Basketball in 2008
Bleacher Talk
January 6, 2008
Basketball in 2008
What do we expect to see in Cebu Basketball in 2008?
It looks like the year will be the same as 2007. Don’t expect major changes or surprising things to happen. I’m not sure if this is good or bad for local basketball, but what bothers me is that we seem to be getting stagnant in terms of development. If there’s something we would like to see in 2008, it’s the “upgrading” of Cebu Basketball to a higher level amidst the total Philippine outlook.
It’s crystal ball time so let’s see what will happen this year. For starters, our basketball leaders will remain to be the same. The Michel Lhuillier – Yayoy Alcoseba team will still remain to be the region’s leaders at the BAP-SBP, while Lorenzo “Chao” Sy will hold on to his post as the BAP-SBP’s Director for Cebu. The CESAFI will still have Engr. Rolly Villa as President, but the big question is if Commissioner Felix “Boy” Tiukinhoy will push through with his resignation when the CESAFI 07-08 season comes to a close.
CESAFI 2008 basketball tournament is going to be a lot more different from that of 2007. The competition will be a lot tougher as the UV Lancers will be hard-pressed to defend their title and nail an eighth straight championship. Stronger competition will come from USJR, SWU and USC. USJR and USC are the only teams to have beaten UV in the CESAFI in 2007, while SWU will finally overcome their rookie jitters of last year to come out a as a more mature team. I wouldn’t be surprised if UV fails to win a title this year. This early, you can thus expect Coach Boy Cabahug to be preparing his team for the tougher road that lies ahead.
The commercial scene will feature something new in 2008. If things roll out as planned, the Liga Ng Pilipinas will finally be launched, featuring the merger of the Mindanao Visayas Basketball Association (MVBA) and the National Basketball Conference (NBC). While it may not be able to draw the same hype and following of the now defunct MBA, it’s something to which we can look forward for regional basketball action. With the merger, the MVBA’s M. Lhuillier ballclub will still be considered as a pre-tournament favorite, but a title is no longer a guaranty since the NBC teams will be well-prepared. We can expect Ozamis and Arthro (Guardo ballclub) to challenge M. Lhuillier for bragging rights in the South.
Somewhere along this mix, Yayoy Alcoseba will launch the third season of the Visayas Amateur Athletic Association (VAAA) after the CESAFI 2008 tournament, while the CESAFI has its Partners Cup. Both of these are still holding their 2007 tournaments which are due to end in February 2008. With three CESAFI teams playing in the VAAA and the rest in the CESAFI Partners Cup, fans have been divided, and it doesn’t look like the crowds at these games have matched half of that which watched the regular CESAFI 2007 tournament. I just hope that this friendly competition between both leagues can be resolved for the benefit of local basketball. Although a united front is far-fetched, I’m always hopeful that something positive will come out of all this.
And if that weren’t enough, we also have the regional zonals tournament, the eliminations phase for the National Students Basketball Championship which kicks off on January 9. Did you say overdose of college basketball? With the way the CESAFI had its most successful tournament in 2007, it now isn’t surprising to see everyone wanting to get a piece of it.
The missing space in the basketball calendar will be the summer. If the Liga ng Pilipinas kicks off in March, then this will take care of summer basketball. But this won’t mean a regular run of games in the summer as the Cebu teams will also have to travel outside Cebu. Yayoy has talked about putting up a summer tournament for college teams.
In the youth sector, UV and UC will still be the favorites to win the CESAFI high school division. USC, USPF and USJR will also there to play the role of spoiler and can even pull out a surprise or two as darkhorses.
The Milo Best Basketball Tournament will be a wide open race for both Pasarelle and SBP age groups. Sacred Heart School-Jesuit (SHSJ) will find it tough to defend its SBP title as its team will be depleted by the graduation of its core to the Pasarelle division. SHSJ’s Pasarelle championship will also be faced by the serious challenge of USC NC and UC. With the emergence of SHSJ as another threat, the tournament now has one more team to crowd the likes of USC NC, USC SC, UC and USPF.
Somewhere in between, we can expect more pocket tournaments for the youth such as the Futures Basketball League (FBL) and other privately-initiated undertakings. We’ll also have another run of the alumni-based leagues like the CECABA, SHABA and SCBHABA (USC).
That will be it for basketball in 2008. Nothing fancy or unusual, but still a lot of basketball action.
***
Time-out: Congratulations to Delo and Ella Mingo on the birth of their daughter! >>> You can reach me at bleachertalk@yahoo.com.
