The year in Philippine Sports: Driving vs the best, riding as the best

Reclaiming  its old place in the world stage of basketball and “wheeling” a golden fortune in regional meet proved to be the highlights for Philippine sports in 2014.

There was no slew of memorable or smashing feats, nor did it languish in utter defeat. Not the best of times, not the worst of times as a Dickens opening lines would say – in a way of describing Philippine sports in the year about to end.

But admittedly, it’s the brave, scrappy Filipino cagers battling out of a 36-year limbo to return into the elite stage that made up for a welt of losses in other fronts.

The Gilas team suffered a slew of heartbreakers in Seville, Spain and never made it to the finals of the World Cup. But being there among the sport’s finest, waging wars in every playing minute with guts and passion, was more than enough to win the world.

A Fil-Am rider also became an instant hero in the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea .

There was this other trip through the dark channel of winless streak, counting 60 years, by a school known for ages as the doormat of doormats only to shed its tag to earn its place in the roster of champions in the UAAP.

The NU Bulldogs have shed their perennial loser label by making a scintillating conquest in the league and emerged from a resident clown to legit holder of the crown.

Moreover, Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao continued his return to form as he pounded erstwhile unbeaten Chris Algieri, sent him six times to the canvas for a decisive win in Macau and later hurled a challenge to Floyd Mayweather Jr. to make the fight the world has yearned for to happen next year.

These are the high points in Philippine sports as The STAR Sports staff chronicled the top 10 stories of 2014.

1. Return Journey to the World Cup

 The Philippines, bannered by 12 players known as Gilas Pilipinas, resurfaced in the FIBA World Championship after 36 long years of absence and left an imprint as the Nationals proved they belong, they can compete and they can win.

Coach Chot Reyes and his troops clipped Senegal, 81-79, in overtime in the last day of group play in Seville, Spain, highlighting Gilas Pilipinas’ memorable showing marked by near upsets of Croatia, Argentina, Puerto Rico and a fighting stand against Greece.

Gilas Pilipinas missed the knockout stage in Madrid and Barcelona but won the hearts of diehard fans.

The Filipinos showed the world their tremendous passion for the game and in fact won the Basketball World Cup Most Valuable Fan (MVF) country honors announced at the half of the US-Serbia finale.

After the fortnight of competition won by the Americans, the Filipinos jumped three rungs up to 31st in the FIBA World Ranking after Gilas’ 21st finish in the world meet.

In the Asian ladder, the Philippines, the regional kingpin from the 50s to the early 70s, jumped past Lebanon to be at fifth, behind China, Iran, Korea and Jordan.

Former Brooklyn Net and naturalized Filipino player Andray Blatche provided a big push for the Gilas team also made up of Jimmy Alapag, LA Tenorio, Jayson Castro, Paul Lee, Jeff Chan, Gary David, Gabe Norwood, Marc Pingris, Ranidel de Ocampo, Japeth Aguilar and Junmar Fajardo.

Curiously, Blatche was ruled ineligible to play for Gilas in the Asian Games in Incheon, Korea a few days later.

Gilas suffered crucial losses to Iran, Qatar and host Korea, and failed to make the medal round.

Despite the Asiad debacle, Gilas Pilipinas still stood tall for its great journey back to the FIBA World Cup.

 2. Kicking up a historic ride in the Asiad

Daniel Patrick Caluag, A Fil-American born of Filipino parents in Harbour City, California, redeemed the day for the Philippines by winning the BMX cycling event for the country’s first and only gold medal in the Incheon Asian Games.

The gold came four days before the Philippines was to wind up its 19-day stint in the quadrennial meet, with no gold medal on sight. The gold was worth a bonus of P1 million for the 27-year-old Caluag, who rose to prominence when he won the gold medal in the Asian Championships in Singapore and the Myanmar Southeast Asian Games, both in 2013.

Caluag was a long shot in the short list of gold medal potentials that included basketball, taekwondo, wushu, bowling and boxing. With no gold medal on show from these sports, Caluag became the only hope of a Philippine contingent reeling to its worst Asian Games finish in over 40 years.

