The Southeast Asian Games
It's our own Olympics in this little corner of the world, only it happens every two years (as opposed to four) and there's an event called petanque. The SEA Games is supposed to be a springboard for athletes who want to achieve broader acclaim (like the Asian Games or the Olympics). It still is, but somehow that purpose has been overshadowed by countries, the hosts in particular, obsessing over looking good in the medal standings.
The Games will be played in Malaysia in August, and the Philippines' various sports federations are now in the midst of building their teams for that occasion. It's must-watch mostly because it's a biennial tradition, something that's hard to ignore because it's all over the newspapers, but not so much as far as performance is concerned. Since 2005 when it emerged the overall medal winner as the Games host, the Philippines has placed no higher than fifth. So yeah, expectations need to be managed here.
UAAP men's basketball
The players are the stars of the league, but coaches are becoming the faces of teams. Eric Altamirano and Nash Racela changed the culture in National University (NU) and Far Eastern University (FEU), resulting in championships. They're both out of the UAAP now, but their replacements — Jamike Jarin at NU and Olsen Racela at FEU — will be inheriting similarly high expectations.
With those schools appointing fresh faces to call the shots, that means six of the eight teams hired a new coach between May and December. (Derrick Pumaren has been at University of the East for three years in a row now, while anticipation is high that Pido Jarencio will return to University of Tomas.) Whether change is good or disastrous, we soon shall see. Season 80 can't arrive fast enough.
Manny Pacquiao
He still wants to box and he's still capable of winning some so it's hard to tell whether this will be his last year as some are saying. Regardless if he's retiring by the end of the year or continuing beyond that, let's all enjoy him doing what he does best before Father Time catches up. There'll never another Filipino athlete like him. Photo: @mannypacquiao on Instagram
World title fights
That next crop of elite boxers doesn't measure up to the Pacman, but a world champion is a world champion and the Philippines has three of those and possibly two more by the end of 2017. Jerwin Ancajas is the first guy to step into the spotlight this new year, while the others are waiting for their handlers to work out deals. If you thought you love boxing, wait until the next 12 months get underway.
UAAP women's volleyball
Ateneo and La Salle took major hits to their rosters with the graduation of several key players, but their holdovers are talented enough and oozing with championship experience that another Blue-Green finale is not impossible.
National University is a looming wild card and could draw some confidence from its V League championship last year.
Azkals
Being the highest-ranked Southeast Asian team by FIFA is not something to scoff at sure, but everyone and their mothers know the Dawgs would give that up for the sweet taste of a championship.
Playing friendlies has been friendly to a team keeping its relatively lofty standing in FIFA. If the Azkals schedule more of those no-bearing matches, their ranking will stay high easy peasy. That'll still ring hollow though if they don't get to hold of some kind of hardware. The SEA Games in August will be another opportunity for the Philippine side to lift one.
Gilas
Coach Chot Reyes and Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas are apparently making serious preparations for two tournaments this year -- the Southeast Asian Basketball Association championship (April) and the FIBA Asia Cup (late August). Do well on both events and Gilas will be in position to crack the FIBA World Cup in two years' time.
Questions about the roster are intriguing. Who'll ably pick up the slack for Jimmy Alapag and Jayson Castro? Will SBP even consider naturalizing another foreigner? 2016 was a Debbie Downer for the senior men's basketball team. We're crossing our fingers the new year will be much better.
