Completing Cebu Basketball
Bleacher Talk
April 2, 2006
Completing Cebu Basketball
What’s happening to Cebu Basketball? I’m not sure if you noticed, but the face of local basketball has evolved over the years from being a Cebu-centered venue of games to a wider network reaching out to the Visayas and Mindanao.
That’s bad news for followers of local basketball as this has come at a price. Gone today is the local commercial league that used to dominate the scene and that became the breeding ground for Cebu’s top players before moving on to the big time. I guess it’s a natural phenomenon that we’ll have to accept as part of the development of the sport in the south. It looks like the local fans wanted more than just local ball. The spice that was needed to make the games more attractive was regional competition. Thanks to the MBA, fans had a glimpse of how exciting regional wars was, and now we’re back to a scaled-down version of these battles.
But while the move to go regional had been the “in” thing and was now being accepted, now comes a sign of mixed signals of good news-bad news, Cebu’s representation in the National Basketball Conference (NBC) was reduced from two teams in 2005 to zero in 2006. Gone are Tribu Sugbu and Mandaue. It has been reported that Tribu Sugbu is only taking a “break” and will be back by mid-year. I hope this is true.
If it’s any consolation, Cebu has three teams playing in the brand new Mindanao Visayas Basketball Association (MVBA), the latest regional league in town. Cebu, Mandaue and Toledo are among the pioneering teams of the MVBA’s Visayas group aside from Bacolod and Iloilo. But one might as well count these as two ballclubs since Cebu and Mandaue are being bankrolled by one person.
But as a follower of local ball, I can’t help but cite the fact that for the second straight summer, local commercial league ball will not be played in lieu of the defunct CBF, CBL, MICAA and previous commercial leagues that were once so popular. This absence actually stretches back to last year when the Cebu Basketball Federation (CBF) called a halt to their games.
In the end, instead of a year-round calendar of top-level basketball being played, Cebu is now down to just the CESAFI as the only “big” local league of Cebu with a regular sked of its own. Gone are the days when we looked forward to a summer tournament of the local commercial league. This was followed by the collegiate league in July that ended in October. The commercial league would come back in November with a short tournament or a Christmas Cup in December. January was always reserved for a Sinulog tournament and/or a start of a regular conference tournament of a commercial league. All these are now gone, save for the collegiate basketball scene. We’re now down to the games of the CESAFI and the MVBA for now.
Some people will say that Cebu’s being part of a regional league like the MVBA and the NBC is a good sign of our status as the hotbed of the sport south of Manila. While this is true, the bad news is that these shouldn’t have taken away the local commercial league that served as both a source of players and breeding ground for top collegiate prospects. Let’s face it. Most of the players of an MVBA or NBC team are ex-pros and veterans. Only a handful of collegiate players are good enough to play for these regional teams. The others aren’t good enough (yet) to make that big step into the semi-pro leagues. They still lack the exposure to pressure and competitive basketball. Unfortunately for them, they have only the CESAFI to rely on for this much-needed exposure. Their other exposure will come in the form of those short-term tournaments that are held at fiestas and other local celebrations where the collegiate players are like “imports.” By limiting the exposure of these college players, there is a possibility that their development as players will be hindered. They need another venue outside the CESAFI to sharpen their skills.
I’d like to believe that out of all these, a new local commercial league will arise, composed of Cebu-based collegiate players who aren’t playing for any teams in the MVBA and NBC. While this may not be as glamorous as the CBF or other local leagues of the past, the market is still there for the taking. The mere fact that other more minor leagues have survived is an indication that this league can stand up on its own as long as appropriate management measures are taken.
We now have the opportunity to complete the total Cebu basketball scene to cover all bases. We can go regional. We can play local collegiate ball. And we can also play local commercial ball again.
***Time-out: I’d like to request our readers to pray for the soul of Mariana L. Remoreras, my mother-in-law who passed away on Wednesday. The wake is at the family home in Clarin, Bohol. >>> You can reach us at http://bleachertalk.blogspot.com or bleachertalk@yahoo.com.
