| UNTV Cup Season 3 | |
| Year: | 2014–2015 |
| Other Titles: | 2014–15 UNTV Cup Season |
| Country: | Philippines |
| Dates: | November 17, 2014 – April 28, 2015 |
| Num Teams: | 11 |
| Defending Champions: | AFP Cavaliers (1 title) |
| Winners: | Judiciary Magis |
| Count: | 2 |
| Second: | Malacañang Patriots |
| Third: | AFP Cavaliers |
| Fourth: | Senate Defenders |
| Matches: | 49 |
| Award Title: | Season MVP |
| Award: | Ariel Capus (Judiciary) |
| Prev Season: | Clash of the Three Season 2 |
| Next Season: | Season 4 Exec Face Off 2017 |
The UNTV Cup Season 3 was the 2014–2015 season of the public service-based basketball league, the UNTV Cup based in the Philippines. It was opened on November 17, 2014[1] at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay. Its final games was held on April 28, 2015[2] at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines.
During the season, the league got its first AnakTV award for being a child-friendly basketball tournament.[3]
There are 11 squads who vied for the championship title of the season, including 8 returning teams led by Season 2 champions AFP Cavaliers.
Three new teams were introduced this season.
Two teams backed out of the competition.
| Government agency | Moniker | Colours | Joined UNTV Cup | Seasons Played | UNTV Cup Titles | Head Coach | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bureau of Fire Protection | BFP Firefighters | align=center; | 2014 | 0 | 0 | Ricky Alcantara | ||
| Department of Justice | DOJ Justice Boosters | align=center; | 2013 | 2 | 0 | Turo Valenzona | ||
| House of Representatives of the Philippines | HOR Solons | align=center; | 2013 | 2 | 0 | Gerard Francisco | ||
| Office of the President of the Philippines | Malacañang Patriots | align=center; | 2014 | 1 | 0 | Jenkins Mesina | ||
| Philippine National Police | PNP Responders | align=center; | 2013 | 2 | 0 | Ernesto Ballesteros |
| Government agency | Moniker | Colours | Joined UNTV Cup | Seasons Played | UNTV Cup Titles | Head Coach | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armed Forces of the Philippines | AFP Cavaliers | align=center; | 2013 | 2 | 1 | Col. Alfredo Cayco | ||
| Government Service Insurance System | GSIS Furies | align=center; | 2014 | 0 | 0 | Eduardo Fernandez | ||
| Supreme Court of the Philippines | Judiciary Magis | align=center; | 2013 | 2 | 1 | Dennis Balason | ||
| Metropolitan Manila Development Authority | MMDA Black Wolves | align=center; | 2013 | 2 | 0 | Mandeville Martirez | ||
| National Housing Authority (Philippines) | NHA Builders | align=center; | 2014 | 0 | 0 | Silverio "Bennett" Palad III | ||
| Senate of the Philippines | Senate Defenders | align=center; | 2014 | 1 | 0 | Kenneth Duremdes |
The opening day was held at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. The rest of the elimination round games were held at the Makati Coliseum, University of Makati Gym, and Ynares Sports Arena. The Game 2 of the Finals was at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, while the other playoff games were held at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
| Arena | Location | Tournament | Capacity | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Makati Coliseum | Makati City | 12,000 | |||
| Mall of Asia Arena | Pasay City | 20,000 | |||
| Smart Araneta Coliseum | Quezon City | 14,429 | |||
| University of Makati Gym | Makati City | ||||
| Ynares Sports Arena | Pasig City | 3,000 | |||
The elimination round began on November 17, 2014 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay. The schedule followed a single round robin format in which all teams faced each other once in their respective group, for a total of 4 games per team. After the first elimination round, the bottom teams per group are eliminated, and the top 4 teams per group advance to the second elimination round. After the second elimination round, the bottom 2 teams are eliminated. The top 2 teams get outright semifinals spots, while the remaining 4 teams battle it out on the quarterfinals, with #3 team facing #6, and #4 seed playing against #5.
