Basketball Year-ender 2009

-

Bleacher Talk
December 13, 2009

Basketball Year-ender 2009

The year has come to a close for the basketball family, and it’s time to look back and cite the major achievements in Cebu Basketball. Over-all, Cebu saw the dominance of the M. Lhuillier and UV ballclubs and a mix of different faces winning in the age group scene.

At the top this year’s list are M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala/Cebu City Niños for winning the Liga Pilipinas 2009 season championship in real championship style. The M. Lhuillier Kwarta Padala-Cebu Niños completed their date with history by capturing the Smart Liga Pilipinas Conference III National Championship via an incredible 21-game sweep. They won every single game of the season, sweeping all their leg tours and capping the historic run with another sweep at the Super Leg (playoffs). They not only went unblemished. They also ended their season with an exclamation point, thumping MisOr Meteors, 89-54, in the championship game. For a team that has won just about every title out there in the semi-pro circuit outside of the PBA and PBL, what’s next?

In the collegiate ranks, the University of the Visayas (UV) proved once again that they are THE college powerhouse of Cebu, winning their ninth straight CESAFI championship. No other team has won a CESAFI title since its launch in 2000. A tenth straight title is already in the works for CESAFI 2010. The only hitch in UV’s season was its loss to Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT) in the Sweet 16 round of the Philippine Collegiate Champions’ League (PCCL). University of Cebu (UC), which placed second to UV in the CESAFI tournament, and University of San Carlos also lost in the Sweet 16 round of the Champions’ League. I just hope that this isn’t an omen for things to come in the future where Cebu teams can now be beaten by Manila teams. This should also serve as a wake-up call for Cebu teams that we’re already falling behind the Manila teams.

A pleasant surprise was in store in the high school division when Cebu Institute of Technology (CIT) won its first ever CESAFI high school championship over University of San Jose Recoletos (USJR). Just when everyone was expecting traditional high school powers UC and UV to figure it out in the finals for a second straight year, CIT and USJR ousted the top two teams in the semifinals to seal a clash of the “uninvited” and unexpected finalists.

The youth age group scene continued to be busy with its own dose of activities. SHSJ won its third straight Passerelle division (15-Under) championship in the Milo BEST SBP/Passerelle Twin Tournament, defeating USC North in the finals. The Eagles then won the Visayas Regional Finals over Iloilo, and placed third in the national finals of the Milo BEST SBP/Passerelle Twin Tournament. USC South won the SBP division (12-Under) of the tournament and placed second in the Visayas Regional Finals. With its third straight championship, SHSJ is slowly but surely stamping a name for itself in the Passerelle age group, while the SBP division is a free-for-all scenario where three different schools have won the past three championships: USC South, USC North and SHSJ.

In the Cebu Youth Basketball League (CYBL) held early in the year, UC won the 16-Under division, while USC North won the 13-Under age group. SHSJ won the 10-Under division. Somewhere in between tournaments, USC North placed second in the Tropang Growee 3-on-3 tournament in Davao.

Ongoing is the Futures Basketball League (FBL) which has its championship games being played today. In the 10-Under division, SHSJ was playing USC North for the championship. In the 13-Under division, SHSJ plays USC South also today. In the 16-Under division, USC North was to play the winner of the USC South-USJR semifinal game.

That was basketball 2009. We’re happy to note that Cebu Basketball was busy all year-round with activities for kids as young as eight years old all the way up to the semi-pro commercial leagues. Our wish is that all this lift the level of basketball to a higher and more competitive plane.

oOo

Time-out: Let’s all continue praying for the recovery of Z “The Dream” Gorres and also help out in the raising of funds for the biggest fight of his life. >>> You can reach me at bleachertalk@yahoo.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Milo BEST

-
Image
Bleacher Talk August 30, 2009 Milo BEST Milo and BEST, BEST and Milo = Milo BEST. Get it? It’s a play of words that has been there for the past 25 years and it looks like nothing can stop it. When one talks about THE basketball tournament for youth, Milo BEST is hands-down, a top-of-mind answer. And so why all the fuss? All because Cebu’s 2009 edition of the Milo-sponsored BEST SBP/Passerelle Twin Basketball Tournaments kicks off tomorrow at the University of San Carlos North Campus Gym. Once again, the best of age-group basketball get together for a friendly round of games in what is now known as the most followed tournament in the country. Coaches of the teams playing in the Milo-sponsored BEST SBP/Passerelle Twin Tournaments pose for a unity shot at the coaches organizational meeting. Many questions have been asked about Milo BEST, and so we felt it proper to provide answers to the FAQ’s about the event. For starters, the event is organized by the Basketball Efficiency and Scient
Read more

Milo BEST: All Basics

-
Image
Milo BEST: All Basics The Basketball Efficiency Scientific Training (BEST) Center has been around for 31 years, and it has been at the forefront of doing the most basic of basketball teaching: sticking to the basics. This is the primary content of the Milo-sponsored BEST Center basketball clinics that have become an institution in Philippine basketball. “We teach the fundamentals, lahat ng klaseng fundamentals ng basketball — that’s our philosophy, dahil sabi nila, basketball is just a series of fundamentals,” said Nic, who was inspired to bring the concept of basketball clinics to the Philippines 31 years ago when budding players at that time had no formal training in the sport. The BEST Center program is divided into four levels. Level 1 focuses on dribbling and ballhandling fundamentals. Level 2 is focused on the basics of shooting. Level 3 is on Individual Defense while Level 4 is on Individual Offense. Every student who enrolls in the BEST Center starts with Level 1 and moves up
Read more

SHS-Ateneo Wins Passerelle Championship

-
Image
Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu scored its second straight Passerelle Division championship as it overcame the University of the Visayas, 68-61, to rule the 34 th   SBP Passerelle Twin Tournament backed by Milo at the Alta Vista Golf and Country Club Gym. The Magis Eagles seized control of the game in the second period, built a commanding lead in the third before fighting off a UV rally in the end game to win the championship. The defending champions took a 17-11 lead after the first period as Joseph Dytian delivered eight points in the period. MVP Joash Cutamora and Rafael Arradaza then combined for 17 points in the second period to put up a 34-25 halftime lead. It was the third period set that broke the game open as they built a 52-32 lead behind three triples of Alden Cainglet and leadership of Jared Bahay. But UV countered to slice the lead to 56-43 by the end of the third period. With momentum on its side, UV put up a furious end-game rally, slicing the lead to six points
Read more