DUBAI // Top midsized college basketball programmes in the US are known for taking intimate arenas, packing them with fans and making things really, really loud.
Al Ahli Arena had that atmosphere when scores of Filipinos filled the building to see their kids play Angola in their opening match at the 2014 Fiba Under 17 World Championship.
The Filipinos, whose tallest player was 1.9 metres, were ultimately overpowered in an 82-72 loss against an Angolan side who had six players standing 1.98m or taller.
But you would not have known who led nearly the whole game by the noise coming from the crowd.
Click here for a photo gallery from all the action on Day 1
From the opening tip-off, the Filipino crowd cheered as loudly as they could for just about everything. If a player took a shot, they cheered. If he made it, they cheered louder.
Steal, cheers. Rebound, cheers. Foul, cheers. Foul against the Philippines, passionate jeers.
“It gives me more confidence” when the crowd is loud, said Philippines guard Jose Go IV, who logged 13 points, six rebounds and two assists in the loss. “Everyone cheers and shouts and it affects our game because it gives us more confidence in the game. It’s like they are my teammates also. I know that they are with me in the game.”
The Philippines, undersized as they were, tried to counter that disadvantage by playing a fast-paced style that, for much of the first half, kept things relatively close.
While they were handily out-rebounded, 70-46, they had 10 steals to Angola’s two with their hounding defence and commitment to an up-tempo game.
“That’s our game; we play like that,” Go said. “We play faster always. We know we are small and can’t compete with the jumping so we go for every loose ball. If the ball’s out we want to be the first one to get it.”
It was hard to find an empty seat at the Al Ahli Arena, which has a listed capacity of 2,806. Many Philippines fans who could not immediately find a place to sit, stood wherever there was an open space.
“Every time the Philippines has a game we support, whether loss or win,” said one fan, Joel Manzano, on his way to the car park.
His friend, JR Tumaquip, said that the pair had travelled to Iran for the 2013 Fiba Under 16 Asia championships and that they were not the only ones.
Another fan, Alfred Pador, said the Philippines has “so much love for basketball”.
“We were very, very happy to all be together at the game,” Pador said. “They played a good game.”
The Philippines twins Michael Nieto, the captain, and his brother Matt, struggled. They had eight points between them and Michael Nieto fouled out.
Star guard Jolo Mendoza led the team with 16 points, but on seven-for-26 shooting.
Angola’s 1.98m forward, Joao Jungo, dominated with 26 points on 11-for-16 shooting, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. Angola had seven blocks.
It may not seem like much consolation, but Greece managed something no other team has in the history of the championship last night - stayed within 10 points of the United States.
The Americans’ 83-73 win was their narrowest in the history of the three stagings of the competition. Diamond Stone, a 6ft 10ins centre, led the team with a 22-point, 10-rebound performance.
“Greece is a great team. We just came out of the gate, kept attacking the rim,” Stone said. “I think we came out today thinking we were gonna blow this team out and it wasn’t that easy, so I think now we know we got that chip on our shoulder for the rest of the games. Can’t take games easy, just push it.”
The Greeks’ 7ft 1ins centre Giorgios Papagiannis supplied 16 points and 11 rebounds.
Argentina started their Group D play in dominant form, beating Egypt 74-39.
Maximo Fjellerup paced the Argentinians with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
The first upset of the tournament came from Puerto Rico, in Group C, as they shocked European U16 champions Spain in a two-point 67-65 squeaker.
Leandro Allende led the Puerto Ricans with 16 points and Arnaldo Toro contributed 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Ivan Gandia proved the hero, drawing a foul with two seconds left and converting both shots for the two-point edge.
France received perhaps the best individual contribution on Day 1, with Stephane Gombauld scoring 28 on 13-of-18 shooting and grabbing 20 rebounds in a 76-66 win over Canada to stake their claim as Group B’s best side.
Dejan Vasiljevic recorded a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds in Australia’s 97-84 Group B win over Japan.
The Aussies’ 65-42 rebounding advantage, paced by 6ft 11ins centre Isaac Humphries’ 14, helped them edge Japan.
Serbia established themselves as favourites in Group D with an 80-68 win over China.
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Short-term let permits explained
Homeowners and tenants are allowed to list their properties for rental by registering through the Dubai Tourism website to obtain a permit.
Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.
There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.
Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.
SPECS
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Coal Black Mornings
Brett Anderson
Little Brown Book Group
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The biog
Born: near Sialkot, Pakistan, 1981
Profession: Driver
Family: wife, son (11), daughter (8)
Favourite drink: chai karak
Favourite place in Dubai: The neighbourhood of Khawaneej. “When I see the old houses over there, near the date palms, I can be reminded of my old times. If I don’t go down I cannot recall my old times.”
The%20specs%3A%20Panamera%20Turbo%20E-Hybrid
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The%20specs
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Company%20Profile
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Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2
Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
Barcelona 0
Places to go for free coffee
- Cherish Cafe Dubai, Dubai Investment Park, are giving away free coffees all day.
- La Terrace, Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai, are serving their first 50 guests one coffee and four bite-sized cakes
- Wild & The Moon will be giving away a free espresso with every purchase on International Coffee Day
- Orange Wheels welcome parents are to sit, relax and enjoy goodies at ‘Café O’ along with a free coffee
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
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Brief scores:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
Company%20Profile
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Company profile
Name: Tratok Portal
Founded: 2017
Based: UAE
Sector: Travel & tourism
Size: 36 employees
Funding: Privately funded
Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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GREATEST ROYAL RUMBLE CARD
The line-up as it stands for the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia on April 27
50-man Royal Rumble
Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns
Casket match
The Undertaker v Rusev
Intercontinental Championship
Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
SmackDown Tag Team Championship
The Bludgeon Brothers v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship
Sheamus and Cesaro v Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy
United States Championship
Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
Singles match
Triple H v John Cena
To be confirmed
AJ Styles will defend his WWE World Heavyweight title and Cedric Alexander his Cruiserweight Championship, but matches have yet to be announced