Young Turks, please step up for Cebu basketball

There’s a refreshing development in local sports that augurs well for a push that I’d like to make for the revival of big-time local basketball. If you’re a follower of Cebu Basketball, you can’t help that there’s a big vacuum in the basketball market for leagues or tournaments for players who have graduated from college and for college-level teams. In the past, this would be called a “commercial league.” Way, way back, we had the Cebu Basketball Federation, Cebu Basketball League, MICAA (Mandaue), MVBA and Liga Pilipinas. The teams that played here were composed of both ex and current college players. For the ex-varsity players, this was a next step in their careers, while for college players a way to gain the much-needed experience/exposure to a higher level of competition. The most popular teams then included M. Lhuillier, Virginia Food Inc., Skygo, Sir Litz, Hapee, Gaisano, Sunpride, Mama’s Love/Casino from the IPI family, RDAK/Chariot, Conpinco, Golden Sun, La Fortuna, RRA Paints, Chowking, Megalotto and more that I can’t recall off the bat (my apologies for those other teams not mentioned). Today? All we have are the CESAFI, the various age group leagues for younger players/students and those managed by the local politicians, i.e. Mayor’s Cup, Congressman’s Cup, etc.

But there’s an opportunity I’m seeing and if they play their cards right, could lead to a revival of sorts of this league that we wish to see happen. Ongoing these days and all year-round are various basketball leagues for the “ordinary Joes” of basketball. They are the weekend warriors or weekly ballers who play just for fun. They don’t really follow a strict practice regimen or program. They just play on their own once or twice a week then team up with friends to join basketball tournaments or leagues. One such league is ex-USC Warrior Jaby Bautista’s Metro Cebu Basketball League; I had the chance to cover their finals for the past two tournaments. For all intents and purposes, it’s like a commercial league, but without those big-time ex-varsity players or “panalay” boys. Teams pay registration fees that aren’t really that cheap, suit up in nice uniforms and show up with a support crew on the bench. Some are sponsored by a local firm while others are just friends chipping in to get together. And they also get to be covered on TV through Facebook Live. Banners and tarps are a common sight at their venues, and their Facebook Page features the latest news, pictures, updates and even players of the game, with statistics and a picture of the player(s). Not bad for a league for weekend warriors, di ba? It’s practically a commercial league minus the ex-varsity and current college players.

Another welcome development is the rise of Apex Sports, a firm put up by former collegiate players Geno Gallarde, Ralph Christian Senining, Michael Cantonao, Executive Producer Pat Maluya and the Cebuano hotshot and Councilor Dondon Hontiveros. They just held the Jump 10 qualifier last week with the winner representing the country to the China finals. They also had a press conference for Court Kingz, a U.S. based group that tours the world to showcase what street ball is all about. My sixth sense tells me that they could be taking the lead in a province-wide tournament in the near future.

And speaking of future projects, I’d like to see these young guys take that bold step to revive Cebu’s big-time basketball league. There shouldn’t be a problem with managing the league per se since they’re already running tournaments of their own. Some of them even still play in these leagues. But wouldn’t it be great if we can bring back the days of the CBF, MICAA or MVBA, the last known “commercial leagues” in Cebu? Dondon himself played for Sunpride in the MICAA, remember that Don? This league could be composed of businessmen who are into basketball. Among them include the likes of San Remigio Properties, ARQ Builders, ASPA, Cebu Landmasters and Jomang’s. Or how about a revival of La Fortuna of Cebu City Sports Commission Chairman Lorenzo “Chao” Sy, M. Lhuillier, RDAK and IPI’s local team? Just looking at this list makes me excited already. Sponsors will be tapped and all games will be televised via Facebook Live. Once the viewership and hits increase, chances are high that advertisers will step in and buy ad spots on game coverages. A Facebook page for the league is a basic with pictures, updates, videos, statistics, team standings and likes! Instagram and Twitter are also a given.

The most difficult concern that the league will face though, will be the long-term concerns of team owners. They’ll need to spend a lot to maintain a team as they’ll tap top-level players, provide for them and spend for the needs of the team. This is on top of the usual tournament fee that all teams must provide for the running of the league. I’m sure that they’ll need assurances that somehow, there will be an ROI of sorts somewhere down the line. The league must have a financial program that can include revenue sharing from advertising, sponsors and other sources of income. I don’t think the teams will ask for an absolute ROI as some of these expenses can be considered as part of the marketing expenses (advertising or on ground). But with young and dynamic turks at the helm, I’m sure that this is a feasible venture. [email protected]