A TASTE of paradise awaits Fil-Am forward Caelan Tiongson when he tries his luck in the PBA rookie Draft this Sunday, July 14, at the Glorietta 4 Activity Center in Makati.

Tiongson applied for the annual proceedings last week and will be one of the 70 hopefuls raring to make it to the pro league.

The 32-year-old cager expressed his excitement, expecting tough battles in the PBA.

“I think it’s gonna be a competitive league for sure. I love the pride. I love the fan bases that come with each team so I’m expecting a lot of fun,” Tiongson said during the Draft Combine two days ago at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.

Back in 2019, Tiongson announced his retirement but had a change of heart in 2021. He played in Taiwan for the T1 League with Taoyuan Leopards.

The former Alab Pilipinas standout added: “So, that was back in 2019. I just had a little bit of a bad experience. I think when you play basketball overseas, it’s a hard thing to do and I think I was just thinking I was ready to be home with my family and not really dealing with some hardships of overseas basketball, but I was happy to make a return.”

“Back when I played in Taiwan, I had a really good year and decided to keep on going.”

The 6-foot-4 Tiongson disclosed he worked for an eight-hour sales job five years ago.

Tiongson, along with RJ Abarrientos and Dave Ildefonso, will miss the event due to their stint with the Strong Group-Philippines in the 43rd William Jones Cup.

Strong Group, the country’s representative in the tilt which will run from July 13 to 21, is expected to travel to Taiwan today.

“You know, it’s a bummer that you know, me, RJ and Dave are gonna have to miss the PBA Draft for sure, but I will say, I think it’s based on our professionalism. All of us made a commitment to play for Strong (Group),” he said. “All of us made the commitment to represent the Philippines and we take that seriously as professionals, so we hope that the league is understanding, of course.

TWELVE teams will vie in the Shakey’s Super League National Invitationals that begin today at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, with reigning UAAP champion National University and NCAA three-time titlists College of Saint Benilde headlining the cast.

The 12 squads are divided into four groups that will play a round-robin preliminaries, with the top two squads from each group advancing to the knockout quarterfinals.

Pool A is led by UAAP two-time MVP Bella Belen-led NU, Enderun College, and Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan while University of Santo Tomas, University of Batangas, Team SOCCKSARGEN are in Pool B.

Pool C is made up of Far Eastern University, Lyceum of the Philippines University, and CESAFI champion University of Southern Philippines Foundation while Pool D is composed of St. Benilde, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, and University of San Carlos.

USC and Letran will clash in the curtain-raiser at 9 a.m., followed by the opening ceremonies at 11 o’clock.

At 12, NU battles Enderun, UST takes on UB at 2 p.m. while FEU battles USPF at 4 o’clock.

National Invitationals champion De La Salle University opted not to participate while Adamson University begged off to rest its injury-marred lineup.

Gracing the press conference that launched the one-week event were ACES Chairman Dr. Philip Juico, SPAVI President & CEO Vic Gregorio, SPAVI COO Jorge Concepcion, Smart Sports Manager Bajjie Del Rosario and 12 Beyond Media Co. CEO Patricia Hizon.

“The last time I was here was a year ago. I had a little health issue and now I’m back,” Juico said.

ARMED with prized draft picks, Zus Coffee is out to prove its real worth in the PVL Reinforced Conference set to start next week.

The Thunderbelles tabbed former La Salle star Thea Gagate as the No. 1 overall selection in the inaugural rookie Draft last Monday at the Novotel Manila Araneta City.

Zus Coffee, formerly known as Strong Group Athletics, also chose middle blocker Sharya Ancheta, setter Nikka Yandoc and libero Jenina Zeta to team up with the 6-foot-2 Gagate and bolster its lineup for the import-laden conference.

“Sana ma-maximize namin. Sana magamit namin talaga iyong mga nakuha namin. So, we are very happy naman na sila iyong nakuha natin and then iyong mga available na nandiyan,” Thunderbelles coach Jerry Yee said.

“Iyong mga talagang kailangan naming players, kailangan namin sa posisyunan na punan namin,” he added.

THE Alas Pilipinas national women’s volleyball team has come a long way to achieve its goals and the Filipina spikers won’t stop until they hit pay dirt.

The grind continues for Alas which is hoping to gain more improvement after its stint in the recently concluded FIVB Volleyball Challenger Cup in Manila.

