Thursday, June 07, 2007 New BAP Region 7 head plans to revive CCAA
THE newly-appointed regional head of the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) is plunging into his very first project—the revival of the Cebu Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).
Lorenzo “Chao” Sy, BAP-7 head, has already started giving out invitations to schools.
Sy said those who will join will right away be included in the schedule to be made. Sy also said the competition will in no way be in conflict with that of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (Cesafi) games, which is set to open late next month.
The CCAA is the ancestor of the Cesafi and started in the 40’s and was renamed the Cebu Amateur Athletic Association in the 70’s before it became the Cesafi a few years back.
If Cesafi members schools decide to join the CCAA, they will be scheduled in a way that it will not affect their games in the Cesafi.
The same incident happened last year with the birth of the Visayas Amateur Athletic Association, which raised a lot of eyebrows. But VAAA went on smoothly as the schedule was arranged so the Cesafi member schools will not miss their scheduled games.
Cesafi commissioner Felix Tiukinhoy welcomes the new league as he is also a basketball patron and believes it would be better for the players to have more tournaments.
Board
He, however, said that it will be up to the board whether Cesafi members will be allowed.
As to whether the board will allow its members to join is still debatable as the CCCA will be organized by BAP, a splinter group of the BAP-Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, which Cesafi belongs to.
Tiukinhoy said BAP is free to put up a tournament and it can continue to be an organization if it feels like it.
“Anyone can put up a tournament. Chao is free to hold a league. If Graham Lim claims BAP still exists, then be it. But one thing’s for sure, BAP is no longer the national governing body or the NSA for basketball. It lost that capacity during the BAP-SBP merger in February,” said Tiukinhoy.
Tiukinhoy said any dealings with the Fiba, goes through BAP-SBP and SBP-BAP executive director Patrick Gregorio is in Japan for the Asia Men’s Championship draw. (MCB)
