Top varsities booked for Champs League

MANILA, Philippines - The top four UAAP and NCAA men’s senior basketball teams will join the CESAFI titleholder from Cebu and seven zonal qualifiers in the “Sweet 16” competitions leading to the best-of-3 finals of the Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL) before the year ends.

PCCL chairman Rey Gamboa said yesterday the champion team will be awarded cash and/or gift certificates and athletic items in the amount of P400,000, the Manuel V. Pangilinan perpetual bronze sculpture “Abutin Ang Tagumpay” for a year and a scholarship grant and/or sporting goods valued at P500,000.

Last year, PCCL champion La Salle was promised a trip to Serbia to play at the World University Games but the plan was aborted when the Philippines was not included in the 24-nation basketball tournament. Instead, trip sponsor Smart gave La Salle a special scholarship grant amounting to P1 Million. Gamboa personally handed the check to Bro. Bernie Oca during the recent presentation of the PCCL format to the UAAP Board.

Gamboa explained that the Philippines was excluded from the Serbia conclave because of failure to participate in over a decade. “Although the participation fee of $5,000 was remitted to FISU (the Universiade governing body), the Philippine application was still given low priority and eventually not included in the final list,” he said.

This year, Gamboa said the process involving 212 collegiate teams from 27 leagues has four levels. The first level will draw out the top four UAAP and NCAA teams and the CESAFI champion. The second level will determine the regional champions for North/Central Luzon to be held Oct. 8-10 in Dagupan City featuring four titlists from the region, South Luzon/Bicol to be held Oct. 8-10 in Naga City featuring the champions of Naga, Legazpi, Quezon, Tabak and Sorsogon, Visayas, excluding Cebu to be held Oct. 13-15 in Bacolod City featuring champions of Negros Occidental, Iloilo, Ormoc, Leyte, Dumaguete and Bohol and Mindanao to be held Oct. 6-8 featuring champions of Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Davao and Zamboanga.

Level three will gather the four regional survivors of level two, the champions of NAASCU, NCAA South, UCAA, ISAA, UCLAAI, the fifth and sixth placers of the UAAP (Adamson and La Salle), the fifth and sixth placers of the NCAA, the NAASCU runner-up and the second, third and fourth placers of CESAFI. The 17 teams will battle it out for the remaining seven “Sweet 16” tickets. The qualifiers will be held Nov. 12-14 in Naga, Nov. 4-8 in Cebu and Nov. 9-12 in Manila.

The fourth and final level will be the “Sweet 16” which reel off Nov. 23 using a knockout format, meaning win-or-go-home. The 16 teams will be split into four brackets. The first bracket will be made up of the UAAP champion, the No. 2 team from North/Central Luzon/Metro Manila, the UAAP fourth placer and the NCAA fourth placer. The second bracket will be composed of the NCAA runner-up, the No. 3 team from Visayas/Mindanao/Metro Manila, the CESAFI champion and the No. 1 team from North/Central Luzon/Metro Manila.

The NCAA champion, the No. 4 team from Visayas/Mindanao/Metro Manila, the NCAA third placer and the No. 1 team from Visayas/Mindanao/Metro Manila will comprise the third bracket while the UAAP runner-up, the No. 1 team from South Luzon/Bicol/Metro Manila, the UAAP third placer and the No. 2 team from Visayas/Mindanao/Metro Manila will play in the fourth bracket. The winners of each bracket face off in the semifinals with the survivors advancing to the best-of-3 finals.

Cash, athletic items, gift certificates and scholarship grants will be awarded to the second, third and fourth placers. The runner-up will receive a total worth of P400,000, the third placer P200,000 and the fourth placer P100,000.

Additionally, Gamboa said trophies, medals, athletic items, gift certificates and/or cash in the total amount of P150,000 will be distributed to the regional champions and special awardees for MVP, Mythical Team, Best Coach and Best Performing Referee.

Gamboa also announced that ABS-CBN will provide TV coverage starting the “Sweet 16.”