Friday, September 12, 2008 NBA mulls 6-team 'Battle of Champions' tourney
FOLLOWING the success of the recent 1st Negros Basketball Association (NBA) Gov. Isidro Zayco Invitational Cup '08 participated by eight teams and topped by visiting Ticel Corporation of Iloilo, the NBA, headed by hotelier Oscar "Dodong" Bascon, is planning to stage another six-team invitational series billed as "Battle of Champions" probably in late November or early December.
This was hinted by NBA treasurer Vic Tan who said a six-team competition featuring top commercial squads from Bacolod, Iloilo, Cebu and possibly Cagayan de Oro "will further quench the Negrense basketball fans' thirst for quality games in a competitive tournament."
The NBA is eyeing the participation of recently crowned Governor's Cup champion Ticel Corporation of Iloilo, Pamplona Bulls, Governor's Cup runnerup West Negros University Mustangs, Toyota Iloilo which carried the name Mang Inasals in their recent Liga Pilipinas campaign, and probably the Misamis Oriental Meteors of Cagayan de Oro City which is mentored by former Negros Slashers head coach Jun Noel.
The Hapee toothpaste backed Meteors are currently eyeing a finals tiff against first qualifier Cebu Niños in the Liga Pilipinas first conference while locked in their semis battle against Taguig Batang Global.
NBA insiders, however, said they want to schedule the Battle of Champions as much as possible after the current Nopsscea season in order to give collegiate players an opportunity to see action in the series after they play for their respective schools in the Nopsscea.
"Judging from the turnout of people who flocked to our Governor's Cup tournament every playing date which to me was simply amazing, I would like to believe that Negrense fans are ready to once again feast on exciting games with the staging of another competitive tournament," said NBA president Oscar "Dodong" Bascon. (HCV)
