Ateneo, DLSU banner stellar WPBL roster

The Women’s Philippine Basketball League opens shop on Nov. 8 with a minimum of eight teams and a maximum of 10 are expected to clash for top honors in the revival of the league at the Ynares Center in Pasig City.

Ever Bilena, Nutri-C-Ateneo, Muscle Tape-Lyceum, Smart-University of the Philippines, Oracle Residences-Far Eastern U, Pascual Laboratories-St. Benilde have confirmed their participation in the tournament with more expected to join.

RFM-La Salle and Bacchus Energy Drink-St. Scholastica are in the process of finalizing their entry while the National team, to be supported by Discovery Suites, will also see action as a guest team.

“We wanted to make the WPBL have its own identity and become a league of its own,” said Mikee Romero, amateur basketball’s godfather, in yesterday’s soft launch of the event last staged a decade ago.

The Dioceldo Sy-owned Beauty Experts will be coached by Pat Aquino while Romero’s team, Oracle, is tapping reigning UAAP champion FEU to beef up its roster.

This year’s UAAP commissioner and Basketball and Coaches Association of the Philippines president Chito Narvasa also owns a team in Muscle Tape, which took in WNCAA powerhouse Lyceum.

PBL commissioner Chino Trinidad announced RFM agreed to field in a team backstopped by La Salle standouts while Nutri-C, managed by Joel Lopa, will be composed mostly of Ateneo players.

“We’re here basically to help put together other programs for our lady players,” said Trinidad.