WITH a new basketball commissioner in tow, the Baguio–Benguet Educational Athletic League is set to open its 32nd season this month with the National Amateur Basketball Referees Organization (Nabro) calling the shots for the centerpiece tournament.
According to a BBEAL insider, Nabro was selected to man all the games of the basketball competition that will be defended by the University of the Cordilleras eyeing a rare grand slam opportunity.
Following the appointment of former national team assistant coach Djalma Arnedo as tournament director, a two-day refresher course is being eyed in an effort to level up officiating as well as coaching when the 32nd season of the league hosted by the University of the Philippines unfolds on October 20.
The two-day workshop set on October 6 and 7 at a venue yet to be identified will be venue to improve officiating of referees and table officials as well as to update coaches on the latest FIBA rules.
Arnedo was appointed commissioner during the BBEAL executive meeting on September 12, beating last year’s commissioner, Danilo Soria.
The BBEAL executive board voted 9-2 in favor of Arnedo who beat Soria, a former University of Baguio Cardinal player, coach and UB athletic director.
Soria, also a former athletic director of the Cordillera Career Development College, is the Samahang Basketbolista Baguio representative and was endorsed by SBP regional director Peter Reinaldo Bautista.
UB remains a heavy favorite when the new season starts later this year after the Cardinals took home eight titles in the first phase then dominated the second semester by bagging seven crowns to hoist the Amalio S. Lapaz trophy with season 30 champion University of the Cordilleras Jaguars salvaging second place with 699 points.
The Cardinals won the title in men’s wushu, men’s badminton, men’s swimming, women’s archery, man and women’s table tennis, men’s chess, and women’s basketball.
In the second phase, UB went home with the crowns in women’s athletics, men’s judo, boxing, muay thai, arnis (men and women) and the men’s and women’s volleyball.
Despite winning the centerpiece men’s basketball competition, the Jaguars went down with first place finishes in women’s wushu, men’s archery, women’s chess, baseball, men’s athletics, women’s judo, men and women’s taekwondo.
Saint Louis University’s 621 points was good for third place winning the title in women’s badminton, sepak takraw, men and women’s tennis, while Philippine Military Academy finished strong at fourth place with 542 points as Benguet State University, which topped the football competition completed the top five with 345 points.
Other participating universities include Baguio Central School, Baguio College of Technology, Cordillera Career Development College, and Pines City Colleges. (Roderick Osis)