For one, Caluag’s medal potential became suspect because his name was not on the list of world-ranked BMX riders in 2014 because he did not compete in international events sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale, the world governing body for cycling.

His only experience after winning the gold medal in the Myanmar SEA Games 10 months earlier was his his off-and-on participation in weekend competitions in California where he was completing his nursing studies in between his chores as a newly-wed.

Without financial assistance from the government or his association, he embarked on an intensive training program with the help of his US-based Filipino coach Greg Romero with the aim of winning the gold medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

The program has already paid dividends as the partnership produced a gold medal in the Asian Championships and SEA Games championships and more recently, the Asian Games where he cemented his status as the best of Asia.

With the P1 million bonus and a commitment by his association, PhilCycling, and the Philippine Sports Commission to win the country’s first gold in the Olympics, many believe he is on course for the elusive Olympic gold despite a dismal finish – 32nd out of 32 riders – in the 2012 London Olympics.

3. Pacquiao win fuels dream of megafight

Manny Pacquiao fought twice this year and won twice. In April, he defeated Tim Bradley in a rematch to prove he was the better fighter. Then in November, he knocked Chris Algieri down six times to show that he still has that killer instinct that has made him famous the last decade or so.

Outside the ring, Pacquiao did other things other than play his role as congressman in Sarangani. Last October, he made his debut as playing coach of the Kia Sorento in the PBA, winning his first game but failing to carry his team to the quarterfinals.

Pacquiao was a hit among PBA fans, who look forward to seeing more of him inside the court.

Pacquiao, who turned 36 last Dec. 17, also tried to wiggle out of his tax woes early on, and by the end of the year had less to worry about than when all the troubles began.

As he trained for the Bradley rematch in Los Angeles, the Filipino boxer met with American music legend Bob Dylan who came to visit him. He also had a second meeting with former US President Bill Clinton as they appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel Show.

Last September, Pacquiao welcomed American illusionist David Blaine to his mansion in General Santos City, and had a closer look on Blaine’s bag of tricks. Pacquiao performed some tricks of his own, and the two ended up eating “balut,” a Filipino delicacy.

All year long, Pacquiao chased Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Just a few weeks back, the undefeated American said he’s now ready to fight Pacquiao, even mentioning May 2 as the date the super fight may finally happen.

Pacquiao dared Mayweather to stop talking and make it happen, saying he’s willing to get less of the purse as long as it’s reasonable and fair. Then suddenly there’s silence from the Mayweather camp. Slowly the excitement has come to a halt.

But the hard-hitting Pinoy icon is not losing hope.

Pacquiao will continue to chase Mayweather and hope that the fight takes place – before it gets too late.

4. Smashing, slammin’ year for San Mig

 There are champs and there are grand slam champs.

In its 26th year in the PBA, the Purefoods San Mig Foods ballclub joined the league’s elite list of Triple Crown winners in sweeping the three championships in PBA Season 39.

San Mig Coffee, now back to Purefoods, topped Rain or Shine in the Philippine Cup and Governors Cup finals and conquered Talk n Text in the Commissioner’s Cup title playoff, thus, becoming only the fourth team to be a grand slam champ after Crispa (1977 and 1983), San Miguel Beer (1989) and Alaska Milk (1996).

Leading San Mig Coffee to its Triple Crown feat was coach Tim Cone, the same man that authored Alaska’s grand slam.

A crowd of over 23,000 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum stood as witness as San Mig Coffee beat out Rain or Shine, 92-89, in a winner-take-all match on July 9.

It was a momentous triumph – the first back-to-back Governors Cup conquests by any team in the league in 14 years, the first PBA “Four-Peat” in 17 years and the first PBA grand slam in 18 years.

It wasn’t just a grand slam as San Mig Coffee strung up four straight championships from the Governors Cup the previous season.

James Yap came out in his best form, erupting for 29 points and going on to win the Finals MVP award. It was his second straight Finals MVP plum and fourth in all, going with his two season MVP awards.