| Date | Game No. | Competing Teams | Scores | Best Player(s) | Venue | Links | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 17, 2014 | 2 | PNP def. DOJ | 90–72 | Dennis Escalona | Mall of Asia Arena, José W. Diokno Boulevard, Pasay | UNTV YouTube | |
| November 20, 2014 | 4 | Malacañang def. BFP | 70–65 | Marlon Berganio | Makati Coliseum, Mascardo Street, Makati | Watch | |
| November 30, 2014 | 7 | Malacañang def. DOJ | 96–92 | Sec. Joel Villanueva | University of Makati Gym, Dr. J. P. Rizal Avenue Extension, Makati | Watch | |
| November 30, 2014 | 8 | BFP def. HOR | 105–81 | Michael Joshua Sanchez | University of Makati Gym, Dr. J. P. Rizal Avenue Extension, Makati | Watch | |
| December 3, 2014 | 9 | PNP def. HOR | 110–64 | Ollan Omiping | Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig | Watch | |
| December 12, 2014 | 13 | Malacañang def. PNP | 66–64 | Melvin Verches | Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig | Watch | |
| December 21, 2014* | 16 | DOJ def. HOR | 110–88 | Paul Gerard Reguera | University of Makati Gym, Dr. J. P. Rizal Avenue Extension, Makati | Watch | |
| January 11, 2015 | 19 | PNP def. BFP | 105–68 | Julius Criste | Makati Coliseum, Mascardo Street, Makati | Watch | |
| January 18, 2015* | 22 | DOJ def. BFP | 75–69 | Christopher Tagle | Makati Coliseum, Mascardo Street, Makati | Watch | |
| January 25, 2015 | 25 | Malacañang def. HOR | 92–70 | Melvin Verches | Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig | Watch |
| Date | Game No. | Competing Teams | Scores | Best Player(s) | Venue | Links | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 17, 2014 | 1 | AFP def. NHA | 90–71 | Wilfredo Casulla Jr. | Mall of Asia Arena, José W. Diokno Boulevard, Pasay | Watch | |
| November 20, 2014 | 3 | MMDA def. GSIS | 87–77 | Ermel Idria | Makati Coliseum, Mascardo Street, Makati | Watch | |
| November 20, 2014 | 5 | Judiciary def. Senate | 83–75 | Jon Hall | Makati Coliseum, Mascardo Street, Makati | Watch | |
| November 30, 2014 | 6 | Senate def. NHA | 96–90 | Emmanuel Baltazar | University of Makati Gym, Dr. J. P. Rizal Avenue Extension, Makati | Watch | |
| December 3, 2014 | 10 | GSIS def. NHA | 86–81 | Tristan Hernandez | Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig | Watch | |
| December 3, 2014 | 11 | Judiciary def. AFP | 93–76 | Don Camaso | Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig | Watch | |
| December 12, 2014 | 12 [4] | Senate def. GSIS | 84–65 | Marlon Legaspi | Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig | Watch | |
| December 21, 2014* | 14 [5] | Judiciary def. NHA | 98–96 | Don Camaso | University of Makati Gym, Dr. J. P. Rizal Avenue Extension, Makati | Watch | |
| December 21, 2014* | 15 | AFP def. MMDA | 85–81 | Jeffrey Quiambao | University of Makati Gym, Dr. J. P. Rizal Avenue Extension, Makati | Watch | |
| January 11, 2015 | 17 [6] | GSIS def. AFP | 100–86 | Dennis Bunyi | Makati Coliseum, Mascardo Street, Makati | Watch | |
| January 11, 2015 | 18 | Judiciary def. MMDA | 103–76 | Jon Hall | Makati Coliseum, Mascardo Street, Makati | Watch | |
| January 18, 2015* | 20 | Judiciary def. GSIS | 110–57 | Ariel Capus | Makati Coliseum, Mascardo Street, Makati | Watch | |
| January 18, 2015* | 21 | Senate def. MMDA | 91–80 | Emmanuel Baltazar | Makati Coliseum, Mascardo Street, Makati | Watch | |
| January 25, 2015 | 23 | AFP def. Senate | 88–77 | Rolando Pascual | Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig | Watch | |
| January 25, 2015 | 24 | MMDA def. NHA | 104–96 (OT) | Ermel Idria | Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig | Watch |
| Date | Game No. | Competing Teams | Scores | Best Player(s) | Venue | Links | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 1, 2015 | 26 | MMDA def. BFP | 86–77 | Ermel Idria | Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig | Watch | |
| February 1, 2015 | 27 | AFP def. DOJ | 106–81 | Jeffrey Quiambao | Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig | Watch | |
| February 1, 2015 | 28 | PNP def. Judiciary | 87–84 | Julius Criste | Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig | Watch | |
| February 8, 2015 | 29 | AFP def. BFP | 109–77 | Wilfredo Casulla Jr. | Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig | Watch | |
| February 8, 2015 | 30 | Judiciary def. DOJ | 102–79 | Jearomel Serrano | Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig | Watch | |
