Dodong Diamond 
I have received a number of requests for more info on Filipino pool player Zoren James Aranas, aka Dodong Diamond, who recently won the much-coveted 9-ball event of the Scotty Townsend Memorial tour in Monroe, Louisiana.
I was supposed to meet him and Mr. Ariel Roy Francisco last January when they visited the Pool Capital of the World. However, due to my toxic sched, the meet failed to push through. But, I was on the phone with kabayan Ariel countless times as we became friends online when I returned to the sport last December 2017.
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Born on April 29, 1992, Zoren James Aranas, aka Dodong Diamond, is a Filipino pool player who hails from Davao. He grew up in Manila and calls Cavite his home. He is managed by Mr. Ariel Roy Francisco, who owns and runs Team Roy's Basement, which is based in the US.
Dodong Diamond recently made headlines across the globe after he won several notable and major tournaments in the US, including The Music City Open in December 2017, wherein he prevailed over fellow Filipino pool player Roberto Gomez, aka Superman, in the Finals, and the just concluded 9-Ball event of the Scotty Townsend Memorial Tour, which he won against Alex Pagulayan.
With such impressive wins, pool-related brands gained notice and have started sponsoring Dodong Diamond. A good example of which is Lights Out Apparel.
.
As stated earlier, I haven't personally met Dodong Diamond. But from what my kabayan Ariel Roy and friends have told me, Dodong is a soft-spoken person who does his talking on the green felt.
Dodong is “kid” in the Southern dialect of Visayan and “bata” in Tagalog. With regard to the moniker "Diamond," children used to tease him a lot about his unique hairstyle when he was in his late teens hanging out in pool halls. He used to sport the hairstyle wherein the front is pointed upwards and shaped like a diamond.
Those children linked that to his nickname, Dodong, and started calling him Dodong Diamond whenever he went to the pool halls. And the name stuck ever since.
There are several videos online of Dodong Diamond wherein he is seen playing against or being trained by, for example, World Champion Dennis Orcollo, Ramon Mistica, and Ruslan Chinahov - also members of Team Roy's Basement.
.
Speaking about Roy's Basement, it is a sports team started by Mr. Ariel Roy Francisco, who has been based in the US since the 1980s. Why the name Roy's Basement? Kabayan Ariel Roy has an awesome pool table in the basement of his lovely home in Gainesville, Virginia, where his stakehorses practice and play. In my opinion, it is one cool team name.
️
What few actually know is that kabayan Ariel Roy sponsored notable Filipino pool players way before the Roy's Basement name was coined. These include, but are not limited to, the great Jose "Amang" Parica, Francisco "Django" Bustamante, Leonardo "Dodong Dadiangas" Andam.
.
Team Roy's Basement actively sponsors and take under its wings, pool players - mostly Filipinos - whenever they are in the US. These include World Champions Dennis Orcollo and Carlo Biado, 2x-All Japan Open Champion Johann Chua, Andy Mercer Open Champion Warren Kiamco, champ Jeffrey Ignacio, etc. And oh! Roy's Basement also manages Ruslan Chinahov - the Siberian Express.
The team travels the US extensively, entering major tournaments there. Truth be told, its horses are a force to reckon with!
.
As highlighted above, kabayan Ariel Roy and Dodong Diamond were in the Philippines for a 2-week visit in January 2018. They weren't here for leisure, that I can assure you.
️
The two-week visit was business. They were here to find and match very good players against Dodong in big money games. And when I say big action matches, it is not just a figure of speech!
The match ups were a training of sort for Dodong - to further up his game and smarts on the table by playing against the best of the best. It goes without saying that these big time match ups were a delight and joy among pool players and enthusiasts alike.
.
Here's a little known fact about Dodong Diamond:
Dodong was a protégé of World Champion Alex Pagulayan until he was taken in by kabayan Ariel Roy, credit to whom Dodong's game further improved and flourished.
Ariel Roy really takes care of the personal needs and training requirements of Dodong Diamond. He spotted the diamond in the rough in Dodong. A gem constantly being polished, its rough edges cut and refined, to bring out that 4K glitter and beauty. That is the honest truth.
It was no less than Hall of Famer Django Bustamante who stated that Dodong has become a factor in the big events. This could only mean one thing - good news for Philippine billiards!
.
In my humble, unsolicited opinion, Dodong Diamond, aka Zoren James Aranas, is a true 1st tier. One would have to be a truly special player, a very special one, to beat The Lion in any Finals, which he did at the Scotty Townsend Memorial tournament.
Dodong Diamond will become a World Champion someday. If he wants it, it's his. And I kid you not!
.
Please allow me to end this post with the words of Mr. Aristeo "Putch" Puyat - the Godfather of Philippine billiards:
He (Dodong Diamond) is young and if he stays focused with the right company, he will go places.
