inboundpass.com - Covering Philippine college basketball / UAAP, NCAA, PCC

From Collegiate Champions League (CCL) to the Collegiate National Championships (CNC), and now the Philippine Collegiate Championship Games (PCCG – not the presidential security).

A joint project by the SBP-BAP and the Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL) as witnessed thru a memorandum of agreement signed in front of the media by Rey Gamboa, Patrick Gregorio, Ricky Vargas and Manny V. Pangilinan with a firm belief that this venture, this so called future model that can be a sustainable growth program to enhance the grassroots level for basketball, can also be a model for other sports to follow.

They expect to have over 250 Collegiate Teams, to participate in this college basketball event and play in over 40 sites around the country, that will signify a move to unify and crown a legitimate Collegiate Champion.

To make the “what should have beenâ€? league (not future, we might coin it as another breakthrough were in fact it isn’t) more interesting aside from the cash prize it will receive, will be the distinction of being recognized by the SBP-BAP, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), AND the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), plus the winner will represent the Philippines in any Collegiate International Tournament sanctioned by FIBA. So the stakes are much higher this time around does it.

Let’s check out some more. There will be 9 Regional Areas. Region 1 – Dagupan, Pangasinan, and Baguio. Region 2 – Pampanga and Bulacan, Region 3 – Quezon and Bicol Provinces, Region 4 – Iloilo and Bacolod, Region 5 – Dumaguete an Bohol, Region 6 – Tacloban, Ormoc, and Samar, Region 7 – Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, Misamis Oriental and CARAGA, Region 8 – Davao, Socsargen and Maguindanao and Region 9 – Zamboanga(Cities and Provinces) and Misamis Occidental. They expect that these regions will be done with slugging it out by the End of September, almost the same time as the finish lines of the NCAA and UAAP. Estimated number of games: 1,700.

Four teams from each region (total of 36) teams will compete for a Regional Championship that will run thru the 3^rd week of September until the 2^nd week of October. By then the NCAA and UAAP teams would have gone on vacation and partying. Estimated number of Regional Championship Games: 54.

After the Regionals will be the Zonal Championships, which will be composed of 4 divisions.

North/Central Luzon Zone (1) – Champion of Region 1, Champion of Region 2 NCAA 4^th in the standing, Runner-up of NCAA South, Wild Card Team, and the Host School Team. South Luzon Zone (2) – Champion of Region 3, NCAA South Champions, UAAP 4^th in the standing, Two(2) Wild Card Teams, and the Host School Team. Visayas Zone (3) – Region 4 Champion, Region 5 Champion, Region 6 Champion, CESAFI Runner Up, NCAA 3^rd in the Standing, and the Host School Team. Mindanao Zone (4) – Region 7 Champion, Region 8 Champion, Region 9 Champion, CESAFI 3^rd in the standing, UAAP 3^rd in the Standing, and the Host School Team. The Zonals will start late October until mid-November.

A wild card team’s performance will be based on their mother league standing plus their records in other invitational leagues such as the Fr. Martin’s Cup, FilOil Flying V Preseason among others.

The top 2 teams from each zone (eight zone reps) will advance to the “sweet 16â€? challenge much like the march madness of the US NCAA. And they will be divided into two groups. The UAAP Champion, NCAA runner up CUSA Champion, NAASCU Champion and Representative of Zones 1-4 will comprise Group X (maybe in the absence of a sponsor name or hero). Group Y will have the NCAA Champion, UAAP Runner up, CESAFI Champion, NCRAA/UCAA Champion and Representative of Zones 1-4. Each zone representative will draw straws to determine who they’ll face in the Sweet 16 Challenge.

Games will be losers go home and the group winners will compete for the bragging rights as the National Collegiate Champs. Like in any Philippine competition, there is a consolation prize because the runners up will meet for 3^rd and 4^th place.

It’s a pretty amazing idea. I have to give the SBP-BAP for making the effort of finally doing what should the NCAA and UAAP has not done in their history. So instead of growing within the times and inviting more teams to join in their party, the NCAA and UAAP got stuck with 7 to 8 teams in their 70+ year history when the number of Colleges and Universities in the country is now well over 2,000. With their so-called superior education they never thought of expanding?

To adapt to the current status of each league and region, the SBP-BAP will assist those provinces that have less resources, or the lack of, to organize their league. As for the others, the SBP – BAP will respect the governing rules of each league, be it eligibility or documentation.

The SBP-BAP should not rest on their laurels just yet. Some teams, who think they have a world on their own might become lazy. Or become tired of showing everybody who is their daddy. Well, who isn’t tired winnin it all? But you gotta show who’s the best.

And with the Sweet 16 Challenge starting sometime on November up to early December, Commercial leagues might put another deaf ear into this endeavor and not lend their players to the schools for the right to REPRESENT their alma mater to compete for Pride, Honor and Gloryyyyy-hee!!!!

Nuff-said. What do you think?

Tags: Be-Like-Mike, CCL, CESAFI, CNC, CUSA, FIBA, Manny-Pangilinan, NAASCU, ncaa, NCRAA, Petron, Philippine-Collegiate-Championsip-Games, POC, Rey-Gamboa, San Seabastian, SBP-BAP, Sprint, UAAP, UCAA

Related posts

• San Beda, Ateneo open PCC Sweet 16 Round (13)
• UAAP All-Stars bag 2008 Bantay Bata title (52)
• Letran, USJ-R reach Sweet 16 Round (47)
• Alas wants to face the Red Lions in the Sweet 16 round (18)
• Jaguars, Knights debuted in the PCC Zonals with a Win (17)

Posted in Be Like Mike