STAR Friendship League cagefest gets underway

The Philippine STAR Friendship League, an invitational basketball tournament exclusively for STAR advertisers and partners, unfolds at 8 a.m. today at the Meralco Gym.

Six teams, led by host The STAR, vie for berths in the single round weekly elimination with the top four teams playing in the crossover semifinals. The winners will dispute the crown while the losers battle for third place on Dec. 8.

The hosts, whose campaign here is managed by Kevin Belmonte and supported by Adidas, open their bid against ABS-CBN at 10 a.m. after the 8:30 a.m. encounter between powerhouse San Miguel Corp. and RFM.

RCBC and UCPB complete the field as they clash in the main game at 11:30 a.m.

A short opening ceremony will precede the games with STAR sports columnist Quinito Henson as guest speaker. Other special guests are Elmer Yanga of RFM Corp. and Ira Maniquis of San Miguel. Everyone is invited to witness the action.

Backstopped by former PBA players Allan Caidic and Samboy Lim, the SMC squad looms as the team to beat in the tournament although stiff challenge is expected to come from ABS-CBN, the back-to-back BIBATO champion, and five-time inter-publication champion Philippine STAR.