| February 8, 2015 | 31 | Senate def. Malacañang | 77–63 | Emmanuel Baltazar | Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig | Watch | |
| February 15, 2015 | 32 | Malacañang def. MMDA | 84–68 | Andro Requez | Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig | Watch | |
| February 15, 2015 | 33 | Senate def. DOJ | 81–75 | Marlon Legaspi | Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig | Watch | |
| February 15, 2015 | 34 | Judiciary def. BFP | 104–81 | Ariel Capus | Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig | Watch | |
| February 22, 2015 | 35 | Senate def. BFP | 85–60 | Joe Andrew Garcia | Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig | Watch | |
| February 22, 2015 | 36 | PNP def. MMDA | 78–72 | Jay Mann Misola | Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig | Watch | |
| February 22, 2015 | 37 | Malacañang def. AFP | 79–76 | Andro Requez | Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig | Watch | |
| March 1, 2015 | 38 | Senate def. PNP | 83–77 | Emmanuel Baltazar | Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig | Watch | |
| March 1, 2015 | 39 | Malacañang def. Judiciary | 69–65 | Samuel Ignacio | Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig | Watch | |
| March 8, 2015 | 40 [7] | DOJ def. MMDA | 86–75 | Rico Escalante | Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig | Watch | |
| March 8, 2015 | 41 | AFP def. PNP | 68–63 | Alvin Zuñiga | Ynares Sports Arena, Shaw Boulevard, Pasig | Watch |
There are six teams that qualified for the playoffs. The top two teams, (#1) Malacañang Patriots and (#2) Judiciary Magis, already advance to the semifinals, holding also the twice-to-beat advantage. The remaining four teams will fight for the final two semifinal slots. (#3) Senate Defenders and (#4) AFP Cavaliers will have a twice-to-beat advantage on the quarterfinals against (#6) DOJ Justice Boosters and (#5) PNP Responders, respectively.
The defending champion and #4 team AFP Cavaliers have a twice-to-beat advantage against two-time runner-up and #5 ranked PNP Responders, while first time quarterfinalist and #6 seed DOJ Justice Boosters needs to win two games versus #3 team Senate Defenders.
Both higher seeded teams won their respective series in close. AFP prevents PNP in reaching a third straight finals appearance, 63–59, while Senate beat DOJ in an overtime thriller, 80–78, to advance to the semifinals. The Cavaliers face top team Malacañang Patriots, and the Defenders sets a date with three-time #2 seed Judiciary Magis.
The Malacañang Patriots and Judiciary Magis have a twice-to-beat advantage in the semifinals after being the top 2 teams at the end of the elimination round. Quarterfinals winners AFP Cavaliers and Senate Defenders would need to win twice to enter the finals.
AFP won the first game to extend the series, but Malacañang snatched the second game to eliminate the Cavaliers. On the other match-up, Judiciary beat Senate convincingly, 95–75, to advance to the finals.
The battle for third place was between the #3 seed Senate Defenders and reigning champion #4 team AFP Cavaliers, after they lost their semifinals series on separate opponents with a twice-to-win disadvantage. AFP won the game, 98–87, and gets ₱500,000 for their chosen beneficiary as third placer. Despite the loss, Senate received ₱250,000 for charity as fourth placer.
Before the much-awaited championship match between Malacañang Patriots and Judiciary Magis, a special tribute game dubbed the "Skywalker All Star Exhibition Game" was held for the benefit of Samboy Lim and his family. On November 28, 2014, Lim has been rushed to a hospital unconscious after collapsing just minutes after coming out of an exhibition game.[8] He slipped into a coma, and was first admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Medical City, before he was later transferred to the intermediate care unit.[9] On January 14, 2015, he slipped out of his comatose state and was brought home where he will continue to receive treatment and therapy.[10] With Daniel Razon's idea, in behalf of the players' name, UNTV Cup donated money to Lim's family in order to help in Samboy's recovery.[11]
The UNTV Cup All Star selection faced former professional basketball players that were previous teammates of Lim.[12]
The Skywalker All-Stars team is composed of former professional basketball players listed below. They wore red jerseys.