January 6, 2008
Basketball in 2008
What do we expect to see in Cebu Basketball in 2008?
It looks like the year will be the same as 2007. Don’t expect major changes or surprising things to happen. I’m not sure if this is good or bad for local basketball, but what bothers me is that we seem to be getting stagnant in terms of development. If there’s something we would like to see in 2008, it’s the “upgrading” of Cebu Basketball to a higher level amidst the total Philippine outlook.
It’s crystal ball time so let’s see what will happen this year. For starters, our basketball leaders will remain to be the same. The Michel Lhuillier – Yayoy Alcoseba team will still remain to be the region’s leaders at the BAP-SBP, while Lorenzo “Chao” Sy will hold on to his post as the BAP-SBP’s Director for Cebu. The CESAFI will still have Engr. Rolly Villa as President, but the big question is if Commissioner Felix “Boy” Tiukinhoy will push through with his resignation when the CESAFI 07-08 season comes to a close.
CESAFI 2008 basketball tournament is going to be a lot more different from that of 2007. The competition will be a lot tougher as the UV Lancers will be hard-pressed to defend their title and nail an eighth straight championship. Stronger competition will come from USJR, SWU and USC. USJR and USC are the only teams to have beaten UV in the CESAFI in 2007, while SWU will finally overcome their rookie jitters of last year to come out a as a more mature team. I wouldn’t be surprised if UV fails to win a title this year. This early, you can thus expect Coach Boy Cabahug to be preparing his team for the tougher road that lies ahead.
The commercial scene will feature something new in 2008. If things roll out as planned, the Liga Ng Pilipinas will finally be launched, featuring the merger of the Mindanao Visayas Basketball Association (MVBA) and the National Basketball Conference (NBC). While it may not be able to draw the same hype and following of the now defunct MBA, it’s something to which we can look forward for regional basketball action. With the merger, the MVBA’s M. Lhuillier ballclub will still be considered as a pre-tournament favorite, but a title is no longer a guaranty since the NBC teams will be well-prepared. We can expect Ozamis and Arthro (Guardo ballclub) to challenge M. Lhuillier for bragging rights in the South.
Somewhere along this mix, Yayoy Alcoseba will launch the third season of the Visayas Amateur Athletic Association (VAAA) after the CESAFI 2008 tournament, while the CESAFI has its Partners Cup. Both of these are still holding their 2007 tournaments which are due to end in February 2008. With three CESAFI teams playing in the VAAA and the rest in the CESAFI Partners Cup, fans have been divided, and it doesn’t look like the crowds at these games have matched half of that which watched the regular CESAFI 2007 tournament. I just hope that this friendly competition between both leagues can be resolved for the benefit of local basketball. Although a united front is far-fetched, I’m always hopeful that something positive will come out of all this.
And if that weren’t enough, we also have the regional zonals tournament, the eliminations phase for the National Students Basketball Championship which kicks off on January 9. Did you say overdose of college basketball? With the way the CESAFI had its most successful tournament in 2007, it now isn’t surprising to see everyone wanting to get a piece of it.
The missing space in the basketball calendar will be the summer. If the Liga ng Pilipinas kicks off in March, then this will take care of summer basketball. But this won’t mean a regular run of games in the summer as the Cebu teams will also have to travel outside Cebu. Yayoy has talked about putting up a summer tournament for college teams.
In the youth sector, UV and UC will still be the favorites to win the CESAFI high school division. USC, USPF and USJR will also there to play the role of spoiler and can even pull out a surprise or two as darkhorses.
The Milo Best Basketball Tournament will be a wide open race for both Pasarelle and SBP age groups. Sacred Heart School-Jesuit (SHSJ) will find it tough to defend its SBP title as its team will be depleted by the graduation of its core to the Pasarelle division. SHSJ’s Pasarelle championship will also be faced by the serious challenge of USC NC and UC. With the emergence of SHSJ as another threat, the tournament now has one more team to crowd the likes of USC NC, USC SC, UC and USPF.
Somewhere in between, we can expect more pocket tournaments for the youth such as the Futures Basketball League (FBL) and other privately-initiated undertakings. We’ll also have another run of the alumni-based leagues like the CECABA, SHABA and SCBHABA (USC).
That will be it for basketball in 2008. Nothing fancy or unusual, but still a lot of basketball action.
***
Time-out: Congratulations to Delo and Ella Mingo on the birth of their daughter! >>> You can reach me at bleachertalk@yahoo.com.
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