#FIBAAsia: Jayson Castro to unretire for Gilas Pilipinas

Image from FIBA.

*This first appeared on FIBA.com.

Asian basketball fans may not have seen the last of Jayson Castro just yet. The man Filipinos call "The Blur" retired from international basketball right after the FIBA OQT 2016 in Manila, but recent developments have pushed him back into the Gilas Pilipinas limelight.

The end of our bid for a spot at the Rio Olympics will also be the end of my stint as a member of Gilas Pilipinas. For the past few years, it has been my honor to represent all of you but now it's time to hand over the responsibility to the younger generation. Maraming salamat sa walang sawang pagsuporta niyo sa Gilas. Hindi ko makakalimutan lahat ng pinagsamahan natin. Ako si Jayson Castro William, taga Guagua, Pampanga, lumaban para sa bayan. #7 #PUSO

A photo posted by Jayson Castro (@jaywill_17) on Jul 7, 2016 at 7:05am PDT

Current reports indicate that Castro, regarded by many as Asia’s best point guard, is willing to come out of retirement if he is called up by returning national team coach Chot Reyes, who recently replaced Tab Baldwin.

The Top 5 Point Guards entering the 2016-2017 PBA Season

All images are by Paul Ryan Tan/Sports5.

*This was written on November 16, 2016.

With the din of Ginebra’s landmark 2016 Govs’ Cup championship run has quieting down and the swirling controversies around the 2016 PBA Draft coming to a halt, we have arrived at the cusp of a new PBA season. In a few days, we will usher in a new campaign where the best and brightest of Philippine basketball take the stage again and battle for the ultimate hardwood crowns this side of the hoops world.

In this spirit, let’s look at some of the players to watch heading into the new season. For this first edition, let’s look at the Top 5 Point Guards entering the 2016-2017 PBA season.

*This is based on the Player Efficiency ratings as calculated by PBA-Online.net. Stats are accurate as of November 16, 2016.

Jayson Castro ends his playing days for Philippines

(Image from FIBA)

*This first appeared on FIBA.com.

A Philippine hero has called it a day.

Jayson Castro, touted as the Best Point Guard in Asia since 2013, just announced his retirement from national team duty a day after Gilas Pilipinas was eliminated from contention in the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila.

Many Filipino fans knew this was a possibility, but Castro himself confirmed it in a caption to an Instagram photo he posted on Thursday, July 7.

#PBA2016 Position Battle: The Top 5 Point Guards of the 2016 PBA Commissioner’s Cup

(Images are from the PBA/Inquirer and Paul Ryan Tan/Sports5)

As of this writing, the San Miguel Beermen just got the boot thanks to Rain or Shine, while the Meralco Bolts are going to try and stay alive against Alaska in Game 4 of their own semis series. Needless to say, the season’s second conference is reaching its home stretch, and the time is ripe for us to look back and show our appreciation for the players who really stepped up and made their mark. 

We’ll begin by looking at the best point guards of the league, which isn’t a very easy thing especially since this is an especially stacked position. Tries and tested veterans like LA Tenorio, Jayson Castro, and Paul Lee are top of mind, but will all of them make this list? Let’s see.

Note: All of the following stats are based on each player’s stats as computed by PBA-Online.net. They were taken on May 1, 2016.

The Top 5 Point Guards of the #PBA2016 Philippine Cup

Good point guards are a dime a dozen in the PBA, which is why naming just five excellent ones is a tough task. Still, there were a handful of playmakers who really stood out this conference, and it’s high time we honor them here. 

Without further ado, here they are – the top five point guards of the 2015-2016 PBA Philippine Cup:

All images are from Sports5.ph.

*This is based on the Player Efficiency ratings as calculated by PBA-Online.net. Stats are accurate as of January 24, 2016.

#FIBAAsia2015: The TOP FIVE FIBA Asia Point Guards Right Now

Less than two months remain between now and the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship in Changsha, China. As of this writing, most of the perceived title contenders have already begun training for the all-important competition that will reward just one country with an outright berth in the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. 

As a run-up to that tournament, I will be posting a series of articles focusing on key players with whom we need to be familiar. These range from the newcomers, the breakout ballers, the tried-and-tested veterans, the local stars, and even the naturalized players. Naturally, we will also look at the top cagers per position, which is what we will do here.

In this post, we will focus our attention on the primary playmakers – the best ones that is – in our corner of this big blue planet. We will look at a position that pretty much dictates the tempo of a game – a position on which the fortunes of a team usually hinge.

Without further ado, I present to you my TOP FIVE FIBA Asia Point Guards right now: