The stars of UAAP basketball aren’t limited to the sweaty ballers from the participating schools. If you’re a fan of the league, the faces at the sidelines will also surely catch your attention. And one of these unforgettable faces is chinita Atenean Lia Cruz, the indefatigable former UAAP Courtside Reporter. And we here at FHM.com.ph were lucky enough to share a word with this TV host, commercial model, and deejay.

Check out our exclusive interview where she reveals what Norman Black is like, how it is working with George Rocha, and the perks of being a sportscaster.

Photo by Jesse Herrera

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A lot of free agent wheeling and dealing has been happening, with real emotions on the line and some desperation moves. But there’s a question that I’m sure you guys are also asking: Will we see Celtics versus Lakers II? These two teams may very well meet again in next year’s Finals, and there are a couple of stories to watch out this offseason.

James Posey opted out at season’s end, and ironically, the Lakers are one of his most ardent suitors. Consider this, with Andrew Bynum coming back to reclaim his starting center gig and Pau Gasol sliding to power forward, Lamar Odom would seem expendable. The Lakers don’t need two softies in Gasol and Odom, and for sure they would like to upgrade their small forward slot (uhm, Vladimir Radmanovic, yeah sure). A James Posey in their lineup would seem like an upgrade, right? But as a starter? I have doubts. On the other hand, if the Celtics lose Posey to any team, that would be a huge blow to their chances of repeating. Who replaces him?

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I know this idea is entirely unoriginal but even so, it seems that everywhere I go there’s basketball. A few steps across where I am typing is a newly-reconstructed court. In residential Manila where I grew up, there’s a makeshift basketball ring every six houses. There are the office leagues or inter-company scrimmages packing gyms scattered all over the metro. Oh and there’s more, and if only I had the time and the resources it’ll be a blast covering all of them.

The Philippine Basketball League, which is still king of the amateurs, jumpstarted many a player’s dreams to make it big in the pros. Now with stronger leadership and a more confident identity, it’s definitely not PBA’s little brother anymore. Also, with the recent merging of the Mindanao-Visayas Basketball Association and the National Basketball Conference we also now have Liga Pilipinas headed by former PBA commish Noli Eala, which is regional in concept much like the defunct MBL—but hopefully would be better-managed (considering the salary cap).

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Let’s be realistic: A good majority of Filipino basketball fans don’t care about the UAAP. This is PBA country, where whole barangays would root for a team and get into fisticuffs with a rival barangay if they lost. I grew up on a street called Elias in Sta. Cruz and believe me, every Ginebra game back when I was a little kid was an event—all of my brothers’ friends would cram into our living room to watch a game. The term wasn’t coined yet then but for me, Elias St. IS Barangay Ginebra.

Okay, so I lived in a house where Jaworski was God. But I’m a UAAP fan, too. Although when I was a freshman in UP, I have to admit I was disillusioned by the Maroons. Sure, we got into the Final Four twice with Gahol and Gumatay but after that, zilch. You have to understand, both of my brothers were from UST (I studied at UST, too, from kinder to high school) and the Tigers were fresh off a freaking four-peat.

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Seeing how Manny Pacquiao can be completely devastating when he’s focused and free of distractions, I can’t help but wonder how long he can sustain it. He certainly has a lot on his plate: Aside from his professional boxing career he also co-hosts a show, has failed political aspirations he will certainly try to revive, and a kind of social responsibility to people looking for inspiration and some sort of relief. Not to mention making appearances on TV or entertaining countless political and showbiz visitors when he’s home. It takes a herculean effort to juggle all those and keep himself in perfect shape that it becomes impossible, really.

There’s no doubt that Pacquiao has matured and probably even realized that a really unique kind of boxing glory is within his grasp. I noticed that immediately after the fight and during the interviews. He seems, well, changed. And especially after this demolition of Diaz, there was collective agreement that he may very well be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and that what he achieved was monumental indeed.

But I’m worried, and perhaps will be a bit restrained in declaring how great he is and how he’s that Filipino sports hero I’ve been pining for. We’ll see in November then?