5. A stirring NU era dawns in the UAAP

They say the team that wanted it the most would win it and this surely rang true for the National University Bulldogs in the UAAP Season 77 men’s basketball tourney.

Wallowing in heartaches and enduring the ignominy of being the league’s laughing stock for the past six decades, the title-hungry Bulldogs finally broke out of their misery and crowned themselves the UAAP’s top dogs.

The Bulldogs ushered in a “NU era” by clobbering Far Eastern U Tams, 75-59, in a deciding game that drew a mammoth crowd of 25,138 at the Big Dome, completing a come-from-behind 2-1 series victory.

“Everything just fell into place. I wouldn’t say we predicted it but we worked very hard for it,” said NU chairman Hans Sy, whose family’s investment in the Sampaloc-based school six years ago has revitalized the Bulldogs’ sports programs and sparked their transformation into serious contenders.

The Eric Altamirano-coached Bulldogs, who made up for the lost of starters Bobby Ray Parks and Emmanuel Mbe with a team-centered, defense-oriented system, painstakingly climbed their way up.

They beat University of the East in a playoff for fourth, 51-49, then toppled No. 1 Ateneo twice in the Final Four, 78-74 and 65-63, to reach the finals against Far Eastern. They then bounced back from a 0-1 deficit against the Tams to cop their first crown since 1954 and earn distinction of being the first No. 4 seed to go all the way to the diadem in the Final Four era.

6. San Beda’s roaring five- peat

San Beda continued its dynastic reign by topping the 90th NCAA senior basketball tournament with a two-game sweep of upstart Arellano University.

It was the Lions’ fifth straight championship and eighth in the last nine seasons that only firmed up SBC’s claim as the league’s most dominant team the last 10 years.

It was also San Beda’s 19th crown overall, the most by any school with coach Boyet Fernandez leaving with a heavy heart to move to NLEX in the PBA.

He was succeeded by former Ateneo high school and national youth mentor Jamike Jarin.

Before the year ended, the Lions smothered the La Salle Archers to snatch the Philippine Collegiate Champions League title to likewise win the bragging rights as the best college team in the land.

But its high school team, the Red Cubs, was even better, turning back a gritty Mapua in three games to grab their sixth straight juniors championship and another league-best 21 overall after leaving the latter behind at No. 2 with 20 crowns.

7. Donnie Nietes in hot pursuit of Elorde’s mark

On Dec. 31, before the year officially ends, Donnie Nietes will surpass the record of the great Gabriel “Flash” Elorde as the Filipino boxer to reign as world champion for the longest time.

But Nietes said he’s not after Elorde’s record.

Nietes has so much respect for Elorde, who held on to the world junior lightweight crown for seven years and three months from March 15, 1960 to June 15, 1967.

A few weeks back, Nietes paid Elorde’s widow, Laura Elorde, a visit.

Nietes defended his WBO junior flyweight title for the fifth time by forcing Mexico’s Carlos Velarde to retire after seven rounds at the Waterfront Hotel in Cebu City last Nov. 15.

Last May, at the MOA Arena, the 32-year-old Nietes knocked out another Mexican fighter, Moises Fuentes, in the ninth round.

Nietes has a ring record of 34 wins, one loss and four draws, with 20 knockouts. But what’s more remarkable is the fact that he hasn’t lost a fight in 10 years.

He has earned his place in history.

8. Ateneo volleybelles’ stirring display of heart and courage

On the fateful day of March 15, 2014, a sea of supporters in blue and green numbering a record 21,314 trooped to the Mall of Asia Arena to witness Ateneo fulfill its date with destiny – against archrival La Salle.

No, it wasn’t a basketball game that regularly draws such numbers. It’s a women’s volleyball match pitting two of the hottest teams in UAAP Season 76 in a sudden death for the coveted plum.

The Lady Eagles didn’t disappoint their fans by dishing out a gutsy, for-the-books performance that resulted in a straight-set triumph, 25-23, 26-24, 25-21, completing the seemingly improbable task of beating La Salle thrice in the finals.

