BASKETBALL is a rough sport known to be played mostly by males, but nowadays, we see a lot of women engaging in it through collegiate and open tournaments.

A boy can start shooting hoops at a very young age in his grade school days and continue playing for the juniors division of collegiate tournaments like the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in his high school.

Sun.Star accepts donations for victims of Typhoon Ondoy

At college, he will then enter the seniors or men's division and will soon be discovered thereafter to continue his basketball career by professional teams in different leagues.

Fans will see them playing for the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) where they are considered professionals and earn money for their dunks, steals, passes, alley hoops and three-pointers.

But for a young girl who trained since her elementary days up until college, her love for the sport ends as soon as she graduates.

Leagues for the women include the counterpart of the NCAA, which is the Women's National Collegiate Athletic Association (WNCAA). Count in the Women's Basketball League (WBL) and the Women's Colleges Sports Association.

Other open tournaments are also organized for teams who want to compete but these are few and only for fun.

Last year, the Women's Philippine Basketball League (WPBL), counterpart of the PBL, was revived for female basketball athletes.

According to WPBL Tournament Director Albert Michael P. Tirona, the league's revival was headed by PBL Chairman Mikee Romero for Philippine sports and his desire to help female athletes.

WPBL was originally formed in 1998 and went on hiatus from 2000 due to 'sponsorship issues' until it was revived last year. It started November of 2008 and was open to women players 25 years old and below.

According to Tirona, the league went very well as players came even from the provinces like Cebu and Bacolod to tryout and play. Ten teams joined the league and each had a sponsor.

It was the Ever Bilena team who was crowned champions for last year's league as they won over the Smart Buddy–University of the Philippines in a best-of-three Finals series.

Female cager from Cebu

Cebu's pride Aiumi Ono who considers basketball as a “very big part of her life” was part of the Ever Bilena squad and was also chosen as member of the Mythical Five.

In receiving her award, she said she could not believe it at first that she was chosen comparing herself to other great players from the different teams.

“I could even be considered a rookie because it was my first time to play in Manila. I was the new face. They didn't expect much from me since I was small and from the province,” said Ono.

Ono is now playing for the varsity team of the University of San Carlos in Cebu.

For the 21-year-old female cager, gender is not a hindrance when it comes to basketball.

“Nowadays, women can do anything men can, women empowerment they say. It's amazing how women basketball players can be as good as men and yet be so feminine,” shares Ono.

But Ono also thinks that basketball is better played by the guys especially the pros.

“Women basketball players have potential but basketball is a man's sport, of course they play better. Women basketball players like me have no match to men pros.”

Apart from her NBA idols, Ono is also a fan of her former teammate Jessamine delos Reyes who now plays for Team Pilipinas.

This year, the WPBL is still left hanging as it is not yet sure if there will be another season; although Tirona noted that a lot of people are already looking forward to more WPBL tournaments.

For the meantime, the basketball event in the WNCAA and WBL are ongoing for those interested to see women athletes in action. (Kathrina Alvarez/Sunnex)