Ewon Arayi

Last updated
Merenciana Arayi
Personal information
Born (1985-11-05) November 5, 1985 (age 37)
Bolinao, Pangasinan, Philippines
NationalityFilipino
Listed height5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Career information
College Adamson University
Playing career2001–2015
Position Forward / point guard
Number7
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines
SEABA Championship
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2010 Manila Team
Women's 3x3 basketball
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2012 Haiyang Team

Merenciana "Ewon" Arayi (born November 5, 1985) [1] is a Filipino former basketball player, who has served as the longest-tenured player and team captain of the Philippines women's national basketball team (Perlas Pilipinas, formerly Discovery Perlas) since the SEABA Championships in 2007. [2] She is also the founder and president of the pioneering women's basketball league in the Philippines, the Pinay Ballers League [3] and a member of Athletes in Action Christian ministry. [4]

Contents

Playing career

Arayi was five months old when her father Gabriel, a criminology graduate went to Lagos to become a policeman. He returned to the Philippines when she was 16 years old. [2]

Fresh from high school from Bolinao, Arayi's father brought her to Manila in 2001 to try-out with the Adamson Falcons women's basketball team led by coach Emelia Vega, who been stayed as a player and one of the team's constant performers in the UAAP during her collegiate career. [4]

After her collegiate stint, she worked in a call center company. In 2007, Coach Haydee Ong of the Perlas Pilipinas national team recruited Arayi to join the national team. From then on, she was a many-time national team member of Perlas Pilipinas, [2] having represented the country in different international competitions such as the Southeast Asian Games and the SEABA Championship, the latest of which is the 2015 FIBA Asia Women's Championship, when the Philippines received Level II ranking in the 2017 FIBA Asia Championship for Women. [5] She was set to enlist as a member of the Philippine Navy. [2]

In 2015, Arayi announced that she would retire after the 2015 Southeast Asian Games, where the Philippine team ended at 4th place, [4] but didn't push through after her stint as the Point Guard of the team in the FIBA Asia Women's Championship. [5]

She is also conducted basketball clinics in the far-flung provinces. [6]

Pinay Ballers League

In 2014, she formed the Pinay Ballers League (PiBa League), a women's basketball league that aiming to have contributions to the national team. Her experience playing internationally was one of the reasons why she formed the league. [2] The league is an avenue for former collegiate players and members of the national team to play in the professional ranks and to continue playing the sport. [6] [7]

Related Research Articles

The Philippines men's national basketball team, commonly known as Gilas Pilipinas, is the basketball team representing the Philippines. The team is managed by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basketball in the Philippines</span>

Basketball is the most popular sport in the Philippines, played on both the amateur and professional levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas</span> National basketball association of the Philippines

The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas or the SBP is the national sport association for basketball in the Philippines, formed from the merging of the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) and Pilipinas Basketball (PB).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippines women's national basketball team</span>

The Philippines women's national basketball team is managed by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP).

Jayson Castro William is a Filipino professional basketball player for the TNT Tropang Giga of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). His moniker is "The Blur" for his speed.

The men's national under-19 basketball team of the Philippines represents the country in junior men's under-18 and under-19 FIBA tournaments. It is governed by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas.

Tyrone Conrad Uy "TY" Tang is a Filipino former professional basketball player and a current head coach. He last played for Mighty Sports of the Pilipinas Commercial Basketball League (PCBL). Tang played for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the Philippine Basketball Association before retiring and then coming out of retirement to play in the PCBL. He was the twelfth overall pick in the 2008 PBA Draft by the Welcoat Dragons. He played point guard for the De La Salle Green Archers in college. He helped his team to a championship after top players like Renren Ritualo, Mike Cortez, Mark Cardona and Joseph Yeo graduated.

