MVP Olympics cage champ joins PCBL

MANILA, Philippines –  The Pilipinas Commercial Basketball League, now on its second conference dubbed the Chairman’s Cup, has accepted a seventh member ball club in SCTEX, a team under the MVP Group of Companies.

Carrying the SCTEX banner in the PCBL is the NLEX squad that topped the recently concluded 2016 MVP Olympics.

The Tollways team, under head coach Adonis Tierra, is led by former pros Ervin Sotto, Clifford Arao, Borgie Hermida and former NCAA hotshot John Byron Villarias, winning the MVP Olympics gold medal over the MediaQuest team with core players from The Philippine STAR.

As their reward for winning the MVP Olympics, the Tollways team was chosen to represent the MVP Group of Companies in the PCBL headed by Sta. Lucia Realty’s Buddy Encarnado as chairman and Joel Banal as commissioner.

“The MVP Group’s participation is coup de grace for the PCBL,” said Encarnado.

SCTEX joined the PCBL on the eve of the Chairman’s Cup inaugurals Sunday at the Malolos Convention Center.

Encarnado said the inclusion of SCTEX has long been discussed with the top executives of the MVP Group.

“I initially talked to Mr. Al Panlilio (Meralco executive vice president and head of the MVP Sports Foundation) and we’ve discussed about the plans of having the champion of the MVP Olympics joining PCBL. That’s how supportive the MVP Group is with the PCBL and now it has become a reality as SCTEX joined in as the seventh member of PCBL,” Encarnado said.

 “This is the incentive we got for winning the MVP Olympics. The higher management trusted our team to represent the MVP Group in the PCBL and it’s really an honor for us,” said team manager Ronald Dulatre. “Our modest goal is to reach the playoffs and see what happens from there.”

SCTEX vies for the PCBL Chairman’s Cup crown with Founders Cup champion Jumbo Plastic, EuroMed, Foton Toplander, Supremo Lex, Sta. Lucia Realty and Mighty Sports.

Foton Toplander and Supremo Lex clash at 5 p.m. then Jumbo Plastic and Euro-Med collide at 7 p.m. as action shifts over to the Marikina Sports Center today.