Who is the lowest draft pick ever to win the PBA Rookie of the Year Award? Hint: He’s from Ateneo.
Basketball IQ: What Asian country had the best finish in FIBA World Cup history?
Before it was called the FIBA World Cup, the prestigious global hoops competition was known as the FIBA World Championship. Since its inception in 1950, nations from the Americas and Europe dominated the event. But in 1954, one Asian squad was able to crack the top three.
Basketball IQ: UP’s basketball dynasty and futility
Believe it or not, the first dynasty in Philippine college basketball belonged to the University of the Philippines (UP). Yes, that isn’t a typo. UP won the first three NCAA Seniors crown from 1925 to 1927. State U ruled once again in 1930 to become champions for four times in six years. The only other schools that won an NCAA title during that stretch were Ateneo and San Beda.
The Diliman dynasty, however, was short-lived.
Basketball IQ: The Fireman vs. the Triggerman
The UAAP will once again kick off this weekend so let’s browse the UAAP annals for a bit. In 1984, Game 3 of the UAAP Finals, two high-scoring long range bombers brought the house down with their incredible marksmanship.
Basketball IQ: The Aerial Voyager flying high
If someday you’ll be in one of those game shows and the random million-dollar question is “Who won the 1994 PBA Governor’s Cup Best Player of Conference (BPC) plum?” this piece of information will take you to the bank.
Basketball IQ: 11-time NBA champ Bill Russell was never a Finals MVP
It may come as a surprise to you that Kawhi Leonard won the Finals MVP more times than the man the trophy was named after. But to clear things up, the only reason why Russell never won the plum is because the NBA didn’t hand out the award until 1969—his last year in the league.