April 2, 2006
Completing Cebu Basketball
What’s happening to Cebu Basketball? I’m not sure if you noticed, but the face of local basketball has evolved over the years from being a Cebu-centered venue of games to a wider network reaching out to the Visayas and Mindanao.
That’s bad news for followers of local basketball as this has come at a price. Gone today is the local commercial league that used to dominate the scene and that became the breeding ground for Cebu’s top players before moving on to the big time. I guess it’s a natural phenomenon that we’ll have to accept as part of the development of the sport in the south. It looks like the local fans wanted more than just local ball. The spice that was needed to make the games more attractive was regional competition. Thanks to the MBA, fans had a glimpse of how exciting regional wars was, and now we’re back to a scaled-down version of these battles.
But while the move to go regional had been the “in” thing and was now being accepted, now comes a sign of mixed signals of good news-bad news, Cebu’s representation in the National Basketball Conference (NBC) was reduced from two teams in 2005 to zero in 2006. Gone are Tribu Sugbu and Mandaue. It has been reported that Tribu Sugbu is only taking a “break” and will be back by mid-year. I hope this is true.
If it’s any consolation, Cebu has three teams playing in the brand new Mindanao Visayas Basketball Association (MVBA), the latest regional league in town. Cebu, Mandaue and Toledo are among the pioneering teams of the MVBA’s Visayas group aside from Bacolod and Iloilo. But one might as well count these as two ballclubs since Cebu and Mandaue are being bankrolled by one person.
But as a follower of local ball, I can’t help but cite the fact that for the second straight summer, local commercial league ball will not be played in lieu of the defunct CBF, CBL, MICAA and previous commercial leagues that were once so popular. This absence actually stretches back to last year when the Cebu Basketball Federation (CBF) called a halt to their games.
In the end, instead of a year-round calendar of top-level basketball being played, Cebu is now down to just the CESAFI as the only “big” local league of Cebu with a regular sked of its own. Gone are the days when we looked forward to a summer tournament of the local commercial league. This was followed by the collegiate league in July that ended in October. The commercial league would come back in November with a short tournament or a Christmas Cup in December. January was always reserved for a Sinulog tournament and/or a start of a regular conference tournament of a commercial league. All these are now gone, save for the collegiate basketball scene. We’re now down to the games of the CESAFI and the MVBA for now.
Some people will say that Cebu’s being part of a regional league like the MVBA and the NBC is a good sign of our status as the hotbed of the sport south of Manila. While this is true, the bad news is that these shouldn’t have taken away the local commercial league that served as both a source of players and breeding ground for top collegiate prospects. Let’s face it. Most of the players of an MVBA or NBC team are ex-pros and veterans. Only a handful of collegiate players are good enough to play for these regional teams. The others aren’t good enough (yet) to make that big step into the semi-pro leagues. They still lack the exposure to pressure and competitive basketball. Unfortunately for them, they have only the CESAFI to rely on for this much-needed exposure. Their other exposure will come in the form of those short-term tournaments that are held at fiestas and other local celebrations where the collegiate players are like “imports.” By limiting the exposure of these college players, there is a possibility that their development as players will be hindered. They need another venue outside the CESAFI to sharpen their skills.
I’d like to believe that out of all these, a new local commercial league will arise, composed of Cebu-based collegiate players who aren’t playing for any teams in the MVBA and NBC. While this may not be as glamorous as the CBF or other local leagues of the past, the market is still there for the taking. The mere fact that other more minor leagues have survived is an indication that this league can stand up on its own as long as appropriate management measures are taken.
We now have the opportunity to complete the total Cebu basketball scene to cover all bases. We can go regional. We can play local collegiate ball. And we can also play local commercial ball again.
***Time-out: I’d like to request our readers to pray for the soul of Mariana L. Remoreras, my mother-in-law who passed away on Wednesday. The wake is at the family home in Clarin, Bohol. >>> You can reach us at http://bleachertalk.blogspot.com or bleachertalk@yahoo.com.
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