Pinoy league in Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO -- Twice a year, the Filipino-American Basketball Association (FABA) stages tournaments in the Bay Area. Games are played on Sundays. FABA Chairman and founder Ruben Bunag says the league is open to players with Filipino roots -- only a drop of Pinoy blood is required for eligibility.

Bunag, a former Pepsi salesman who migrated to the US in 1984, organized the FABA in 1996, using the theme "Real Games, Real Competition," for kids to stay away from drugs, for hoop junkies to hone their skills and attract attention from Filipino scouts looking to import Fil-Am talent, for ageless veterans to remain in the game, and for Filipinos in the Bay Area to congregate at least once a week.

In its first two years, the FABA was strictly a one-conference league. Then, in 1998, it expanded to two conferences -- the first from February to April and the second from August to October.

This season, 36 teams signed up for the Jollibee-sponsored first conference, the Invitationals, under three categories -- 20 for the Open Division, eight for 17-and-under, and eight for 35-and-over. All FABA players enjoy a discount at Jollibee.

Bunag, the publisher of Manila Mail -- Northern California's largest Fil-Am newspaper in circulation -- says fees are just enough to pay for operating expenses. Neither Bunag nor FABA Commissioner Ray Fortaleza draws a salary from the league. The big expense is the referees' fees -- Bunag hires American officials for each game.

Three courts in the City College of San Francisco are used every Sunday to accommodate the FABA's 18-game schedule from morning to afternoon.

A team in the Open Division and the 35-and-over group pays registration fee of $750 while a 17-and-under squad forks out $550. Filipino-owned companies in the Bay Area foot the bill as sponsors -- some of whom are Fumar Law Office, Ling Nam, Kadok's House of Mami-Siopao, Cruz-Cayabyab Insurance Agency, Manila Star Restaurant, Manila Bay Cuisine, 88 Rice Bowl, Sinugba and Rosemont Dental.

Among the FABA alumni who've gone to the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) or Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA) are Nic Belasco, Rob Wainwright, Jay Magat, Sunny Margate, and Phil Newton.

Playing in the FABA are ex-pros Jojo de Guzman, 46, Pongky Alolor, 42, and Ronnie Lucero, 36. A prominent coach in the league is Estoy Estrada, 50.

FABA players whose fathers once saw action in the PBA include de Guzman's sons Jeremy, 19 and Jordan, 15, Romy Mamaril's son Billy, and the late Jaime Otazu's son Jimmy Jr.0San Mateo-based athletic agent Bobby Rius' son Robbie, now playing point guard for Menlo College, is a Rosemont Dental Bulldog mainstay.

The league is teeming with raw talent. For instance, 88 Rice Bowl Dragons coach Joji Vendil's upcoming star is 6'5", 16-year-old Anthony Roxas who traces his roots to Nueva Ecija. An only child, Roxas lives in Vallejo and studies at Benicia High School.

The FABA's most promising young stars are 6'7" Billy Mamaril, 6'5" Cris Tenoso, 6'4" Eugene Tejada and 6'3" Nate Payne.

Mamaril, 19, lives in Delano and drives four hours from home to play in the FABA on Sundays. One of three children, he hasn't seen his father Romy -- a 12-year PBA veteran who retired in 1991 and stays in Pangasinan -- in years. The kid lives with his mother who is estranged from her husband.

There is talk that Mamaril will fly to Manila in two weeks to test the waters. La Salle coach Franz Pumaren is arranging for Mamaril to practice with the Archers, Sta. Lucia, where he's an assistant coach, and Purefoods where his brother Derick is head coach.

I watched Mamaril in a FABA game here. He's got a lot of potential. He can put the ball on the floor, dribble between his legs, shoot off the dribble, and seems fundamentally sound. In one play, he jumped over three players from about eight feet facing the hoop to slam the ball in off a missed shot. He has a nice touch from mid-range and is solidly-built unlike his father who was known for his gangling frame.

I didn't see Tejada play but FABA fans insist he's the best player in the Open Division. Tejada is the son of former San Beda cager Dan and plays at Chabot College in Hayward. Tejada supposedly has "all the moves."

Tenoso, a freshman at Skyline College, is an improved version of Jack Tanuan. He's stocky and tall.

Payne's father James was an YCO player in the amateur leagues. His mother Lourdes is a Filipina. He tried out for the Ateneo varsity last year but couldn't make the academic cut. Payne said he'll apply for the PBA draft next season.

No wonder the Pumarens and other coaches like Biboy Ravanes, Joel Banal and Eric Altamirano scout prospects in the FABA. ( Editor's Note: This article is the first of a two-part series)