CEBU, Philippines - The SHS-Ateneo de Cebu/CYBL VisMin Goodwill Games fires off today featuring 24 teams from across the Visayas. Leading the pack is the University of San Carlos, champions of both the Under 15 and Under 12 divisions from the tournament’s 2013 edition.
The visiting teams are led by Ateneo de Iloilo, RU Shredders of Bacolod, Ormoc City, Tagbilaran City, Bohol Province and Xavier University Grade School (XUGS) of Cagayan de Oro City.
There will be two age groups/divisions: Under 12 and 15. The Under 12 division will feature host SHS-AdC, Don Bosco, USC Green, USC Gold, Cebu Eastern College, Ormoc, Ateneo de Iloilo, XUGS-Macasandig, XU-Pueblo and UV. The Under 15 teams are SHS-AdC, Bohol, Tagbilaran, CEC, USC, RU Shredders of Bacolod, Ateneo de Iloilo, DBTC 1, DBTC 2, USPF 1, USPF 2, One on One, CEC and UV.
The games will run from May 28 to June 1 with all teams playing twice daily. Both divisions will be broken down to two groups.
For the Under 12 division, the top four teams after the single round robin classification phase qualify for the playoffs stage which will have a quarterfinals, semifinals and the championship. The Under 15 division will also have single round robin classification phase, with the top two teams of each group moving on to the cross-over semifinals.
The SHS-Ateneo de Cebu/CYBL VISMIN Goodwill Games is an annual gathering of VisMin teams in an atmosphere of fellowship and fun.
The games started out as simple friendly games between Cebu and Bacolod, and has now expanded to as far as Cagayan de Oro, Ormoc, Bohol and Iloilo.
“The main objective here is not about getting a championship or a trophy. All teams are preparing for the upcoming season and we’re giving them an opportunity to play against teams from other places for a change,†technical committee head Rey Cañete said. (FREEMAN)