The future of basketball

The last two weeks have seen a flurry of activity that will greatly benefit the future of Philippine basketball. While trouble brews on top of the sport’s hierarchy, and leadership issues remain unsettled, the lower tiers of the sport look ready to expand.

Firstly, Harbour Centre’s Mikee Romero has thrown his support behind the development of women’s basketball with the relaunch of the Women’s Philippine Basketball League (WPBL), which was discontinued almost a decade ago. Romero says this was born of an avoidable disappointment at the last SEA Games, wherein the Filipinas only finished with a bronze, after organizers tried to cheat by shuffling the schedule without even informing the FIBA representatives.

“We’ve never won the gold, but I noticed the Thailanders, Indonesians and Malaysians are just as tall as our women players,” recalls Romero, the current PBL chair. “All that I think they need is more exposure.”

The 10-team WPBL will include the Philippine women’s team as a guest team. This is intended to sharpen the killer instinct of the nationals.

“They’ve been playing against boys and selections that aren’t as competitive as they are,” Romero explains. “In this way, they will really play hard. And the league will also give our ex-varsity and current varsity players somewhere to go.”

The league will allow players below 28 years old, and will try to use the one-piece unitard that was made fashionable by the Australian women’s team that also competed in the 1996 Olympics. Romero also believes that bringing back Fil-Am players like Vicki Brick is necessary to raise the level of the game.

Meanwhile, the National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) will be holding an inter-city tournament for players aged 16 and below.

Coaches from various big schools have generously allowed their players to try out. Those selected have been allowed to leave their varsity practices early twice a week. The best players will form the NBTC pool.

This early, Quezon City is touted as one of the strongest teams, since it includes members of the UAAP junior champion Ateneo Blue Eaglets.

Some of De La Salle Zobel’s players, meantime, have joined the Pasig team.

Lastly, a new youth tournament will be launched next week. On Oct. 25th, the first Mini Youth Basketball or MyBall tournament opens. The first MyBall MetroManila Invitationals will be staged at the Blue Eagle Gym; Don Bosco Makati Gym; Chang Kai Shek, UNO and St. Stephen’s Gyms. The tournament will run a total of 105 official games to be scheduled on Saturdays and Sundays.

Among the participating teams in two divisions are Ateneo de Manila, Chiang Kai Shek College, De La Salle Zobel, Don Bosco Technical Institute, Don Bosco Technical College, La Salle Greenhills, Lourdes School Mandaluyong, National University and UNO High School.

MyBall was also formed after many parents complained of an existing youth tournament, which initially did not charge for participation, then changed its policy later on. That tournament was also unable to give out promised prizes to some champion teams.

So all in all, basketball’s roots are going to be strong.