Compton not playing for Welcoat?

Because of its last-place finish in the Philippine Cup, Welcoat will be allowed to play two imports in the PBA Fiesta Conference starting March 23. One import will be of unlimited height and the other can be only up to 6-1.

Coca-Cola gained the same privilege because the Tigers wound up ninth at the end of the double-round eliminations. With Asi Taulava in the middle, coach Binky Favis can afford to sign up a forward like Rashad Bell of Boston University – who shone brightly but arrived too late for the Tigers in the Fiesta Conference last season – and a three-point bomber like Lee Humphrey of the University of Florida. Favis won’t require a center because of Taulava’s presence.

But wait, there’s talk that the Dragons are also interested in Humphrey, the all-time leading triple shooter in NCAA playoff history. Humphrey played on Florida’s back-to-back NCAA champion teams and should be quite a catch for either Welcoat or Coca-Cola.

The problem is if Welcoat signs up Humphrey, assistant coach Alex Compton won’t be able to suit up. The word is Dragons coach Leo Austria will decide on Humphrey or Compton before this weekend. If the Dragons or Tigers drag their feet on Humphrey, it’s likely the deadshot will end up in the NBDL or somewhere in Europe.

In the PBA, Humphrey should be a show-stopper. The 6-1, 192-pound guard is a tested winner with an incredible touch from the three-point arc. As a junior in 2005-06, he averaged 10.9 points and hit .459 from triple distance.

“My dad was a teacher at the middle school (in Maryville, Tennessee),” said Humphrey. “So I had the keys to three or four gyms. Dad was always willing to take me to one of them and let me shoot. He’d sit on the bleachers and watch – however long I wanted to shoot. That started in the fourth grade and it went on just about every night.

“I grew up a big Michael Jordan fan but I kind of figured I wasn’t going to be a Michael Jordan athlete. So I had to work on other parts of the game.”

Gators varsity coach Billy Donovan said although Humphrey is known for his offense, he’s no slouch in defense.

“Lee’s got great feet,” said Donovan. “He’s one of our best defenders. But even if he weren’t, he would always have a place on my team. With the way we play, we’ve always got a place for a guy who can really shoot it. And Lee can really shoot it.”

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To prepare for the Beijing Olympics, Filipino swimmer Miguel Molina will probably compete in several US meets and the World Short Course Championships in Manchester in April.

“It would be great to go to Manchester but it’s a short course meet and the Olympics are held in long course pools so it’s not such an important competition although it’s the world championships,” he said in a recent e-mail. “As of now, I really don’t know who in my family will be in Beijing with me. I’m not even sure if my parents will go. I don’t know if my coach will be there but that isn’t a problem. When it comes to preparing for the Olympics or big meets, I’m on my own.”

Molina said when he retires from active competition, he would still like to be involved in sports.

“I originally thought that once I quit swimming, I would stay far away from it as possible,” he said. “But my last trip back to Manila made me feel like giving back once I retire. Swimming has helped me so much in my life and I feel like I have something to share that hopefully, will help out future swimmers. I’ve also always dreamed of becoming a baseball player, so sports will always be in my future.”

Molina said settling down in Manila is an option as is living in Japan where his parents Tom and Mitos, both educators, teach in a university.

“I originally wanted to end up in the US,” he said. “Everyone wants to come and live in the US, not just Filipinos, but people of other nationalities. I used to think that since I’m in the US, I might as well try hard to stay. But I think I can be useful in the Philippines for swimming and Japan will always be there for me. In a perfect world, I would keep on swimming forever but at some point, I’m going to get bored and not find it fun anymore.  Then, I’ll stop. I’ll also stop if I stop improving. Then, naturally, I’ll look for work.”

Molina recently graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with a degree in International Relations.

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Last Jan. 13, “Platu” won the 56th Picornell Trophy after besting 10 other boats of all classes in the two-weekend, five-race sailing series.

Pedro Picornell III, the 17-year-old great grandson of former Manila Yacht Club commodore Santiago Picornell, awarded the trophy to the Philippine Sailing Association team that was on “Platu.” Final results of the series were computed by a standard handicap formula which took into consideration the sailboats’ overall and waterline length, sail area and the type of rig.

The first Picornell Trophy was awarded in 1952 to stimulate sailboat racing in the country. There were still not enough sailboats to hold class racing (in which only one class of sailboats participated) so that the series was open to all Club sailboats. The first series was won by Santiago Picornell himself, sailing his newly acquired Dragon class sailboat, “Loubel.” A veteran sailor, Picornell joined the Club in 1928 and remained an active member until his death in 1990. 

The sailing regatta is held every year with the Picornell Trophy at stake. It is a time-honored tradition of the Club.

Accompanying the young Picornell at the awarding rites was his grandfather Pedro Picornell.