The Nationals fell in the quarterfinals of the eight-nation contest, yielding to Southeast Asian neighbor and eventual bronze medalist Vietnam last Friday.

“Iyon nga, I think individually, marami pa kaming kailangan i-improve and as a team. So, si coach naman has always told us many times to be patient with ourselves, and with the team,” skipper Jia De Guzman said.

“With Vietnam naman and more experienced teams, ganito din naman iyong pinagdaanan nila dati. It’s just they really stuck together all throughout these years so iyon din ang kailangan din namin gawin,” she added.

Wing spiker and rising star Angel Canino also shared the same sentiments, insisting the lessons that Alas gained from playing in the competition that served as a qualifying tournament for the 2025 Volleyball Nations League are invaluable.

“We all did our best and we’re sad about the result but at the same time happy kasi we learned something. We’re happy kasi we know na ibinigay po namin iyong best namin and gaya lang ng sinasabi ko wala namang talo na hindi ka uuwi na talo,” Canino said.

“Kasi you learned something, you always learned something and especially now kasi Vietnam iyong nakalaban namin so parang feeling namin we know we’re we at and kung ano pa iyong kailangan namin i-improve as a team.”

Alas will see action in the Southeast Asian V.League against powerhouse and defending champion Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

“SEA V.League, paghahandaan pa ng team and siyempre nilo-look forward namin to give our best always, to put our A-effort sa game kasi siyempre another opportunity for us to learn, another opportunity ng team for us to showcase our talents,” Canino said.

“Sa SEA V League, ganoon din naman, makakalaban natin iyong mga teams na nakakalaban natin sa SEA Games. It’s the same. After today’s game, we go back to the drawing board, we go back to training, improve what we can from this game, individually and as a team,” added De Guzman.

VIETNAM shocked Belgium 25-23, 23-25, 25-20, 25-17 to capture the bronze medal in the FIVB Women’s Volleyball Challenger Cup yesterday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.

Ace hitter Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen erupted for 35 points on 34 hits as the world No. 34 Vietnamese held their ground in completing a stunning upset of the No. 13 Belgians.

The win atoned for Vietnam’s 19-25, 14-24, 19-25 loss to No. 16 Czechia in the semifinals to wind up as the only Asian squad in the podium.

It’s a strong follow-up to the Vietnamese’s title run last May in the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Challenge Cup, which was also hosted by the country led by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) president Ramon “Tats” Suzara at the nearby Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

Vietnam, which eliminated host Alas Pilipinas in the quarterfinals with a 25-14, 25-21, 25-22 triumph, pulled off the win with the support from Nguyen Thi Trinh and skipper Tran Thi Thanh Thuy, who chipped in 10 and seven points, respectively.

“I’m very happy for this win and I’m very proud of my teammates. We have a good connection, and we did well today,” said Thuy, dubbed as T4 in the volleyball community.

Save for a close second-set defeat, it was all Vietnam in the duel against the European bet that also bowed out in the semifinals of the tourney backed by global partners Mikasa, Gerflor and Senoh and local partners PLDT, Rebisco, Manila Diamond Hotel, Philippine Olympic Committee, Philippine Sports Commission, Meralco, MWell, Cignal, Fitness First, Maynilad and Foton.

Belgium absorbed a 19-25, 15-25, 16-25 loss against world No. 15 Puerto Rico in the other pairing to settle for a bronze medal match to no avail.

THE Alas Pilipinas national women’s volleyball team’s road to sustained success might be a rocky one but the Nationals are more than willing to trek the hard way.

The Filipina spikers’ grit and mettle were tested during the quarterfinals of the FIVB Volleyball Challenger Cup last Friday against Southeast Asian powerhouse and AVC Challenge Cup champion Vietnam.

They fell short but coach Jorge Souza de Brito is not one to give up.

“Vietnam is No. 2. Indonesia is No. 3 and Thailand, of course, is No. 1. It’s always a challenge for us but we’re trying to improve as well,” Souza de Brito said. “What we have to do is play hard and minimize the distance between the No. 4 to No. 3 and then be able to beat them.

“It’s not a long way but it’s hard. Every step is really hard,” he added.

The Brazilian tactician is convinced a podium finish in next year’s Southeast Asian Games in Thailand is not farfetched.

“It’s far to think but there’s still time to work. We have one and a half years to do that,” Souza de Brito said. “Enough time, if we’re supported by the clubs and the schools, then we can do it.”

