KEEN on discovering more homegrown talents in football, the Philippine Sports Commission will come up with a national tournament for under-13 players next year at the newly-refurbished Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila.

Here in Batumi it was interesting to see the changes taking place within the various team rosters. We start with almost no change in the English squad (the 47-year-old Michael Adams has been representing England since 1989, 38-years old Luke McShane played for England in the 2002 Bled Olympiad, interned at Goldman Sachs in 2006 and retired from chess in 2007 to become a trader. He is just recently coming back to chess) to France’s 12-year-old Marc Maurizzi.

The Kings had plenty to say in the aftermath of a loss against the vaunted Lakers the other day. Despite being shorthanded in the absence of rotation regulars De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley, and Trevor Ariza, they managed to stay close until the waning seconds of the match. And for all the pressure being brought to bear by the partisan crowd at the Staples Center, they were on the cusp of an upset. Until, that is, the referees called a questionable foul on Harrison Barnes that sent LeBron James to the line for two shots with the score tied and five and a half seconds remaining in regulation. The charities proved to be the difference maker, leading to interesting interviews in which opinions were carefully couched to avoid fines from the league office while still making the displeasure clear.

THE Rain or Shine Elasto Painters are not about done with their Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup campaign, staying in the hunt for a quarterfinal spot after defeating the Meralco Bolts, 83-81, in their final game of the elimination round on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

LOS ANGELES -- James Harden recorded his fifth 40-plus point scoring effort during the Houston Rockets’ seven-game winning streak, posting 49 in a 125-105 victory over the host Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday.

CERES-Negros FC further underscored its standing as the gold standard in local club football by adding the Copa Paulino Alcantara title to its every growing trophy case.

FILIPINO strawweight fighter Jeremy “The Jaguar” Miado made it a successful foray in China as he notched an impressive first-round knockout victory by flying knee over hometown bet Miao Li Tao at ONE Championship’s “Age of Dragons” live event on Saturday in Beijing.

A PINOY Pride-inspired performance towed the National University Pep Squad to the title of the cheerdance competition of University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 82 held on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

LOS ANGELES -- Quarterback Colin Kaepernick worked out for 40 minutes in front of representatives from eight NFL teams on Saturday near Atlanta, then gave a short statement afterward saying he is ready to join a team and play at any time.

ONE win away from sweeping Season 82 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament and making history in the process, the Ateneo Blue Eagles are laser-focused as ever, tempering any celebrations until they achieve their championship goals.

Carmelo Anthony finally has a home in the National Basketball Association. It will likely be his last, but the fact that he’s in the league once again makes it a moot point. Since being unceremoniously cut by the Rockets this time last year, he had tried, and failed, to find new digs. Never mind that he remained in shape, and that, despite his advancing age, he continued to possess a knack for scoring. As even casual fans of pro hoops know, his desire to remain relevant coupled with an isolation-heavy style of play limited his purpose within the high-efficiency offenses required to keep pace in the modern era.

THE best-of-three National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 95 finals series is going the full route after the defending champions San Beda Red Lions survived another ferocious challenge from the Letran Knights to win Game Two, 79-76, on Friday at a jampacked Mall of Asia Arena.