Another basketball league in town

CEBU, Philippines — Being true to form as a basketball crazy republic, another basketball league was introduced and added to the already numerous basketball leagues around the country defined by various configurations of the alphabet.  Yet no matter how congested our basketball courts may be with these leagues, our resourcefulness always find ways to satisfy the basketball itch that even narrow intersections are converted into playing courts complete with three-point line markings.  Never mind if play is constantly stopped because of passing vehicles.

The Pambansang Kamao, also known as Sen. Manny Pacquiao, gave a lift to the Pambansang Laro when in August of last year he launched the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League.  It does not intend to compete with the PBA because as per Sen. Pacman, there will be commercial level and barangay level leagues.

The format is similar to that of the long dormant Metropolitan Basketball Association where teams represent a province, city or municipality and will have a home-and-away format in the hope of generating fan interest.  Each team shall be required to have at least 3 home grown talents on their lineup.  The MBA was a good idea but at that time, they lacked media partners and deep-pocketed sponsors.  Besides, the PBA was doing good, courtesy of Ginebra and then barangay Captain Jawo.

Pacman’s business partner, Arnold Vegafria, is in charge of the league’s production and marketing and he said that this league “truly reaches the grassroots level.”  As I understand, teams have former pros and collegiate players mainly from the UAAP and the NCAA on their rosters and I don’t exactly know what they mean by “grassroots”.

But if taking into consideration the barangay level league, then there will be potential discoveries if league organizers focus on a certain age group, say 18-years old and below, if the purpose is grassroots development.  These kids mostly are eager to learn and listen to their coaches, diligent and punctual in practices and team meetings.

Going above this age level, a good number of athletes already have acquired that distinctive air and strut of being ‘sikat’ and have the tendency to challenge authority.  Because they have developed some kind of a star complex no brighter than a lighted mosquito coil, team officials usually are in a bind because often, that player is somebody’s son or maybe the family is sponsoring the team.  It is reality.

For the moment, this to me is a semi-professional league as these athletes won’t be playing just for a bandehado of bam-i and a loaf of bread.  There is no indication, as to my present knowledge, of anything related to grassroots.  Maybe organizers will have another conference for this.

Called “The league for every Filipino”, the MPBL is initially composed of 10 teams coming from Luzon and if things go on as planned, will eventually expand to Visayas and Mindanao.

The ten teams from Quezon City, Caloocan, Paranaque, Bataan, Batangas, Muntinlupa, Imus, Valenzuela, Bulacan and Navotas will have enough exposure as the league signed a contract with ABS-CBN to air games live every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at S+A Channel 23.

Inaugural games were scheduled last night at the Araneta Coliseum and one fan probably went home with a brand new car and ten others with brand new motorcycles, further adding to the gridlock on Metro Manila roads , headaches to traffic enforcers and maybe a few years wait for their license plates.

I do hope Sen. Pacman’s project will attract corporate sponsors so that its existence will last.  Once it reaches the shores of the Vis-Min area, many ex-collegiate players, undrafted and former pros will have a chance to display and improve their skills and hope to be discovered and fulfill their dreams to play and get a bigger paycheck in the PBA.

As to the grassroots thing, we still have to hear from league commissioner Kenneth Duremdes what specifically they have in mind.