Coach Aris Dimaunahan pays tribute to late Ashlyn Abong, vows to keep her legacy alive
Dimaunahan honored Abong, who recently passed away during training, as he hopes to continue the legacy she left behind.
"Thank you for taking time na ma-recognize 'yung nabigay niya sa basketball at a very young age. It's a very difficult week for us, we lost a beloved one, a sister, a teammate," Dimaunahan said during his heartfelt speech at the Discovery Suites.
"She brought life, joy, tenacity, intensity in whatever she did sa court."
The 18-year-old Abong was a rising star in women's basketball, having played for NU-Nazareth School in the UAAP and Gilas Pilipinas Youth national team.
Though Abong is no longer around, Dimaunahan said NU and the wider basketball community will carry her legacy forward in every way they can.
"She represented our school very well. We are grieving differently. Some of our players decided to be left behind here in the country as the rest of the team is continuing with our international trip in Taiwan," Dimaunahan added.
"We're grieving and we are bringing Ashlyn Abong's love for the game every time we play moving forward. Dadalhin namin kung anong saya ang binibigay niya sa amin."
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
_2025_07_02_12_39_45.jpeg&w=3840&q=100)
GMA Network
8 hours ago
- GMA Network
Clint Escamis, Bella Belen recognized in Collegiate Press Corps Awards Night
June 30, 2025. NCAA and UAAP student-athletes and coaches with their respective awards given out during the Collegiate Press Corps Awards Night. (Photo: Collegiate Press Corps) Mapua University's Clint Escamis, National University's Bella Belen, and other top student-athletes from the NCAA and UAAP were under one roof last Monday as the Collegiate Press Corps (CPC) held its Awards Night at Discovery Suites. Escamis received the Collegiate Press Corps Basketball Player of the Year Award presented by GMA Network, while Belen was the UAAP Women's Volleyball Player of the Year. 'I'm honored for this award and I know I couldn't have done this without my teammates, kaya it just fuels me to help Mapua win back-to-back championships,' said Escamis, who is returning for his final season with the Cardinals in the upcoming NCAA Season 101. Escamis also led the CPC Men's Basketball Mythical Team along with De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde's Allen Liwag from the NCAA, and JD Cagulangan (UP) and Kevin Quiambao and Mike Phillips (DLSU). Belen, on the other hand, was among the CPC's top volleyball awardees, along with schoolmate Leo Aringo, Jr. who bagged the Player of the Year plum for UAAP Men's Volleyball. Arellano University's Carl Berdal and Benilde's Zam Nolasco were the NCAA Volleyball Players of the Year for their respective divisions. Kacey dela Rosa of Ateneo de Manila University, meanwhile, was the CPC Women's Basketball Player of the Year, and led the Mythical Team alongside Cielo Pagdulagan of National University, Kent Pastrana of University of Santo Tomas, Elaine Etang of Adamson, and Louna Ozar of UP. Football was also put on the spotlight as the CPC handed out the first Football Players of the Year awards to Amir Aningalan of San Beda University for the NCAA, and Mon Diansuy and Carmela Altiche of Far Eastern University for the UAAP. Coaches were also recognized in the said event as Randy Alcantara (Mapua men's basketball), Goldwin Monteverde (UP men's basketball), Aris Dimaunahan (NU women's basketball) were named Basketball Coaches of the Year. Sherwin Meneses (NU women's volleyball), Dante Alinsunurin (NU men's volleyball), Jerry Yee (Benilde women's volleyball), and Bryan Vitug (Arellano men's volleyball) were the Volleyball Coaches of the Year. —JKC, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
a day ago
- GMA Network
Coach Aris Dimaunahan pays tribute to late Ashlyn Abong, vows to keep her legacy alive
National University's Aris Dimaunahan on Monday was recognized as the Collegiate Press Corps UAAP Women's Basketball Coach of the Year, but the champion tactician redirected the spotlight to late player Ashlyn Abong. Dimaunahan honored Abong, who recently passed away during training, as he hopes to continue the legacy she left behind. "Thank you for taking time na ma-recognize 'yung nabigay niya sa basketball at a very young age. It's a very difficult week for us, we lost a beloved one, a sister, a teammate," Dimaunahan said during his heartfelt speech at the Discovery Suites. "She brought life, joy, tenacity, intensity in whatever she did sa court." The 18-year-old Abong was a rising star in women's basketball, having played for NU-Nazareth School in the UAAP and Gilas Pilipinas Youth national team. Though Abong is no longer around, Dimaunahan said NU and the wider basketball community will carry her legacy forward in every way they can. "She represented our school very well. We are grieving differently. Some of our players decided to be left behind here in the country as the rest of the team is continuing with our international trip in Taiwan," Dimaunahan added. "We're grieving and we are bringing Ashlyn Abong's love for the game every time we play moving forward. Dadalhin namin kung anong saya ang binibigay niya sa amin." —JMB, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
