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Thursday, July 01, 2004
Oyson: NBC on, but what’s with URBL?
By Manuel N. Oyson Jr.
Counter punch
A prototype of the defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association will be launched at the Cebu Coliseum tomorrow when the debuting Tribu Sugbu takes the floor in the Southern Conference of the National Basketball Conference Championships. The Cebuanos will face Cagayan de Oro Stars at 5 p.m.
Tribu Sugbu is a combination of players from SkyGo and General Feeds of the Cebu Basketball Federation. This will be the first time that Cebuanos will have a chance to see other semi-commercial provincial teams in a regular tournament since the MBA folded up two years ago. As a result, they will see the return of familiar faces from the defunct league.
HOMECOMING. The NBC will be a sort of homecoming for Ruben de la Rosa, Allan Gamboa and Jercules Tangkay. De la Rosa was a mainstay of Jun Noel’s Negro’s Slashers in the MBA.
Gamboa suited up once for the Iloilo MegaVoltz, while Tangkay is fresh from Welcoat Paints of the PBL Unity Cup. He had brief stints with Sta. Lucia and Talk & Text in the PBA. Al Solis, who will coach the team, will rejoin his former PBA teammates Leoncio “Jun” Tan and Elmer “Boy” Cabahug in the NBC. The two will serve as consultants. .
Rounding up the Cebu team are Reggie Licanda, Ronald Bucao, Pablo Tecson, Dante Elim, Ranulfo Abo, Rod Randolf Mutia, Abe Galinato, Chito Lanete, Alfie Grijaldo, Doroteo Almacin Jr., Ardy Larong and Jose “Nyoks” de Guzman. Licanda will also be the assistant coach. They are in fact a combination of players from SkyGo and General Feeds Mega Mix.
Where the MBA left off, the NBC envisions a more vibrant and competitive regional tournament that will draw other teams from the North which compose the Northern Conference. The Northern side is made up of Baguio, Batangas Blades, Forward-Taguig and Laguna Springs They will also be coming to Cebu before the tournament is over. Another game is set on Sunday at the Cebu Coliseum, with the hosts facing the visiting Iloilo Earriors.
THE OTHER LEAGUE. Whatever happened to the much-talked United Regional Basketball League (URBL), which Councilor Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba touted before he became a city councilor? Is it still in the works? Though aimed at developing young players from the countryside, the URBL is also a venue for come-backing players from the PBL, MBA, CBL and the PBA itself whose bodies can still take it. Discards and down-the-hills, to put it mildly.
We said in our column of April 17, “ Watch for the newest team in the NBC franchise: Ozamis Corta.” The game tomorrow will be replayed the next day from 4 to 6 p.m. on NBN Channel.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “We are ready to win. But we’ll take all the teams one at a time.” - Allan Lataza, Tribu Sugbu team manager.
(July 1, 2004 issue)
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