Tuesday, July 03, 2007 BAP-SBP project to rise in Cebu
THE Basketball Association of the Philippines-Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (BAP-SBP) Board of Trustees meeting yesterday in Manila accomplished important matters in its agenda– something according to executive director Patrick Gregorio, Cebuanos could be proud of.
Gregorio announced that for the first time in Philippine basketball history, a National Training Center outside Metro Manila will be created and it will have its home here in Cebu.
“This will be our pilot project in Cebu. The National Training Center will soon work for the basketball development of the youth, who are at least 14 years old, both for the men’s and women’s basketball,” Gregorio told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday.
The second item on the checklist is the appointment of key officials who will work with them in their projects.
“We have achieved total unity with this and to prove this, we have appointed key officials, who will work with us closely in the coming days. These are something Filipinos and Cebuanos can be proud of,” Gregorio said.
The board appointed Milo Basketball Efficiency and Scientific Training founder Nick Jorge as the head of the Youth Basketball Commission. Dr. Raul Canlas was named head of the Medical Commission, while Christian Tan will head the Competition Commission.
“Naming Tan in a very critical position just goes out to show that we are now truly united. As we all know Tan is identified with BAP. But that is past us now. We are a one and united organization and everybody should follow our lead,” Gregorio said.
BAP-SBP also named five areas of concerns – the NCR, Southern Tagalog, Northern Luzon, the Visayas Region and the Mindanao Region.
Meanwhile, Gregorio kept the suspense going as the announcement of the regional heads will to be announced in the next few weeks.
“The criteria being set for the regional head post is based on whether he or she is part of the board, has an organization and financial capabilitites to back him, and he must be a basketball lover. The area heads are the ones who will recommend to us who the regional directors, provincial directors and city directors will be,” Gregogio added.
The other things approved by the board are the holding of the regional tournaments, the national inter-collegiate tournament and the annual national invitational, which will be patterned after the Jones Cup in Taiwan. (RCM)
