Doble: Guest team

Monday, February 13, 2012

A GUEST team in NOPSSCEA? Why not?

It used to be that some 10 teams or a dozen participate yearly in the so-called basketball developmental league of the Negros Occidental Private Schools Sports and Cultural Educational Association, specifically in the 10 Under division.

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This year only five participated. One was classified as a guest team. Funny?

It is fun for the defending champion St. Johns Institute Baby Falcons who will take the title again. Perennial runner-up University of St. La Salle might get a little challenge from Trinity Christian School.

But the Baby Stingers are in dangerous position as former SJI coach Junjun Gustilo may have transferred his championship tutorial lessons to TCS. Nestor Ordonio and his Bacolod Christian Center kids are assured of the fourth spot.

Sports Task Force boss Eric Rios and the basketball committee relegated the guest team, as the school included two Grade 5 students in their lineup. The duo's age qualified but the 10 Under is good only for Grades 3 and 4 pupils. Both were cut in the 12 Under division and they have nowhere to go to "develop" their skills.

The school's head coach insisted, anyway, adding four Grade 2 students in its team. After all, it is supposed to be "developmental". Why the defiance of the NOPSSCEA rule?

The coach questioned how come the Aspirants Division use 3rd year students when it is supposedly confined to 1st and 2nd year players only? What's the difference? Is it printed in NOPSSCEA's rule book? If there is one, the mentor added, he never saw the book.

Years back, NOPSSCEA ruled allowing its members to use 3 Third Year players in the Aspirants division. It became the venue for 3rd year students left out from their select Junior Division teams usually dominated by the graduating batch.

The idea is self serving. It goes on for years until NOPSSCEA aggravated the issue by allowing unlimited number of 3rd year players in the Aspirants level. What happened to the development of Freshmen and Sophomores?

Wise coaches took advantage and capitalized in their favor the miscue of the Association's smart think tanks. Instead of using its 3rd year students in the Junior Division, they reserved them for the Aspirants to make sure the championship trophy goes to their school.

Why are there no guest teams in the Aspirants level? Why are there no sanctions from NOPSSCEA for schools violating its qualification rules? Last year there was a team playing in the championship but its gallery was incomplete with no birth certificates, no Form 137, no pictures of players.

What do other schools get? A shrug from the Screening Committee? An innocent look from the tournament committee? NOPSSCEA does not penalize schools which allow its coaches to use disqualified players or violate its rules.

It only sanctions the guilty coach, as it is easy to hire a new one. It is like changing undies - wash it and the smell is gone. The brighter ones, like the Defense Team of Corona, need not answer - they're using diapers.

The schools involved will just either conceal them away in the garbage bin or torch them to erase any evidence.

Be my guest.

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Take three...

Could you imagine the Association's savings for referees fees, playing venues and gym rentals if lesser teams join its annual activities? Some schools, without their knowing it, forfeit the rights of students paying their NOPSSCEA fees. Are you one of them?