Cebu Basketball 2010
Bleacher Talk
January 24, 2010
Cebu Basketball 2010
Cebu Basketball in 2010? Anything new? Any breakthroughs or extraordinary thing happening? These are the questions that I always ask myself each time I try to look forward to another year of basketball. Unfortunately for this year, I don’t see any of these happening.
For starters, it sure looks like another dominating year for the M. Lhuillier ballclub. Representing ML Kwarta Padala/Cebu in the Liga Pilipinas, another championship is almost a guaranty even before the season kicks off. There is simply is no match for Jewelers/Niños out there. That’s how strong they are, and stronger they’ll get as this early, they continue to strengthen their team with more reinforcements. The big question now is if any other team out there can come close to overcoming the Niños. The only real opponent of the team will actually be themselves, especially if complacency sets in. I’m sure Coach Yayoy Alcoseba will have a dose for that. There are talks of a PBA stint for the team, but I don’t think that’s going to happen this year as it’s not that simple to join the league.
The CESAFI opens up the basketball year with the CESAFI Partners Cup which starts today. Although this is like a follow-up tournament to the bigger CESAFI season in August, this has been a welcome venue for Cebu’s collegiate teams to get more exposure and top-level competition. It looks like it’s going to be a battle between UC and USJR for the championship, with SWU skipping the tournament and UV playing without Greg Slaughter who is currently training with the Team Pilipinas / Smart Gilas national team. USC will always be there as a darkhorse. A new development in the CESAFI Partners Cup is the addition of the high school division to the tournament. The junior players have been thirsting for more action and they finally have it. You can be sure that UC and UV are out to get back at its surprise tormentors in CIT and USJR.
A relatively new entry to the local basketball scene is the National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) D-League which is on its second year. The tournament for 18 Under players will jumpstart their games next week, with five school-based teams plus reinforcements battling it out for supremacy and a chance to make it all the way to the national finals and a possible invite to the Philippine youth team.
An interesting wave of youth-centered activities might be the most exciting part of the year. I’m obviously biased since I’m involved in this, but do watch any of these activities and I’m sure you’ll see what I mean. Practically the whole year is now covered with school-based basketball tournaments. Kicking things off will be the Cebu Youth Basketball League (CYBL) between February and March. The CYBL is a school-based tournament that features three age groups: 16-Under, 13-Under and 10-Under. Cebu’s top schools will parade the depth of their basketball programs ranging from beginners in Grade 2 all the way to teen-agers in high school. The summer will be a beehive of basketball clinics spread all over the city. A few summer leagues will spice things up here and there with candidates for the May elections surely coming in to finance a few.
The Milo-backed BEST SBP/Passerelle twin tournament then takes place from the end of July or August to September, featuring the best schools in the 15-Under and 12-Under age groups. Sacred Heart School Jesuit (SHSJ) is a three-peat Cebu champion in the Passerelle division while USC South is the reigning SBP champion. I’m sure SHSJ is looking for a fourth straight Cebu championship, a third straight Visayas championship, and at least a second place finish in the national finals. USC South will face stiff competition from 2008 champions USC North in a battle of sister schools. The Futures Basketball League (FBL) follows in November to December, featuring three age groups: 16, 13 and 10-Under. USC South is the defending champ in the 16 and 13-Under age groups while USC North reigns in the 10-Under bracket. That’s almost a 12-month grid of tournaments for the youth. We’ve had this situation for the past three or four years, and we hope that the fruits form all these will bloom in the long run.
Other activities that I wish would happen would be seeing another run of Cebu hosting the Philippine Youth team in an international tournament, a Visayas Regional Finals of the Milo-sponsored BEST SBP/Passerelle twin tournament, and national-level tournament for any age level. And last but surely not the least, how I wish we see a real basketball venue/sports complex for Cebu. We deserve no less!
January 24, 2010
Cebu Basketball 2010
Cebu Basketball in 2010? Anything new? Any breakthroughs or extraordinary thing happening? These are the questions that I always ask myself each time I try to look forward to another year of basketball. Unfortunately for this year, I don’t see any of these happening.
For starters, it sure looks like another dominating year for the M. Lhuillier ballclub. Representing ML Kwarta Padala/Cebu in the Liga Pilipinas, another championship is almost a guaranty even before the season kicks off. There is simply is no match for Jewelers/Niños out there. That’s how strong they are, and stronger they’ll get as this early, they continue to strengthen their team with more reinforcements. The big question now is if any other team out there can come close to overcoming the Niños. The only real opponent of the team will actually be themselves, especially if complacency sets in. I’m sure Coach Yayoy Alcoseba will have a dose for that. There are talks of a PBA stint for the team, but I don’t think that’s going to happen this year as it’s not that simple to join the league.
The CESAFI opens up the basketball year with the CESAFI Partners Cup which starts today. Although this is like a follow-up tournament to the bigger CESAFI season in August, this has been a welcome venue for Cebu’s collegiate teams to get more exposure and top-level competition. It looks like it’s going to be a battle between UC and USJR for the championship, with SWU skipping the tournament and UV playing without Greg Slaughter who is currently training with the Team Pilipinas / Smart Gilas national team. USC will always be there as a darkhorse. A new development in the CESAFI Partners Cup is the addition of the high school division to the tournament. The junior players have been thirsting for more action and they finally have it. You can be sure that UC and UV are out to get back at its surprise tormentors in CIT and USJR.
A relatively new entry to the local basketball scene is the National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) D-League which is on its second year. The tournament for 18 Under players will jumpstart their games next week, with five school-based teams plus reinforcements battling it out for supremacy and a chance to make it all the way to the national finals and a possible invite to the Philippine youth team.
An interesting wave of youth-centered activities might be the most exciting part of the year. I’m obviously biased since I’m involved in this, but do watch any of these activities and I’m sure you’ll see what I mean. Practically the whole year is now covered with school-based basketball tournaments. Kicking things off will be the Cebu Youth Basketball League (CYBL) between February and March. The CYBL is a school-based tournament that features three age groups: 16-Under, 13-Under and 10-Under. Cebu’s top schools will parade the depth of their basketball programs ranging from beginners in Grade 2 all the way to teen-agers in high school. The summer will be a beehive of basketball clinics spread all over the city. A few summer leagues will spice things up here and there with candidates for the May elections surely coming in to finance a few.
The Milo-backed BEST SBP/Passerelle twin tournament then takes place from the end of July or August to September, featuring the best schools in the 15-Under and 12-Under age groups. Sacred Heart School Jesuit (SHSJ) is a three-peat Cebu champion in the Passerelle division while USC South is the reigning SBP champion. I’m sure SHSJ is looking for a fourth straight Cebu championship, a third straight Visayas championship, and at least a second place finish in the national finals. USC South will face stiff competition from 2008 champions USC North in a battle of sister schools. The Futures Basketball League (FBL) follows in November to December, featuring three age groups: 16, 13 and 10-Under. USC South is the defending champ in the 16 and 13-Under age groups while USC North reigns in the 10-Under bracket. That’s almost a 12-month grid of tournaments for the youth. We’ve had this situation for the past three or four years, and we hope that the fruits form all these will bloom in the long run.
Other activities that I wish would happen would be seeing another run of Cebu hosting the Philippine Youth team in an international tournament, a Visayas Regional Finals of the Milo-sponsored BEST SBP/Passerelle twin tournament, and national-level tournament for any age level. And last but surely not the least, how I wish we see a real basketball venue/sports complex for Cebu. We deserve no less!
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