AFTER several foiled attempts at winning a national title, bemedalled powerhouse team University of the Visayas’ hopes hit another snag.
Last Wednesday, the national governing body for basketball, Basketball Association of the Philippines-Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (BAP-SBP) launched the first Philippine Collegiate Championship Games, the successor of the Philippine Collegiate Champion’s League, where UV was the 2007 runnerup.
The PCCG is national in scope and all schools from all over the country will be getting equal chances of taking the title.
In Cesafi, the scales are still tipped in favor of the Green Lancers, who will most likely win the title for 2008, their eighth straight. This could have given them an automatic slot to the national finals, without having to go through the hassles of the zonals and regional competitions.
However, UV is in hot water after going against the direct order from BAP-SBP forbidding them from joining a competition that was not sanctioned by the organization.
BAP-SBP issued a stern warning on UV that if it pushes through with joining the BAP-organized National Schools Basketball Championships, it would suffer consequences, one of which will be their banishment from joining BAP-SBP-sanctioned competitions.
UV joined the NSBC and eventually lost the title to Southwestern University (SWU).
BAP-SBP executive director Patrick Gregorio, who gave the warning, said that they will be reviewing the case before deciding on UV’s status.
Review
“We will be reviewing it and discuss it when we will be meeting with the Cesafi board,” Gregorio said.
Joining the NSBC risked UV’s stature with BAP-SBP. They gave their all to win a national title, but they wound up losing to a younger SWU.
Other than SWU and UV, another member of Cesafi who joined NSBC and will be facing whatever sanctions UV and SWU will get is the University of San Carlos.
UV, however, is undaunted.
Determined to win its very first national title, UV head coach Elmer “Boy” Cabahug said that he is depending on the organizers to allow them to join.
“If we will be the champion (of Cesafi), then we have the right to be present in the nationals. If they will not invite us, it is still okay. But this will all be up to the management or owner if we will join or not,” Cabahug said. (MCB)
