CYBL Season 12 = MYBL

Pledge of Unity among the different participants of the MYBL-Cebu: CJay Gonzales (players' representative), Jigjig Lascona (referees' representative), RR Pogoy (CYBL alumnus), Ryan Gregorio (MVSPF) , Butch Antonio (SBP), Police Chief MSGT Mary Jean Tigmo (parents' representative), Gab Najarro (coaches' representative) & Atty. Jang Moreno (MVPSF).

CYBL. I can still recall that first meeting that launched the Cebu Youth Basketball League way back in 2008. It was at the admin office of the Mandaue City Sports Complex when a handful of coaches and this bleacher bum agreed to put up a basketball tournament for the second semester of the school-year 2007-2008 for the Under 15 and 12 age groups. At that time, there was only one tournament for these age groups, and this was held in the first semester. Without much basketball activity to do in the second semester, the obvious was just that: obvious.

And so we launched the CYBL 2008 tournament with a total of ten teams: six teams in the Midget division (U15) and four teams in the Mini division (U12). The teams involved were University of San Carlos North, USC South, University of Cebu, University of Southern Philippines Foundation, Don Bosco and Sacred Heart School-Jesuit. UC, USC South and USPF didn’t field any teams in the younger division. The big idea of the tournament was to have a series of friendly games played every weekend in order to give the young athletes an opportunity to simply play basketball. As coaches would always say, what these players lack is more exposure to games. “Duwa lang gyud ang kuwang.” The battle plan was simple. Let’s work together, divide the cost of officiating among all teams, then ask schools to host games for free. Should we have the need for trophies and medals, then we’d have to look for a donor. The first-ever registration fee was P100 per player. The rationale here was so that all players would feel a sense of commitment to the tournament. We actually thought collecting this amount would be enough to cover the officiating expenses, but we were wrong. Fortunately, friends were always there willing to help out and the maiden edition was a success. USC South won the Midget division title over UC in overtime, while USC North won over SHS-J (now SHS-Ateneo de Cebu) in the mini division. Among the faces in those games included Roger Pogoy of Gilas Pilipinas and Talk N Text, and Kris Porter of NLEX. Pogoy played for UC while Porter was a rookie at USC South.

As we launch the twelfth season of the CYBL today, we do so with a great sense of gratitude for all these years of simply “duwa lang ta” basketball. We thank all those parents, coaches, officials, referees, utility personnel and players who stood with us through thick and thin. We thank the hallowed grounds of the Sacred Heart School Mango avenue campus for serving as the home of Cebu Youth Basketball. Who would’ve imagined that we would last this long and get even bigger than ever. As we grew through the years, we always sought ways to do new things and do a bit more than the usual. We added a summer league that served as a pre-season tournament to the regular July-September tournaments. We even hosted a series of VISMIN goodwill games for three summers, drawing schools from Bacolod, Iloilo, Bohol, Leyte and Davao. We added an Under 10 age group to give them their own chance to shine instead of playing in the shadows of their older teammates in the Under 12 age group. And when more teams joined us, we established a Division 1 and 2 format where the stronger teams played in Division 1 and the developmental/smaller teams played in Division 2. We also realized the need to increase the registration fees to avoid losing our pants, moving from P100 to P200 to P250 and to P275 per player today. Somewhere along the way, partners supported our drive, too.

Today though, is different and we have hit a milestone as the CYBL partners with the MVP Sports Foundation of no less than the country’s biggest sportsman, Manny V. Pangilinan. Like previous editions, this all started with a series of casual talks with Atty. Oscar “Jang” Moreno Jr. of the MVPSF. He asked about what we do in the CYBL and somehow, the approach towards age group and grassroots basketball struck a chord on Atty. Jang, who is also sportsman at heart, and the MVPSF. When I said we had 115 teams in the CYBL 2018 edition, he asked how this was done. My reply was simple. We have three courts every Saturday morning, some Sunday mornings, a couple of holidays here and there, and the hosting of some teams of their games. Another trait was that we weren’t an exclusive event for school-based teams. Following the global approach to sports, we welcomed all sorts of ballclubs: LGU-initiated, private clinic/clubs and community-based teams. They too, deserved attention and just wanted to play. Again, “duwa ra gud ang gi apas.”

With this as a background, Atty. Jang proposed a partnership to have the CYBL do more than it has ever done. With the MVPSF’s help, the league can now add more “spice” and level up. Statistics will now be the norm for the games. The CYBL Facebook Page will now be run by a pro team. An opening ceremony was held this morning with the top brass of the MVPSF as special guests. A goodwill game is also played today with Coach Ryan Gregorio and Atty. Jang teaming up with CYBL coaches to play against a team backstopped by Mayor Samsam Gullas and Councilor Dondon Hontiveros. A press conference was held yesterday on top of a media dinner held around three weeks ago. Courtesy calls were made on the mayors of Cebu and Talisay.

With 115 teams, three age groups (U18, U15 and U12) split into two divisions 1 and 2, and a separate 3X3 series of games for the Under 10 age group, we have now stepped into unchartered territory. Scary? Yes. Nervous? A bit. Stressed? No comment. Grateful? Super. Determined? You bet!

Say hello to the MVPSF Youth Basketball League-Cebu or simply MYBL-Cebu.

The MYBL-Cebu is presented by Smart Communications Inc. and sponsored by Cebu Landmasters Inc. and PAGCOR.