Beyond The Sport PH

JIMMY BUTLER SHUTS DOWN DEVIN BOOKER TO SEAL THE HEAT WIN What a game! 6th close game in the last 7 for Miami who rallied from 13 down in the 4th to win. Incredible resiliency. Bam finished with 30-10 and had 13 in the 4th to lead the comeback. Kyle, Caleb, and Gabe were solid as well. Miami now back to .500 at 7-7, winners of 5 of their last 7, and you can make a case they should be 7-0. Is the season starting to turn around? Maybe!

Entertaining sequence to end 1st half: UP beats Adamson’s zone w/Zav receiving in the nail & throwing a high-low lob for Henry, who dunks & hangs on the rim (got called for a T). Passionate, Henry chest bumps Zav in celebration. Maybe a little too hard. Wait for Zav’s reac 😂

If UP-Ateneo-La Salle come in as the favorites in #UAAP85, who do you have as your choice for the 4th team to make the Final 4, if not contend with those 3? I say it's Adamson. @thehoopnut think it's NU. For the full UAAP season preview podcast, click the link in bio/stories

Jordan Clarkson calls for unity for the whole Gilas team, including Coach Chot. Calls the hate that he received as “bullsh*t”

There's a lot more room for Kai Sotto to grow and become a complete basketball player, but he also has improved from the last few times we've seen him play. He finished with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 5/11 shooting vs Lebanon. Had some key defensive moments. Some instances too where the areas he needs to improve on was evident, but still, an overall encouraging sign. #asianqualifiers #gilas #philippines #fiba #worldcup

Jordan Clarkson finished with 27 points, 6/17 FG, 2/9 3PT (his 2 made ones were nice, but the step-backs weren't working), 6 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 turnovers, a -5. He had some nice jumpers, delivered beautiful dimes to Dwight and Kai, and pushed the pace in transition after getting rebounds. It wasn't the most efficient performance, but it was still cool to see JC wear the Gilas jersey in the qualifiers. Tough L for the PH vs. Lebanon, how will they bounce back on Monday? #gilas #worldcup #asianqualifiers #clarkson #philippinebasketball

Will Gozum left it all on the floor for CSB today: 26 points, 9-17 FG, 8-11 FT, 10 rebounds, 2 steals. One of the NCAA and this country’s bright young hoopers on the rise. He’s immensely talented and there’s still even more room to grow. Always a pleasure to watch. 🔥🔥🔥

CJ Austria also had some good moments in the 4th to keep DLSU competitive until the end. Also drew a foul on a drive when La Salle needed offense. An intuitive basketball off the ball who puts himself in positions to score. If he ever hits that 3 consistently, boom. 🏹

With a mix of his work ethic + solid tutelage by TrueFocus: Basketball Skills Development coach Jolo Tamayo on proper shooting technique, former UAAP Finals MVP and current Converge PBA standout Jeron Teng saw an uptick in his performance in the pros. It's another solid example of how skill training can be effective for hoopers looking to enhance their game. For the full podcast with Coach Jolo on how he trains today's biggest basketball stars, click on the link in my bio OR view my stories :)

DLSU scored another W today v UST to remain undefeated, showing the potential of what a full-force Green Archers squad can do. Tons of impressive moments, especially from Kevin Quiambao once again. His passing is great, he's screening well for teammates, and he's converting tons of floaters, which is awesome for my "floaters are awesome" narrrative. Bright Nwankwo looks better too, catching up to the timing of the collegiate game. We also got some Nelle-Winston-Nonoy minutes which I wonder if we'll see more in Season 85. The defense could use some fine-tuning, but DLSU's on the right track. 🏹🔥

Ateneo’s comeback W over NCCU (Chinese-Taipei) was an impressive team effort, but I couldn’t resist keeping an eye out specifically for new Blue Eagle Kai Ballungay whenever he was on that court. With that combination of size, wingspan, width, and athleticism, the perennial UAAP title contenders added a potential walking mismatch in either of the frontcourt positions - similar to what Zavier Lucero did for UP last season. Kai was all over the place. He was available for drop-off passes against the zone, crashed the offensive glass for key second chance opportunities, navigated to open spaces for quick-trigger 3s which went in at an efficient rate, and displayed some ball-handling chops. At that height he can get his shot up against outstretched arms, doesn’t force attempts in high volume, and can score in bunches. He’s competitive as hell, too. That was one hell of a performance. He kept the Blue Eagles within striking distance throughout the contest - with help from teammates like Joseph Obasa - and sealed the deal later on. This Eagle is ready to take flight.

De La Salle Zobel commit Nezelle Soberano had some impressive moments during his recent stint with AAU Hoop Group in the US AAU circuit back in July. The 5-10 Filipino baller from London hopes to have a long career in Philippine pro basketball beginning with the UAAP HS division, where he'll play for at least a year.