PUERTO Rico humbled Olympic-bound Kenya yesterday, scoring a 25-20, 25-19, 27-25 victory in the knockout quarterfinals of the FIVB Volleyball Challenger Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Opposite hitter Grace Lopez, 18, had 19 points as Puerto Rico, champion in the NORCECA Final Four last year, swept it way to the semifinals.

Middle blocker Diana Reyes also chipped in 10 points while outside hitter Stephanie Rivera added nine for the Caribbean team.

Puerto Rico, ranked world No. 15, will face world No. 13 Belgium or No. 24 Sweden in the do-or-die semis this Saturday at the same venue.

“It’s really good. We had a good start and I hope we win anew on Saturday,” Lopez said. “Before the game, we talked that we needed to start strong, and I think that’s the thing that helped us win.”

Kenya’s bid was brought down by 23 unforced errors.

Opposite spiker Pamella Owino had 22 points for Kenya.

The Czech Republic and Argentina tussle for a spot in the semifinals at 3 p.m. today while Alas Pilipinas takes on Southeast Asian powerhouse Vietnam in the main game at 6:30.

The winner of the tourney will be promoted to the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Nations League.

A FORMIDABLE Strong Group-Pilipinas is expected to show its real worth in the 43rd William Jones Cup set for July 13 to 21 in Taipei.

With Charles Tiu and Serbian Rajko Toroman at the helm, Strong Group eyes its seventh Jones Cup title with five-time SEA Games gold medalist and Japan B.League Asian import Kiefer Ravena leading the squad along with former PBA import Chris McCullough and Gilas Pilipinas naturalized cager Ange Kouame.

Completing the team are Jordan Heading, Rhenz Abando, Caelan Tiongson, RJ Abarrientos, Geo Chiu, Tajuan Agee, Allen Liwag, Tony Ynot, Jonathan Manalili and DJ Fenner.

“It’s been OKay. I like the way they’ve been competing in practice. They’re all playing hard. They’re all intense. We haven’t been practicing for too long, the only concern is I don’t know when I will have a full team,” Tiu said. “Ange Kouame arrives this weekend. RJ Abarrientos was hurt because of an unfortunate freak accident before we started our camp. So probably, we’ll have a full team by next Tuesday.

“I really like what I am seeing. We’ve got great balance, a lot of talent on the wings. . . It’s been really nice so far. They’re all coachable. They all pick up things fast and I’m really excited for this tournament,” he added.

The last time a Philippine representative won the crown was back in 2019 with Tiu calling the shots for Mighty Sports.

“Well, it’s a good feeling. The last two times I went, we won so hopefully we’re able to continue that streak, personally at least. Obviously, it’s a different team. Some of the teams participating are quite strong. I saw the Ukraine national team’s gonna be there so that’s tough,” Tiu said. “There’s also gonna be an American team so, they have a pool of 19-25 years old so probably that’s gonna be G-League guys so the competition’s gonna be good, but it’s got something that hopefully we were preparing for to be able to compete with.

“I like our chances this time around and Taiwan’s been great. I think overall probably my fifth, it’ll be my fifth Jones Cup where I’m participating as an assistant or as a head coach so hopefully that experience can help us a little bit.”

WITH a fresh format and a line-up teeming with talented imports, the PVL is gearing up for a thrilling Reinforced Conference anew beginning July 16 at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.

In line with its mission to deliver top-notch matches and heightened excitement for fans, the country’s premier volleyball league has divided its 12 squads into two groups based on their rankings from the recent All-Filipino Conference.

Champion Creamline, Chery Tiggo, Farm Fresh, Galeries Tower, Nxled and PLDT comprise Pool A, while defending Reinforced Conference titlist Petro Gazz headlines the Pool B roster, joined by Akari, Capital1, Cignal, Choco Mucho and ZUS Coffee.

The group phase will feature two stages, starting with a single round-robin format. In the second round, the top three teams from Pool A will face the bottom three from Pool B in Pool C, while the top three squads from Pool B will compete against the lower-ranked teams of Pool A in Pool D.

Following the preliminaries, teams will be ranked using the FIVB Classification System. The top eight squads will move on to the knockout quarterfinals. Winners will advance to the semifinals, which will also be decided in a do-or-die match. The top two teams from the semis will compete in a winner-take-all gold medal match, while the losers will battle for bronze.