CBA Mayor's Cup opens Dec. 17

CEBU, Philippines - Cebuano hoop fans will be treated to another exciting hardcourt action this holiday season as the 2011 Cebu Basketball Association (CBA) Mayor’s Cup kicks off on December 17 at the Cebu Coliseum.

The tournament is divided into two categories - the Open A for commercial teams bannered by ex-pros and former varsity players and Open B for active collegiate varsity cagers.

After the success of CBA's inaugural season that ended last June, the organizers will launch another conference, this time including players from Cebu Schools Athletics Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI).

In a meeting with organizers and team representatives yesterday at his office in Cebu City Hall , CBA commissioner Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba said the CESAFI mainstays will join the league as part of their early preparations for next year's CESAFI season.

 Alcoseba said he had a conversation with CESAFI commissioner Felix O. Tiukinhoy, Jr. and the latter was amenable to the idea of making CBA an avenue to further expose the CESAFI players.

“Nag-storya nami ni Tiukinhoy regarding this matter and okay man siya,” said Alcoseba, who is also the head coach of the Southwestern University (SWU) Cobras. “Ato ning gituyo aron mahatagan og exposure ang mga bata.”

“Gawas ani, naa pa gyuy Partners' Cup and we are also planning to have a CESAFI pre-season,” added the City councilor.

Alcoseba, meanwhile, said each category will be limited to only four teams for a shorter but exciting flow of the competition.

Among those who will see action in the Open A division are the Salazar Colleges of Science and Institute of Technology (SCSIT) Skyblazers, Ave Maria Sanctuary Park , Asian College of Technology (ACT) Cyber Knights and Rollway of Lapu-Lapu City .

“We are still waiting for the teams who will be competing in Open B and we encourage all CESAFI teams nga paapilon ang ilang mga players and reserves,” said Alcoseba.

The tournament follows a double round robin format, with the elimination round topnotcher enjoying a twice-to-beat advantage over the second-ranked squad in the finals. The No.3 and No.4 will slug it out for the third place trophy.

The champion will receive P50,000, while the first runner-up will take home P30,000. The third and fourth will get P10,000 each. (FREEMAN)