Cebu Basketball in 2015

Cebu Basketball’s biggest story in 2015 was hands-down University of San Carlos winning its first collegiate basketball championship after 57 years. But it didn’t come easy. They needed a rubber match Game 5 to out-duel the University of the Visayas to bag the CESAFI collegiate basketball championship. USC was set on winning it all after a string of bridesmaid finishes and built a team that had a perfect blend of the best import in the land, a solid local support crew, a champion coach, and supporters with deep pockets.

It was a fitting way to end the CESAFI season which enjoyed national TV coverage over free TV for the entire season for the first time, with VIVA Sports as a partner and games aired over IBC 13. Shooster Olago was named MVP of the CESAFI, and he was joined by Charles Pepito (USC), Macmac Tallo (SWU), RJ Dinolan (USJR) and Leonard Santillan (UV) in the Mythical Five. The downside to collegiate basketball was how USC had to settle for a tie for third place with Letran at the National Collegiate Championship (also known as the PCCL) two weeks ago. But the more interesting highlight from the NCC  was how the UV team had to push their team bus (provided by the organizers) along the highway on their way to a game in Batangas. Worse, the NCC called off its championship game and declared co-champions instead, with FEU and San Beda sharing the trophy.

The high school division was dominated by Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu. They won a third straight CESAFI high school division championship in October, defeating the University of Cebu in Game 3 of a best-of-three series. Batang Gilas player Jed Colonia was the MVP. SHS-Ateneo’s Eroll Pastor and Travis Mantua, Jancork Cabahug (UV) and Froilan Mangubat (UC) joined Colonia in the Mythical Five. Earlier in March, the Magis Eagles won its first national championship of the NBTC National High School Championships by beating traditional high school powerhouse San Beda College. The Magis Eagles Team B also added the gold medal in high school basketball of the Milo Little Olympics Visayas Regional Finals held in Iloilo last September. It placed second to FEU at the national finals of the same competition. The SHS-Ateneo Passerelle/Under 15 team also won the Passerelle division championship of the Cebu SBP Passerelle Twin Tournament backed by Milo in July.

Grade school basketball was controlled by the University of the Visayas and University of San Carlos. USC won the gold medal in the CVIRAA in February and the recent Cebu City Olympics in November. UV won the championship of the SBP division at the Cebu SBP Passerelle Twin Tournament in August and placed second in the Visayas Regional Finals of the same tournament last month. On a different setting, Cebu (Team Pura) won the national championship of the SBP Talk ‘N Text Under 18 Tatluhan (3-on-3) tournament held in Manila. Although not yet as popular as the regular full-court five-a-side game, the 3-on-3 game is slowly but surely gaining ground and popularity. A welcome development was the establishing of tournament for women with the Cebu Ladies League. It is the first tournament for women that has gotten the support of different women’s teams and the Cebu City sports commission. The Cebu Youth Basketball League continued to provide basketball exposure/tournaments all year-round for the developmental sector: from the Under 10 all the way up to the Under 18 age groups.

Special mention goes out to the “panalay” leagues which take ex-pros, commercial, collegiate players and even imports all over the province to play for various semi-commercial teams in short, weekend-long pocket tournaments. Many of these players face each other in some tournaments, then also play with each other on the same team in others. In the absence of a commercial league, these games serve as timely entertainment outlets for the local towns outside Metro Cebu and serves as the “commercial league” by default. It also stands as a ready-to-go commercial league if and when the team owners decide to put up such a venture. Gone are the commercial teams of the past like M. Lhuillier, Hapee, RDAK, IPI, Skygo, VFI, Upland Feeds, Sunpride and others from the scene. These are now replaced by the likes of ASPA, ARQ, RA Engineering, Team Samsam Gullas, Joemangs and more.

The other highlight of the year was the tapping of Cebu as the training camp venue for Gilas Pilipinas 3.0 before they played at the FIBA Asia Basketball Championships. Needing a break from the hustle and bustle of Manila, the team camped out at a hotel in Lapu-Lapu City, conducted practice sessions at the Hoops Dome, and did some RNR at Mactan’s beaches. It was hush-hush for the first few days, but when basketball fans found out that the team was in town, the team was besieged with fans at the practice sessions; following them for photo ops, selfies or groupies.

Another year of Cebu Basketball has come to a close. 2015 was indeed historical, enjoyable and fun.

Time-out: Have a blessed Christmas. May we all make The Babe in the manger the center of our lives. - Rico, Ising, Popoy & Thirdy