For the first time ever, the Ateneo volleybelles were crowned as UAAP champions. A surprise victory for most considering they were decimated by the graduation of key players.

“Team played happy, united, heart strong,” said Ateneo’s Thai coach Anusorn Bundit, who had transformed the rookie-laden crew into a disciplined and overachieving bunch.

Seeded third after the elims, the Lady Eagles hurdled No. 4 Adamson, 26-24, 25-23, 25-21, then extinguish No. 2 National U’s twice-to-beat advantage with a pair of 3-1 victories (25-17, 12-25, 31-29, 28-28 and 25-22, 8-25, 25-19, 25-22) to get a crack at unbeaten finalist DLSU. The Lady Eagles stunned the Lady Spikers in the first game, 17-25, 25-23, 25-13, 25-20 and lost the second, 14-25, 20-25, 25-19, 24-26, but rebounded with a pulsating 25-21, 25-23, 18-25, 16-25, 17-15 to force the winner-take-all.

9. Azkals back on the prowl

The breakthrough major international title remains elusive but the Philippine Azkals – the top-ranked Asean nation in the Fifa world ranking – did score a series of firsts and new highs.

With former US World Cup team skipper Thomas Dooley taking the helm, the Azkals set forth on their ambitious bid to gatecrash into the prestigious AFC Asian Cup but fell one stop and one goal short of their target.

After a first-ever win over Laos sandwiching a scoreless draw with Afghanistan and a 2-0 triumph over Turkmenistan in group play, the Azkals emerged as the top team in Group B heading to the semis of the Asian Cup-qualifying AFC Challenge Cup in picturesque Maldives last May.

The Pinoy booters hacked out a maiden win over host Maldives in extra time, 3-2, for a milestone finals appearance. But a first Asia-wide title since 1913 plus a wildcard berth to 2015 Australia Asian Cup wasn’t meant to be as Palestine foiled Phl, 1-0, for the honors.

Stephan Schrock and Dennis Cagara later declared they’re not playing for Dooley anymore but even without them plus unavailable keepers Roland Muller and Neil Etheridge and “retired” Jason de Jong and Chieffy Caligdong, the Azkals still did well in the Asean Suzuki Cup. Phl XI repeated over Laos, 4-1, and beat Indonesia for the first time in 80 years, 4-0, to offset a 1-3 loss to host Vietnam and advanced to the Last-4. They held Thailand to a 0-0 draw in the semis first leg at home – the best result against the Thais since 1971 – but yielded a 0-3 loss in the Bangkok leg to crash out.

The Azkals’ counterparts in the age group also sparkled with the Pinays placing second to Thailand in the AFC Girls Under-14 Championship last June in Ho Chi Minh City. Joyce Demacio won MVP honors and the side took the Most Improved Team plum.

10. Super Princess, super class act in golf

Five straight wins to close out the season capped Princess Superal’s banner year but it was her stirring victory in the US Girls’ Junior in Flagstaff, Arizona last July that highlighted a sterling 2014 campaign.

Down by one with one hole left in her grueling 36-hole duel with Mexico’s Marijosse Navarro at the Forest Highlands’ Meadows course, Superal took the par-5 18th to force a sudden death then pounced on her rival’s meltdown with a routine par on the first extra hole to clinch the coveted crown and become the first homegrown Filipino winner in US Golf Association play.

It was the first final to go to extra holes since 2006 when Jenny Shin beat Vicky Hurst in 37 holes.

Superal played to the equivalent of eight-under in the finals, with the usual match-play concessions, and did not card her first bogey until the 35th hole. Navarro, a three-time Women’s Mexican Amateur champion who was sixth this year for Texas A&M in the NCAA tournament, turned in a seven-under card.

The Team ICTSI spearhead actually racked up 12 victories in the season and swept her last five tournaments in impressive fashions, winning the FCG National Fall Series in Temecula, the Sherwood Hills leg of the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour, the ASEAN Schools at Valley Golf, the SICC Singapore Juniors and the Pondok Indah in Jakarta.