LOCAL cage fans will get a taste anew of school-based brand of basketball.
Coach Arvin Martinez, NBTC (National Basketball Training Center) official for Northern Mindanao area, announced Xavier University's hosting here of Butuan's Urios University on Friday (Aug. 27) at the XU gym.
"Invitational Games like this is a joy to watch kay dinhi nato ma-evaluate kon asa na gapadulong ang development sa atong local basketball. It is also a fact nga majority sa mga basketbolista nga adunay future sa basketball mao gyod kadtong anaa sa landong sa eskwelahan," Martinez, himself a former varsity player, told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.
First to take the floor in this pre-fiesta event are XU and Urios' elementary squads at 2:30 pm to be followed by their secondary teams at 4 pm.
Capping the night is the much-awaited XU-Urios showdown in college varsity level at 6 pm.
"Urios college used to be the breeding ground of quality dribblers in the region kay gani ang uban sa ilang mga varsity players sa una na PBA man. Curious sab `mi karon kon unsay caliber sa ilang bag-o nga mga talents," said Martinez, even as he shared that Capitol University senior varsity team got waylaid when it tried to challenge Urios a while ago in Butuan.
Former PBA commissioner Noli Eala, who's now among the top executives of Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, also encourages youth basketball development in the grassroots level.
Eala eralier urged the local organizers of the Tournament of the Philippines (popularly known before as Liga Pilipinas) to feature school varsity teams in their preliminary games instead of their veteran counterparts.
"Although pabor kay sige `ming dula sa Liga Pilipinas diha sa XU gym, gakakunsensiya-an sab `mi kay daghan kanamo mga tigulang nga dagko'g tiyan og mga comeback na. Uyon ako nga ipalabi na lang nato sa mga batan-on nga aduna pay kaugmaon sa basketball," one ageless dribbler, who obviously did not want to be identified, told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.