The Philippine Online Chronicles

The Sinag Pilipinas basketball team is just one win away from capturing the basketball gold medal in the 26^th Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia. The Filipinos routed Malaysia, 103-74, setting up a clash against Thailand on Sunday for the gold medal. Seven-foot center Greg Slaughter led the Philippines with 16 points and four rebounds.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma State University women’s basketball coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna were killed in an airplane accident when the single-engine plane that they were in crashed in the Winona Wildlife Management area in central Arkansas. Apart from Budke and Serna, the airplane pilot and another passenger also died in the crash. In 2001, 10 people connected to Oklahoma State’s men’s basketball team also died in an airplane crash in Colorado.

In the NBA, Tiago Splitter of the San Antonio Spurs and Aaron Brooks of the Phoenix Suns have joined the current exodus of NBA players to other professional leagues. Splitter, the Spurs’ 28^th overall draft pick in 2007 has agreed to play Valencia Basket in the Spanish League. Brooks on the other hand, signed a contract with the Guangdong Southern Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association. Brooks agreed to a one-year contract worth two million dollars. Unlike Splitter though, Brooks signed a contract without an opt-out clause.

SEA Games Update: Sinag Pilipinas routs Malaysia, will face Thailand for gold

For 25 minutes, the Sinag Pilipinas basketball team was unable to pull away from Malaysia. Struggling to hit their outside shots because of Malaysia’s 2-3 zone and unable to use their vaunted transition game, the Filipinos looked very beatable.

However, all the nationals needed was a two-minute opening in the third quarter to finally make the separation that eluded them all game long. The Filipinos made a 10-0 run to turn the close game into a blowout.

In the end, the Philippines rolled past Malaysia, 103-74, in the semifinal round of the basketball tournament of the 26^th Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia.

Center Greg Slaughter led the Filipinos with 16 points, four rebounds, and one block.

The Philippines is going for its 15^th gold medal and ninth straight in the Southeast Asian Games and to do that, they have to defeat Thailand on Sunday. The Thais defeated host-country Indonesia in the other semifinal pairing, 65-62.

The Filipinos were just ahead by three points, 44-41, after the first 20 minutes of action. Malaysia’s veteran point guard Guganeswaran Batumalai, who topscored with 24 points, nailed a couple of three-pointers to keep the game close in the first half.

The Filipinos then unleashed the pivotal run in the third quarter and by the start of the fourth quarter, they were already up, 84-63, and never looked back.

US Women’s NCAA: Oklahoma State’s coach and assistant coach die in plane crash

The Oklahoma State University women’s basketball team received a shocking news yesterday when team officials informed the team’s members that head coach Kurt Budke and Miranda Serna died in a plane crash somewhere in central Arkansas.

Both Budke and Serna were on a recruiting trip when the engine of their plane malfunctioned, causing it to crash in the Winoma Wildlife Management Area, 45 miles south of Little Rock. The pilot and one other passenger also died in the unfortunate incident.

This isn’t the first time that a plane crash killed members of Oklahoma State University’s basketball team. 10 years ago, 10 people from the men’s basketball team died in a plane crash in Colorado. The plane, which is a Beechcraft King Air 200, crashed 35 minutes after takeoff.

Budke was hired by Oklahoma State seven years ago and in his stint with the women’s basketball team, he compiled a 112-83 record.

NBA: Splitter to play in Spain, Brooks will go to China

With the unresolved NBA lockout threatening the entire 2011-2012 NBA season, two more NBA players have decided to play elsewhere.

The San Antonio Spurs’ Tiago Splitter recently signed a contract with a team from the Spanish league called Valencia Basket. The 26-year old Splitter won the MVP plum of the Spanish League back in 2010 when he was still playing for Caja Laboral. Splitter played his first 10 years of professional basketball in Spain before deciding to suit up for the Spurs last year.

Just like other NBA players, Splitter’s contract has an opt-out clause and that means he can immediately go back to the NBA once the lockout is over.

Meanwhile, point guard Aaron Brooks of the Phoenix Suns signed a two-year, two-million dollar contract with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association or CBA.

Unlike Splitter, Brooks’ contract doesn’t have an opt-out clause and in case the NBA lockout is resolved, he will not be allowed to come back and negotiate in the NBA. Aside from Brooks, Kenyon Martin, Wilson Chandler, and J.R. Smith have already signed contracts with teams from the CBA.