CEBU basketball has one of the busiest calendars in the country with pocket tournaments whole year round. However, these tournaments sometimes run in conflict with each other and since most of the tournaments use the same bunch of players, there’s a need to iron out the kinks.
Cebu football uses a calendar, one that I pointed out to Superbalita Cebu sports editor Jun Migallen, who also organizes tournaments or is an adviser to one. Junmigs is thinking of having one for basketball for 2019, so those who want to come in and hold tournaments will know which dates are open.
If Cebu basketball does that, I think that it will be a great step in the right direction. It can also unify the different stakeholders. In football’s case, the “penciled-in” tournaments are the Thirsty and SunStar Football Cups held every February and November, respectively, the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc., which is held every September, and the Cebu City Olympics, done every November.
The rest of the year is open for anyone.
Since Cebu basketball organizers already give way for the Cesafi season, they can have it in their calendar first then put in the dates for the Governor’s Cup, Minglanilla Cup and the Gullas Cup.
Or they can do one more and adopt another practice in football that has gotten footballers in check. If you misbehave and get a lengthy ban in football, it will apply not just to one tournament but to all the tournaments organized under the Cebu Football Association.
Sometimes, I think that basketball players think that since they’ll be punished in one tournament only, they tend to get reckless. If all the basketball organizers agree on a calendar, they can also agree that to protect their leagues, any lengthy ban or suspension they impose must also apply to the other tournaments.
I think that will minimize the free-for-alls and fracas that put a damper on local tournaments.
Of course, there’s that question of who’ll oversee the calendar. It can be the local version of the Samahang Basketball ng Pilipinas or the Cebu Province Sports Commission or anyone that has the mandate.
What is important here, though, is the local organizers agree to respect whatever agreement they come up with and not break away once they don’t get what they want. The whole point about this exercise is unity.