Joel Banal is a retired Filipino professional basketball player, and former head coach in the Philippine Basketball Association. He is the former commissioner of the now-defunct Pilipinas Commercial Basketball League (PCBL). Banal is the only head coach to win championships in the NCAA, UAAP, PBL, and the PBA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiefer Ravena</span> Filipino basketball player (born 1993)

Kiefer Isaac Crisologo Ravena is a Filipino professional basketball player for Shiga Lakes of the Japanese B.League. Ravena played for the Ateneo Blue Eagles of the UAAP during his college days. He plays the point guard position.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine bid for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup</span> Bid of the Philippines for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World cup

The Philippine bid for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup was Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas' unsuccessful bid for the right to host the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. On 16 March 2015, the bid became one of the only two formal candidates with the other bidding nation being China, as FIBA decided that the 2019 World Cup will be played in Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Philippines men's national basketball team results</span>

The Philippines national basketball team is led by newly appointed head coach Tab Baldwin whose 4-year contract started in January 2015. Baldwin's first tournament as head coach was the 2015 SEABA Championship where he led a national team composed mostly of collegiate and amateur players. The Philippines won the gold medal at the aforementioned tournament. The national team participated at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship and had a training camp in Turkey, participated at the 2015 Toyota Four Nations Cup in Estonia and 2015 MVP Cup which was hosted at home in Quezon City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pilipinas Commercial Basketball League</span>

Pilipinas Commercial Basketball League was a commercial amateur basketball tournament based in the Philippines that catered to the development and grassroots program for future Filipino basketball players, inspired from the MICAA and the Philippine Basketball League (PBL). The league was established by nine commercial teams, some of which have played in the PBA D-League. The chairman of the league was Buddy Encarnado, who was also the board governor representing the Sta. Lucia Realtors during its stint in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

Jeth Troy Utanes Rosario is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Blackwater Bossing of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

Pinay Ballers League, abbreviated as PBL, is a women's basketball league based in the Philippines. It was formed in 2014 by Ewon’s Sports Association, Inc., a group of local women's basketball stakeholders, They were led by former Adamson Falcons player Merenciana "Ewon" Arayi, captain of the Philippines women's national basketball team in the 2015 Southeast Asian Games. The PBL aims to give women basketball players, who have played on the national team or in collegiate leagues, a chance to play after college and start a semi-professional career.

Patrick Henry Aquino is a Filipino basketball coach who serves as the head coach of the Philippines women's national basketball team, he has been appointed by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas since December 2014 when the team have a new corporate backer Ever Bilena, replacing long-time mentor Haydee Ong. This is the second time that Aquino has coached a national team, Aquino was once manned coaching duties for the Philippines women's national under-19 basketball team. Among his coaching achievements for promoted into Level 1 of 2017 FIBA Asia Women's Championship.

Rey Mark G. "Mac" Belo is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

Afril Ornedo Bernardino is a Filipino professional basketball player. She also represents the Philippine national team in international competitions.

Haydee Ong is a Filipino basketball coach and former player. She was the head coach of the Philippines women's national basketball team from 2008 to 2014.

Allana May Lim is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Parañaque Lady Aces of the WNBL–Philippines.

Jack Danielle Santo Tomas Animam is a Filipino professional basketball player for USO Mondeville Basket of the Division 2 Ligue Féminine de Basketball. She also represents the Philippine national team.

References

  1. ↑ "Merenciana Arayi". FIBA Archive. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Henson, Joaquin (July 30, 2015). "Pinay league to address Perlas issue". The Philippine Star . Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  3. ↑ Joble, Rey (May 17, 2015). "A new league for Pinay Ballers soon". BusinessWorld . Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Joble, Rey (May 17, 2015). "Longtime Perlas Pilipinas player Ewon Arayi hoping for golden SEA Games finish before retirement". Interaksyon. Archived from the original on April 1, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Joble, Rey (September 4, 2015). "Skipper Ewon Arayi leads by example as Perlas players show trust in one another". Interaksyon. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Terrado, Reuben (October 20, 2014). "Finally, a post-college opportunity for women basketball players as Pinay Ballers League takes off". Sports Interactive Network Philippines . Retrieved February 27, 2016.
  7. ↑ Joble, Rey (May 26, 2015). "Perlas Pilipinas players all-out in support of teammate Ewon Arayi's Pinay Ballers League". Interaksyon. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.