The UNTV Cup All Star selection is composed of the best UNTV Cup players not playing in the finals, listed below. They wore their white team jerseys.
The best-of-three finals series was held on April 12 and 28, 2018, at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig and Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, respectively. The championship is between the top two teams, #1 seed Malacañang Patriots and Season 1 champion Judiciary Magis. Both teams won their separate semis matchups with the twice-to-beat advantage. Judiciary won the finals series convincingly against Malacañang, 2–0, to get their second UNTV Cup title and donate ₱2 million to their chosen beneficiary. Malacañang received ₱1 million for their charity as runner-up.
A total of 5.45 million pesos tax-free was given to the teams' chosen beneficiaries, with the champion team Judiciary Magis taking home a trophy and 2 million pesos given to their chosen beneficiaries. The runner-up team Malacañang Patriots received 1 million pesos for their beneficiary. Five hundred thousand pesos was given to the third place team AFP Cavaliers for their chosen beneficiary. Two hundred fifty thousand pesos was given to the fourth-place finishers Senate Defenders for their chosen charity. The other participating teams got 100 thousand pesos for their beneficiary.[13]
In addition to the usual donations to the team's chosen charities, one million pesos was given to the family of Samboy Lim.[11]
| Place | Winning Team | Beneficiaries | Cash Prize | Actual Prize Received | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champion | Judiciary Magis | Supreme Court personnel who suffered serious ailments or injuries while in the service Heirs of Supreme Court personnel who have passed away while in the service | |||
| Runner up | Malacañang Patriots | Cancer Ward of the Philippine Children's Hospital | |||
| 3rd | AFP Cavaliers | AFP Educational Benefit System Office and Camp Aguinaldo General Hospital | |||
| 4th | Senate Defenders | Khyte Foundation, Inc. and Pangarap Foundation, Inc. | |||
| DOJ Justice Boosters | Psalm of David Harmonic Orchestra | ||||
| Cash Assistance | Skywalker All-Stars | Samboy Lim and family |
The following players were named the Players of the Week.
| Week | Player of the Week | Team | class=unsortable | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | (1/1) | (1/1) | ||
| – | (1/1) | (1/1) | ||
| – | (1/1) | (1/1) | ||
| – | (1/1) | (1/1) | ||
| – | (1/1) | (1/1) | ||
| – | (1/1) | (1/1) | ||
| – | (1/1) | (1/1) | ||
| – | (1/1) | (1/1) |
| width=10px bgcolor="gold" | Champion | ||
| width=10px bgcolor="silver" | Runner-up | ||
| width=10px bgcolor="#ccffcc" | Semifinalist | ||
| width=10px bgcolor="#ccccff" | Quarterfinalist | ||
| width=10px bgcolor="#fbd" | Second Round Elimination | ||
| width=10px bgcolor="#fa8072" | First Round Elimination |
| Team | GP | W | L | PCT | Best Finish | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 10 | 2 | Champion | |||
| 12 | 8 | 4 | Runner-up | |||
| 13 | 9 | 4 | Third Place | |||
| 12 | 8 | 4 | Fourth Place | |||
| 9 | 5 | 4 | Quarterfinalist | |||
| 9 | 3 | 6 | Quarterfinalist | |||
| 9 | 3 | 6 | Second Round Elimination | |||
| 8 | 1 | 7 | Second Round Elimination | |||
| 5 | 2 | 3 | First Round Elimination | |||
| 4 | 0 | 4 | First Round Elimination | |||
| 5 | 0 | 5 | First Round Elimination |
| Team | GP | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 7 | 1 | |||
| Judiciary Magis | 9 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 9 | 7 | 2 | |||
| 9 | 6 | 3 | |||
| PNP Responders | 8 | 5 | 3 | ||
| 5 | 2 | 3 | |||
| 8 | 3 | 5 | |||
| 9 | 3 | 6 | |||
| 8 | 1 | 7 | |||
| 4 | 0 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Team | GP | W | L | PCT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Judiciary Magis | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 4 | 3 | 1 | |||
| 3 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 4 | 1 | 3 | |||
| PNP Responders | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 1 |
The Heart of a Champion segment features UNTV Cup players and their lives off the court as public servants.
The following segment features the top plays of the week and elimination round.
UNTV Cup players, analysts, and fans share their thoughts in interviews.