Organized Mess
Bleacher Talk
January 20, 2008
Organized Mess
It’s organized. It’s a mess. It’s confusing. It’s boggling. But you know what? It will be all good for basketball.
What a way to start the basketball year. A year after the unity congress for basketball was organized and the two sides of this family problem were supposed to have kissed and made up, here we are back to square one. Or so it might seem.
Right here in Cebu’s collegiate scene alone, we have four tournaments out to collar Cebu’s best collegiate teams. Off and running are the CESAFI Partners Cup and the Visayas Amateur Athletic Association (VAAA). On deck is the upcoming Hotel Fortuna Cup tentatively set to start on Tuesday and the BAP’s National Students Basketball Championship (NSBC) from February 26-March 2, another two leagues for collegiate basketball. And if that weren’t enough, we also have the regional and national legs of the PRISAA tournament. So when is enough really enough?
We have three major entities featuring collegiate basketball. The CESAFI Partners Cup (organized by the CESAFI) is a tournament that serves as continuity league coming off the CESAFI’s most successful season. All but three CESAFI teams are playing here. Those three are playing in the VAAA being organized by BAP-SBP regional director Yayoy Alcoseba. This also features Cebu-based non-CESAFI teams and varsity squads from Negros Oriental, Bohol and Leyte in a home-and-away format. The Hotel Fortuna Cup and NSBC are being staged by BAP-SBP Cebu head Lorenzo “Chao” Sy, and this is to also feature teams from the CESAFI. The NSBC will also showcase teams from around the country, but there are mixed reports on whether or not the likes of UAAP champ De La Salle University and NCAA back-to-back titlist San Beda will show up.
Are you still with me? Is it a mess? Maybe. Confusing? Yes. But as they say, the more the merrier.
But why is all this happening? The one major thing lacking in Cebu Basketball is a united blueprint of where we want to go. What is Cebu Basketball’s vision? Is this vision shared by ALL the players of the basketball family? Are all the intentions and motives of all players truly for the love of the sport? Are they out to develop the sport? At this point, it sure looks like each side has its own vision for basketball but it doesn’t look like it’s aligned with a united Cebu front.
From the looks of it, everyone just wants a piece of collegiate basketball since it has proven to become the hottest basketball ticket in town. But this isn’t the only show in town. There is so much more to basketball than college ball. If Cebu Basketball had a vision, then it would be able to see the total and bigger picture where college ball is just one piece of the puzzle. If the family was united and organized, they’ll surely see that there are more opportunities outside of college basketball that can still be maximized. All they have to do is look harder and explore the scene for the areas less traveled and touched. What they may not realize is that these elements are just as important as college ball. Any takers for a united front? A common vision?
While this current mess may not look good for local basketball, I’m confident that in the end, it will all turn out for the best. Sure, it doesn’t look good from a unity viewpoint. But did we actually expect all sides to get together and be united overnight? All these sportsmen have good intentions for basketball, but they just differ in how to carry this out. In the end, the basketball fan will be the ultimate judge on who deserves to stay and who will eventually fade away. Who knows? Maybe after all is said and done, they’ll finally realize that they were all wrong (or right) in the first place.
If only our leaders can simply sit down, humble themselves, and get rid of egos, I’m sure they can find ways to unite and move Cebu Basketball forward. The question is if they really want to do it.
In the meantime, we’ll deal with a situation that’s not that bad right now. It’s a bit messy and confusing, but to maintain our positive thinking, let’s just call it an organized mess.
**
Time-out: Let’s not forget that the real star of today’s fiesta is no less than Señor Sto. Niño. Pit Señor! >>> You can reach me at bleachertalk@yahoo.com.
January 20, 2008
Organized Mess
It’s organized. It’s a mess. It’s confusing. It’s boggling. But you know what? It will be all good for basketball.
What a way to start the basketball year. A year after the unity congress for basketball was organized and the two sides of this family problem were supposed to have kissed and made up, here we are back to square one. Or so it might seem.
Right here in Cebu’s collegiate scene alone, we have four tournaments out to collar Cebu’s best collegiate teams. Off and running are the CESAFI Partners Cup and the Visayas Amateur Athletic Association (VAAA). On deck is the upcoming Hotel Fortuna Cup tentatively set to start on Tuesday and the BAP’s National Students Basketball Championship (NSBC) from February 26-March 2, another two leagues for collegiate basketball. And if that weren’t enough, we also have the regional and national legs of the PRISAA tournament. So when is enough really enough?
We have three major entities featuring collegiate basketball. The CESAFI Partners Cup (organized by the CESAFI) is a tournament that serves as continuity league coming off the CESAFI’s most successful season. All but three CESAFI teams are playing here. Those three are playing in the VAAA being organized by BAP-SBP regional director Yayoy Alcoseba. This also features Cebu-based non-CESAFI teams and varsity squads from Negros Oriental, Bohol and Leyte in a home-and-away format. The Hotel Fortuna Cup and NSBC are being staged by BAP-SBP Cebu head Lorenzo “Chao” Sy, and this is to also feature teams from the CESAFI. The NSBC will also showcase teams from around the country, but there are mixed reports on whether or not the likes of UAAP champ De La Salle University and NCAA back-to-back titlist San Beda will show up.
Are you still with me? Is it a mess? Maybe. Confusing? Yes. But as they say, the more the merrier.
But why is all this happening? The one major thing lacking in Cebu Basketball is a united blueprint of where we want to go. What is Cebu Basketball’s vision? Is this vision shared by ALL the players of the basketball family? Are all the intentions and motives of all players truly for the love of the sport? Are they out to develop the sport? At this point, it sure looks like each side has its own vision for basketball but it doesn’t look like it’s aligned with a united Cebu front.
From the looks of it, everyone just wants a piece of collegiate basketball since it has proven to become the hottest basketball ticket in town. But this isn’t the only show in town. There is so much more to basketball than college ball. If Cebu Basketball had a vision, then it would be able to see the total and bigger picture where college ball is just one piece of the puzzle. If the family was united and organized, they’ll surely see that there are more opportunities outside of college basketball that can still be maximized. All they have to do is look harder and explore the scene for the areas less traveled and touched. What they may not realize is that these elements are just as important as college ball. Any takers for a united front? A common vision?
While this current mess may not look good for local basketball, I’m confident that in the end, it will all turn out for the best. Sure, it doesn’t look good from a unity viewpoint. But did we actually expect all sides to get together and be united overnight? All these sportsmen have good intentions for basketball, but they just differ in how to carry this out. In the end, the basketball fan will be the ultimate judge on who deserves to stay and who will eventually fade away. Who knows? Maybe after all is said and done, they’ll finally realize that they were all wrong (or right) in the first place.
If only our leaders can simply sit down, humble themselves, and get rid of egos, I’m sure they can find ways to unite and move Cebu Basketball forward. The question is if they really want to do it.
In the meantime, we’ll deal with a situation that’s not that bad right now. It’s a bit messy and confusing, but to maintain our positive thinking, let’s just call it an organized mess.
**
Time-out: Let’s not forget that the real star of today’s fiesta is no less than Señor Sto. Niño. Pit Señor! >>> You can reach me at bleachertalk@yahoo.com.
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