RETURNING to the mahogany court after years of hiatus, Negros Basketball Association (NBA) opens its 2018 President’s Cup Sunday at the Bacolod Tay Tung High School gym.
Nine teams led by reigning Negros Occidental Private School Sports, Cultural and Educational Association (Nopsscea) men’s basketball champions Colegio de Sta. Ana de Victorias/Silver Dragon will parade at 3 p.m. reviving the premier league which started in 1985.
Expected to bring solid competition in the tournament is Red House Taiwan Shabu Shabu-University of Negros Occidental Recoletos (UNO-R), which captured the Valladolid Open Basketball Tournament. UNO-R is also the 2017 Nopsscea runner-up.
Equally strong teams vying for the NBA title are the STI-West Negros University-bannered ESJ Fyre Fyter, University of St. La Salle-Freeze Sportswear, La Consolacion College Bacolod-Davies Paint-J Squared Construction, Melfern and the Supreme ABF-Silver Graces Construction, Dawn Rent-a-Car and Duke Jay Game Farm.
Competition format is a single-round-robin elimination round with the top two teams earning a twice-to-beat advantage in the semi-finals. Teams ranked 3 and 6 will play in the knockout quarterfinals while number 4 faces number 5.
The winner of 3rd and 6th place will challenge the top team while the 4th and 5th placesurvivor goes up against the number two squad.
The NBA board of directors headed by its president Oscar Bascon invites everyone to watch this highly competitive basketball event which has produced top-caliber players in the professional and collegiate leagues across the country.
Regional head of the SBP or Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas Robert Uy will be the guest speaker.
Admission is free.