Wednesday, June 18, 2008 Cebu City Niños to play on the road without Enriquez
THE M. Lhuillier-Cebu Niños will open its Liga Pilipinas battle on the road as the multi-titled squad travels to Ilocos Sur this week to the Santo Domingo People’s Center for the 2008 Liga Pilipinas league.
The Niños of beme–dalled coach Raul “Yayoy” Alcoseba and sports patron Michel Lhuillier will challenge three teams, host Ilocos Sur Bravehearts of Gov. DV Savellano, Taguig Batang Global of Mayor Freddie Tinga and the Quezon Red Oilers of Gov. Raffy Nantes in the five-day joust that will culminate with a one-game finals on June 22.
The competition is sanctioned by the Sama–hang Basketbol ng Pili–pinas.
Alcoseba has made major movements after losing his top point guard Woodrow Enriquez.
Enriquez will be sidelined for at least six weeks due to a fractured bone on his left arm, sustained during the recent Liga South pre-season tournament.
To fill the playmaking and scoring void left by Enriquez, Alcoseba tapped the services of guards Mark Jonas Ababon and Arturo Atablanco hope
Alcoseba also acquired 6-foot-7 center Rino Berame and 6-foot-4 bruiser Ariel Mepaña to help the team’s rebounds and defense. This will be the first time that Berame and Atablanco, a former Duterte-Davao Agila, will suit up for Cebu’s ball club.
Returnees Ababon and Mepaña played for the Niños when the team was still called the M. Lhuillier Jewelers.
The new recruits hope to blend well with holdovers Stephen Padilla, Bruce Dacia, Danny Aying, Mar–lon Basco, Ronald Capati, Jayford Rodriguez, Jerry Cavan, Michael Luga and Richard Ian Saladaga in delivering the historic first Liga championship to Cebu.
This will be the first time in four years that the Ninos will visit the northern part of the country. The Jewelers won the only regional competition, the United Regional Basketball Lea–gue, in 2004 over the Ilocos Sur Snipers.
After the Ilocos Sur trip, the Ninos will host one mini tournament and travel to two more cities to earn more points. The dates and participants of these mini tournaments will be announced later.
A team will earn points based on their performances in the mini tournaments that they join. A mini tournament champion is crowned every week. The top-ranked teams based on total points at the end of all the mini tournaments will advance to the national playoffs. (RCM)
