symbolic. Both sides in yellow in commemoration of our nation's mother. Two beautiful prayers. Two rival teams but united in one cause. For me, it was even more special as i was able to watch it beside my two idols :)

I'll try to write more about my thoughts on Tita Cory soon. Ciao!



Chris