Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Ganon Baker a World-famous basketball skills coach to hold Manila Camp in May

The world-famous coach will bring his sought-after training camp here and make it available to local basketball players who want to enhance their basketball skills in an extraordinary way – without going all the way to Florida.

Baker, who has also worked closely with Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Amar’e Stoudemire, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and Vince Carter travels the world to conduct classes in camps similar to the one he will conduct in Manila for the very first time. His school called Elev8 is located in Florida and draws mainland and foreign basketball players and coaches to it.

The Ganon Baker Basketball Camp Manila 2016 is being organized by local partner Eric Bañes, a certified skills coach and strength and conditioning specialist, who has himself trained at Ganon Baker’s high-performance Elev8 Sports Institute in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Bañes works with pro and collegiate teams locally.

Coaches Mon Jose and Aris Dimaunahan, who are athletes themselves, will assist Bañes and Ganon Baker in the Manila Camp. According to Bañes the Baker Camp in Manila is a breakthrough event for local basketball as local players can now avail of the much-acclaimed basketball program here and save on travel and lodging expenses to boot.

On its initial staging the Camp is targeting young players, boys and girls, 12 to 18 years old. It is also open to amateur and professional coaches who want to learn special drills and game approaches that provide the winning edge in basketball, such as separation dribbling, shooting, and attacking. Following the same Elev8 curriculum, the camp will also focus on defensive techniques and conditioning.

“This is a rare opportunity for coaches and players to take advantage of because people spend thousands of dollars to go to Florida to learn these basketball lessons from the master himself. Now they can save on travel expenses, board and lodging and other incidentals because he is coming to Manila. Training with Ganon Baker dramatically changes player performance and coaching approaches,” Bañes said.

The Ganon Baker Camp will be held at the Ronac Center along Ortigas Avenue, San Juan City from May 16 to 20, 1 to 4 p.m. Coaches are invited to observe the sessions for a fee. Players and coaches may register at step1bc@yahoo.com or call (0917) 809-0067 for more information.

Besides his Elev8 Camp, Ganon Baker also trains boys and girls for Nike Basketball and directs skills academies all over the world, including the Michael Jordan Brand Classics in Europe. He has also trained NBA and WNBA players such as James Harden, Jarryd Bayless, Tyson Chandler, Harrison Barnes, Grant Hill, Brandon Knight, Cleanthony Early, Johnny O’ Bryant, Scottie Wilbekin, Demya Walker, Angel McCoughtry, Natalie Novosel and many more.


*This is Press Release

Wheels Takes You Out of Your Comfort Zone


Wheels, PhilSTAR TV’s premier motoring TV show, continues to break the glass ceiling as it provides you with the latest motoring news and developments.

Wheels will take you out of your comfort zone in its next episode on April 28 by trying on more new cars and experiencing aspects of the motoring life that you only imagined. Watch Matteo, Manny, Angel and Kap this Thursday for adventures beyond your threshold.


First up is Matteo, who assumes the life of a mechanic for day to find out why cars need to undergo periodic maintenance service.

Meanwhile, Manny drives the family-oriented Mazda CX-9 SUV, another viable alternative for families looking for a suitable car for their everyday needs.

Angel blasts through Negros Island aboard the newest cars from KIA to see if they can weather the challenges posed by the island’s twisting, uphill and rough roads.

And finally, Kap goes behind the wheel of the all-new Toyota Fortuner and puts it to the test on the racetrack to see what’s changed in one of the market’s leading SUVs.

It’s all these and more on the third season of Wheels, your guide to life on the fast lane. Catch it every Thursday, 10:30 p.m., on ABS-CBN Sports + Action Channel. For firsthand info on the latest happenings in motoring, like and follow Wheels on www.facebook.com/PhilStarWheels.


*This is Press Release

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

NBA Opens Manila Office for Expanding Efforts in the Philippines


The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced on April 19th 2016 that the league has opened an office in Manila, Philippines, as part of its commitment to grow basketball and the NBA’s business initiatives in the country.

NBA Philippines Managing Director Carlo Singson will lead a dedicated local staff  to assist NBA headquarters in continuing the growth of all of the NBA’s business lines in the country, including television, digital, merchandising, events and grassroots programs, and social responsibility.  Singson’s nearly two-decade career with the league has included stints in the league’s headquarters in New York City and in the Hong Kong regional office.

“The NBA has experienced tremendous growth in the Philippines over the past decade, and we’ve helped more boys and girls play and enjoy the game,” said Singson.  “By establishing an office in market with dedicated staff on the ground, we will be better positioned to work with our valued partners to deliver the best NBA experiences to some of the world’s most passionate basketball fans.”

“Opening an office in the Philippines is the next step in our efforts to grow basketball and the NBA’s popularity throughout Asia,” said NBA Asia Managing Director Scott Levy.  “The fandom that exists in the Philippines presents an ideal opportunity to grow the game that we hope to replicate throughout the region.”

The NBA has established its existing business initiatives in the Philippines more than two decades ago. Most recently it staged NBA Global Games in Manila in 2013 featuring the Houston Rockets and the Indiana Pacers, and joined with local operators to open the first three NBA Stores in Southeast Asia, and the first NBA Cafe outside of the U.S.

The NBA currently has relationships with a strong network of television and digital media partners in the Philippines, including a partnership of more than 15 years with Solar.  Solar, together with ABS-CBN and FOX Sports, combine to televise more than 30 live NBA games per week.  The league hosts touring basketball events and grassroots basketball development programs for fans, such as the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA and the Gatorade NBA Training Center, and maintains a strong roster of marketing partners, including adidas, Alaska, CloudFone, Gatorade, Globe Telecom and Spalding.  The league also has a strong social media following in the Philippines, with 5.1 million followers on the NBA Global Facebook page ­– the most of any country outside the United States.

Through NBA Cares, the league’s global social responsibility initiative, the NBA has teamed up with community partners and nonprofit organizations including World Vision and Special Olympics to implement more than 40 community outreach programs nationwide since 2009.  As part of the efforts to inspire play and teach the values of the game to youth, NBA and WNBA players and legends conducted basketball clinics, visited orphanages and participated in court refurbishment projects.

With the opening of the Manila office, the NBA now has offices in 13 markets worldwide, including Beijing, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, Madrid, Mexico City, Mumbai, New York/New Jersey, Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai, Taipei, and Toronto.

Visit www.nba.com and follow the NBA on Facebook (www.facebook.com/philsnba) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/NBA_Philippines) for all the latest NBA news and updates.



About the NBA

The NBA is a global sports and media business built around three professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, and the NBA Development League.  The league has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 49 languages, and NBA merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on 6 continents.  NBA rosters at the start of the 2015-16 season featured 100 international players from 37 countries and territories.  NBA Digital’s assets include NBA.com and the NBA app, which achieved record traffic during the 2014-15 season, as well as NBA TV.  The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with more than one billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms.  Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.

*This is Press Release