Mike San Pedro
.
I have received a number of requests for more info on Filipino pool player Zoren James Aranas, aka Dodong Diamond, who recently won the much-coveted 9-ball event of the Scotty Townsend Memorial tour in Monroe, Louisiana.
I was supposed to meet him and Mr. Ariel Roy Francisco last January when they visited the Pool Capital of the World. However, due to my toxic sched, the meet failed to push through. But, I was on the phone with kabayan Ariel countless times as we became friends online when I returned to the sport last December 2017.
.
Born on April 29, 1992, Zoren James Aranas, aka Dodong Diamond, is a Filipino pool player who hails from Davao. He grew up in Manila and calls Cavite his home. He is managed by Mr. Ariel Roy Francisco, who owns and runs Team Roy's Basement, which is based in the US.
Dodong Diamond recently made headlines across the globe after he won several notable and major tournaments in the US, including The Music City Open in December 2017, wherein he prevailed over fellow Filipino pool player Roberto Gomez, aka Superman, in the Finals, and the just concluded 9-Ball event of the Scotty Townsend Memorial Tour, which he won against Alex Pagulayan.
With such impressive wins, pool-related brands gained notice and have started sponsoring Dodong Diamond. A good example of which is Lights Out Apparel.
.
As stated earlier, I haven't personally met Dodong Diamond. But from what my kabayan Ariel Roy and friends have told me, Dodong is a soft-spoken person who does his talking on the green felt.
Dodong is “kid” in the Southern dialect of Visayan and “bata” in Tagalog. With regard to the moniker "Diamond," children used to tease him a lot about his unique hairstyle when he was in his late teens hanging out in pool halls. He used to sport the hairstyle wherein the front is pointed upwards and shaped like a diamond.
Those children linked that to his nickname, Dodong, and started calling him Dodong Diamond whenever he went to the pool halls. And the name stuck ever since.
There are several videos online of Dodong Diamond wherein he is seen playing against or being trained by, for example, World Champion Dennis Orcollo, Ramon Mistica, and Ruslan Chinahov - also members of Team Roy's Basement.
.
Speaking about Roy's Basement, it is a sports team started by Mr. Ariel Roy Francisco, who has been based in the US since the 1980s. Why the name Roy's Basement? Kabayan Ariel Roy has an awesome pool table in the basement of his lovely home in Gainesville, Virginia, where his stakehorses practice and play. In my opinion, it is one cool team name.
️What few actually know is that kabayan Ariel Roy sponsored notable Filipino pool players way before the Roy's Basement name was coined. These include, but are not limited to, the great Jose "Amang" Parica, Francisco "Django" Bustamante, Leonardo "Dodong Dadiangas" Andam.
.
Team Roy's Basement actively sponsors and take under its wings, pool players - mostly Filipinos - whenever they are in the US. These include World Champions Dennis Orcollo and Carlo Biado, 2x-All Japan Open Champion Johann Chua, Andy Mercer Open Champion Warren Kiamco, champ Jeffrey Ignacio, etc. And oh! Roy's Basement also manages Ruslan Chinahov - the Siberian Express.
The team travels the US extensively, entering major tournaments there. Truth be told, its horses are a force to reckon with!
.
As highlighted above, kabayan Ariel Roy and Dodong Diamond were in the Philippines for a 2-week visit in January 2018. They weren't here for leisure, that I can assure you.
️The two-week visit was business. They were here to find and match very good players against Dodong in big money games. And when I say big action matches, it is not just a figure of speech!
The match ups were a training of sort for Dodong - to further up his game and smarts on the table by playing against the best of the best. It goes without saying that these big time match ups were a delight and joy among pool players and enthusiasts alike.
.
Here's a little known fact about Dodong Diamond:
Dodong was a protégé of World Champion Alex Pagulayan until he was taken in by kabayan Ariel Roy, credit to whom Dodong's game further improved and flourished.
Ariel Roy really takes care of the personal needs and training requirements of Dodong Diamond. He spotted the diamond in the rough in Dodong. A gem constantly being polished, its rough edges cut and refined, to bring out that 4K glitter and beauty. That is the honest truth.
It was no less than Hall of Famer Django Bustamante who stated that Dodong has become a factor in the big events. This could only mean one thing - good news for Philippine billiards!
.
In my humble, unsolicited opinion, Dodong Diamond, aka Zoren James Aranas, is a true 1st tier. One would have to be a truly special player, a very special one, to beat The Lion in any Finals, which he did at the Scotty Townsend Memorial tournament.
Dodong Diamond will become a World Champion someday. If he wants it, it's his. And I kid you not!
.
Please allow me to end this post with the words of Mr. Aristeo "Putch" Puyat - the Godfather of Philippine billiards:
He (Dodong Diamond) is young and if he stays focused with the right company, he will go places.
Mike San Pedro.