2 days ago
- GMA Network
Clint Escamis banners top student-athletes to be feted in Collegiate Press Corps Awards Night
Another year of brilliance from the UAAP and the NCAA during the 2024-2025 athletic season will be celebrated in the 2025 Collegiate Press Corps (CPC) Awards Night. Top student-athletes, the best coaches, and the people behind a sustained high-level of competition across the collegiate scenes will be given their due flowers on Monday at the Discovery Suites Manila in Ortigas, Pasig City. As the CPC continues to expand its elite honor roll three years after its inception, football will be recognized for the first time by a group of esteemed journalists from both print and online media. This year's awards night will honor the stellar student-athletes of UAAP Season 87 and NCAA Season 100 with CPC Men's Basketball Player of the Year Clint Escamis of Mapua headlining a total of 26 awardees. Escamis' award is presented by GMA Network. Escamis shone brightly as he steered the Cardinals to their first title after a long and winding 33-year wait following a sweep of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Blazers. Joining him is Ateneo's Kacey Dela Rosa as this year's CPC Women's Basketball Player of the Year. Dela Rosa powered the Blue Eagles to their third straight Final Four appearance while earning her back-to-back UAAP MVP plums to become only the fifth women's basketball player to achieve the feat in the league. With Escamis in the CPC Men's Mythical Team are NCAA MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Allen Liwag of College of St. Benilde, UAAP Finals MVP JD Cagulangan of UP, and two-time UAAP Season MVP Kevin Quiambao together with La Salle teammate Mike Phillips. Meanwhile, the second set of CPC Women's Mythical Team will include Dela Rosa, UAAP Rookie of the Year and Finals MVP Cielo Pagdulagan of NU, last year's inaugural recipient of the CPC Women's Basketball Player of the Year Kent Pastrana of UST, Louna Ozar of UP, and Elaine Etang of Adamson. For the second time, UP's Goldwin Monteverde is the awardee of the UAAP Men's Basketball Coach of the Year after leading the Fighting Maroons back to the throne while Mapua mentor Randy Alcantara is the NCAA counterpart after guiding the Cardinals to a historic title conquest the same way Monteverde has done three seasons prior. Lastly for the top basketball tacticians, NU's Aris Dimaunahan is the UAAP Women's Basketball Coach of the Year after engineering a near-perfect redemption tour for the Lady Bulldogs which secured their eighth title in nine seasons. Meanwhile, after four years of a decorated collegiate career, NU's Bella Bellen kissed the league goodbye with a third and final championship trophy laced with three Season MVP citations to become the UAAP Women's Volleyball Player of the Year for the third time while Leo Aringo is set to be acknowledged as the men's counterpart. Likewise, Benilde's Zam Nolasco is the recipient of the NCAA Women's Volleyball Player of the Year for her heroics in the Lady Blazers' four-peat run with equally deserving awardee Finals MVP Carl Berdal of Arellano as the men's counterpart following his efforts in the Chiefs' breakthrough title. Longtime NU mentor Dante Alinsunurin and returning Sherwin Meneses are this year's UAAP Men's and Women's Volleyball Coaches of the Year, respectively, for keeping the school's program at the top of the chain. Arellano's Bryan Vitug and Benilde's Jerry Yee earned the NCAA Men's and Women's Volleyball Coaches of the Year nods, respectively, for their remarkable coaching job during the centennial season. Vitug, in only his first year at the helm has made a success out of the Chiefs 16 years since joining the league while Yee continued to bring the Lady Blazers to new heights with a four-peat accomplishment now under his tenure. Last but not the least, the inaugural Football Players of the Year will be spearheaded by a trio of MVPs in their own divisions: FEU's Mon Diansuy and Carmela Altiche together with Amir Aningalan of San Beda to round out the awardees. A Special Citation Award will also be granted to the NCAA following a century of excellence that has ensured there will never be a shortage of generational talents in Philippine sports. —JKC, GMA Integrated News
